My Insta-Spring 2017 |Smugnificent

As you might have noticed it is been quite some time since I have uploaded an insta-post. I was always on schedule with these in the past but I realised that some months I just ended up posting almost all my instagram photos from that month and I did not feel like the posts offered something to the ones who follow me on instagram. Therefore, I decided to upload these in a seasonal basis. Like this, I enjoy more preparing the posts and I making a small trip down the memory lane of the last few months in order to chose some of the photos that stood out for me.

So this Spring, I travelled quite a lot for work in March and April, maybe a bit more than I wanted. I am like a house cat if you get to know me, travelling is nice provided that it is not too frequent and I get to enjoy my home... Back to back travelling with my work rhythms on top is just exhausting. However, I had quite a nice time  and I have some wonderful memories from these months, during my trips and back in Bern.

A 15sec shower mask? Sign me in! |Smugnificent

I have another skincare review for you today where I am talking about one of my favourite new additions in my skincare routine. Recently I uploaded a video with some "short" skincare product reviews on my channel (check it in English or Greek). However, after I edited the video (and deleted the footage), I realised that somehow the last few minutes were corrupted and the English video was cut off very abruptly. And why is this relevant to this post? Because these missing minutes was me raaaaaving about Blithe's Soothing & Healing Green tea Patting Water Pack; wow that's a mouthful...

So since the footage disappeared I decided to upload a blog post about this product because I am liking it a lot and I really feel the need to share the love! I ordered this recently from eBeautyandCare, a Swiss online store with a great variety of Asian Cosmetics about which I have talked many times. So let's see why I got so much into this product and why I am so excited to review it for you despite my video fail.

Trying out Lush skincare |Smugnificent

About a month and a half ago I was invited to attend the 15th anniversary of Lush here in Switzerland, at their first store here in Bern. I already loved the Lush store here in Bern; it is one of the few stores I visited my first day in the city. And that's when I got my Lush card, my first store card here even before I decided to move here. I was amazed by the renovation of the store close to the style of their flagship store in Oxford street in London. Very clean, very eco-friendly as expected by Lush, certainly a joy to shop there.

Besides presenting us the new look of the store, we had the opportunity for a very thorough presentation of the Lush skincare line with demonstration of several products resulting in specific recommendations based on our skin type and needs. I have tried very few skincare products by Lush so far and I am a known skincare junkie so I was pretty intrigued to try out the products they recommended for me and let you know how it went.

Get your daily dose of VitC with Clinique's Fresh pressed system |Smugnificent

I had said that I will try to go to a no-buy period concerning skincare products as my cupboards overflow of brand new unopened skincare stuff for me to try and use and I try to make a schedule but as a genuine skincare junkie it is impossible to stay awake from super cool launches. It was inevitable therefore, to run and search the new Fresh pressed system by Clinique as soon as it hit the Swiss stores.

 

I saw this new 7-day system from Caroline Hirons (who else?) and I thought that my week long trip to Paris in late March was the perfect opportunity to give it a go since is also in a perfect size to carry with me. The system contains vitamin C and combines a cleanser with a vitamin C booster to promise brighter, smoother, glowy skin from the first use already!

Using glass tools for your hand and foot care: my Mont Bleu review |Smugnificent

I have admitted it many times, taking care of my hands and feet is one of the beauty related things I hate the most. It is absolutely necessary and I do it but it is not something I enjoy so I am always on the look for products and tools that will make this task simpler and my life easier.

I have heard a lot about how much better are glass files for your nails and that they make filing easier and prevent split nails but so far I had only tried a glass nail file once and I was not fully convinced as it felt really different so I did not pushed myself to keep using it. But I always had it in mind that I should at least give them another decent try. Few weeks ago I was contacted by Mont Bleu, a Czech company known among others for their high quality glass nail files, to receive and try some of their products so I thought this is a great opportunity to give glass files another go.

Empty mascaras reviews |Smugnificent

Hello everyone! I will not even try to start apologising and excusing myself for being away from blogging for so long. Life can be overwhelming in different ways and one of my most important decisions for 2017 is to not let my hobbies (like blogging and vlogging) become stressful but to try my best to really enjoy them. I will still try to not be absent for so long and I will also try to keep my blog more connected to my YouTube channel since it seems that I tend to be more punctual with filming. 

