review.

These Lumiere Cosmetics eye pigments are loose eye pigments, in the shades Hazelnut and Butter Creme. These eye pigments are described as a great option for both subtle looks and more dramatic ones. Once again, the range of colors is extremely vast, and inside each color's category you will find numerous options.
To be honest, I am not a huge fan of shimmery eye shadows. It’s just my personal preference! However, I ended up falling in love by these shimmery eye pigments, especially the one in the shade Butter Creme. To start off, these eye pigments have a really soft texture. You can definitely feel that while applying it, but it’s also noticeable just by looking at the product inside the jar. The eye pigments are extremely silky and the pigmentation is also amazing. One of the things that I would like to consider is their overall qualities: the pigments have amazing adherence; their buttery and soft texture feels indeed wonderful; these are extremely easy to build, therefore you can achieve a more natural look or a more dramatic one; and besides, these are mineral pigments, which are harmless to the skin. Despite me not being a fan of shimmery shadows, I was amazed with how beautiful these look on. You can definitely see that in the two last pictures. I think that it makes my eyes stand out and instantly pop. Regarding its staying power, I have to say that it is acceptable. I didn’t use any eye primer, so after three to four hours these started fading away. Therefore, if you want these to last longer, you will definitely need to apply an eye primer.
The only that I dislike, and that in some cases might be a problem, is the packaging. Even though the jar can be useful, I don’t see it as practicable thing during the product’s application. It’s actually difficult to control the quantity that you pick up on your brush, since these jars have no dispenser. Besides, since these are loose eye pigments, you will need to be careful. If there was any type of dispenser it would be great. In this sense, people who have less experience with make up will feel that it is a little difficult to control the desired quantity of product.
Regarding the price, I think it is quite affordable. The mini jar, containing 1 gram of product, is available for $5, while the large jar, containing 2 gram of product, is available for $8.

shopping.

 

my river.

Living near a river can have its benefits. For instance, long morning walks, while enjoying the calm rhythm of nature. That was exactly what I did last Sunday, and it’s basically what I do every weekend with my parents and my brother. It’s so relaxing and comforting. Last time, I’ve decided to take the camera with me and shot a couple of photos. It might not be the most beautiful landscape, but for me it’s just enough.
While I was looking through these photos I realized that they just portray my town in a very realistic way. We live near the Tejo River, so fishing and shellfish catching are regular activities. You can see people fishing almost everyday. And in days of low tide, it is common to see dozens of people catching clams. It’s something I’ve never tried, although I really like to see these people in action. Another thing that the river brings is definitely water sports such as rowing and sailing (actually, my two cousins are rowers).
There’s something so picturesque about the river and its habitants, those people who live not only by the river, but also for the river. As if it was a millenary deity, to which we must pay some kind of devotion. I also have a special relationship with the river, even though mine is not close to devotion but to a state of personal fulfillment. That is exactly why I feel so free and light, while walking barefoot on the wet sand, with the camera hanging on my right hand and the weight of life still hanging on my shoulders.

dr. organic.

Dr. Organic is an UK based company that sells organic products. Their commitment reflects the image of their products: “Dr. Organic is committed to create unique, natural products which are functional by design and formulated to capture the key activate properties within each of the ingredients used”. This company has indeed a fresh approach, which is extremely interesting. The number one aspect, which is the foundation of their brand, is the environment and its importance. They take advantage of the environment, in a friendly way, by using the good things that nature has given us. In this sense, their promise is not only to give their customers the best, but also to protect nature and the environment. They ingredients are both natural, and organic, and even contain bioactive extracts. Their products are harsh chemicals free and animal ingredients aren’t used. Besides this, no animal tests are performed. As you can see, this is an eco-friendly brand, whose priority is the common welfare of both their customers and the environment. Their range of products is extremely vast and each category is formulated to a certain type of skin or a certain type of necessities. There are a total of nine lines, which are: Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Pomegranate, Organic Tea Tree, Organic Vitamin E, Organic Lavender, Organic Manuka Honey, Organic Virgin Oil, Organic Royal Jelly, and Organic Rose Otto. On their site, you can see information on each category and you can easily discover which one suits you best. You can also find all types of products: shampoos, conditioners, soaps, toothpastes, and deodorants, lip balms, body butters, the most diverse skincare, among other products.

I was sent a couple of products for review purposes from two of their lines. The first ones are the Organic Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner. From this line I was also sent the Organic Tea Tree Blemish Stick. The other two products are from the Organic Aloe Vera line: the Organic Aloe Vera Eye Gel and the Organic Aloe Vera Concentrated Cream. I’ve been using all of these products regularly, with the exception of the Shampoo and Conditioner. Therefore, you can expect reviews really soon.

weekly gratitude.

