Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by FabFitFun via Bloggin' Mamas. I received all these products for free for testing and review purposes, that did not affect my truthful and honest opinions. Images in this post are my own.


Hello everybody!


There is nothing that I love more than a pleasant surprise! Give me a lipstick (yes, I don't ask for more!) and you made me the happiest girl in the city. Give me a box full of goodies and you made me the happiest girl in the world. One afternoon as I exited the elevator, I noticed that something was waiting for me at my door. I was approaching curiously and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the big FabFitFun Summer Box. I need to apologize to my neighbors for all those loud squeaks and weird dancing moves in the hallway, sorry everybody, this is how a kid like me rejoices when receives goodies.

This was such a wonderful surprise, as I was always wanting to see what's the hype about this box subscription. I have seen this box at my favorite youtubers and I was day dreaming that one day I am gonna try it myself too. And, yes, that day has come.

If you were wondering, FabFitFun is a quarterly box subscription, so you will have the possibility to purchase a box for each season, and as they like to say this box offers ”everything a woman needs to feel good from the inside out: from the latest and greatest in beauty, fitness, to diet and wellness.

Get Fit. Have Fun. Be Fabulous.”

As we are in the middle of the summer, let's discover what goodies I have received in my FabFitFun Summer Box!

• Wren 14Kt Gold and Black Sapphire Necklace - it is such a beautiful and delicate jewelry that I instantly fell in love with. That black sapphire on the heart pendant gives it an exquisite touch. The jewerly retails for $100.

• The Everyday Wireless Speaker by FabFitFun - this is an adorable wireless and portable speaker that goes with me on my beach escapades when I need to just look at the ocean and recollect my thoughts. Did I mention that is pink??? This cute speaker retails for $29.99.

• Inkling Scents Sultry Roll-On Oil Perfume - it was love at first smell. I have received so many compliments wearing this perfume. I love the fact that it is alcohol-free, pure oil frangrance that lasts on me all day long, I can easily carry it in my purse and has my favorite blend of scents like sandalwood, white amber, lotus flower, orchid, Bulgarian rose and vanilla. This roll-on perfume retails for $25.

• George ”I'll Make You Look Amazing” Daily Spray - I haven't heard about this brand before, but it does promise to make wonders for dry, coarse, frizzy hair and oh, boy, my hair needs a hand in this matter. I can't wait to see how it will work for me! This spray retails for $24.95.

• Tarte LipSurgence Lip Gloss - now go and please read the two phrases that I've started my post with. I bet you can see my happy dance now! I alsolutely love this product. I received the shade ”Flush” which quickly became my favorite summer lip product. This lip gloss retails for $19. 

• FabFitFun x CosmoBody Jump Rope - this brought back so many childhood memories. Well, you may not know this but I was quite the rope-jumping champion. Great way to burn some calories too! I did test this rope and I still got my moves. Go figure! This rope retails for $14.

• Scratch Nail Wraps - I really like the concept that stands behind this product - these are made with 5-free polish inks and have all kind of unique designs. I like mines and can't wait to wear them. These nail wraps retail for $12.

• Headspace 3 -Month Subscription - I am not familiar with this app that ”takes you through a series of life-changing, guided meditations when you want, whenever you are”. Sounds very interesting, I am intrigued to see what is this. This subscrisption costs $38.85.

• Hello Conjac Cleansing Sponge - it is a Korean product used to gently exfoliate and thoroughly cleanse pores. I have used a similar product in the past when my skin was ok, before my acne episode and it did work well. I am gonna try this product soon too, I am curious to see how it will work on my sensitive combination skin. This sponge retails for $12.

• Sponsored item: Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Spray Moisturizer -  I am a big fan of Vaseline products and I've heard so many good things about this particular one, so I am excited to try it. This product retails for $7.99 and was offered as a bonus.

The grand total of this box is $275.79, not to mention the sponsored item ( + $7.99).  

As I was so excited to try this box for quite some time now, I can truly say that to me this box was a hit as I like all the featured products and find them useful on my daily activities. Whether I am gonna wear that beautiful Wren necklace on an outfit, listen to my favorite music on my cute pink wireless speaker while I'm jumping the rope, wearing that amazing ”Sultry” perfume or take care of my dry, frizzy hair using the George spray, wear my summer favorite lip gloss from Tarte, or having fun with nail designs from Scratch Nail Wraps, cleanse my face with the Conjac sponge or hydrate my skin with the Vaseline spray moisturizer, I think this box offers a great combination of beauty/cosmetics, health and fitness accessories at a great value.

Normally a FabFitFun box retails for $49.99, but look at the total value, more than $250 worth of products. 

If you were thinking to buy this box, maybe my post helped you make up your mind. Also, I have a surprise for you. I was offered a $10 off code (I am not affiliate with the brand, I do not receive any monetary compensation out of this code), so all you have to do is to head over to FabFitFun website and enter the code RALLY to save $10 off. Basically, you will get your FabFitFun Summer Box for $39.99. Awesome deal, isn't it?

