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Being Flawless with Pixi

2nd October 2018 3 Comments

Many times I passed the Pixi store in Soho/London, adored the beautiful packaging of the products through the windows, but it’s only now that I finally tried them on my own and can let you know my review. Thanks to Marionnaud, Pixi products are available in Switzerland for a while now.

When makeup artist Petra Strand started her brand of youth-enhancing beauty products over 15 years ago, it was her aim to bring out the natural beauty in all women and created innovative formulations that are infused with botanicals and beneficial ingredients. Good to know: Pixi products are not tested on animals.

Let’s have a closer look at my selection of products:

Pixi Glow Tonic

If you wanna try just one Pixi product, it must be the Pixi Glow Tonic! Called a beauty hero by the Vogue and being praised by many bloggers and customers, this has become a cult product. It’s an exfoliating toner that helps to remove dead skin cells, leaves your skin with a healthy-looking glow and minimized pores. I’ve been using face tonics for years and think this one is a very good choice, gentle but soothing and with a wonderful smell.

Sara is in Love with… beauty review Pixi

Pixi Double Cleanser

Another tip is the Pixi Double Cleanse: If you don’t clean double yet, you have to start today and this powerful duo manages to remove even waterproof makeup. While with other brands you end up having two bottles, it’s very handy that Pixi united both in one pot. The only negative thing I have to say is that it smells a little bit weird, almost like candle wax.

Pixi Glow Mist

Got tired dry skin? This mist is an instant refresh and hydrates the skin with argan oil and aloe vera. You can use it before applying makeup or during the day. I love to use it on my naked skin and feel like it really makes my skin glow. For me, it doesn’t work so well on the makeup since it destroys the flawlessness of my foundation.

Pixi Large Lash Mascara

A mascara which is supposed to make the lashes long and add volume. It’s certainly a good quality one and the packaging is cute, but let’s be honest: There are good mascaras and worse, but I am still looking for the ultimate lash blast that replaces lash extensions for real.

Pixi MatteLast Liquid Lip

I love matte lipsticks and this one with rosehip oil is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! It’s easy to apply, long-lasting, nourishes the lips and feels comfortable on the lips. I need to buy one in a more flashy colour for sure!

Pixi Liplift Max Gloss

A volume-maximizing lip treatment with a lovely fresh mint flavour. You can wear it solo or as a plumping pre-treatment for lip colour or on top of any lip colour. I use mine as a base and top it with more colour.

Picture: Sara Streule. This post contains sponsored products.

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Boxmopolitan Edition 24 Gold Rush

18th February 2018 2 Comments

Boxmopolitan, subscription box, discover new products

I have a gold rush, and it got delivered right to my doorstep yay! Since you all know how much I do love subscription boxes, you can imagine how much I liked to open the parcel with the Boxmopolitan logo.

Boxmopolitan is a Swiss discovery box that brings you every month five to seven surprise products. It’s like having a personal shopping coach that goes trend hunting for you and finds the most unique cool products. Unlike many other subscription boxes, Boxmopolitan doesn’t feed you with boring mainstream products.

It’s their mission as curators to introduce you to new items and they pay particular attention to organic ingredients, fair trade, local manufacturing and design quality. Gourmet is always an essential part of the surprises. One box costs 69.90 CHF, if you place a subscription for a few months, the price for the single boxes starts at 49.90 CHF.

What I found in my box

Sparkling wine by Elfenhof
Packed in a golden bar box, this dry sparkling wine has a fruity bouquet from the most excellent grapes of the Neusiedler Lake region in Austria and is enriched with real gold. Quite an eyecatcher on the table and the perfect drinks for lovers of prosecco and champagne like myself.

Golden Light candle by Yankee Candle
I believe home is not home without a vanilla candle and this one smells just good enough to eat with its chocolate-vanilla fragrance. It burns for 30 beautiful hours and makes my flat instantly cozier.

