Astrid + Miyu December Secret Box!

You may recall the last time I wrote about Astrid + Miyu was back in September - that was when I received my first Secret Box from this gorgeously girly jewellery brand.  If you don't, then I suggest you refresh your memory here.

This week I received the December Secret Box and it was just like receiving a present for myself ... since the Secret Box comes every three months, you tend to forget a bit about it and then get all giggly and surprised when you find it waiting for you on your bed!

In case you don't know what I'm going on about - or haven't read / remembered my September post about it - let me tell you a bit about what a Secret Box is:

how does it work?

all the details can be found here but if you're not in the mood to click the link let me summarise it here:

• you subscribe by clicking here and compiling a short survey sent via email so that the contents of your box are picked to your likings
• every 3 months, you pay £39 + FREE UK & EU delivery
• every 3 months, you receive Astrid & Miyu jewellery and treats worth double the value!

what did I get?

• Rosy Rock Earrings (£39)

I A-DORE these! I remember including these in my little list of favourite items and I finally own them! I've had the box for a couple of days now and they haven't left my ears! They are small and subtle, yet edgy with their skull shape.  They're also girly and dainty since they're rose gold and encrusted with little diamante.  Let me say this again, I A-DORE these!

• Tight Rope in Blue (£39)

This couldn't have arrived at a more perfect timing.  Since I'm finally discovering the merits of cobalt / royal blue (see here), this statement necklace is perfect for easing me into this new colour palette which has so far eluded me.  What's even better, is that this is practically free since the cost of the Secret Box itself is £39 and the skull earrings already cost that much!

In addition to these gorgeous pieces, I also found a sample size cardamom flavoured chocolate from Ubuntu Chocolate who aim to help preserve the lifestyles of indigenous communities that work with cocoa ... all while producing some rather delish chocolate products.  Another treat was a 2-in-1 eyeliner + eyeshadow by Jelly Pong Pong in a luscious brown colour which is just fantastic for the kind of smokey yet natural looking eye make-up I like. I seriously suggest you take a look at Jelly Pong Pong's website as they have some gorgeous make-up, none of which is tested on animals ... oh, and they do ship to Malta! 

Right, so I had ended my September post on the Astrid + Miyu Secret Box by expressing my excitement and anticipation for this month's Box ... and it's safe to say that it did not disappoint! I'll end this post pretty much like the last one ... waiting impatiently for the March Box to land on my doorstep! Tick tock, tick tock!

make me up at NYX

Oh the shame, the shame! I haven't written anything in a week! I should be flogged in the blogosphere!

I always blame my lack of blogging on my work commitments, which, hand on heart, is pretty much the case most of the time ... my fingers would be too tired to type after 9 hours of doing so!

But enough of that.

As you may recall, especially from my Facebook page, a few weeks ago I mentioned I had something which for my little blog was quite huge.  I mean, me, this blog, being called up by Style on Sunday magazine?! Seriously?! I still can't reveal much, but what I can do is take you through the preparations I felt I just had to undergo for it.  Fret not, you'll know all by the weekend *wink*

This huge thing I had called for some good old fashioned pampering so after I got my hair styled by the awesome Chris at Michael & Guy, I felt I needed to match that with some professionally applied make-up.  NYX in Sliema came to the rescue with their HD collection ... perfect for my uneven skin tone, open pores and acne scars: the price you pay for not taking care of your skin at a young age! Oh well ...
So here go some before and after photos with the gorgeous Kida patiently applying all the different products (I wish I had taken notes! sorry!) ... and even giving me amazingly long lashes which I would kill for to have naturally!

new to me: eye make-up before everything else! 

the all-important laying of the foundation

made-up 'bare face' sans lashes ...

kaboom! lashes that are a dream!

almost there ...

trying my Lana pout for size ... still, a few collagen injections would have helped!

the finished look: worthy of a selfie with my gorgeous mom, photographer of the day!

The overall look was somewhat retro-glamorous, inspired by Lana del Rey's look in Young and Beautiful, with tousled hair (courtesy of a lot of styling and sleeping in foam curlers as you can see here!), a hint of smokey eyes and flicked liner and a luscious plum colour for the lips.

crazy on colour ❤ nyx haul & goodie bag ❤

I'm not one for colours, at least when it comes to make-up, as you may have noticed from all the photos I've posted on this blog.

But it's all likely to change, very soon. All it will take, I suspect, is another trip to NYX Cosmetics which has just opened in Sliema, Malta.

soft matte lip creams

 I had heard of the brand from other bloggers' posts and I've been meaning to getting my paws on some products to test them out myself.  I can now safely say that all those bloggers raving about NYX were very right indeed!

great range of anything you may wish to make you picture perfect

Having missed the bloggers event last week, I made it a point to pop over some time this week and have a little look myself.  Kida at NYX greeted me warmly and showed me round the shop.  She even gave me a little one-to-one consultation on the various products available, what's best for my skin in terms of substance, texture and colour.  After a few moments of guarded observation of the various shimmery and glittery powders and creams, I must admit that I started melting in front of glossy shades of pinks and metallic liquid eyeliners.  By the end of my visit, I was walking around in luscious plum coloured lips ... while mentally taking note of the various palettes I should get on my next trip.

lovely nail polishes which just need one coat to apply!

on my 'to buy list' ... the spring palette!