Are you familiar with the FabFitFun box subscription? What do you think about this Summer Edition Box?


Yours,
Rally


Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by FabFitFun via Bloggin' Mamas. I received all these products for free for testing and review purposes, that did not affect my truthful and honest opinions. Images in this post are my own.

Hello everybody! Bună tuturor!


Are you ready for another ”beauty empties” post? It has been a while since my last post, since I haven't showed you what cosmetics I have used up, so don't be scared by what are you going to see in the picture down below. Since I've taken these pictures, more empties are sitting in my basket, waiting anxiously to be photographed and showed to you.


Sunteți pregătiți pentru o nouă serie a ”produselor consumate”? Știu că v-a fost dor să vedeți ce produse am mai consumat. Ce e drept, a cam trecut o vreme de la ultima postare, așa că vă rog să nu vă speriați de ceea ce veți vedea în poza de mai jos. Între timp, s-au mai adunat destule astfel de produse care așteaptă cumințele să fie fotografiate și prezentate vouă.

As you already know, I have organized all my empties into a few categories, it is an easier way for me and hopefully for you as well to better find out more about these products, as I am presenting them to you through a mini-review.
Let's begin with the ”Face and lip care” category and discover what products I have used up so far!


Așa cum bine știți, ca de fiecare dată, am organizat toate aceste produse pe categorii, m-am gândit că este mai ușor pentru mine, dar și pentru voi să aflați cât mai multe despre aceste produse pe care vi le prezint sub forma unei mini recenzii.
Să începem așadar cu produsele consumate aflate în categoria ”Îngrijirii feței și a buzelor”!

• The anti-redness make-up removal micellar solution Sensibio H2O AR from Bioderma is a fairly new product to European market (2013). I don't think that there is a human on this Planet that does not know about the famous original version of this product - the Sensibio H2O make-up removal micellar solution. Well, let me put it this way! Any beauty lover out there who likes to take a good care of her skin, needs to try this product. For me, the Sensibio H2O AR version - a product dedicated to redness-prone skin - or you know the situation with my skin - works just beautifully. I use this product daily to clean my face, either I'm wearing makeup or not. This is a product that has well formulated ingredients, cleans gently, but yet efficiently without leaving any sticky residues and since I have been using it I have noticed a significant reduction of my redness, not to mention that it's  perfect for removing your eyes makeup as well (yes, it is that gentle with my eye area). I must review it in detail for you guys!

• The mini Beautiful Skin set from No. 7 (European brand that you can find it at Target) had 3 mini products dedicated to normal/ oily skin like a cleansing water, a day cream with SPF 15 and a night cream. I must confess, I did like these products and I was quite impressed with them. You need to know that these are hypo-allergenic products with a discreet smell that immediately adapted to my skin's needs. Even though these were just some tiny samples, I did get a good use out of them. The cleansing water left my skin clean and fresh, the face creams offered me a good amount of hydration without overcharging it (these creams have a light texture that absorbes into your skin right away).

• The Apivita 24h moisturizing cream with chaste tree & honey  is an older ”friend” of mine which I have presented you on my first ”Products I've used up” post and turned out to be a real surprise for me, because it worked very well on my combination skin, even though it's recommended for normal/dry skin. What I've loved about this product is the fact that I was given the exact hydration that my skin needed without feeling my forehead and chin areas greasy.  

• The anti-aggressions 24 hr antioxidant shield serum from Yves Rocher  is a product designed to protect and fight against environmental agressions, which oxidise the skin, with innovative ingredients like Moringa peptides. I have used this product mainly on my nightly skin care routine, this is a very light and hydrating product that did not overcharge my skin. When I woke up every morning, I felt my skin fresh, revitalized and I noticed that some of my fine lines were smoothed out. If you can get your hands on this product, this is definitely an absolute recommendation.

• I have used the Nivea refreshing cleansing wipes to remove my makeup or any impurities gathered on my daily activities. I must confess, I am not a big fan of cleansing wipes, therefore I use them quite rarely. Although Nivea it's a brand that I love, these refreshing cleasing wipes were not to my liking. Even though these products were created for normal and combination skin types, I felt these a bit too harsh on my sensitive combination skin and my face was not deeply cleansed, I had to come later on with another product to remove the makeup residues.

• My last used up product from the ”Face and lip care” category is the soothe and protect Nivea lip balm with SPF 15. Oh, I do love the Nivea lip balms and I have quite the collection. This particular product helped me maintain my lips hydrated, by soothing and protecting them with the SPF 15 (it receives a golden star from me!). I did love this product until its last ”drop”.

