Summer is at our doorstep, so I’ve been paying a little closer attention to the skin on my body. A few months ago, my sister and I went to Atlantic Antic, which is an annual street fair in downtown Brooklyn, highlighting some of the various talents and business that resides in the borough of Kings. Stores on Atlantic Avenue opened their doors, there was food all around, clothing, art and I even saw Eddie “The Sheik” Kochak and his band perform!
We stopped by this booth with had beauty products in really attractive packaging! I was instantly drawn! Body scrubs and butters in mini mason jars and batik lids!
Otse Lab Cinnamon Clove Exfoliant – in mason jars!
So I got this blush BY 3 palette for Christmas. Let’s just say…..this is amazing!!!! I usually dip my toe in instead of diving in when it comes to blush. Not because I am afraid, but many brands don’t pack that punch that I need for it to show up.
This British drugstore brand really impressed me. Talk about pigmentation! I got the colour 366 Pink Sprint, which contains 3 shades of pink.
The texture is amazing, as a matter of fact; I think this is a good dupe for NARS blushes, with respect to quality. Highly pigmented, very smooth, finely milled texture that’s not chalky or too stiff. And they are all matte! The packaging is great for travel as it comes in a sleek black case with a large mirror.
I have been loving this right now. A sort of in-between pre-summer skin enhancer. Really nice, smooth texture, not too glittery. One part is a cool-toned champagne colour, that I have also used as an eye shadow. The other side is a brick/coral colour with a silver sheen. Really pretty as a blush for medium to dark skin. But works for everyone…:)
If you can still find it, I would check it out!
Laters!
FTC Disclosure: This product was purchase by me, Noire Tropical Beauty. All opinions expressed are 100% hones, and my own. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.
I live for black liner – pencil, liquid, gel – whatever. And the darker the better.
I’ve heard a lot of people talk about the Wet n’ Wild Mega Eye Crème Eyeliner. So I picked it up at CVS and paid $3.99. Great price!
Wet ‘n’ Wild Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner with brush
So some of the things that I look for in a good gel liner:
Colour – I like a richly pigmented gel liner and if it is black, it needs to be super jet, sooty black. No off-black, grey-black for me.
Consistency – it should be creamy, glides easily regardless of the brush that I use. And it should dry or set fairly quickly.
Durability – My gel liner has to be long lasting, make it true a workout without running too much. Especially on my waterline. And it can’t flake as it dries or makes it through its 6th hour of wear.
Price – Eventually all gel liners will dry out and crack. Constantly opening that jar and exposing it to air, they become thickened. So I won’t want to spend an exorbitant amount on a liner.
I picked up the liner in Black and it comes with a mini synthetic angled brush, which is actually not bad at all. It’s easy to apply this liner with this brush. It’s firm and wide enough for a newbie eyeliner user to use.
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.
