One of my favorite skincare products at this moment is the Combray Facial Oil (a regenerating face oil) which is a facial oil with only two ingredients and it has made my skin AMAZING! It is an antioxidant and multifunction oil.
 
And if you also have oily skin and you were scared just to read the word oil, wait a minute, because I also have oily/combination skin and the product is recommended for all skin types. Yes, I was also afraid of oils at first, but once you find an interesting product, you understand that even oily skins can use oil products, but attention, just apply the right amount to your skin and choose the right product. Anyway, let’s go back to Combray Facial Oil review. (This is a spontaneous review, I really liked the product, it’s not a sponsored blog post).

Combray Facial Oil contains only 2 ingredients and it’ss a multifunctional oil, but what does it promise?
It is an anti-aging treatment, which moisturizes the skin, soothes and regenerates it, and protects the softness of the skin.
I should add that I LOVE skincare products, but I had never been so excited about a single product as I am with this one, since I noticed visible improvements on a kind of a bad skin time I went through a while ago, while it was also very cold here in Milan, anyway, I talk more about my experience bellow.

• Combray Facial Oil: my favorite facial oil

Like I wrote above, the Facial Oil from Combray has several functions and properties in one single product.
You probably noticed in this last photo that the bottle is almost halfway through, so I really try a skincare product for a long time, because generally cosmetics are not products that give you immediate results and according to the brand’s information, I read that better results were visible after one month of using the product, by the time I’m writing this full review, I am already using Combray facial oil for almost 3 months every day, twice a day, and I’m really enjoying it.
Combray Facial Oil is rich in antioxidants and it contains only two (magic) ingredients: grape seed oil and another one called Oxofulleram, which is an antioxidant. The product has no other ingredients, preservatives, coloring or perfume and besides it all, the brand is cruelty free!

• Combray Facial Oil: product’s purposes

• Anti aging
• Hydration
• Calming and regenerating the skin
• Protect skin against oxidation caused by stress, pollution and inflammation

According to the brand’s website, they have clinical studies that demonstrate high product efficacy in reducing the appearance of free radical damage caused by oxidative stress, aging, sun, air pollution and inflammation.
In fact, you already start to see a difference in your skin in the early days, but of course I went deeper into the use of the product and I waited two months to be able to properly see the effects of the product on my skin and be able to actually review it properly.
 

• Combray Óleo Facial: How to use it

The product should be applied after washing your face, I have been using it both in the morning and at night and since it has several functions, I have been trying an almost minimal daily skincare routine: applying a cleanser gel to wash my face, an eye cream and the Combray facial oil.
Just a few drops for the face and neck, the recommended by the brand is: 6 drops, I think I have a small face or not for having a very dry skin, I often apply only 4 or 5 drops and that’s enough to my face. You should apply the product on the face and massage it with your fingertips, so that the product is better absorbed by your skin.
As you can see by the color of the oil in the photos, it has a dark color and the only care is actually massaging the product so it is well absorbed by the skin (it does not get your skin colored or anything) and take care of waiting a little at night and do not apply and lie on a white pillowcase straight after the application. But the brand itself has the instructions on how to apply the product and which are the movements indicated on the package.
 

• Benefits and my experience with Combray Facial Oil:

I started using the Combray Facial Oil at a time when it was very cold here in Milan and my skin, that’s actually a bit oily, was dry and even peeling close to the eye area. In fact I was even afraid to try a new product with the skin like that, but since I had met the brand on Cosmoprof last year (a cosmetics beauty fair that’s very respected worldwide), so I thought it was worth the try, since it has purposes like to moisturize and regenerate the skin.
And it was great, it helped my skin recover very well and in the following days and it also helped to keep it beautiful during the very cold days here, applying the product every day, I had no problem at all in my skin getting dry. It was super soft and hydrated all the time, even when I was in Switzerland and we had negative temperatures such as -6˚.C
I felt that in addition to being softer, my skin looks very moisturized and bright, in fact, I find myself in a great skin moment and I believe that the product also played a part on it. I also try to eat very healthy and, of course, that is something that helps to have healthy and beautiful skin. But with regards to the cold weather, I believe Combray Facial Oil has helped a lot in keeping my skin hydrated.