• Soluția micelară Sensibio H2O AR de la Bioderma este un produs relativ nou pe piața europeană (anul 2013). Nu cred că este om pe Planetă care să nu fi aflat de faimoasa soluție micelară Sensibio H2O - varianta originală. Bine, reformulez! Orice persoană care are grijă de tenul ei ar trebui să cunoască acest produs. Pentru mine, versiunea Sensibio H2O AR - un produs formulat pentru pielea dispusă la roșeață - ori voi știți deja situația cu tenul meu - funcționează de minune, folosesc acest produs zilnic pentru a-mi curăța fața, fie că port machiaj sau nu. Este un produs bine formulat, ce imi curăță delicat, dar eficient tenul, fără a lăsa urme lipicioase, mi-a redus semnificativ roșeața, este perfect chiar și pentru machiajul ochilor, căci nu irită deloc sensibila zonă oculară. Trebuie să-i fac un review detaliat pe blog!

• Mini setul Beautiful Skin de la No. 7 a conținut 3 produse dedicate tenului normal, dar și celui gras, și anume: o apă demachiantă, o cremă de zi cu SPF 15 și una de noapte. Drept să vă spun aceste produse mi-au fost pe plac și mi-au lăsat o impresie foarte bună. Sunt produse hipoalergenice, cu miros discret, care au făcut față cu brio tenului meu capricios, și, în ciuda gramajului de mostră testat, am reușit să le folosesc destul de bine și să-mi fac o idee despre ele. În timp ce apa demachiantă mi-a lăsat tenul curat și proaspăt, cremele pentru față mi-au hidratat în profunzime tenul, fără să-l încarce (textura lor este una foarte lejeră, care se absoarbe imediat în piele).

• Crema de față hidratantă Apivita cu vitex și miere este o ”prietenă” mai veche de-a mea, pe care am mai prezentat-o și în prima postare a produselor consumate și care s-a dovedit a fi un produs care mi-a priit, deși este o cremă destinată pielii normale/ uscate. Ce mi-a plăcut mult la acest produs a fost faptul că i-a oferit tenului meu hidratarea de care avea nevoie fără să mă trezesc că pot prăji un ochi pe frunte sau în zona bărbiei.

• Serumul antioxidant 24 ore de la Yves Rocher este un produs care vine să apere tenul de agresiunile din mediul înconjurător și are la bază ingrediente din plante, precum peptidele Moringa. Eu l-am folosit cu precădere în cadrul rutinei mele de seară, este un produs care nu încarcă tenul și se absoarbe cu ușurință în piele. Când mă trezeam în fiecare dimineață îmi simțeam fața revitalizată, fresh și am observat că unele linii fine fuseseră netezite. Un produs foarte bun pe care vi-l recomand!

• Șervețelele demachiante revigorante Nivea le-am folosit cu precădere la îndepărtarea machiajului și a impurităților adunate de peste zi. Trebuie să recunosc, nu sunt un mare fan al șervețelelor demachiante, drept urmare nici nu le prea folosesc decât foarte rar. Aceste produse, deși se adresează tenului normal și mixt, nu au fost pe placul meu. Nu am simțit că fața mi-a fost curățată în profunzime și mi s-au părut prea agresive cu tenul meu sensibil.

• Un ultim produs consumat din această categorie a fost balsamul de buze Nivea. Iubesc balsamurile de buze Nivea, am o întreagă colecție. Acest produs are rolul de a calma pielea sensibilă a buzelor și de a o proteja cu ajutorul factorului de protecție solară SPF 15 (primește o steluță aurie din partea mea). Am iubit acest produs și l-am folosit până la ultima picătură.

• The eye contour cream from Naturalis - a European brand that my mom introduced me to a while back - was a very pleasant surprise for me. I can say that this product is like a hidden gem that awaits to be discovered. It was nice to see on the ingredients' list natural rose water that smelled divine, avocado oil, the coenzyme Q10, but also wheat proteins and hyaluronic acid. I loved, loved this product until its last drop, I would have wanted to last me forever, I felt my under eyes area so hydrated and radiant.

• Crema contur ochi de la Naturalis s-a dovedit a fi o plăcută surpriză pentru mine. Mama mi-a făcut cunoștință cu acest brand care se găsește ce-i drept doar în unele farmacii de profil și mi-a plăcut foarte mult. Pot spune că acest produs este ca o piatră prețioasă ce așteaptă să fie descoperită. Am fost plăcut impresionată să descopăr pe lista de ingrediente, apa naturală de trandafir care miroase divin, ulei de avocado, coenzima Q10, dar și proteine din grâu și acid hialuronic. Am iubit acest produs până la ultima picătură și nu aș mai fi vrut să se termine, căci îmi simțeam zona ochilor hidratată și radiantă.

Moving on, let's see now what ”Body care” products I've used up.

Continuăm cu produsele consumate din categoria ”Îngrijirii corpului”.

