Lancome Hydra Intense Mask

Today I will tell you about my ultimate time saver in the world of beauty - Lancome Hydra Intense Hydrating Gel Mask. Everyone knows that masks are quite important for your skin - they promise a whole range of benefits depending on the type: nourishing, moisturizing, firming, purifying, detoxifying, lifting, etc. They are a great addition to your daily beauty routine. I would love to try them all but applying the mask, waiting for it to work and then cleaning the face is usually 15 to 30 minutes procedure and most of the days I just don’t have half an hour to spend for self-indulgence.

That’s why I love Lancome Hydra Intense Hydrating Gel Mask with Natural Water Captors Because it is a LEAVE IN mask. It takes a minute to apply in the evening and that’s all. The mask works all night and makes my face incredibly soft and velvety smooth. Then you wash your face in the morning as usual. You can even go out with it because it is transparent and applies like a moisturizing face gel and absorbs by your skin very quickly. It is 100% invisible. Just don’t apply any cream or make up on top of it. It substitutes the night cream and really work wonders!

World of Perfume

To me navigating the ocean of various perfumes and eaus de toilettes is the most difficult thing in the world of Beauty. There are thousands (if not millions) of scents which are hard to describe in words and they don’t have specific benefits to distinguish one from the other.

Also, preferences are very subjective and it’s practically impossible to give advice on choosing one over the other – everybody has her/his own preference.

However, I recently found a very helpful resource put together by a fellow blogger – Perfume Posse, http://perfumeposse.com There are tons of information related to fragrances in this blog. If you are a beginner, the best place to start is Perfume 101 section followed by Perfume 201. Both ladies and gentlemen can learn a lot from this site.

Dior Addict

Last week I wrote about shelf life of various make up products (http://beautymanual.blogspot.com/2009/06makeup-shelf-life.html) and I mentioned in this post that though the shelf life of a lipstick is about 8 months but good brands live much longer. I did not invent this, I heard it from a make-up artist and I also have a leaving proof of that – Christian Dior Addict Lipstick. I have one of these for 5 years now (!) - it is one of my favorites and I only use it for special occasions that’s why it lasted that long.

Needless to say that Dior Addict comes in multiple wonderful colors and wears nicely but I mostly love it because it is of really good quality: in 5 years it didn’t change its original color, texture, smell or performance. It doesn’t cause any irritation or allergic reaction though it is very old. To me this is an indication of high quality ingredients that were used to create it.

This is the longest living lipstick that I ever owned. Most of the time when I buy a lipstick in a summer shade it doesn’t even last till next summer. There were dozens of lipsticks I threw out which were just barely used. But this one is a keeper. It is a bit expensive but in the long run you are saving money with it since you are not going to need a new one every year. It may even last another 5 years, we’ll see!

Greek Beauty Secret

July is the best month to go to Greece and that’s where I am taking you today. Greek beauty secrets go back centuries B.C. and looking at the picture and statues of all their goddesses you can see that they knew a thing or two about beauty. Greeks believe that their main secret of beauty AND longevity is olive oil. They sometimes call it “elixir of life” and with good reason: olive oil offers a lot of benefits for your hair, skin and nails. And the best thing about it is that it is 100% natural!

Olive Oil for Hair
Olive oil can be used as a deep conditioning hair treatment. It's great to use on damaged, colored or over processed hair and can really improve your hairs condition. To treat your hair to this deep conditioning simply massage olive oil on your scalp and through your hair. Leave it on your hair for around half an hour after covering your hair with a shower cap, cling film or plastic bag. Shampoo and style as normal.

Olive Oil for the Face
If you've been overexposed to the elements – sun, wind or cold temperatures – or whenever your skin seems extra dry simply massage a small amount of olive oil into your face and neck, using small circular motions.

Olive Oil for the Body
A simple but effective natural scrub can be made by mixing some olive oil with sugar and salt. It will leave your skin feeling silky soft.