Gottlieber Wafers Special Edition Gianduja Orange
Swiss wafers with a filling of roasted hazelnuts and chocolate, enriched with fruity oranges. Since I am plant-based, they are not for me, but I bet my boyfriend will make them disappear entirely fast.

Woman in Gold and Gold Knight by Kilian
The only samples in the box are those two perfumes. Wish they were bigger because I love them very much. Woman in Gold is a fragrance with rose petals, vanilla, akigala wood and patchouli. Gold knight bedazzles the senses with patchouli, bergamot, vanilla, and anise. Both smell of luxury and I dream of a big bottle of Woman in Gold.

Lux Hair Oil by System Professional
A luxury hair oil with argan, jojoba and almond oil. My stressed hair loves this treat and sends it thanks. Since argan oil is known as liquid gold in Marocco, a perfect addition to the Gold Rush box.

Gold Glitter Gel by Ucanbe
A glitter makeup for face and body in dazzling gold. I used it as an eyeliner several times already and love it, it dries fast, stays where it should and is easy to remove.

A 10 CHF Voucher from Perfect Hair
I buy my shampoo and hairspray from PerfectHair.ch since I remember. Therefore this voucher is something I can use very well. They have (almost) everything I am looking for, fast delivery and reasonable prices.

What I think about the Gold Rush box

I love the Gold Rush box and think what you get for the price is a very fair deal for getting so much inspiration. I discovered exciting products I didn’t know before, my favourites are the sparkling wine, the Kilian perfumes, and the makeup glitter. Thank you so much Boxmopolitan!

I am curious to see what’s in the next Boxmotolitain boxes, and if you love surprises, you should join the gang.

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Lovely Perfume Review: Lalique Noir Premier Illusion Captive

19th December 2017 4 Comments

Let me tell you about the new Lalique Noir Premier Illusion Captive fragrance. It’s not just another good smelling Eau de Parfum, but a piece of art with an extraordinary packaging and bottle. If you are still looking for a gift for a classy lady or gentleman with a flair for the exclusive: This is it!

The black wooden box just sings of luxurious adventures in a lavish Art Nouveau dream salon. The bottle is inspired by René Lalique’s iconic dragonfly brooch, a masterpiece of its time.

A bottle as marvellous as this comes with high expectations of the scent being surrounded by its glass: The top notes of the shimmering golden fragrance are Italian bergamot and fresh fig, followed by Arabian jasmine, feminine rose, and aromatic cinnamon as middle notes. The base notes are cedarwood, patchouli, vanilla, tonka bean, myrrh and cistus labdanum. It’s a woody, warm and spicy fragrance with good longevity.

You might have noticed that I have a thing going on with unisex fragrances and this is another one. I might start the new year wearing Lalique Illusion Captive, and I hope it will just be as luxurious as this perfume!

This post contains sponsored products.

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Shopping at beautycare.ch: Tom Ford Black Orchid

29th November 2017 No Comments

This is my second beautycare.ch haul, and I am very happy 🙂 I got the Tom Ford Black Orchid fragrance, a perfume that has been on my shopping list for ages. The high price and the fact that I have so many perfume bottles were holding me back. But when I discovered it on beautycare.ch for less money than anywhere else, I couldn’t resist any longer.

Black Orchid is a very opulent, dark oriental chypre perfume. The top notes are jasmine, black truffle, ylang-ylang, and blackcurrant. The heart of the fragrance is floral-spicy and reminds of the black orchid with notes of tuberose, pepper, and cloves. The base combines woody patchouli and sandalwood notes with incense, vanilla, dark chocolate, and vetiver.

It’s an incredibly long-lasting fragrance, and it lingers on my skin much longer than most other perfumes. A little warning: If you try it for the first time you might have to get used to it. Black Orchid is a distinctive scent, one you will not quickly forget or mistake for another one. When I tried it a few years ago I hated it; I thought it’s the kind of scent causing headaches and discomfort.