• The EKOS natura brasil body lotion with maracuja and pitanga was gifted to me by a  friend. This happened to be her favorite brand. She told me: ”Try this and you will see why I love it so much!” This brand was completely new to me so I had to do my research about it. I've found out that ”Natura Ekos is a range of body care products and perfumes directly inspired by the ancestral traditions of Brazilian populations. Natura Ekos - looks after yourself and the world around you.” Now I know why my friend loved this product so much - smells amazing - you just feel like you are in paradise, surrounded by exotic fruits, not to mention that the smell persists for days, hydrates well and it is very gentle on your skin. More paradise please!

• This cooling gel from Titania - European brand from Germany - was a real blessing for my tired feet or just for cooling them down on a steamy day. Discovered in 2012, this is a product that I  keep repurchasing it. If you do not like menthol this product may not be for you, because it is very strong.

• I have told you before - I am a big fan of the Degree deodorants (in Europe these are named ”Rexona”), I have been using them since I can remember. I know these are not the healthiest choice out there, but for me they are the only ones that did work well so far. A tube usually lasts me about a month and a half - two moths. I love the fact that it keeps my armpits dry and fresh, and I am always protected even when I am constantly working out, without any white marks on my clothing.

• That blue Nivea tin can does not require any more details. We all know it, we all love it! I grew up with this product, you will always find it in my purse when I need to hydrate my hands, lips or elbows on-the-go.  

• The I love ... lemon & limes body butter (European brand that you can find at Ulta) is deliciously amazing. I was always anxiously waiting to finish my bath to pamper myself with this product. Its rich, creamy, buttery texture hydrates deeply and leaves your skin soft for days, not to mention that those citrusy accords will charge and revitalize your senses right away. It is a well loved and repurchased product.

• The Balea shaving foam with Argan oil, Mom sent it to me a while back from Europe, she knew I did love this product. You can only find it in DM, an European drugstore and it's a very good and affordable product. It does have a discreet smell, it was very gentle on my sensitive skin, has no harsh chemicals and lasted me a good amount of time (4 months). What I did not like about this product was the fact that the cap released too much foam at every use and this happened pretty much with every tube I have bought.

• Am descoperit loțiunea de corp cu maracuja și pitanga de la EKOS natura brasil prin intermediul unei prietene. Îmi tot povestea cât de mult îi place acest brand și cât de minunate sunt produsele lor, și pentru că mă înnebunise cu aceste produse, m-a cadorosit și pe mine cu această loțiune. Fiind un produs complet nou pentru mine m-am documentat puțin și am aflat că acest brand lucrează îndeaproape cu comunitățile locale din Brazilia pentru a crea produse cu texturi și arome unice, totul bazându-se pe principiul dezvoltării durabile și al armoniei depline în co-existența om-natură. După ce am folosit acest produs, am înțeles și eu de ce e atât de lăudat: mirosul e absolut divin, parcă ești transportat într-o vacanță tropicală, să nu vă mai spun că persistă zile întregi, loțiunea pătrunde ușor în piele și hidratează tare bine.

• Gelul răcoritor pentru picioare de la Titania m-a ajutat mult să-mi revitalizez picioarele obosite. Acest produs l-m descoperit în anul 2012 când am avut ocazia să îl testez pentru prima dată, și, de atunci a rămas printre favorite. Aflați mai multe despre acest produs citind această postare.

• Cred că știți deja, eu sunt o mare fană a deodorantelor Rexona pe care le-am folosit de când mă știu. Cu atâtea arome la îndemână e și greu să te abții. Sunt conștientă că nu reprezintă cea mai sănătoasă metodă, dar, pentru mine aceste deodorante s-au dovedit a fi singurele care mi-au fost de real ajutor. Folosesc un deodorant cam într-o lună jumate-două luni. Ce îmi place la aceste produse este faptul că îmi asigură protecția și prospețimea de care am nevoie pe durata întregii zile în lupta împotriva transpirației, fără a lăsa urme albe; fac față chiar și unei sesiuni istovitoare de zumba.

• Cutiuța albastră Nivea nu cred că mai are nevoie de nicio prezentare. O știm și o iubim cu toții. Eu am crescut cu acest produs, așa că o astfel de cutiuță vei găsi mereu la mine în geantă, pentru a-mi hidrata, după nevoie, mâinile, buzele sau coatele.

• Untul de corp I love ... cu arome de lămâie și limes este de-a dreptul delicios. Mereu așteptam cu nerăbdare după fiecare baie momentul în care urma să-mi răsfăț simțurile cu acest produs. Consistența lui cremoasă hidratează în profunzime și lasă pielea fină, hidratată zile întregi, să nu mai spun de acele arome fructate care îți și încarcă și revitalizează simțurile de fată. Ce mai, un produs iubit pe care l-am tot cumpărat și cumpărat.

