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Category: Travel (page 1 of 2)

Cha Cha on my cheeks! A review of Face Atelier Facade! #SummerPeachChronicles

[twitter-follow screen_name=’NoireTropicalB’] NB: Nothing to declare! Product mentioned bought by me! Continuing with my summer coral obsession, here is a quick review of a product that I have wanted to pick up for a while.  I was introduced to the makeup brand Face Atelier at The Makeup Show a few years ago.  They are certainly a professional artists brand!! This Canadian-based company is well known in the industry for their high quality, silicone-based makeup.  Most of the makeup that we see in drugstores etc is either water- or oil based.  They are also well known for carrying Silicone-based makeup can be used on both dry and oilier skin types and it leaves a very smooth finish by laying on top of the skin and filling into pores and wrinkles (pretty much similar to a lot of the face primers out there).  Pro makeup artist Kevin-James Bennett used this on the cheek in a demo and I loved the effect on the skin!  One thing to note, just remember to use like products with like products.  Have you ever found that when you applied a primer and a foundation, the foundation slid off?  That sometimes happens with you pair a silicone based primer with a non-silicone foundation (especially water-based).   Try matching the base ingredients of your products and you should have no problem.

Anyway, I picked up the Face Atelier Façade in Cha Cha.

True dat!

Facade

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My final Turkey post! Ephesus and skincare…..

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So I visited the southern Turkish city of Ephesus, which is well known for its connection to Biblical antiquity.  It is believed that this is the location of the final dwelling for Mary, Mother of Jesus.  Ephesus was also an important Greek and Roman city as well as it has major importance in early Christianity.  This is a haven for some amazing history and artifacts!

So while touring the ruins on a day that can only be described as Hades hot, we took refuge under one of the few fig trees.

Fig tree at Ephesus

The tour guide mentioned that the leaves of the fig tree have been used for its healing properties.  Of course this peaked my interest!

Fig leaf sap and fruit have been used for centuries for their moisturizing, healing and calming  properties.  More recently, it has been valued for its antioxidant qualities.

Fig leaf sap

Me, investigating!

Have you tried any products made with fig extracts? Do you have any favourites?

Related posts:  My visit to an authentic hammam!

Pictures of Turkey

What is a peshtamal?

My Byzantine/Turkish inspired LOTD!

My Turkish/Byzantine inspired FOTD and tutorial!

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As I mentioned before, on my trip to Turkey, I did a lot of sightseeing in Old Historic Istanbul, and one of the places that I visited was the Ayasofya.  I was blown away! What stunning architecture, history, art and beauty!  Truly breathtaking to be able to see such well-preserved ancient works.  This was one of my favourite sites!

In the upper levels of the Ayasofya, the must see are a collection of Byzantine-era mosaics.  These are centuries old!  What I loved most about them were the detailed depictions of the subjects and the heavy use of tessera, which shone like fire even in the dimness of the dark corners and aspe.

NoireTropicalBeauty Turkey Byzantine FOTD 1

What’s tessera?  These are created when flattened glass cubes are placed on top of each other with gold leaf sandwiched in the middle.  This amplifies the reflective properties of the gold, appearing very luminous, rich and giving a shine that appeared from within the mosaic.  Amazing!

So this was my inspiration for this makeup look, dark, rich colours accented with gold.  This is a great look to try for a night out, a very on-trend fall/winter look with the use of berry/plum on the lids.

Here’s the look!

NoireTropicalBeauty Turkey Byzantine FOTD 2

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New beauty find – a peştamal…

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So I wrote about my visit to a Turkish hamam (bath) and I was introduced to the peştamal (peshtamal).

Turkish peshtamal

Close-up

This is a traditional Turkish towel made of cotton.  They are quite lightweight and not looped like Western towels.  They also come in a wide variety of patterns and colours.  As a matter of fact, the patterns often represent the region in Turkey from which they were made.  Peştamals are used in all baths and widely available throughout Turkey.

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My beauty experience at an authentic Turkish Hamami – Çemberlitaş Hamami

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So my visit to Istanbul would not be complete without a visit to a Turkish bath and after a day of sightseeing and shopping, 3 friends and I decided to visit the historical Çemberlitaş Hamami which is located just off of Divan Yolu (Divanyolu) Caddesi in Old Historic Istanbul.  It is nestled right in the middle of some the most historical sites in Istanbul.  The Vezirhan Monument (build by Constantinople I) is right across the street and the tombs of Sultan Mahmut II and Ali Baba are right nearby.

So the entrance is kinda non descript, look out for the steady treaffic going in and out.  By the way, this is a unisex bath, but I think that there are separate areas for men and women.  Once inside, we were presented with a list of services and I got the traditional style bath, which cost 69TL (Turkish Lira) (about US$35).  The traditional style bath consists of steam and a bubble bath.  So we paid and received our keys for the lockers and our peştamals.  What’s a peştamal? It’s a traditional cotton Turkish towel!  There is no pressure to go completely naked, you could wear a bathing suit during your service, or just panties or nothing at all.  Your choice!

We were led into the sıcaklık, which is the large main bathing area.  What a beautiful place! High vaulted ceilings made of what looks like terracotta with venting holes arranged in a pattern.

Image courtesy of Cemberlitas Hamami

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