Olive Oil for Cuticles & Nails
As a treat for your finger nails and cuticles soak them in a small bowl of warmed olive oil. Leave for just a few minutes to keep your nails in better condition and your cuticles softened pre-manicure.

Olive Oil for Hands & Feet
Anytime your hands feel particularly dry and in need of some tender loving care massage some olive oil into them before bed, put on white cotton gloves, and sleep with them on. Do the same with your feet, wearing socks to bed.

Olive Oil for Lips
A wonderful natural remedy for soothing dry, chapped lips is to dab them with a little olive oil. This is actually my personal routine when I am out of my regular lip balm.

Olive Oil as a Makeup Remover
Olive oil makes a great make up remover and is brilliant at removing even stubborn mascara.
You can read more information about olive oil and its benefits as well as Greece here: http://www.completely-crete.com/olive-oil-beauty-tips.html

Several European cosmetic companies produce excellent products with benefits of olive oil. One of them, Korres, based in Athens, Greece (surprise-surprise) creates products with a high concentration of quality natural botanicals while keeping harsh chemicals to a minimum and thus, it received a “Natural” classification from several beauty retailers.
Korres Olive and Rye Night Cream Korres Olive and Rye Night Cream This intense night is cream rich in vegetable oils that firm and restructure mature skin. Thanks to a special formulation technique, the cream gradually releases beneficial oily components and nourishes the skin all night long, increasing its elasticity and cohesion.



Korres Juniper and Olive Tree Shampoo is performing wonders for normal and dry hair. Olive oil ingredient in particular has great moisturizing and emollient properties and regenerates dull hair.

Another company that appreciates the benefits of what an olive can give us is L’Occitane. Based in France (Mediterranean region as well as Greece) where people have been growing olive trees for ages it also offers excellent products based on this ingredient:

LOccitane Olive Harvest Olive Face Scrub Mud

This Face Scrub Mud uses the exfoliating properties of crushed Olive pits to gently remove dead cells and balance the skin. Green clay absorbs excess oil as Shea Butter soothes, softens and protects the skin.
Another thing that I like about these products is that they are relatively inexpensive but in any case no one likes to pay full price so here is how to save even more:
, where you can get all these wonderful products has several fantastic promotions going on right now:
1. Save 20% IN JULY: code JULY20
2. Save 10% EVERY DAY: code SSM18447 (NO expiration, codes 1 and 2 cannot be combined, unfortunately)
3. FREE shipment on orders $49+ (NO expiration)
4. They send you FREE product samples with every shipment
5. You can join Skinstore rewards program for FREE and earn1 point for each 1 USD spent (excluding tax and shipment). Each 300 points earn you a 30 USD Rewards Certificate!

P.S. The photo on the top is from www.completely-crete.com

After sun skin care

The summer is in its prime and it’s getting hotter and sunnier (if it’s possible) everyday. I hope you use some type of sunblock when you go out (if not, please, read my article posted a couple of weeks ago: tp://beautymanual.blogspot.com/2009/06/summer-has-finally-arrived-in-northern.html– for your own benefit!)

But even if I use a sunblock and stay in the sun for a long time I still have a feeling of discomfort because my skin is tight and dry after sun exposure (I bet your is too) I always use a special after sun moisturizer (not my regular body lotion) on such occasion. Another benefit of an after sun moisturizer is that it helps to keep your tan for longer.

There are a lot of different brands available but I personally like Hawaiian Tropic Aloe Vera. It is very inexpensive (less than $10 for 16 OZ bottle) and it does a great job – my skin feels drenched in moisture after using it.

If you forgot sunblock and stayed a long time in the sun, Hawaiian Tropic can help too but with a different product: Hawaiian Tropic I.C.E. Reliefwhich helps to kill the pain of a sunburn. It gives an instantaneous cooling and calming sensation that lasts for a while.

Hawaiian Tropic products were tested by me under Midwestern, Floridian and Caribbean sun on multiple occasions and they never failed to perform.