• Spuma de ras cu ulei de Argan Balea a ajuns la mine prin intermediul mamei care știe că este un produs pe care l-am folosit cu regularitate când eram acasă. Pe lângă faptul că este un produs ieftin (aproximativ 8 lei, o găsiți la DM), nu conține siliconi, parabeni, uleiuri minerale sau coloranți, are un miros discret și este foarte delicată cu pielea mea sensibilă. M-a ținut o bună bucată de timp (4 luni). Ce nu mi-a plăcut la acest produs a fost faptul că nu se putea doza optim cantitatea de produs folosită, la fiecare aplicare ieșea prea multă spumă din tub (am pățit-o cu aproape fiecare tub folosit).

Let's continue with the ”Hand care” consumed products.

Să descoperim acum și câteva produse consumate din categoria ”Îngrijirii mâinilor”.  

• As you can see from the picture above, Neutrogena really rocked my hand care routine. All three products did wonderfully for my dry hands, offering me a much needed long lasting hydration day-by-day. I really enjoyed the Neutrogena fast absorbing hand cream, its light texture and non greasy formula absorbed immediately into my skin, while the other two had a more concentrated formula, so you just need a tad of product, but you have to work it a little to get the cream into your skin.

• The mini Protect & Perfect hand cream with SPF 15 from No. 7 (European brand that you can find it at Target) proved to be a great moisturiser that my hands really loved it. I really liked the fact that it does have built-in SPF 15. I am looking now to buy it at its regular size.

• Așa cum veți putea observa din poza de mai sus, un brand care și-a spus cuvântul atunci când vine vorba despre rutina mea de îngrijire a mâinilor este Neutrogena. Toate cele trei creme m-au ajutat enorm, eu am mâinile foarte uscate, așa că mereu trebuie să fiu în gardă și să le hidratez corespunzător. Folosind aceste creme, mi-a fost oferită hidratare de lungă durată zi de zi. Preferata mea a fost varianta Neutrogena cremă de mâini cu absorbție rapidă, a cărei textură lejeră și formulă non-grasă s-au absorbit imediat în piele, lăsând-o catifelată și hidratată. Celelalte două variante au o formulă mai concentrată, așadar nu trebuie aplicată o cantitate mare de produs, formulă asupra căreia trebuie insistat a fi masată mai îndelung în piele.

• Mostra cremei de mâini Protect & Perfect cu SPF 15 de la No. 7 s-a dovedit a fi un produs excelent pe care mâinile mele l-au iubit. O bilă albă pentru factorul de protecție solară pe care îl conține. Acum intenționez să o cumpăr în varianta normală.

I will end up this post with my ”Hair care” used up products.

În încheiere, câteva produse pentru ”Îngrijirea părului” consumate.

• Here is another used up bottle of the the Anti Dandruff shampoo with Ichtyol from Gerovital Plant - Farmec, a Romanian product that I am so proud of, my ally in the battle against dandruff. I saw results from the first usage and it is now part of my hair care routine.

• The Elseve Arginine Resist X3 shampoo and hair treatment conditioner from L'Oréal Paris worked beautifully with my Anti Dandruff shampoo from Farmec. This particular hair care range is dedicated to fragile hair with a fall tendency. I haven't been using the Elseve shampoos, my favorites since highschool, for a while now, because I am using their saloon professional range - Kerastase - but I must say these products surprised me in a pleasant way. I have noticed a visible improvement in my hair texture - fewer split ends, my hair got more hydrated and softer, easy to detangle, but also a visible reduction of the fallen hair at my daily combing.

• Am mai terminat încă o sticluță a șamponului antimătreață cu ichtiol din gama Gerovital Plant de la Farmec - un produs pe care am ajuns să-l îndrăgesc și să-l folosesc regulat în lupta mea împotriva mătreții. Vă invit să citiți acest review, unde vă povestesc cum am ajuns să folosesc acest produs și vi-l prezint în detaliu.

• Șamponul fortifiant și tratamentul pentru păr din noua gamă Elseve de la L'Oréal Paris - Arginine Resist X3 - au făcut casă bună cu șamponul antimătreață de la Farmec. Această gamă este dedicată părului fragil cu tendință de cădere. Nu mai folosisem de ceva vreme șampoanele Elseve, am trecut la varianta lor profesională, Kerastase, de altfel preferatele mele încă din perioada liceului, aceste produse m-au surprins într-un mod cât se poate de plăcut. Am observat o îmbunătățire vizibilă a texturii părului - mai puține vârfuri despicate, păr mai hidratat și mai moale, ușor de descurcat, dar și o diminuare vizibilă a firelor de păr căzute la pieptănarea zilnică.

I really hope you sticked around until the end of this long post. I am curious to find out if you did  try any of these products too. How did they work for you?

Sper că ați rezistat eroic până la finalul acestei lungi postări. Sunt curioasă dacă și voi ați încercat aceste produse sau măcar o parte dintre ele. S-au dovedit a fi pe placul vostru sau nu?



Yours,                                                                                               A voastră,
Rally                                                                                                 Rally

Hello everybody!