To summarize: I really liked Combray Skincare Facial Oil because the daily application left my skin looking healthy, soft and moisturized even on the very cold winter days. Plus, it’s a multifunction product that makes it easy for anyone who wants more everyday convenience and I also really enjoyed their travel size packaging, I’ve been using it straight on all my last trips.
The Combray brand is from the Netherlands, but Combray Facial Oil is sold and delivered worldwide by the brand’s website and you can get 20% OFF when you buy with the coupon code: MANU20 (the coupon is valid for only one month, so enjoy it while you can). Website: Combray Skincare
 
* I am not affiliated with the brand, this review is not a sponsored review, I just received the product to try it and all the reviews here on the blog are my real opinions after using a product.

A good body moisturizer is always important in our body care routine and for those of you who have or are facing a very dry skin, I tried the Eucerin Complete Repair Moisturizing Lotion, an intensive moisturizing lotion with 10% urea and I’ve been loving it!

I have been really liking Eucerin products for a few years now, since some years ago when I first tried a cleanser for rosacea or reddish skin that I really liked. But returning to this moisturizer review, Eucerin’s Complete Repair Moisturizing Lotion is one of those lotions with a more consistent texture and it really moisturize the skin very well, after all, it’s a product to dry skin.
 

• Eucerin Complete Repair Moisturizing Lotion: Review

The Eucerin Intensive Complete Repair moisturizing Lotion has 10% urea and aquaporin technology, I believe that among the two of them, urea is more famous in general. Urea is a component that can bring the water present inside the blood vessels into the skin cells, meaning that it has a strong hydrating action on our skin and it’s an important ingredient in many body lotions.
But the aquaporin technology was new to me and I went to give it a little research to understand it better. Aquaporins are channels that are on the cell membrane and have the function of driving the water molecules in and out of these structures, as well as blocking the passage of other substances.
Therefore, the use of this technology in cosmetics has the function of activating the production of aquaporins, as a result, they increase irrigation in the skin region and it can improve hydration capacity by up to 50%. That being said, the combination of this technology with urea actually creates a very strong moisturizing product to our skin and the results are visible.
In practice, I found that the intensive moisturizing lotion is really intensive and it’s great for dry skin or for when your skin gets drier during the cold days. After you apply the product, the skin is already soft at the time, of course for long-term results, you need to apply it everyday.

Eucerin Intensive Moisturizing Lotion, U$ 18.06.
On the instructions it says you should apply the product as many times as necessary during the day, as my skin is not usually very dry, but since here in Italy we are in the winter season, my skin ends up getting drier, but still, I applied it only once a day, after a shower. And it was great to my skin.
Another interesting thing about this body moisturizer is that it actually leaves the skin moisturized for long hours, it is not one of those lotions you apply on the skin and shortly after the skin has the same dry texture as before. It actually leaves the skin softer and moisturized for a much longer time.
 

• Ingredients of Complete Repair Eucerin Moisturizing Lotion:

* I received the product from the brand, but my reviews are always my real and sincere opinions on the products I try.

I tried out the Dermadoctor’s body scrub, the K P Duty Body Scrub, do you know when you use a product and you’re all excited and wondering where it’s been all your life? I have been using this body scrub and it was like that, I am loving the product and considering it to be the best body scrub I have ever tried!

I got to know the brand Dermadoctor during the Cosmoprof, it’s an American brand, and I have been trying several products of them and I’m really liking all of them! I will publish a video talking more about them and showing the products I’ve been using soon, so I’ll update the post later, but let’s go back to the review of the body scrub I liked so much!

[To see the video about the launches and products that I met in Cosmoprof here in Italy, check out: Cosmoprof 2017.]

• K P Duty Body Scrub from DERMAdoctor (review)

The K P Duty Body Scrub is a chemical and physical body scrub, it does not only perform an exfoliation through the grains in its texture, but it also works by chemical agents in its formula.

Another difference I saw in this exfoliant and that I had not used a product like that before was the way of using it, it says to apply the product on the dry skin before your shower. I used to use only scrubs that you just apply on the wet skin, and this one really made a difference.

The skin gets SUPER soft!

It is very simple to use: you apply it on your dry skin before your shower and massage it gently, then just rinse during your sure and you’re done! Your skin will look and feel super smooth and soft.

It has a texture in which you feel and can see the little grains, since they are not so small. You should use this body scrub once or twice a week, according to your skin. I usually use this type of product once a week.