This week, I am thankful for.

Thank you to my mom and dad for giving us all the things that we have. It is not only about buying new clothes or a new book. For me, it’s about how thoughtful and concerned they are.

I am thankful for how calm and peaceful this month has been.

Thank you to Ana for the lovely afternoon that we had. It was so nice to catch up on each other's lives.
I am also thankful for the sincerity and friendship that you still showed me.
I am thankful for this weekend’s strolls near the beach. It was extremely nice to enjoy the good weather with the family.
I am thankful for the wonderful pen pals that I have.
I am thankful just for being alive. This week, I realized that we all have problems. Some are worst, and some are better. But at some point, all of us will face some difficulties in life. I now realize how lucky I am, even with all the problems that I have.
This week, the most sincere thank you goes to my readers. During this week, I have received the most heart touching comments. Thank you so much for always being by my side and always leaving me the sweetest comments.

seconds.

I don’t know how I did this. And almost a year later, I feel overwhelmed every time I look at this photo. It was just a matter of seconds, a glance through the lens, and then I shot. I remember thinking to myself, You got yourself a nice shot. But I only realized the beauty of this photo a couple of minutes later, while I was checking some previous photos that I had photographed. There is something so powerful about this image that makes me shiver every time I look at it. This is, hands down, the best photo I have ever taken. When I look at this type of wonders and whenever something like this happens to me, I can’t help myself thinking of fate. I was fated to shot this photo, the same way I was fated to come across all the other curious situations on my life. If this shot would have happened just a second later, everything would have been different. If I wouldn’t be at that place at that specific time, things would also be different. Sometimes I stop and think on the constant coincidences that I have come across. And even though I am now rambling about something that has nothing to do with the photo’s theme, the photo’s nature has actually a lot to do with this. Today I just wanted to talk about fate and how I am still waiting for a brighter fate (or future). I won’t just sit and wait, but I’ll wait for it as I move on in life. I’ll wait for that special coincidence to happen. I’ll wait for something or for someone. And as I go on this journey, I know that something beautiful and magical might happen. In a matter of seconds, just like this photo.

review.

KKcenterHK is an online store, which sells a wide range of beauty products, including false eyelashes. I was sent the A101 Eyelashes for review purposes. Since they have such a good selection of eyelashes, there is actually a lot to choose from, so there are eyelashes for everyone’s taste. Their eyelashes are made in Korea and each package comes with 10 pairs of lashes.
To start off, the quality of the eyelashes is really nice. These are super light and comfortable to wear, and even though they look a little bit tricky, they are extremely easy to put on. The pair that I am wearing on the photos was already used once and, as you can see, the lashes are still amazing. Even though there isn’t information on the website on how many times you can use the lashes, I am sure these will last between 3-5 times. Regarding the style of these eyelashes, you can definitely see that this time I went for something a little bit more dramatic and full. I was pretty sure that this style would be a little hard to pull off for everyday wear. However, I was extremely surprised with the final result. In the picture available at their website, these lashes look a lot more dramatic then they look in-person. And even though they still look dramatic on the box, these look a lot more wearable the moment you put them on. It is still a little too much for everyday wear, but not as much as I though it to be. The thing I love the most about these lashes is how flirty they are. In each photo that I have taken with these on, my eyes were always extremely flirty and seductive. In this sense, these are the kind of eyelashes that you want to wear if you’re going to a special event, where you’re going to take a lot of photos. These look awesome on photos and make you eyes stand out, by adding a sexy glam to the eyes. I am going to my brother’s prom really soon so this are definitely the eyelashes that I’ll be wearing on that day.
Regarding the packaging, the box looks actually quite nice but unfortunately it isn’t that handy, since it is a little hard to store the lashes in place after you have used them. But the one thing that I thought clever was that the package had instructions on the back, translated in four different languages (Korean, English, Spanish, and Japanese). However, the English and Spanish part doesn’t make sense at all, since it was probably translated using an online translator. Regarding the price, it is super affordable. A box with 10 pairs of eyelashes is available for $4.89.

peace & color.

A casual, effortless and colorful outfit for a beautiful and bright summer day.

weekly gratitude.

This week, I am thankful for.

I am thankful for the free time that I have been having.

I am thankful for a week without worries.
Thank you to my teacher and Maria for the long conversation that we all had last Thursday. It was great to share the things that we're going through with someone else!
I am thankful for my life being a lot more stable now.
Thank you to my mom and dad for being so patient with me.
I am thankful for all the things that I have.
I am thankful for finding a summer occupation that alows me to make some extra money.
Once again, a huge thank you to my readers for being by my side.

review.

