Origins Clear Improvement Mask

As my skin has gone through a bit of a rough stage, I needed something that would give it a boost full of energy, radiance and brightness. I had my eye on this mask from Origins for a while now, but the price (€25,00) was the main reason why I was always hesitant to purchase it. 

Then I got a lovely note from Douglas.nl saying that I got a €5 gift card, because I reached a certain level of points. And as you know me: I had to spend it.

I had a quick browse on their website and I was thinking about getting some Zoeva brushes, but then I remembered that I really wanted to try an Origins mask and there was no way to change my mind.

Origins has a lot of nice masks, but my eye immediately fell on the Origins Clear Improvement Mask. Mainly because I heard the most wonderful things about it. Also the words charcoal and removing impurities sound like magic to my ears, so I popped it in my basket, went to check-out and waited patiently for it to arrive the next day.

As soon as the delivery man left, I opened the package and I was so excited to finally have a real Origins mask in my hands. I removed my make-up, applied it on my face, took a bath with my Lush Brightside Bubble Bar and let the mask do it's magic. 

After removing the grey mask I found it quite drying and not at all what I expected. I didn't get an allergic reaction, which was a bonus, but it just didn't do the job for me. As I did spent €25,00 on a mask, I wasn't going to just throw it in the bin, so I reapplied it a couple of days later. That was the moment that made me fall in love head over heels with this mask.

Cause it turns out I was wrong after all. I usually always hate a product before I love it and this mask from Origins is no exception. I removed the mask from my face and looked at glowy and smooth skin. I was basically in shock about how good my skin looked and I have been applying it two times a week for about a month now.

The mask itself is creamy and applies very smoothly. You don't need much at all, which I like a lot. After I apply it, I let it sit on the skin till it's dry. Sometimes that's a bit longer than usual (aka watching a movie and not wanting to leave the TV to take off my grey face). I remove the mask with lukewarm water and a cloth, then I dry it with a towel and I take a look in the mirror to see the gorgeous glow that has just appeared on my forehead. Lately there were some small bumps on my forehead, but those have completely disappeared and my skin has never been so soft and smooth. It leaves my skin so glowy and radiant and the pimple attacks have been less regular too. It’s mend to clear out pores, so that must be the reason why!

I'm normally not a mask type of girl, since I find they only give me more pimples - weird I know - but this has really changed my view on them. As I said, I wear this mask two times a week and I can't see myself without it anymore. I kind of regret the fact that I didn't purchase it sooner. I know that it can be a lot of money for a skincare product, but it's totally worth it for me. I will definitely be buying this again and I can't wait to try more Origins goodies!

Have you tried this mask or any other Origins product before?

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Sunday Brunch: Banana and Cinnamon French Toast

Last Sunday I woke up with the feeling of making something special for breakfast. Since I only have time for a proper breakfast on the weekends, I instantly came up with the idea for French toast. I hadn't made it in ages and it's perfect to get that Sunday brunch feeling. 

When I was making them I actually came up with a vegan recipe, but since I had already cracked an egg in a bowl that wasn't really going to work, but I will put it up on the blog soon! :)

What do you need?

- Bread (I usually just see how much batter I have and then choose how many slices of bread I need)

- Two eggs

- One banana

- A small glass of milk 

- Cinnamon

- Butter or oil

- Syrup

- Some fruit to make it a bit healthier. I chose raspberries!

We are going to start with the batter. Mash the banana in a bowl with a rectangular shape (this way it's easier to soak the bread), add both eggs and mix it all together with a fork or whisk. Then it's time to add the milk and mix it for a nice, even batter.

Now take your slices of bread (I ended up using 5 slices) and soak them in the egg batter. In the meantime you can already have a hot pan at the ready with some butter or oil in it. When the bread has soaked up enough batter you scoop it out of the bowl straight in the pan. I sprinkle on some cinnamon and wait till it's time to flip. You repeat this with all the other bread slices until you have no batter left.

When they are golden brown and perfect, you stack them on top of each other, you pour some yummy syrup on the French toast and then sprinkle the fresh fruit and extra cinnamon on top. It looks amazing and it's so delicious! 

You can easily make two portions out of this, since I personally really don't eat five slices of French toast in the morning. (I had to pop out of the door and ate the rest in the evening as my dinner; I know I know, so bad, but soooo good!)

What is your favourite Sunday brunch food?

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A Fashion Identity Crisis

I think we all go through these moments where we look at our wardrobe and are not happy with what we see. The last couple of months I have been going for the same outfits, aka black jeans, a white tee and black shoes. It's a great basic outfit, but I got a 'meeeh' feeling every time I wore it. For some people I might still look fashionable, but I don't feel like it at all.

From high school till now I have changed a lot when it comes to style. I used to be this girl that wore skater skirts, colourful tops and floral prints. Now I'm more of a minimalism, black and white kind of girl. I even go out the door in a completely black outfit, which 14-year old me hated, because ''black looks depressing''. If she could look at me right now she would be cringing and disowning me as a person, but I really like it.

I kind of miss the grunge vibe that I had going around with my fake septum ring and creepers. A pair of Dr. Martens, something I thought was so cool, but never thought I could pull it off, is on my wish list and I really want to make them work. I have an idea of what I want to buy for the fall time, but a lot of stores don't have their new pieces in yet. Or I am just blind, but I don't go shopping as often as I did because of my internship. (Which might be a good thing).