Seriously, I fell in love with this product, I love bath/shower products and body scrubs, but this one has gained a special place in my list of favorite products and I’m already feeling like I need to stock it up for it’s finished. [laughs]

Two other important things about it: it’s a product without parabens and the DERMAdoctor brand is cruelty-free. Check out the full list of ingredients at the end of this blog post.

Another thing, it is just a body scrub, it’s not suitable for facial use. Never forget your face skin is always very sensitive and you should use only adequate facial products!

• Where to buy the Dermadoctor K P Duty Body Scrub scrub?

Well, the brand is American, so if you live in the USA, lucky you, you can probably find it easily over there. If not, don’t worry, I’ve got you too, I have found a few websites that deliver worldwide as well. 😉

• Nordstrom (This product is not available at this moment, but they sell the brand’s products, so maybe it will be in stock anytime soon).

• Macys:

• Buy it online with US deliver:

Sephora US, Ulta e Macys.

• K P Duty Body Scrub DERMAdoctor list of ingredients:

Here are some other products from Dermadoctor I’ve been trying:

If you speak Portuguese, here’s a full video about Dermadoctor products:

* I have received this product for free from the brand, but this blog post is not sponsored in any means and it only contains my real opinions after using this product.

Prismologie is one of those brands with a packaging that is a work of art of the minimal design and they also have great quality products. I tried out the Prismologie Hand and Cuticle Cream of the Pink O’Clock line with Rose and Pink Quartz fragrance of Prismologie, which has a delicate floral fragrance.
 

 

• Review of the Pink O’Clock Hand and Cuticule Cream from Prismologie:

I can’t get enough of looking at these beautiful packaging from Prismologie, I love the minimalist design and they look so beautiful and elegant in any bathroom. But let’s go back to the product’s Hand and Cuticule Cream from Pismologie review, it is a hand cream with a delicious fragrance that leaves the hands more soft and moisturized.
The fragrance of this line is ideal for those who like more floral smells, especially the rose fragrance and sweet smells. I love more citrus and fresh fragrances, but this one does not have a very strong sweet smell and I quite liked it.
I found it interesting that this cream is for hands and cuticles, besides using it as a hand cream whenever I see the need to moisturizer my hands, I have also used it to moisturize the cuticles when I’m doing my manicure.
 

It’s been a long time since I’ve been doing my own manicure and I do not remove the cuticles (since it’s healthier to leave them there, but very common to have them removed in Brazil where I was born and raised). I have been using this cream after I remove my nail polish, I push the cuticles very carefully, to make the nails more delicate and more beautiful. By the way, whenever possible, I try to stay one day a week without any nail polish, to let my nails breathe.
The product has a slightly creamier consistency than a lotion but is very light one, that leaves the hands with a good smell its easily absorbed by the skin.
 
• Ingredients:

 

• Where to buy Prismologie?

You can find online with worldwide delivery at Not On The High Street online store.

In the United Kingdom, where this brand was born, you can find its products easily in different cities of the UK, in London, you will find it at Harrods.
In US, you can find it at Cedra Pharma in New York.

*I received the product from the brand to try it, this review was written with my real and sincere opinions after using the product.

One brand that I met at Cosmoprof was Arkana, a polish skincare brand that I have been enjoying a lot lately. The Soft Clean Powder from Arkana was my favorite product from this brand, because it’s a facial cleanser that is in powder texture, it’s so cool!
Check my full review on the Soft Clean Powder from Arkana, a skincare product I really liked, you can also watch a video where I show this and other products from this beauty brand.
 

•Soft Clean Powder from Arkana:

It became my favorite product from Arkana and it’s also the one from this brand I was the most excited to try and do I tell you, it actually lived up to the expectations.
It has the different kind of product feeling that I love, but I also really like the quality of this facial cleanser. When in contact with water, it gets a soft texture that cleans my face well. It’s just a cleanser, it won’t remove makeup, so don’t forget to remove your makeup before this step.
This product is recommended for sensitive and delicate skin, as well as irritated skin by chemical peel treatments or excessive sun exposure. It’s also hypoallergenic.
 