A few years later I dared a second try which caused an instant obsession. I couldn’t believe how wrong I was to dislike this luxurious, sophisticated fragrance. If there is something like liquid wealth, this is how it must smell! Black Orchid is just as precious and rare as the flower that gave it the name: It’s thick and sweet and like a mysterious black ocean with mystical mermaids.

If you are looking for a signature scent, don’t look any further!

This post contains sponsored products.

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Caudalie French Kiss Lip Balms

7th November 2017 3 Comments

One of the best things about being a blogger is to receive all the new exciting products. Recently I found these lip balms from Caudalie in my mail, and since I like them a lot, I have to tell you about them.

I mostly wear bright lipsticks on my pictures, you might not think that I am a lip balm type, but on weekends and in the eve I can’t get enough of this stuff. It’s the secret behind my bright lips: The only way to pull off strong colours is when your lips are well moisturized and hydrated. Those three darlings brought an extra hydra boost into my life.

All products from French label Caudalie have something in common with wine, and those lip balms are no exception: They are rich in anti-oxidant grape polyphenols. 98% of their ingredients are natural, such as aloe vera, beeswax, castor and sunflower oil. C’est magnifique! So let’s have a closer look at each of them!

French Kiss Tinted Lip Balm Innocence
This one is the lightest tint. It comes in a very natural pink, meant to enhance your natural lip colour. Its smell is a very subtle hint of vanilla and orange peel. Subtle, just like a translucent wine.

French Kiss Tinted Lip Balm Séduction
A beautiful slightly shimmering soft pink tint with a delicious smell of vanilla. This one is so yummy I have to resist not to eat it. My favourite from the three of them. If it would be a wine, I’d order another glass right away!

French Kiss Tinted Lip Balm Addiction
It’s raspberry red, and it smells like a whole garden of delicious berries! Probably the most indulgent and intense of the three of them. I instantly have to think of a berry merlot.

Which one do you think might be your favourite, can you decide? If yes get it, apply it, and then there is just one thing ahead: Kiss! Just like a Parisian girl, ohlala!

This post contains sponsored products.

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Lovely Perfume Review: Aura by Mugler

23rd October 2017 No Comments

Everybody knows: I am a Mugler girl! I love to watch videos of old Mugler fashion shows and even if I like a lot of perfumes, there is one I always return: Mugler’s Alien, my only true love when it comes to perfumes.

Therefore I was very curious when I heard about Aura, the new Mugler scent. I just knew that it must be innovative and different to all the mainstream on the perfume shelves. The emerald green bottle looks unmistakable Mugler and extraordinarily beautiful. Like all Mugler flacons, it’s refillable which is a big plus in times when sustainability becomes more and more an issue. Like Angel and Alien, its name starts with an “A,” standing for the brand’s theme “addiction. The silver part of the bottle forms an “M” for Mugler like a bold signature.

But let’s move to the essential thing and discuss how it smells: Aura is a woody aromatic fragrance. It features rhubarb leaf, tiger liana, orange blossom, bourbon vanilla and wolf wood. The concept of Aura is “botanical meets animal, ” and it creates a magical aura with an overdose of both two components.

My first impression was that it’s a sweet but somehow wild musky scent. Not as crazy as Angel and Alien, but challenging and imposing. I have to think of Emerald City hidden in a thick jungle when I see the beautiful green heart. After wearing Aura for few times, I like it even better, and it grew on me. I caught myself smelling my wrist very often while wearing it and missing it when it’s gone.

Like all Mugler perfumes, Aura is not everybody’s darling, but the seekers of uniqueness will fall for it not despite but because of its edginess. Wearing Aura is not a safe play, but a fragrance for the adventurous woman on a bold journey called life.

Aura, you will sit next to Alien on my shelf, and I’ll be happy to have you keeping me company and telling me to listen to my feline instincts! Yes I am addicted.

