Sunday 29 April 2012

Sunday Instagramming #4

Happy Sunday everyone! 
I know it is quite late in the evening, but I hope your day went great. And you didn't get mad at the weather outside(as I did). On a brighter note, I have some pictures from this week to share with you.

1. Revision has taken quite a lot of my free time this week. But good results won't come easy without some work done.
2. However, sometimes decisions are hard when you have to choose between academic and leisure books. The academic ones won this time, sadly.
3. This week I finally watched Singin' in the rain. I love watching old movies. There is that innocence the modern ones do not have.
4. Also couple of days ago, I've reached 13,000 page views on my blog. 
5. Summer is not here yet, but you can always treat yourself to summer fruits. These don't have the same warmth and taste but at least it is something to remind you of those sunny days.
6. Cooking time with my boyfriend. 
7. It was delicious along with some good wine :)


Have a lovely end of the day and a great week ahead!
Focus on the Quiet,
xx

Thursday 26 April 2012

OPI You Don't Know Jacques!





Tuesday 24 April 2012

Skin Care Routine

To me, beautiful skin equals to self-confidence. I do not feel great, if my skin has imperfections. Sometimes make up does a good job at covering blemishes or other spots, but it won't look good in any way if you do not take care of your skin. 
Always remove your make up before going to bed and use skin care products suitable for your skin type, are two pieces of advice that I can to give to you for a good start.

Today, I thought I'll share with you my skin care routine, products that I use everyday and quite like. My skin is normal (cheeks and chin) to dry (forehead and around my nose). I get spots here and there, from time to time, but these aren't a result of a reaction to a product or anything like that(I don't have sensitive skin). They usually appear, before or after 'that' period of month.

Also, I have tell you that the products I going to mention in this post, might work for me, but they might not work for you. The reviews are based on my experience, so it is just my opinion.

This is the bundle of stuff I have in my bathroom...
I'll start with the Olay Refreshing Toner for Normal/Dry/Combination skin. The thing with me and toners is quite odd, because I do not see any results. But I guess they aren't meant to do anything 'big' in particular. On the packaging it says: Simply clean,refreshed, beautiful skin. I use it just like water, to freshen up my skin during the day or before I apply my moisturiser. The Olay one is quite good, it has a clean smell to it and I didn't have any problems with it.

I use Botanics Soothing Eye Make up Remover for removing my eye make up, as you can imagine. It is one of those that you have to shake because it has two layers. I love it for removing my make up efficiently, but I hate the fact that it is so oily. The first time I used it, I just hated it because of that. But you get used to that. But I wouldn't repurchase it, because I like more watery formulas.

The Body Shop Cucumber Cleansing Milk is really good for those suffering from dry skin. Because it is a cleansing milk, it's kind of a two in one product, it cleanses your face and moisturises it at the same time.

I use Johnson's Face Wipes when I'm out of cotton pads or I'm just too lazy to do a loooong cleansing process in the evening. You've probably seen them in one of my monthly favourites posts, so this automatically means that I enjoy using them a lot.



I got the Neal's Yard Daily Moisture Cream as a sample of the Marie Claire magazine. I was quite excited to try this as I've heard so many good things about this brand. I used the product for more than a month now and I like it, but my skin requires a richer cream for the dry parts. It is more of a lotion than a cream, it is quite thin in consistency. It's going to be great for normal skin (as it says on the packaging) but wouldn't recommend spending money on it if you have dry skin.

You've also seen the Nivea Daily Essentials Night Cream in my monthly favourites earlier this year and I still love it as I did before. I would repurchase this over and over again. It works great for my skin and it is cheap. What do I need more?

The Botanics Eye Cream is another favourite product of mine. I have to mention it is a very long-lasting product. I had this cream since November and it is not even half gone. I use it every single day. I do not use it to fight my wrinkles or anything like that, just to lightly moisturise my eye area as I think it is important not to neglect this process even if you are quite young.

I definitely wouldn't repurchase The Body Shop Carrot Moisture Cream ever again. Yes, it does the job of moisturising my face, but it is just an unpleasant product to me. I don't like the packaging, colour, consistency or smell of it. Basically, anything about it. I'm just using it up, to get rid of it faster.

