Yves Rocher Pure Calmille 2-in-1 Cleanser+Toner review

Official description: Discover all the softness of organic chamomile in this 2 in 1 product enriched with flower water!

The mildness of a milk and the freshness of a lotion combined in a single gesture.
An ultra-practical beauty gesture for quick, easy daily cleansing: perfect for all women on the lookout for simplicity and natural products.

The Plus : its melting gel texture leaves a non-sticky, very soft finish.

Packaging: The cleanser (because it's more of a cleanser than a toner) comes in a plastic bottle with a cap and it has 200 ml. The bottle is very simple and elegant and I like the narrow shape of it.
Texture: It's similar to a cleansing milk but more liquidy. It's non greasy, so you don't need to necessarily wash your face after using it, but I like to use a cleansing gel as well, or else I don't feel like my face is "clean". The picture is not the best one, but I can tell you it has a white color with a yellow shade and it smells floral, not enough to be a problem if you don't like scents in skin care products.

What it does: I like the feeling of freshness I get from it and it's suitable for any skin type. I use this at night, to remove my make-up, but I wouldn't recommend testing it on the eye area, as I find special eye make-up removers to work better than cleansing lotions. It might sting in the eyes because it contains perfume.
Price: about 4 euro.
Re-buy or pass: I like Yves Rocher when it comes to skin care and this is actually my third bottle of this cleanser, so I would definitely repurchase it.

Thursday readings: Mrs Zhivago of Queens Park by Olivia Lichtenstein review

In this series, I'll try to review at least one book per week, but sometimes it's gonna be more than one or there are going to be weeks when there are none.
This week I've read (or read again) the modern tale of a Mrs. Zhivago. I like books with characters I can identify with, and this is one of them. Chloe Zhivago is a 43 years old woman, married to a doctor and with two kids: Leo and Kitty (I know, riiight?). Things aren't quite right between her and her husband Greg, mainly because of the daily routine and when Chloe meets a handsome Russian named Ivan, she finds herself starting an affair with him. It seems everyone knows about it, her best friend Ruthie, her brother Sammy, her father and even her daughter is suspicious. But soon Chloe must make a decision: does she want to work on her marriage with Greg or does she want to start over with Ivan.
The reason I can relate to Chloe is that I myself am married for almost 5 years now and we've already had rough patches in our marriage, mainly work related. Did I play with a thought of having an affair? Yes, and if people were honest about it, almost everyone has at some point in a relationship. And then there's the Russian guy. My first love was a Russian and truth be told I don't think I'll ever forget about him. There's something mysterious and hidden about them, and so is Ivan from Lichtenstein's book.
Although it's a pretty serious subject, the book still remains in the chick-lit genre, with lots of amusing situations and funny lines and I found myself laughing while reading it more than once.
So, if you're a girly girl who likes chick-lit, go ahead and give this book a try!

essence I Love Stage eyeshadow base review

Official description: the i love stage – eyeshadow base has to get on stage! it can be applied diversely either as primer for concealers or eye shadows. the creamy texture does not crease, makes the eye shadow last longer and appear much more color intensive. for an even eye make-up waiting for its gig on stage!

Packaging: One of the reasons why I find essence cosmetics so appealing is because of their cute packaging. I wouldn't be a true girly girl if I wasn't attracted to nice and colorful packaging. I like the writing and the heart on the tube. It has 4 ml (0.13 fl.oz) which may seem not much product, but it's a good thing if you don't like it, then at least you don't have to struggle finishing it. And besides, it's super cheap.

Texture: It's a creamy eyeshadow base, which doubles as concealer too, according to the packaging and as far as I can tell there are no other shades available.

What it does: As eyeshadow base it's pretty much mediocre. I've used it with low quality eyeshadows and it wouldn't last for more than 4 hours, and with a good eyeshadow, 6 hours tops. As a concealer it doesn't offer much coverages, not for my dark under eye circles anyway and it creases if I don't apply it carefully. It has a yellow undertone to it, so for a pale person with rosy undertone it wouldn't work out too great. All in all, let's just say I wasn't impressed.
Price: About 2 euro
Re-buy or pass: As much as I love essence and as much as I like finding cheap make-up products, I'm gonna pass on this one since it doesn't actually do much for me.