So this week I have for you a video reviewing mascaras which I have used up completely. I have a series with similar videos on my channel and this is the 4th mascara review video I uploaded. I included a wide range of drugstore and high-end mascaras as well as some colour mascaras and some special types so I think you will find a wide variety for many different tastes. I hope you enjoy this video and let me know which are your favourite mascaras that I need to try. Oh and be sure to suggest your best mascaras for the lower lashes!

You can check my previous mascara reviews: 

Mascaras review No1 https://youtu.be/6EudMnUHdrw
Mascaras review No2 https://youtu.be/lruuK5z2TgE
Mascaras review No3 https://youtu.be/metriaR_Y2M

If you prefer to watch my video in Greek you can find it here.

See you soon with a next post and/or video! Take care!

Let your senses dive in a wonderfully scented home with Rituals |Smugnificent

If you follow me since long on social media you already know that I am addicted to candles. I have a considerable stock of candles I love and I know for sure that my collection would be out of control if I lived in UK or US where I could find my favourite candles in more budget-friendly prices and most importantly a larger variety. But what you might not know is that I am obsessed with all scented products and I am always a bit sad that I cannot use candles in all rooms in my house.

Rituals, one of my favourite brands for care and home products, released a whole new collection of home scented products (additionally to the extensive line they already  have). I have tried several candles and fragrance sticks by Rituals but when I saw Melissa's video with the new releases I run to get the new wardrobe sachets and ended up getting some more things; naturally. So let's dive in!

Plumper skin with Revitalift Filler |Smugnificent

I have made numerous times clear my obsession with skincare both here and on my channel. So trying out skincare products is definitely my kind of thing. As you know I was away on vacation after the last few crazy months and soon after I got back home, I got a package in the post from Coolbrandz with L' Oreal' s latest skincare line.

I didn't had the chance to read a lot about the line beforehand but the moment I read that the L' Oreal Revitalift Filler [HA] has hyaluronic acid in I was immediately sold. I was very pleased with my current skincare routine but I have been always pleased with the results of hyaluronic on my skin so I was thrilled to test a more budget-friendly line.

Another insta-post: Autumn edition |Smugnificent

I am finally back after a looooong hiatus and what is better than a recap of what I have been doing during these last few months. Well to be honest that shouldn't be a difficult recap as most of this time I woke up, I worked and I slept; oh that fascinating lifestyle hahaha. And afterwards I went on vacation; my first vacation days of 2016, finally. Although the whole last year was very stressful for me and I had to make a lot of small or large "sacrifices", retrospectively I really think that I came out stronger and more confident and more determined that I can achieve anything I want to. So that is for sure a good thing. 

I think the most important thing for me during this period was submitting my Thesis and defending successfully my PhD. I am still working in the same field as a post-doctorate fellow so I continue doing things I love from another position. For all the fun not working moments I have included a ton of pictures, mainly food related I have to admit so be prepared as this might be the most photo-heavy and mouth-watering post ever on this blog!

Slowing signs of age: Vichy's new launch, Slow Âge |Smugnificent

Skincare products were always as equally interesting to me as makeup and as the years go by and I get older the balance tilts more in favour of skincare. And not only because good skin equals good makeup as many say, which is absolutely true to be honest. But most importantly because although makeup can be absolutely fun, artistic and amazing, skincare is actually an investment for your future. And the choices you make now about your skincare affect how your skin will look not only in a few months but also in the years to come. So although I was always into skincare, recently I am becoming more and more invested in my routine and I am finding products that suit my needs and prevent skin damage.

Vichy is a major player in the skincare game since many decades. It is a brand known for the variety of quality products for different skin needs at a reasonable price. Now Vichy is coming out with a new day cream, Slow Âge, focusing on slowing down signs of ageing. Coolbrandz launched a new campaign in Switzerland together with Vichy for the launching of Slow Âge so I received a testing version of the product and I have been using it since almost 3 weeks every morning.