I use the Soap&Glory Bright Here Bright Now energy balm before I apply my foundation. I've featured this product in my March favourites, I think. It is basically a cream that has reflective particles in it, that help your complexion look brighter and healthier. You can apply it before your foundation (as I do) or mix it together with your foundation. I just love the results that it gives to my skin.

These two products I use when I have skin problems. Sudocrem is a thick white cream that helps with dryness, I use it on my forehead at night. But it also helps fight blemishes, burns and other skin related issues. Something that I've noticed is that if you use it too often it kind of stops working, but maybe it's just me.

Clean&Clear Spot Treatment has the same features of fighting skin problems, but it is a clear gel. Used it couple of times, but can't say I saw fantastic results. It is ok, but wouldn't really recommend buying it.

From the product left inside the bottle, you could probably understand that I love this product. The Nivea Daily Essentials Cleansing Cream Wash is a must-have for dry skin. It works great at removing the traces that are left of my make up and it just makes my skin really soft. I would definitely repurchase this again in the future.


And the last product I'm going to mention is your basic Vaseline tin. I have it in the Aloe Vera scent and I think this one is my favourite of all the smells they produce. It isn't my favourite lip balm, but it is great for applying before a lipstick. It is quite oily, so if you don't like this kind of consistency, do not buy it.


So, these are all the products I use to keep my skin young and fresh :) As I finish some of the products, I'll probably do an updated post on the new products to tell you what I think about them. Also, if you have any recommendations for dry skin I'd be more than happy to receive them.
Thanks for stopping by,
Focus on the Quiet
xx

Sunday 22 April 2012

Sunday Instagramming #3

Hey, guys!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately, the uni work and revision for the upcoming Politics exam is just killing all my inspiration. Promise to post more next week, as I'll have a bit more free time to review products and maybe shoot some outfits.

This week, I haven't done anything exciting that is why even my instagram post is going to be quite 'poor' in pictures. The only thing that made my heart melt, these past days, were the blooming trees, especially the pink ones. It is so beautiful outside(when it's not raining).
In the third picture, the spaghetti and chicken dinner, was cooked by my boyfriend. Loved it, how he arranged the salad leaves(just for my plate haha).
The fourth picture, is the Brie cheese that we adore and bought today.

That is it for today, hopefully the weather outside is going to get sunnier and the summer will get here faster :)
Have a relaxing Sunday and a great week ahead of you!
                                                 Focus on the Quiet
                                                                     xx

Wednesday 18 April 2012

My Orly Nail Polish Collection

Following my Opi Collection( http://focusonthequiet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/my-opi-nail-polish-collection.html ), is my Orly nail polish collection. It is more than two times smaller but there is a reason why: the brush. It is really tiny compared to the Opi one and I hate it when you have to brush five times to cover up the whole nail. Other than that, the nail polishes are amazing. I particularly like the brush handle, which is rubbery and comfortable to hold.

These are the two polishes that I own: Mirror Mirror and Galaxy Girl.

The Orly brush compared to the Opi one

Mirror Mirror is a creme light grey colour. I usually apply two coats for an opaque colour. It looks great on pale skin, in my opinion.
Galaxy Girl is quite hard to describe but see for yourselves in the picture above. This nail polish looks good with three or even four coats. It is a pain to get off, but let's face it- beauty needs sacrifices.
The swatches will be up soon, for both my collections :)

Sunday 15 April 2012

Instagramming #2

A new haircut|Evening out|A new goal reached|Green Tea
Love me some ripped jeans|Revising time|Mum's flowers|Top popular posts

On the road to the movies|In a cafe|Haribo sweets


Thursday 12 April 2012

My Top 10 Favourite Youtube Beauty Channels

Before I've even had the thought of starting a beauty blog, I was obsessed with youtube beauty channels.