If you haven't been to NYX as yet, I truly recommend it.  The street level is immaculately laid out and packed with all sorts of lip colours, glosses, butters and balms which also smell absolutely edible! There's tonnes of powders, blushes, eye shadows, liners, mascaras ... you name it, it's there!  There's also a good range of brushes and other make-up accessories which are always needed, whether you already have them or not.

one of the make-up stations

On the lower level, a number of make-up stations are set up for make-up sessions as well as other beauty treatments like brow threading and tinting to make you picture perfect.

the haul!

swatched with love

While I was there, I made sure to buy The Curve felt tip eye-liner which I had read so much about. The felt-tip liner is shaped in an ergonomic curve which fits the arch your hand makes when applying liquid eyeliner.  Being a huge fan of the flicked-lined-eyelid, this will definitely come in handy in giving me a sturdier hand when applying my cats' eye look.  I also bought La Amoureux individual curl mascara from the Boudoir collection to complement the liner, and the plum coloured lip colour I got to try.  The lip colour is from the Black Label Lipstick range and the shade is called Midnight Dinner. I paired this with No. 16 Plum retractable lip liner which is also waterproof and will therefore make the lippy go further.

and here i am in my plum-lipped glory!

I was very gladly surprised when the lovely people at NYX gave me the goodie bag I missed out on last week.  I was chuffed to find the amount of items I got for free and the shades they came in - all golden and bronzy tones which I'm sure to wear over and over again! I promise to shoot a video with the haul and goodie bag to show you the products better once worn, promise! 

my goodie bag contents ... perfect for that 'golden goddess' look

If you want to find out more on the local NYX store, I suggest you log onto their Facebook page and keep an eye out for in-store promotions and loyalty programmes in the pipeline!

N.B. all opinions expressed in this review are the my genuine thoughts and have not been motivated by sponsors, affiliations or payment of any kind. 

a beauty blessing

As coincidence would have it, the day my nail polish decided to start chipping, I came across an offer on OPI Gel Colour at The Beauty Lounge.  It was like a sign sent to me from goddess Aphrodite herself.

Unless you've been living under a rock here in Malta, you'll know that last month The Beauty Lounge opened its doors and introduced a 'one stop beauty shop' concept to the Maltese islands.  After seeing other bloggers' reviews and press coverage, I knew that upon my return to Malta I had to find an excuse reason to visit.  The opportunity came in the form of a chipped nail.

Since I've started using OPI Gel Colour about 8 months ago, I wouldn't change them for the world so it was only logical that I'd jump to the offer.  So last Thursday, I headed off to The Beauty Lounge to get my mani done, with my camera in tow to snap some photos for this post.

The staff at The Beauty Lounge were really welcoming and provided me with all the information I needed both out of personal and blogging interest.  As I mentioned earlier, the place offers a 'one stop beauty shop' where you can have multiple hair and beauty treatments, massages and why not, even a spot of healthy lunch.  You can even get that last minute accessory to complete your outfit for the night ... and with the exquisite range of bags and jewellery from Charles & Ron, you surely can't go wrong.

possibly, the bag of my dreams by Charles & Ron 

samples from the Spring Summer Charles and Ron collection

a healthy bit from Pure Kitchen

Personally, I found my OPI Gel Colour mani experience to be very satisfactory.  I could have an open and comfortable chat with the nail technician who did not try to dissuade me from going for a dark shade despite being summer (unfortunately, I've had a few brush ups with nail technicians who kept insisting I should go for a bright shade because it's summer and that's the 'rule'! so this was a very welcome break from all that!)

all the colours imaginable by Golden Rose

The prices for all treatments are very reasonable and I'm very tempted to book a few sessions over the coming weeks.  I'm particularly tempted to get some eyelash extensions in fact.  I was glad to see how they actually looked on my nail technician before taking the plunge myself. She clearly explained the process involved, the level of maintenance required and how long they last, allowing me to make an informed decision should I really decide to go for them.

I'm also quite intrigued with threading.  This ancient, yet innovative, hair removal technique is so much kinder to the skin and doesn't leave any tell-tale signs, thereby keeping one's beauty secrets, secret.

The Beauty Lounge can be found on Windsor Terrace, Sliema and is open from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, with the exception of Friday when in closes at 7pm for that extra hour of pampering. Knowing my crazy work schedule, it's very likely that i'll be spending most of my Saturdays there.  But that's the beauty of it after all - all the pampering that I'd need, all in one place!

N.B. all opinions expressed in this review are the my genuine thoughts and have not been motivated by sponsors, affiliations or payment of any kind. 

confession #000063

... or, the heat is on

it bloody well is.  i've heard that in malta temperatures are already hitting the 30+ mark on the celsius gauge and unexpectedly enough, the heat is not shying away here in krakow either.

while i am, well used to be, a sun workshipper, the sun - and the heat - just don't like me that much.  as i mentioned in an earlier post, my skin is rather oily and despite being close to the mid-30s *shock shock horror horror*, i have still not started using any anti-ageing creams because i've still got adolescents' problems to deal with: open pores, acne scars, break outs, the more the merrier on some days.  finding the right products to handle my skin issues and the excess heat is a feat.

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confession #000061

... or, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping

today i decided i shall treat myself to the afternoon.  afternoons tend to be a rather elusive thing for me because of work commitments.  not that i'm complaining, mind you. i love my job and what i get to experience through it.  but sometimes, you just need that afternoon for yourself.

and today i did just that.  since i could technically clock off at 13h30, i did pretty much just that and headed over to galeria krakowska.  if i were in malta right now, i'd probably have headed to the beach, but either way, i would still end up doing the same thing, i.e. shopping!
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