This lipgloss is the Lumiere Cosmetics Lumi Lip, in the shade In the Nude. These lipglosses are described as having high shine and a sheer to medium coverage, which gives an extremely natural look. Its formula contains jojoba oil, which gives a more long wear feature to this product, and less stickiness. The range of colors is available in 45 different shades, for every person’s taste.
I love bold lip colors and colors that naturally stand out. However, I am also addicted to nude lips. It seems so effortless, yet so chic and elegant. This color, described as a sheer creamy nude, is indeed what claims to be. Besides, it has a beautiful silky feel. The first thing that I would like to consider is the formula of this product. Its main ingredient is jojoba oil, which is used instead of almond oil. For those of you who don’t know, lipglosses have normally almond oil in its composition. However, jojoba oil is a nicer alternative, which provides continuous moisture to the lips. Therefore, this will prevent your lips from being chapped, by providing this excellent moisture.
Regarding its stickiness, I was glad to see it is completely non-sticky. Once again, this has a lot to do with its formula and the ingredients used. When a gloss is overall super sticky, it is a major turnoff. However, not only this gloss is far away from being sticky, but it also feels extremely nice when applied on the lips, due to the silky texture that it has. Regarding its staying power, I would consider it relatively good. I have never tried a lipgloss that lasts more than two hours without being retouched. The same happens to this one so for me, it’s quite acceptable. Another thing about this product is that it is fragrance-free. Overall, I was really pleased with this product. It gives a really nice sheen effect to the lips, and it has an amazing moisturizing power. Regarding the price, I think it is more than acceptable. Keep in mind that this is only a sample. The full size product is available on a 10 ml tube, which costs $8.50.

giveaway. [closed]

Giveaway time! I am really excited since this giveaway will be my thank you to you guys, for following my blog. So this is basically a celebration for reaching 200 readers. This time, the giveaway is being sponsored by Cherry Blossom, which is my online jewelry store. The prizes are: one Measure my Love Necklace and a pair of Flower Earrings.

GIVEAWAY rules:

1.You must be a Public follower using Google Friend Connect (GFC). I need to be able to verify that you do follow my blog.
2. Leave a comment below with your GFC name and email address (If you’re not comfortable leaving your email, you can always enter your twitter username).
3. For an extra entry, follow Cherry Blossom here, using Google Friend Connect (On the comment, you need to include this info).
3. For an extra entry, make a blog post about this giveaway or put it on your sidebar (On the comment, you should include this info).
4. For another extra entry, like the Facebook page of this blog here (On the comment, you should include your Facebook name).
5. For another, extra entry, like the Cherry Blossom Facebook page here (On the comment, you need to include this information).

This contest is open internationally and will finish on the 30th of June 2011 12:00am (Portugal time). The winner will be selected via Random.org. After this, the winner will have 48 hours to answer.
Good luck everyone!

lumiere cosmetics.

Lumiere Cosmetics is a brand that sells mineral cosmetics. They have two different lines of products: the Beauty Bar line and the Skin Bar line. The first one includes all of their makeup products, including makeup tools such as brushes, jars and empty palettes for applying your mineral makeup; the second one features all of their skincare products and even hair and bath products. Aside from this, their mineral products, formulated to enhance natural beauty, are perfect for every single skin type. Their motto, “don't hide the beauty you possess, captivate it”, points out perfectly their goal. One of the things that I liked was the fact that most of their makeup products are available in both full size jars and sample size jars. In this sense, it is easy to the customer to try the products out before committing into buying a full size product. Besides this, sample size jars are also a great option for travelling. The colors displayed on their site are extremely reliable and match the real products perfectly. Another thing that I liked was the fact that their foundations are extremely well organized and divided into categories, according to your skin tone. In this sense, it becomes a lot easier to choose a shade, since the information is so well organized. Besides, they provide blush suggestion for every single foundation, which is also a plus.
I was sent five different products for review purposes. The first two, are eye pigments in the shades Butter Cream and Hazelnut. Then, I was also sent a blush in the shade Delicate Pink and a foundation in the shade Light Cool. The last product is a lipgloss in the shade In the Nude.
I have been using all these products for more than a week, on a daily basis. I have already an opinion on most of them. Therefore, I’ll be reviewing and swatching these products really soon.

flower power.

Photography is one of my biggest passions. I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn, but this is something I really enjoy doing. I am too much of a perfectionist but there are actually a couple of shots that I captured in the past, which I could proudly print and hang on a wall. I normally shot the same thing a couple of times. But these were so effortless and so natural that I can’t help developing strong feelings towards these photos. I remember the exact moment and place I photographed these. I found that the photos I like the most, are the ones that somehow left a memory.  These aren’t that special but for me they represent happiness, life, satisfaction. Because in the moment I captured these, happiness was overflowing my heart.