I once saw, in the popular videos page, a beautiful brunette girl with a video called 'Everyday Make up Tutorial'. I was intrigued by the image and her, so I pressed the button and there she was doing her make up, explaining every step and what each product does to her complexion.
It was my first ever watched beauty video. Before that, I didn't even know something like that existed on Youtube. Youtube for me was all about funny cat videos and music clips.

Now, I'm subscribed to almost 150 people on Youtube and probably a 100 of them are beauty bloggers from all over the world.

This post will feature 10 of my most favourite youtubers and why I love watching their videos.

I'll start in no particular order as I can't really make a top, these people are all pretty awesome.

Speaking of professionals, I'll start with Lisa Eldridge. She is a famous make up artist, who does editorials for a lot of high-end magazines and a lot of celebrities' make up too. I could watch her videos for hours and not get bored. She is very engaging and inspirational. She always does make up tutorials featuring the latest trends on young beautiful models.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/lisaeldridgedotcom

Tanya Burr is another talented make up artist, whom I very much enjoy watching and learning from. In her make up tutorials arsenal, you can find looks for every ocassion. A thing that I love about her is that she is always so positive and radiant. She is a very 'sunny' person.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/pixi2woo

Oh, this girl! She is loved by everyone and you have to watch her videos to know why. I promise you'll be converted to that 'love crowd' after watching just one video. I've been watching her since she first started making Youtube videos and I knew she's going to be a 'phenomenon' on Youtube. She is Canadian and her name is Essie. Essiebutton, to be more exact.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/essiebutton

This next favourite youtuber of mine is Fleur de Force. Beautiful name and beautiful personality. After watching her for some time you feel like she is your best friend. And of course, you have to be in love with her dog and her two cats, too.No doubt.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/FleurDeForce

Then I also love watching sototallyvlog. I love her sense of fashion and her long long hauls. Her name is Lexi and what I love about her is that she is just genuine. She doesn't care what people think about her or her life. I feel like she is a person who would be always honest with you.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/sototallyvlog

Niasays is another youtuber whom I like for her style and personality. From her videos, I could tell that she is very kind and understanding. If we talk about her beauty videos, I always listen to her recommendations as we have the same skin type, so it's always useful to know what she likes.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/NiaSays

This person is my newest love on Youtube. Her name is Louisa(TheHappyWallflower). It is quite hard to describe why I love watching her videos. Probably, because she always seems so calm. She has been really kind and friendly to me, when I first tweeted her. And on the internet, this is the case when you usually get ignored and do not get a response back. I still need some time to discover her :)
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHappyWallflower

ThePersianbabe is another beauty channel that I adore. If one of her videos comes up in the feed, I leave everything and watch her. She is really beautiful and has a really good sense of style. Every single time she features clothes or jewellery in her videos, I want everything. I also love her everyday eye make up.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePersianbabe

Zoella won my heart through her love for corally red lips, of which I am a lover myself. She is always fun to watch and I also love her primark or thrift clothing finds. She has an eye for all things girly and cute. And when I watch her together with Sprinkleofglitter, I just can't stop laughing.
Her Youtube is http://www.youtube.com/user/zoella280390
and Sprinkleofglitter(her baby is the cutest little baby in the world) http://www.youtube.com/user/Sprinkleofglitter

And last, but not the least is Ruth, from AModelRecommends channel. She really is a model, as the title suggests and as you can imagine her duty is to always look flawless and beautiful. And she always succeeds. Her product recommendations are always luxurious and well-reviewed. I really love her 'gift ideas' videos or how she does a make up tutorial using the latest high end make up brands.
Her channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/AModelRecommends

Huh! I'm done with my top 10 youtubers. It was really hard to write something about each person from what you've seen in their videos. I am really sorry if I said something wrong and I really hope I didn't offend anyone. I just wanted to share some love and talk about some really great people out there that are worth checking out. They all inspired me and a whole lot of other people to begin something of their own. This beauty blog is a demonstration of that.

Thanks for stopping by,
              Focus on the Quiet
                             xx

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/FocusonIana
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Tuesday 10 April 2012

Lemon drop (Nails of the day)

My nails aren't looking their best these days, that's why I tried to tone down the colours a bit. Not to draw away too much attention to them. However, don't think that yellow colour was the best option, as it was quite noticeable.
I've applied two coats of Rimmel Beige Style, for the accent nail - 3 coats of Rimmel Lemon Drop, and then two rows of white nail polish dots.