Today, I am going to take you with me in a virtual perfumed journey that will fill up your soul with joy and  you will wish it never ends. I am happy to report that I am back on the blog and I am planning to write here constantly, as I was writing before all this beautiful crazy career/ professional adventure has started a while ago.

If you read my blog, then you most likely know that I was dreaming about the Bath and Body Works products for long time, as they do not have any stores in my country and it was so hard to get them. I was waiting and waiting, you know what they say: ”Good things come for those who wait”, and finally when I moved to the States, I was able to get my hands on these amazing products.

So, over the past two years, I have developped a strong and steady relationship with this brand and I have a few products that I absolutely love. I was thinking to show them to you today, hoping that we'll share the same love and interest or this will help you make up your mind next time when you are planning to purchase some goodies from them.

Here are my top 5 products from Bath and Body Works that I love and recommend!

Let me tell you that I cannot imagine my bath without some bubbles. Oh, yes! Love me some bubbles! Now, before you call me spoiled or frivolous, let me tell you that this is my way to escape from a stressful day and collect my thoughts, meditate. I don't splurge very often, sometimes twice a week due to my busy schedule, so the daily shower routine is on the schedule, besides I like to be environmentally conscious and save up some water. When I do sit down in my tub and put those bubbles to work, that is my worry free zone.

My two absolute favorite bubble baths from Bath and Body Works are Japanesse Crerry Blossom and Paris Amour. These products are just great! They do make your baths magical, not to mention that the bubbles and the fragrance last throughout the entire bath, without fading away.

The Japanese Cherry Blossom bubble bath was the first product that I knew I am gonna get. When I was thinking about Bath and Body Works this product always, but always came to my mind. Using it for my bubble bath splurges, I was transported in a far away land, an intriguing and modern one, rich in history and traditions. I am planning to visit Japan one day, but for now I can dream a little about it.

The Paris Amour bubble bath was my second choice. When I entered in the Bath and Body Works store for the first time it was such a magical experience, I was running from product to product to smell them, to check them out, just like a thirsty bee for pollen (or just a crazy person!), but I could not decide which products to choose (you know me - such an undecisive Libra) and smelling the products seemed not to help. I wanted them all! Oh, my dear Paris! When you add a magical drop of this product to your bath, it's like a cute French guy take you by the hand and walks you through those chic Paris streets. You can smell the romance in the air. Oh, la la! This scent is so playful!

The fragrance mist Twilight Woods smells AMAZING! Yes, I know at this point it's an understatement to say this, but it was love at first smell that quickly became my go-to fragrance. This scent is so ME! Somehow recalls me of Autumn - the month when I was born - it reminds me of an oriental scent mixed with sweet memories, not to mention that every time I am wearing it, I receive so many compliments. I have a very sensitive skin and not all the scents do last on me, but this one is there the entire day.

All these three products are part of the Bath and Body Works permanent collection, you may find that they are changing their packaging from time to time.

Let's discover some body lotions, shall we?

The Tokyo Lotus and Apple Blossom body lotion came as a natural decision for purchasing after falling in love with the Japanese Cherry Blossom bubble bath. You can tell I am atracted to these Oriental scents. This body lotion feels so good on my skin, it hydrates well and the scent persists even after 3-4 days on my PJ's. It does smell so majestic and feels very luxurious on my skin. It's  like I am completely transported in the feudal ”Shogun” era where I am witnessing the passing of the inner and outer wisdom beauty ritual.

The Morocco Orchid and Pink Amber is another body lotion that I love. I don't know if you know this about me, but I am absolutely fascinated with the Moroccan culture and I would really want to experiment it closely. When I saw this product, I did not even think twice, I had to have it. So, moving towards the African grounds, its fruity-floral smell (given by the mixture of  Marrakesh orchid, but also sweet in the same time - apricots, amber, vanilla and fig) takes me to a fabulous trip to Morocco, where I get to unveil the beauty of this place, just like those beautiful Moroccan vails, it intrigues you, it challenges you to guess and dream and them step by step you get to see the whole beauty that was hiding underneath.

Unfortunately, these two last scents are not part of their permanent collection, but if do you see them, I am absolutely recommending you to buy them.


My dear readers, I thank you for being my travel companions and really hope you enjoyed as much as I did this perfumed journey.


Do you love Bath and Body Works products as much as I do? Which ones are your favorites?


Yours,
Rally

Bună tuturor!


Bine v-am regăsit dragii mei cititori! Hristos a Înviat! Vă doresc tuturor Sărbători Luminate cu multă pace și liniște în suflete alături de cei dragi vouă. Profitând de faptul că Sărbătorile Pascale ne-au oferit o mini-vacanță, vreau să vă invit să sărbătoriți alături de Bioderma România aniversarea a 2 anișori de Sebium Global.

”Laboratorele Dermatologice Bioderma aniversează 2 ANI DE SUCCES GLOBAL, doi ani de când am lansat Sebium Global, singurul tratament dermato-cosmetic ce recreează biologic sebumul caracteristic pielii sănătoase grație complexului brevetat Bakuchiol + Fluidactiv®.” Pielea redevine fină, purificată și fără cicatrici post acnee.

