Month: May 2016

Apoterra Skincare

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Let’s be real, after (and during) my pregnancy my skin was horrible. I did not have this pregnancy glow that everyone was raving about. It was dry, yet broken out. When you are pregnant and growing a tiny human inside you, you have to think about everything that comes in contact with your body, so you can’t really use harsh chemicals on your skin. Then after the baby was no longer physically tied to me, I was breastfeeding, and still had to think about what I was putting in/on my body.

I couldn’t use normal acne fighting stuff like salicylic acid or even Mario Badescu Drying lotion. So then I had to look at au naturale ways to take care of skin. I landed on Apoterra Skincare among the million natural beauty companies and decided to give it a shot. I have weird skin. Normally oily skin gets broken out, so you use a range of “drying” concoctions to rescue it…but I was also super dry (maybe because my body is using every bit of moisture to produce breast milk) so if I only used acne stuff I’d probably just crumble and die.

With this skincare line, I was able to mix a system that worked for me. And now that I’ve used it long enough to EMPTY OUT some bottles, I figured, yeah, I should probably write about it, because I trust it on my skin!

At first, the pimples were my first priority. I’m too old to be breaking out like this. I used their activated charcoal soap with sea salt. It came in a black bar. Washed my face every night with it, then I used the moisturizing night treatment. In the morning I would use the rose oil, after washing my face with just water. This method worked so well. My skin finally rehydrated and calmed down.

Now that my skin is back to normal and not as broken out I’ve changed my system. I now wash with a moisturizing bar soap. If I have broken out spots, I use their toner on the trouble spots. And then I use their clarifying oil on trouble spots, then the night treatment every where else. When I wake up I still wash with warm water and use the oil under my regular spf. It might sound like a lot, but it’s really not, and I’m finally glad to have my skin back to normal!

apoterra

**All opinions are my own and I don’t even think Apoterra knows I exist. I bought all products with my own money and was not paid to share this honest review.

Posted on by miemo 0

ColourPOP Cosmetics

After feeling and looking like a bum for a few months, I wanted to start my new job off right. Tucked in shirts, heels, and lipstick. After seeing so much hype about it on instagram, I decided to try out Colourpop Cosmetics.

The prices are super reasonable, so I decided to try a couple of lipsticks, eye shadows, their gel liner and cheek colors. And the result? I love it.

The texture is so cool. When you touch it, it feels.. soft and buttery? And you can apply with just your fingers. If you don’t mind getting your fingers dirty, this could be fun. I personally prefer brushes because I feel like its more precise. However, it’s easier to keep your fingers clean than your brushes.

Eyeshadow
I don’t really wear anything on my eyes except liner and mascara. I have oily eyelids and not much real estate there, but I got some anyways. I liked their summer look so I used that as my color guide. I got three colors for a tan golden look when combined. The pigment is really nice, but be warned their shadows with glitter in it is really…well. Glittery. Like it actually works. If that’s what you want. However, I’m a 30-something mother. This is not what I want. I haven’t really worn the eyeshadow on a regular basis, but I will bust it out for a date night.

Lipsticks
Love the color selection. And they last pretty long on me. I started user the lip primer. It really dries out my lips and doesn’t make it last any longer than it usually does compared to my normal routine, so I personally can do without. But everyone’s lips are different. I did a lipstick challenge and the matte colors had very little reapplication times, and I eat and drink a lot during the day!

Cheeks
Omg. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these. I use them every day. I use a blush, a highlighter and the bronzer. I love the all year round sun kissed look, and its easy to apply and really buildable. I can see myself using these three until they are completely empty. For the highlighter, I use Wisp, and I dab it on with my fingers. The other two I use my sigma brushes.

Gel Liner
This applies really smoothly…but my greasy eyelids turn it into a smudgy look not too long after. But its great for waterline…which is what I use it for mainly now.

Eyebrow Pencil
Love this. The shade I got, (brown/black) is perfect for making my eyebrowz “on fleek”. Love that the brush is at the end of it so I don’t have to go looking for it when I use it. 

Overall I personally think it’s a great product line for the price. I know a lot of people complain that its hard to only have them online because you can’t try before you buy, but it’s so popular now I’m sure you’ll find someone who already has it for you to check out and do swatches. Or its cheap enough to try it out for very little risk. Good Luck!

 

Posted on by miemo 0

Kapnos Taverna

I love to try a little bit of everything, without putting myself in a buffet situation. Dim sum, tapas, hot pot, Korean bbq, forcing my dinner mates to order something so I can have a little bit of theirs…I clearly don’t like to be stuck with one entree. At Kapnos Taverna, they have mezze, which is the word that refers to Mediterranean small dishes. Perfect! I love small plates.

I stopped by for lunch one day with the hubs. There seems to be two levels, which creates an open air vibe full of plants (dead, fake, alive?) and very modern. Definitely liked the vibe there. The staff is very attentive, and our server was very knowledgeable, he even took the time to bring over someone to explain one of the dishes. Unexpected but appreciative. He knew it was our first time there and wanted us to really get a feel for the food.

They’ve got quite a selection of house made sodas. My husband went for it and chose the 5 Spice Ginger beer. I wanted to try to passionfruit one, but I’m not that big of a soda drinker and didn’t want to NOT finish it.

We chose the tzatziki and flatbread spread and the half spit-roasted chicken to share. Lunch is quite like and there was a generous portion for both.

The tzatziki was creamy, flavorful and was well, perfect. I’ve never had it like that before and I love it. Usually when I have it, its watery and yogurt-y and this was definitely a spread. It’s served with fresh hot flatbread. Like literally fresh. When we asked for another piece, it takes 4 minutes because they have to roll it out and throw it in the fire. Worth the wait.

The chicken is smoky, tender and full of flavor. It’s served over barley cooked with spinach in a risotto style (STYLE, not risotto). It was very lemony, and bright but paired with the chicken perfectly.

My husband thought it was too expensive, but I think it’s well worth the price. They also have “express” lunches which include a gyro a side and a drink for $15. I’m told it is a lot of food, but I prefer a bunch of small plates.

Posted on by miemo 0