 
The Soft Clean Powder has many active ingredients such as amino-acid, aloe vera, Allantoin (hydrates, smoothes and removes dead cells), Salicylic Acid (clears and unclog pores, exfoliates dead cells and it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties), lemon extract (rich in natural vitamin C and with antioxidant qualities) and cornstarch (that absorbs the excess of sebum and mattifies the skin, being adequate also for oily skin).
It leaves my skin soft and smooth, I have oily skin and it doesn’t make my skin oily, but it also doesn’t dry it out, but I always apply a moisturizer day and night after washing my face so I can get it moistened and hydrated even after using products for oily skin (oily skin also needs hydration).
 
The coolest thing about this product is that it’s in powder! I always wanted to try a facial powder cleanser since I’ve heard about them a few years ago from asian brands, but I didn’t have my hand on any before the Soft Clean Powder from Arkana. Here’s how the texture looks like when dry:

When you have wet hands and then get a bit of the powder on your hands, it transforms the powder texture into a foam/liquid kind of texture that’s easy to apply and very comfortable. It’s also a very no-mess kind of product.
You can see better this texture on my video review of the Arkana skincare products I had tried, the Soft Clean Powder is the first one I talk about on the video:

 
Another interesting fact about the Soft Clean Powder from Arkana is that since it’s in a powder texture, I love to take it when I’m traveling, because it’s much easier to carry than a liquid facial cleanser would be.

The Nivea Creme is one of those products that is very budget-friendly and so useful to always have one around, famous for its tin packaging, it’s one of those products that I’m always using and repurchasing it, I use all year round, after all, it is a multipurpose product and a very versatile one.

The Nivea Creme is a body and face cream that’s a more concentrated moisturizer and is suitable for all skin types. But it’s not that kind of moisturizer you put on the whole body, I use on the parts where the skin is usually drier, like on the heels.

• Nivea Creme: Review and Some Tips

Nivea Creme is no less than 100 years old!
What the brand says:

Its formula contains high content of glycerin and Eucerit, a unique moisturizing natural ingredient for the skin. It has a high level of hydration and is not comedogenic, and can be used on all parts of the body and face by children and adults.

• How I use the Nivea Creme

The brand says that the product can be used on any part of the body or even the face (just be very careful if you have oily skin, do not put it all across your face!), I’ll tell you a bit about how I use this product and its results.
I advise using it mainly on the drier regions of the body, as it is a more concentrated moisturizer, more like the texture of butter products and not as thin as a lotion.

Another use of this product that I began to make some time ago was to use it on the lips too, I bought here in Italy on a cold winter in which I had just arrived from Brazil and I had forgotten to bring a lip balm. With the cold, my lips were starting to get more dry, when I saw a tin of Nivea Cream on the market soon I thought: I think that’s gonna solve my problem! And I actually really liked the results that I apply it every night until today, regardless of the season, I take a little of the product to apply on my lips before bed or sometimes twice a day if my lips are too dry in the winter.
On that same winter also I decided to apply it in some points of my face, like in the tip of the nose that began to peel a little bit because of the cold weather and in a few days, it had already helped enough to make my skin hydrated and normal again. Just be very careful not to apply this cream everywhere in your face, do not exaggerate and do not apply where it’s not needed, to you can avoid some overhydration and not run the risk of appearing a pimple anywhere.

Creme Nivea, $ 7.99.
On the heels, I apply this cream every single night, regardless of the season or if I already had a moisturizing lotion after having a shower, I still always apply this cream before bed every night. It helps to keep the heel moisturized and soft, of course, if the skin is already too dry, it’s not going to make a miracle and solve the problem overnight, but with continued use of the product, it makes your skin softer again. If that’s your situation, I recommend going for a feet scrub first and the use the Nivea Cream to keep it soft later.
* This product was bought by myself and here is my true and honest review.

A whole fair dedicated especially to the fragrances market, this is the Esxence Milano that took place here in Milan, also know as the fragrance week. A beauty fair with amazing scents from all over the world, where I met new brands and several irresistible fragrances.
Esxence is a perfumery fair dedicated to artistic perfumery and in this edition, it has brought perfumes from Italy and 16 other countries: France, United Kingdom, Spain, United States, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Turkey, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Morocco.


 

• Esxence Milano 2017:

209 brands participated in this edition of perfume week here in Milan, the theme of this edition was the Garden of Eden (Giardino dell’Eden in Italian), seeking to create a “magical” place between reality and imagination.
In addition to presenting various brands of perfumes, in this edition were 190 brands of fragrances and 19 of skincare and makeup, Esxence Milano also hold some events and conferences about the world of perfumes.
Esxence Milano is a fair dedicated to various audiences: professionals in the field, press and even the general public who is passionate about perfume.
With so many fragrances, choosing just 5 of them was not an easy task, but I chose the ones that personally pleased me the most with their mix of scents.
 