                                                                     
Thanks for stopping by,
     Focus on the Quiet
                  xx

Sunday 8 April 2012

Sunday Instagramming

Just a quick update, through instagram, on what I've been doing lately.

Happy Easter to each and every one of you! Have a lovely holiday and a beautiful Sunday afternoon:)

A movie with Mum/Wearing a messy bun
Zara Heels/Converse
 
Daffodils/Breakfast
Random/Topshop Ring
  Ladybug/Maoam Sweets
  Le Petit Prince/Thai Soup
 Basil in the sun/Mum's Apple Crumble Pie
 Raisin Pie/Auntie's welcome gift to me
   Thank you for stopping by,
                         Focus on the Quiet
                                                xx

Follow me on Instagram: focusoniana 
                      Twitter:   @FocusonIana
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Friday 6 April 2012

My OPI Nail Polish Collection

OPI is probably the most talked about nail polish brand between beauty bloggers and youtubers. And there are several reasons why it is so popular-the vast range of colours, the beautiful packaging of the nail polish, the big brush which makes the application be more easy to handle and last, probably, is the fact that they release a lot of new collections every year.

In my nail polish collection, I own 5 OPI nail polishes. As you can imagine, I can not have a beauty blog without some OPI nail polishes. No, I'm just kidding! But truly, these are great quality nail polishes. I noticed a more long-lasting formula and the fact that they have a bigger than average brush, makes the application be more even, in just two sweeps of polish.

My collection consists of  Blue My Mind(a metallic blue), Sweet Heart(a pastel pink), Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ(a deep red,almost burgundy colour), San Tan-Tonio(a brown nude) and You don't know Jacques( a muddy brown).



My OPI wishlist is quite big as they have all the possible and impossible colours, but do not think I'll be purchasing any more soon. My nail polish collection needs to be cut down a bit :)

Wednesday 4 April 2012

What does your lipstick say about you?

The way we behave and talk always delivers something about our inner selves. There are hundreds of books written on body language, cutting down into every little move that you make. But, today I've come across something different. Apparently, the shape of your used lipstick says a lot of things about your personality.
I can relate to two of the categories: Slant keeps close to the original shape and Flat top. 

Which category does your lipstick fit in? Does it really represent your personality?

Monday 2 April 2012

Keep your make up fresh!

When you don't have enough space to fit another lipgloss into your make up drawer, it's time to do some cleaning. Each product in your make up collection has it's expiration date.
                      It is represented by this jar sign:
which says the number of months the product is valid since the day you opened it.

Let's quickly go through series of make up products, talk about their usual shelf life and how you know these are no good anymore.

Foundations. The validity of this particular product depends on its texture and packaging. The stick, cream and liquid foundations resist from 9 to12 months. The powder foundations are good up to 3 years.
When these products expire, the ingredients start to separate and the germs are easily gathered.
So, be careful with your expired foundations, as these can easily irritate your skin or bring some unexpected break outs or blemishes to your skin.

Mascaras. On most mascaras, the jar sign says 6M, however I would say keep using it for maximum 4 months. Your eyes are the most sensible part of your face and can be irritated quite easily. Just imagine those germs on the mascara wand travelling back and forth, in and out of the tube.

Liners. When you feel like your eye or lip liner doesn't have the same texture or colour, it is time to replace it. The validity term is from six to 12 months.

Eyeshadows. These work the same as foundations, depending on the texture. Cream eyeshadows tend to last for a year,but these usually dry out before that. Powder eyeshadows are valid for around three years.

Lipsticks and lipglosses. Lipsticks last for 2 years and lipglosses around 12 months. If you notice a change of smell, texture or even taste, please throw them directly into the bin!

Fragrances. 3 years is the term for perfumes. When the liquids expire, these usually change their colour and the smell becomes different when sprayed in the air(it doesn't change sprayed on the skin).
An expired perfume may cause skin irritation.