Îmi aduc aminte, când, acum 2 ani, prin intermediul Bioderma România am avut ocazia să testez și eu acest produs și, de atunci a devenit parte din rutina zilnică de îngrijire a tenului despre care ați putut citi în această postare. De asemenea, postările cu produse consumate stau drept dovadă că Bioderma Sebium Global a fost un produs reachiziționat pe care îl recomand cu căldură.

Laboratorele Dermatologice Bioderma aniversează 2 ani de când Sebium Global a fost lansat pe piața din România și sunt tare bucuroasă că am fost părtașă la acest eveniment.

Ce trebuie să știți despre acest produs este că: ” Prin acțiunea sa globala, Sebium Global recreează biologic sebumul caracteristic pielii sănătoase, îndepărtează leziunile acneice și stratul de piele îngroșat care blochează porii, calmează inflamația și limitează proliferarea bacteriană. Pe lângă rolul său terapeutic, Sebium Global este un hidratant puternic, ce sporește complianța la tratament. Pielea redevine fină, purificată și fără cicatrici post acnee. Sebium Global poate fi folosit atât singur cât și complementar tratamentului medicamentos.”

Și cum un asemenea succes trebuie sărbătorit ca la carte, Bioderma organizează un concurs unde aveți șansa de a câștiga 1.000 euro pentru aniversarea visurilor voastre!  

Tot ce trebuie făcut este să achiziționați un produs aniversar Sebium Global cu teacă și să înscrieți codul unic de pe teacă în aplicația de pe pagina de Facebook Bioderma România. Astfel, veți afla pe loc dacă ați câștigat unul dintre cele 200 de kit-uri compuse din Sebium Global 40 ml și Sebium Gel Spumant 200 ml.

În plus, veți intra în tragerea la sorți pentru a câștiga unul dintre cele 2 premii mari în valoare de 1.000 euro fiecare. Sună bine, nu? Eu aș fugi repejor într-o vacanță cu bănuții aceștia. Regulamentul concursului este disponibil pe pagina de Facebook Bioderma România. Vă puteți înscrie la concurs până pe data de 14 aprilie inclusiv.

Vă doresc tuturor mult succes!

A voastră,

Rally

Hello everybody!


Long time no see my dear friends, but you were always in my thoughts. There comes a time in your life when you need to step back and set up your priorities, so I took the liberty to take a break from blogging and think things through. I wasn't completely away from the beauty world, because I was reading my favorite blogs, buying and testing new products and I constantly informed myself about beauty and lifestyle related news, as I was planning to come back on the blog. As you may know, on January 23rd my blog had its 3 years anniversary and I decided to ”dress” it up a little with new clothes - so you may have noticed my new banner, a completely new design and layout. I really hope you like it, as I was striving for a clean, professional look, but yet friendly and cute, easy to read. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your continuous support and patience! I AM BACK!!!

In today's post you will discover the Refresh VoxBox from Influenster - an exclusive online community where tastemakers and trendsetters come to share the latest and greatest news, places, products, and reviews with each other. This was the first box received in 2015 and it was full of goodies. As you can see in the pictures down below there was a pretty good selection of products, from cosmetics, to food/ snacks and oral hygiene.

Let's see together what I have received in my Refresh VoxBox!

• The Beanitos Chips - claim to be ”America's newest superfood”, full of fibers and proteins, free of preservatives, gluten-free and non-GMO. Let me say that the ”Nacho Cheese” flavor quickly became my favorite snack, it was so savory and crunchy and I devoured it in no time. Beanitos Chips cost $3.49/ bag.

• The Skinnygirl Tasty Nutrition Bar - is the perfect snack for your purse and afternoon cravings. I've got the Banana Oatmeal Dark Chocolate flavor and it was absolutely delicious. Can't think about a better combination than that! With 150 calories, 7g of proteins and 5g of fiber, it kept me going through the day. One bar is $1.49.

• The Orgain Certified Organic Nutritional Shake - this product has an interesting concept, it was formulated to provide ”nourishment on-the-go” for active people. I received a $3.99 coupon for a free shake and I set my eyes on the Creamy Chocolate Fudge flavoring, but unfortunately I could not find it anywhere and I tried at a few local Wal-Marts, Targets and Walgreens. If you see them, please let me know! An Orgain Nutritional Shake is usually between $3-$4 each.

• The COVERGIRL UltraSmooth Foundation - I was very excited to discover this new foundation among this VoxBox's goodies. I have received the shade 820 Creamy Natural and I had the chance to play a little bit with this product. To give you an idea - the foundation comes with an unique applicator which I am not a big fan of, it's blendable and has a good coverage without looking cakey. A more in depth review about the COVERGIRL UltraSmooth Foundation will appear soon on the blog. This new foundation costs between $12.99-$16.99.