I also want to change up my beauty look. I loooove winged liner, but I never do it, because mornings, limited time and winged liner are never a good combination. Something I also want to do is wear more bold coloured lips. I have plenty of lipsticks and I basically never wear them. Such a shame, which I think should be changed very soon!

Do you have experience with, what I call, ''a fashion identity crisis'' and maybe have some tips and tricks?

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My Favourite Highlighters

I'm a huge face make-up lover. While other girls might be obsessed with eyeshadow, eyeliner and all that jazz, I can't get enough of blush, bronzer and highlighter. I love to buy them and since I use them daily I have a few favourites at the ready.

The MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle

A must for every beauty obsessed person. I used to see everyone rave about this MAC product on the interwebs and finally decided to take the plunge and buy it on Heathrow Airport. I mean who doesn't love a bit of duty free shopping right? It's really what everyone says it is. The sparkly sheen is just amazing and I love that glow. It's definitely my most favourite highlighter out all of them!

Chanel Camelia de Plumes highlighter

When I saw images of this highlighter popping up on Instagram last year I knew this had to be mine. I mean look at it! It was quite expensive (I looked it up again and it was €56.00. Let's forget about this quickly shall we?). But it's so gorgeous. The entire packaging has the Chanel feeling and the beautiful flower print is to die for.

Confession time: I actually don't use it as much as the other ones, because I don't want the flower to fade, but when I do, it gives the most gorgeous, cool toned sheen!

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip in Vegas Strip

I have never set foot in America, but thanks to my lovely friends I do have some products. One of the reasons why this Physicians Formula product was on my wish list, was because it’s apparently a dupe for the Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter and since that one is freaking expensive (we are just going to forget the fact that I spent €56.00 on a Chanel highlighter) and available everywhere expect in the Netherlands I went with this dupe. (I just found out that the Dior highlighter is not even available on the Sephora website anymore. *sad face*)

I like the multi-functional use of this product. It's great for eyeshadow, bronzer and highlighter, but it's definitely more of a summer product for me. Since I am the palest person on the planet I do tend to go for more pale pink/silver colours, but this one gives a lovely sheen and blends in very nicely.

What is your favourite highlighter?

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Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer

As I have watched YouTube videos for a long time, I made a list with musthave products that I really want to buy whenever I have the opportunity to go to the US. The Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer is on that list and I was very happy to spot it in the Boots make-up aisle in London, since I had no idea that it was available in the UK.

I picked up the lightest colour, already knowing that it would be a bit too dark for me. Since I really wanted to see what all the fuzz was about, I popped it in my basket next to the billion other things that I was going to buy. Queue my London Haul right HERE.

When I got home it took me a while to use it, but when I opened it and applied it on my face I was pleasantly surprised and finally understood why everyone loves it so much.

I forgive the fact that it's not as brightening, because of the colour, but if it was a bit lighter this concealer would be absolutely PERFECT!

You just twist and apply the concealer right on those dark circles. I had to get used to the dove applicator, but it's very easy to do. I then blend it in with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush or my fingers and it completely melts into the skin. Sometimes you could really see the concealer underneath my eyes, but this blends in so seamlessly and stays in place all day long. And the coverage OH MY, my dark circles disappeared like that *clicks fingers*. It's just like magic!

If I had to say something bad about it, it would be the colour selection, because even though it covers up everything, a lighter colour would bright up my entire face and make it even more lovely and glowy!

Have you tried the Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer before?

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Masque Bar Brightening Sheet Mask

I have always been very intrigued with sheet masks. I started watching YouTube videos back in 2012 and Miss Glamorazzi (aka Ingrid) was totally obsessed with Asian sheet masks, which made me obsessed with them as well. A simple example of a beauty purchase inspired by a blogger or vlogger and to be honest: this happens way too often.

I actually never bought the sheet masks though. I had to buy them from Ebay and it was just a struggle, so I let it go. But when I was in Boots two months ago I spotted these babies in the skincare aisle and I popped them in my basket without thinking.

These 'babies' are sheet masks form Masque BAR. I went for the brightening ones, because I love an illuminating glow, but I already saw they have lots of different versions. They come in a packet of three and were on offer for six pounds (normally 10 pounds).

These masks help to minimize the appearance of dark spots and hyper pigmentation, leaving the skin looking more even and radiant. Since I have quite some hyper pigmentation on my face I couldn't wait to try it out.

I have to say I LOVE them a lot and I am quite sad that we don't sell them here. I apply the sheet on my face which, at first, can be a bit of a struggle. I then looked like a crazy person with a white mask on her face and I basically lay in a horizontal position for twenty minutes, being afraid that it would fall off my face.

When the twenty minutes had passed, I pulled the mask off and washed my face a few moments later. I could already notice a lovely glow on my porcelain skin that was so magical and amazing. I also saw a difference in the appearance of my acne scars and the overall redness that I deal with on a day-to-day basis. My skin tone looks more even and the pigmentation has faded a little bit.

My skin is also very sensitive and I was afraid to get an allergic reaction, but the next day I woke up with a lovely glow and there was no sign of red, irritated skin, which makes me fall in love with this product even more

I still have one sheet mask left and I have been hesitant to use it, because well: it’s the last one! I will probably use it when I have an emergency and I am in desperate need of glowy skin. Luckily for me, my next London trip is already planned (9^th of January 2016) and I am definitely going to stock up on these masks!

Have you tried sheet masks before?

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