5 Beach Essentials to Get You Sexy Summer Hair & Healthy Skin + The Mysterious Postcards from Saint-Tropez!

Hey everyone!

Wheee it’s Friday! I hope trooping through this week wasn’t that tough, and that you’re looking forward to the weekend. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do at all! After the wedding last weekend, I really think I could chill out a bit this one!

I know that the weather has been largely unstable in Belgium, and it’s not the perfect weather to start talking about summer hair and sun protection. However, some of you are probably going on holiday somewhere sunny soon, so today we’re going to look at 5 products that will get you ready for summer!

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Skincare Review: Do Changing Seasons Upset Your Skin? Caudalie Vinosource to the Rescue!

Hey everyone!

About two weeks ago I went to the Caudalie Vinosource press event and received some samples to try out. I have been using them over the past two weeks, and I have come to my verdict. I started using this line when my skin was acting a little crazy with the changing seasons. It was dry, tired-looking, and not as plump. With the help from this line however, my skin very quickly went back to normal! I have been a fan of this brand for 8 years now, and I have not tried anything that is a dud. With that said, let’s take a better look at the S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum, Moisturizing Matifying Fluid, Moisturizing Sorbet, and Moisture Recovery Cream!

The S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum has a feathery light texture. Sticky and heavy are not the words you would associate with this serum. It is easy breezy to smooth it out on the skin, and it is then absorbed with lightening speed. This is not a serum that comes with fancy claims like brightening, anti-aging, and whatnot. However, if you want your skin to have a hydration boost, this serum is a good bet!

The Moisturizing Matifying Fluid is a must-try for everybody with combination skin. Having combination skin myself, I am very partial to products claim to moisturize my cheeks while matifies my T-zone. However, nothing I have tried worked for me. They usually keep my cheeks hydrated, but my T-zone still gets shiny really fast. This one, however, keeps its promise. I love to use this as day cream on my “I’m just working at home” days, but it works just as well under my foundation. My cheeks are soft and hydrated, and my T-zone doesn’t shine like a disco ball in a matter of hours. People with combination skin, rejoice! Here’s something that will streamline your morning routine! It has a very light texture and is absorbed fast, like everything else in this range (or dare I make a grander generalization about all Caudalie products?).

The Moisturizing Sorbet is a relaunched product. It used to be housed in a pump bottle, but the new formula is found in a tube. I had the old formula and loved it, but it was a while ago so I can’t really compare the two! What I can say is, they’re both super light, yet they moisturize well. It doesn’t claim to be matifying, but I find my T-zone very happy with this sorbet. So happy in fact, it doesn’t feel the need to produce sebum too fast! Actually, if you have “oily skin,” it is a good idea to check if your skin is hydrated enough. The problem with those with oily skin is that they could get too aggressive with cleaning and they don’t put enough hydration back. As a result, their skin feels the need to produce even MORE sebum to replace the lack of hydration. Don’t. Use a light, yet effectively hydrating product like this one. It really won’t make you shiny faster! This product targets those with sensitive skin, so it is super gentle (though all Caudalie products I have tried are gentle and effective). It has an interesting yogurt-like texture, as you can see in the picture below.

Last but not least, we have the Moisture Recovery Cream. This is for dry skin, but I use it as my night cream. It is slightly heavier than the rest of them, but still it doesn’t leave my face feeling greasy. Besides a good dose of hydration, it also offers more moisture, which I welcome at nighttime! Those with dry skin can definitely use this as their day cream.

All of these can be used day and/or night. Like other Caudalie products, they smell insanely good. I can’t quite put my fingers around it. It’s not the type of “essential oil” smell, but nor is it artificial-smelling AT ALL. It’s just all kinds of amazing. If you haven’t smelled any Caudalie products, I strongly advise you do that as soon as possible. It is never the smartest strategy to buy skincare products just because they smell good, but it’s a great place to start!

Bottom line: Gentle, effective, and hydrating, the Vinosource line has something for everybody. If your skin is taking a hit because the seasons are changing, try to lay your hands on one (or more) of them that suits your skin type!

Have you tried anything from Caudalie before? How do you pacify your skin when the seasons are changing? What are your favorite hydrating products?

Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx

Disclosure: The products mentioned in this review are sent by the PR for my consideration. All opinions are honest and my own. I am in no way compensated for this review. I have always been, and will always be committed ONLY to my readers.

Review: Pacifica Magic Carpet Ride Gift Set – Body Butter Trio (I don’t know where it’s taking me, but it’s surely NOT where I want to be!)

Pacifica Magic Carpet Ride

I’ve read about a lot of good things about Pacifica. The company claims that all their products are made in the USA (which is probably very rare nowadays), that they are 100% vegan, and made with cruelty-free ingredients. The range is also free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and petrolatum (taken from the Pacifica website). From the looks of it Pacifica makes fantastic-smelling products with a lot of good intention. I was very excited to find out about their Magic Carpet Ride set right before setting off to the U.S. The set features 3 full-sized body butter (8 o.z/236ml) in Island Vanilla, Indian Coconut Nectar, and Tuscan Blood Orange for a mere 28 dollars (54 dollars value). I love nice-smelling everything (particularly warm scents like vanilla and coconut for the colder seasons), I highly identify with the corporate philosophy, and everybody loves a good buy, right? The second I made it to Sephora I grabbed the set on display (I was told it was the last set they had in stock. Usually that’s a good spur in decision-making) and continued to shop around with the heavy box in my shopping bag. When I located the Pacifica products in the store, I thought maybe I’d like to sniff the trio just to make sure, and I liked the way all of them smelled. It was when I tried a bit of each on my hand/arm that things started going horribly wrong…

You see, all three of them dried down and mixed with my body chemistry in the worst possible way. While Island Vanilla and Tuscan Blood Orange became downright unpleasant on me, Indian Coconut Nectar was plain nauseating. It smelled like baby vomit, milky and sour with a slight sweetness in it. If ONE of the three was wrong, I might still have grabbed the set and gifted the third to a friend. When ALL three of them failed however, I could only sigh and put the set back. I kept sniffing myself for half an hour afterwards, just to see if anything would change, but sadly nothing did. When I had access to water and soap, I washed the lotion off as fast as I could.

Bottom line? I still think it’s great value for money, and the corporate philosophy is right up my alley. However, before you make your purchase, PLEASE try the lotion on just to make sure you won’t end up feeling sick when you put it on. But seriously, not so much scent and absolutely no lotion has gone SO horribly wrong on me in my lifetime…