This post contains sponsored products.

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Lovely Giveaway: OMG It’s So Kawaiiiiiiii

26th September 2017 12 Comments

Kawaii Box, Asian subscription box, review

Yaaaaay another kawaii box arrived! This is my favourite subscription box and it never ceases to surprise me. No, no I’ll never get too old for cute stuff and believe that a girl can never have enough.

I can’t travel to Asia every time I feel the need for some cuteness in my life, therefore I am grateful Kawaii Box delivers their handpicked mix of Asian goodies right to my doorstep. There is no place to far away in the world to receive a box full of happiness.

This time I had 10 cute items in my box, my favourites are a Hello Kitty tin pencil case, a unicorn squishy charm and fruity washi masking tape. I also love the tiny stickers I discovered. I first thought they are nail stickers, but the card told me they are meant to decorate the diary. For only $ 19.90 I think I got a lot of cute things and feel like a little girl in a candy shop. Time to not spice up my life but cute up my life!

Now it’s your turn: Win a KAWAII BOX

Just follow the instructions in the box below to participate and the winner will be chosen randomly. The giveaway is open worldwide. Smile when you receive your Kawaii Box 🙂

Sara is in Love with Kawaii Box Giveaway

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Real Life Retouch with Benefit Boi-ing

30th August 2017 2 Comments

Once I read an interview with a woman born almost blind, whose sight could be restored as an adult. She described the shock she felt when she saw her and her friends’ skin not just as blurry flares for the very first time. In her imagination faces used to flawless and she had a hard time coping with reality being different.

I very often think about this extraordinary story, while I am in the bathroom doing my makeup: My natural face sometimes seems to belong to a (not so cute) panda with (rather) dark circles around the eyes, and as a perfectionist, I wish I could wear makeup day and night. Therefore it might not be surprising that concealer is my favourite beauty product.

The new Benefit Boi-ing concealers promise to hide all problems from discolouration to unevenness and dark circles: The four products provide different levels of coverage from light to strong and have special features like extra hydration or a brightening effect, all according to your needs. Each of the concealers comes in three skin tones.

The four masters of disguise from the Boi-ing family:

Bo-ing Industrial Strength Concealer

This is the ultimate and waterproof full coverage weapon against every blemish, discolouration and dark circles!

Boi-ing Brightening Concealer

A creamy concealer with full coverage that brightens melon undertones and tired eyes for a radiant finish.

Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer

A sheer-to-medium coverage real life filter to hide lines, unevenness and under eye circles with an instant “airbrush” finish.

Boi-ing Hydrating Concealer

This sheer coverage concealer for a natural finish comes with vitamin E and apple seed extract for dry skin around the eyes.

My blunt opinion:

Gosh, Benefit I just love you! Every product I try honestly convinces me. For me, the Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer works best because the coverage is brilliant and I love how it gently blends in with my skin. It’s waterproof and long-lasting which makes it ideal for long days and photoshoots.

But it’s a tough choice because I love the Boi-ing Hydrating Concealer as well since I have rather dry skin. Last but not least, I can’t resist saying something about the packaging: Aren’t they the cutest? They might hide blemishes, but they certainly don’t have to hide on their own!

Benefit, you won me over: I say yes to less photoshop and more real life retouch!

Benefit is available at Manor at the Sephora corner in Switzerland.

This post contains sponsored products.

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Summertime with La Petite Box

16th August 2017 2 Comments

Yay, the new La Petite Box arrived a few days ago, and I couldn’t wait to show you! This months theme is “Summer Lovin” and they thought of everything required for my favourite season of the year.

For all of you who haven’t heard of La Petite Box: It’s a trendy Swiss lifestyle subscription box. The lovely team of La Petite Box is very dedicated to surprise you again and again. Every month they bring exclusive beauty products, fashion, food, and home decoration items right to your mailbox.