So far, I'm gonna stick with my e.l.f. primer. It's a little bit more expensive, but the eyeshadows stay put.

April's new fragrances

I for one love perfumes and if it were up to me, I'd have a big collection of them. And when I say big I DO MEAN big! There are some new fragrances that caught my attention, so here they are:

Live Colorfully by Kate Spade with notes of mandarin, pink water lily, gardenia, and radiant musk. Price: $75-$95

Prada Candy L'Eau is a fresh take on the original gourmand scent. It launches next month and features the same signature caramel note, but it's blended with sweet pea and citrus for a new take.

Be Jeweled by Vera Wang has fruity notes like pomegranate, red currant, and passion fruit blended with floral and woody notes. And the bottle looks so cute!Price: $45-$68.

Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine by Marc Jacobs is made up of strawberry, apple blossom, rose, and jasmine petals mixed with amber wood. Price: $78.

Just Cavalli by Roberto Cavalli with notes of neroli, Tiare flower, and palissander. Price: $60.

Feerie Spring Blossom by Van Cleef & Arpel contains cherry, magnolia, and musk. The bottle is gorgeous with the little fairy on top. Price: $90.

Cherry in the Air by Escada features notes of black cherry,mandarin and raspberry. I've order a sample and I just can't wait to smell it!Price: $20-$56.

Coach Love is a floral perfume with notes of violet, magnolia, gardenia, vanilla and musk. Price: $92.

Couture La La by Juicy Couture features white florals blended with effervescent mandarin notes for a feminine scent spiked with a little zest. Price: $70-$90.

L.I.L.Y. by Stella McCartney is bold blend of black truffles, lily of the valley, pink pepper, musk, and patchouli.Price: $25-$100.
Are you gonna buy any of this fragrances?

Free gift from e.l.f. Romania

Well, those aren't the best eyeshadows, I know some people like them, I personally don't care for them, but if you're planning on placing an order anyway, it's not like a gift could hurt, isn't it?

Yves Rocher Pure Calendula face cream review

I've tried to find an official description of the product, but it seems other YR sites don't have it for sale anymore, so I'll skip this part for this time.
What I can tell you, is that this face cream claims to be suitable for all skin types, for day AND for night, and it contains marigold extract.
Packaging: the cream comes in a container of 50 ml (1.7 fl.oz.), and it has an orange lid that I find to be pretty annoying because it's not perfectly round and sometimes I can't get the container closed from the first time.

Texture: because it contains marigold, and I know this plant is recommended for dry skin, I find the cream to be a bit greasy and it leaves some shine on my skin. I have combination skin, so I use this mostly at night or in cold days to protect my skin, but I don't think it would be something suitable for oily skin.

What it does: I think this face cream is something suitable for normal skin, with no special problems, because I don't think it does anything special.However, I like the feeling of soft skin I get from it, and somehow it makes it smother, so my make-up looks really nice (I don't always use a primer). I have some acne issues on my forehead and on my chin and although things haven't improved much, at least it hasn't gotten worse, and that's the first indicator for me if my skin likes a certain cream.
As for the smell, it smells a bit of marigold, but not as much as I thought it would, and that's a good think because I'm not really keen on the scent of medicinal plants (which I consider marigold to be).
Price: I can't remember, but I think about 4-5 euro, so it's ok for that price.
Re-buy or pass: I like this face cream, but it's not something I would really want to use again, so it's not gonna be on my shopping list again.

Chick lit alert : Sophie Kinsella has a new book!

I don't know about you, but I love Sophie Kinsella and her Shoppaholic series won me over ever since the first book. This month, Kinsella brings us a new corky love story in Wedding Night. The story evolves around Lottie and her quest for the perfect marriage material boyfriend. Her childhood firend, Ben reminds her of their pact made when they were younger, to get married to eachother if they were still single by the time they are 30. Lottie jumps on board, and the wedding followed by a honeymoon on a Greek island is on.The only little problem is that their friends and family are not too happy about this arrangement and they'll try anything to stop the wedding.
I can't wait to get my hands on a copy, but I guess I'll have to wait until it'll be available in Romania, but if you are a fan and you live somewhere in the "civilised" world, don't miss it!
Kisses for my kitties!