• TOP 5 Perfume at Esxence Milano:

• Les Amoureux de Peynet – Molinard:

Do you know when it is “love at first sight,” I mean, at the first smell? This was one of my favorite perfumes at Esxence Milano. One of Molinard’s new launching, Les Amoureux perfume de Peynet is a fresh scent, with delicate spicy ginger notes. And it was created as an emotional tribute from the perfumer to the artist, the illustrator of Les Amoureux!
Top notes: Orange bergamot, tangerine, grapefruit, money
Middle notes: Petitgrain, Ginger, Nutmeg, Jasmine
Base notes: Woody, Vetiver, Amber, Musk
 
• Seduction 2 from AK Parfumerie France:

 
With such a pink packaging, AK Parfumerie’s Seduction 2 perfume is a sweet fragrance. In general, sweet perfumes are not my favorites, but this one brings a combination that pleased me, probably because it also has some citrus notes.
Top notes: tangerine, raspberry, orange blossom, cinnamon
Middle notes: sandalwood, cedar wood, pink, violet
Base notes: vanilla, biscuit, benjoin, white musk
 
• Jolie from Bahoma London:

With a woody floral fragrance, the Jolie Eau de Toilette from Bahoma London was one of the brand’s new launching for this year.
Top notes: bergamot, orange leaf and peach
Heart notes: peony, violet, magnolia, lily-of-the-valley, rose, jasmine and galbanum
Base notes: patchouli, sandalwood, cedar and white musk.
 
• Vanille-Benjoin from Affinesence Paris:

With a combination of two types of vanilla, the Affinityence Paris’s Eau de Parfum Vanille-Benjoin is part of a special collection created just with base notes.
With Tahitian Vanilla Absolute and Madagascan Vanilla Absolute, the fragrance gains a blend with Siamese Benzoin, a fragrance from Laos that has high balsamic value and notes of almonds.
 
• K2 from Bahoma London:

Bahoma London has some feminine and other unisex fragrances, as its the case with K2. It is a fresh and very citrus Eau de Toilette.
Top notes: lemon, mandarin, cardamom and petitgrain;
Middle notes: neroli, mint and sage;
Base notes: benzoin, patchouli and musk.

For parties or on the day to day life, braided hairstyles and braids are so beautiful! Sometimes they seem to be tricky to do, some may even be hard to do, but other hairstyles with braids just seem to be difficult to recreate, but they are actually very easy and simple braids to do. Since braided hairstyles are simply beautiful, I picked 50 braided hairstyle to inspire you and several of them have tutorials that will teach you step-by-step on how to make those gorgeous braids and hairstyles.

The braided hairstyles and braids look gorgeous for any occasion, just choose the right hairstyle and the perfect braid for each occasion.
Hairstyles with looser or deconstructed braids, which are super trendy, are beautiful for the day to day life, but nothing prevents them from being used in more informal parties or even for going out at night, like a incredibly pretty braided hairstyle for a dinner or even to go dancing with your girlfriends. The most sophisticated braided hairstyles are ideal as hairstyles for parties and weddings, when you can also wear accessories such as tiaras to complete your look.
When we talk about braids and braided hairstyles, creativity is the limit. There are so many ways to wear them and countless braided hairstyles we can do. If you have a party or you just want to wear something different on your hair for going to work or studying, the braids are definitely an amazing option.
So here are 50 Braided Hairstyles and braids: 25 of them are braided hairstyles for the day and 25 braids are for parties and special nights.

• 25 Braided Hairstyles for day time:

Of the 25 braided hairstyles for the day time, almost half of them are from Amber Fillerup, she has a blog and teaches tutorials of these incredible hairstyles with braids and always creates several beautiful braids, her blog is BareFoot Blonde. The next 11 braided hairstyles are also hers:
 






 
To make your braided hairstyle even more beautiful, you can add some accessories.
Get the look:
 

 
This hairstyle for day is so easy to do, I filmed a tutorial on how to do it step-by-step (but it’s in portuguese):

A while ago, I showed you the “Sweet Spring” beauty editorial’s making of from the 7th issue of online magazine Saia e Salto Alto.