This is what I found in my “Summer Lovin” box:

Pompom Sandals by virgule
Aren’t those the ultimate beach shoes? I love how cheerful and bright the pompoms are and will pack them for my holidays.

“Be Happy” Wristband
Another colourful item, yay! This wristband with its tassels goes very well with the sandals and completes a cool summer look. It’s supposed to be a lucky charm as well. Can’t tell you yet if it brings luck or not, but it looks pretty for sure. 😉

Curaprox Black is White Toothpaste and Toothbrush
My one and only toothpaste! Since I got my first tube for a blogger review two years ago, I haven’t used nother one. Unlike another kind of toothpaste it’s black, but it surprisingly keeps my teeth white and has a fresh lime-mint taste.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Aqua Gel
This face cream is indeed a hydro boost, and this is what the skin needs during the warm summer months! I mix it with a drop of face oil for even better results since my skin tends to be quite dry.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Original
Another favourite of mine, not just for festivals. This spray keeps the hair fresh on days when you don’t wash it (helps against colour fading in my case). As well I love to use it as a styling tool because it adds volume and gives hold.

Ultrasun After Sun
Wow, I am impressed: I just binned an empty bottle of after sun and here comes a new one. Since my skin is very sensitive, it’s essential to care for it in summer. I never leave the house without sun cream and when I go to the beach aftersun is a must. When you apply it you can feel how your skin relaxes. This one is even without critical contents, mineral oils, emulsifiers, and preservatives.

Martini Bianco & Thomas Henry Tonic Water
La Petite Box says cheers to summer and suggests to do that with a Martini Tonic. All you need for a little bit of Italian dolce vita in your life is 7cl of Martini, 7cl of tonic, ice cubes and a slice of lime. Sounds refreshing, doesn’t it?

Places Magazine
A lovely designed Swiss magazine about fashion accessories and beauty since we all need something to read at the beach.

This post contains sponsored products.

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Tropical Vibes with La Petite Box

18th July 2017 1 Comment

La Petite Box, subscription box, tropical

Tropical girl, neubau sunglasses, marina fini earrings

La Petite Box, subscription box, monthly surprise

Neubau sunglasses, tropical look, la petite box

You must all know already: I love receiving parcels, and I love surprise boxes. Therefore I was pleased as punch to find the La Petite Box Tropical edition in my letterbox a while ago.

La Petite Box is a monthly Swiss lifestyle, fashion and beauty subscription box. Every box has a new theme and is filled with selected items. If you hold the box in your hands and see how carefully and lovely it’s packed, you can feel the love the makers put into their project. They deliver to Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

The box that I got was curated by Swiss fashion blogger Nissi Mendes. Nissi has Portuguese roots and is a girl who likes to travel a lot. The content of the box reflects her attitude and is right on trend with the tropical vibes.

What I had in my box:

Fashion

– T-Shirt with tropical print (the one that I am wearing in the pictures)
– NU ICONS magazine

Beauty

– Ultrasun Glimmer suncream

– L’Oréal multi-masking detox-box face masks

– Similasan gel-to-milk, mild face tonic and face serum

– Missoni perfume as a mini

– Swiss Smile dental kit
– label.m heat protection spray

Drinks
– a bottle of Mucho Mango drink by Arizona

I love this box, and especially the T-Shirt and I are going to be good friends this summer. I am happy to have the Similasan products because I bought the face cream of the same line and loved it and can’t wait to include the whole series in my daily routine. A few of the other products like the suncream and the mini perfume will be very handy for my upcoming holidays.

I am satisfied and curious what the theme of the next one will be!

My Outfit:

T-Shirt: La Petite Box, Skirt: Monki, Sunglasses: Neubau Eyewear,
Earrings: Marina Fini, Octopus Bangle: Eat.Me…Do, Crystal Bangle: Kate Rohde,
Shoes: Miss L Fire

This post contains sponsored products.