• The L'Occitane Shea Butter Light Comforting Cream - I am so happy that L'Occitane came up with a light version of their well known and loved cream.This product is perfect for my sensitive combination skin - its light, non-greasy formula (which contains 5% shea butter) absorbs quickly into my skin, leaving it hydrated and comfortable all day long. If this face cream would have had a SPF at least 30 it would have been a dream come true for me. Depending on its weight the L'Occitane Shea Butter Light Comforting Cream costs $5 for 8ml or $28 for 50ml.

• The Montagne Jeunesse Face Masque - now I know this brand quite well and I can say that I love their masques. Every time when I feel the need of a small pampering session I put a Montagne Jeunesse masque on. I tried the Black Seaweed Peel Off masque, and If I may looked like a sea monster, my face sure does love it, because I felt my skin clean and hydrated. Only $1.49 for this product, a real bargain.

• The DenTek Comfort Clean Floss Picks (for adults) - I am a flossing freak, so those were just coming in handy. They are gentle, yet effective and I am very happy to have tried them. They cost $1.39.

• The DenTek Fun Flossers (for kids) - my inner child really enjoyed the wild fruit flavoring while using these little samples. Depending on how many you get in a pack they cost between $2.19 and $3.39.

• The Listerine Pocketpaks - have the perfect size to carry in your bag when you need to refresh your breath on-the-go. They cost $1.40.

These were the goodies from my Refresh VoxBox. I was very happy to have been selected to test them, I really enjoyed doing it. I hope you loved reading this post as well. If you wanna know more about any of these presented products, please let me know in the comments section down below.


Yours,
Rally


Disclaimer: I received all these products complimentary from Influenster for testing and review purposes, that did not affect my truthful and honest opinion.

Hello everybody!


It's Friday and I am sure you have planned something fun for this weekend. Myself, I have a few things planned, I am just hoping that the weather will be much nicer, right now in Miami is quite gloomy and rainy. 

As you all may know, on the beautiful 16th of October I've turned (yet again!) 21 years old (who cares about my real age, deep down I still feel like 21) and I was fortunate enough to receive some cosmetic goodies. I know you all love HAUL posts, personally these kind of posts are my favorites, so I was thinking to show you what I have received and I spoiled on.

By all means, I don't want to brag about these gifts, so if you don't like this type of articles, please do not read mine. 

Even though I was working that day, I had so many wonderful moments that I will keep deep in my heart and cherish for ever. My colleagues surprised me with sweet treats and sang me ”Happy Birthday”, my fiancé expected me with dinner and gifts and I received so many beautiful and kind messages from all over the world, friends and family that I am so fortunate to have in my life. During the weekend I received more gifts and I couldn't be hapier.  I am so grateful for everything that is happening in my life!

Let's get down to the goodies, shall we? 

I was so excited about this gift that my fiancé surprised me with - I absolutely love these sets from Sephora called ”Sephora Favorites”. I actually have last year's edition too of the ”Give Me More Lip” set and I am planning to review both sets for you soon on the blog. This set is the absolute perfect gift for any lipstick lover out there. On this occasion, I received the mini-treats set from Make Up For Ever and three samples.

The Revlon Lip Butter lipstick has quite a story. I have been wanting this shade ”Berry Smoothie” for a while, but somehow I couldn't find it. It happened that I was at my local Wal-Mart for a quick, last minute shopping trip a few days before my birthday and I saw the shade and wanted to buy it, but he scolded me that I already have so many lipsticks (and he is ABSOLUTELY right!), that I don't need it, so I felt guilty and didn't buy it. I didn't realize at that time that he was carefully planning something.

When he gave me the gift, I could not believe it - the Revlon Lip Butter was there. I was so happy, I was hopping like a kid (my absolute normal and natural reaction when I receive lipsticks). Be careful ladies, your partners are paying much more attention that we might think!

If you want to see what's inside on the Sephora's Give me More Lip set, here's a sneak peek:

My very good friend from New York, Mădălina, sent me a surprise package for my birthday full of European sweet goodies, among them my absolute favorite Milka chocolate which is so hard to find here in the US, makeup from Elf and Tarte and a gorgeous pair of earrings. The sweets are not to be seen in the picture down below, because all were quickly devoured. She quite spoiled me, I was not at all expecting so many things. Thank you so much my sweet friend!

Also in the picture down below you are going to see a purple satin pouch full with Tarte sample goodies. Funny story - I've met this pretty lady at work and she was wearing a gorgeous lipstick, so I had to ask her about it. She was so nice and she told me that the lipstick was from Tarte. We talked about cosmetics and beauty, I told her that I have a beauty blog, she told me that she's a Tarte representative and gave me these goodies to try. I was so happy, especially because I haven't tried so many Tarte products!

Last, but not least I spoiled myself with some good skin care, so this was a gift from me with love to me. 
I have been reading about these products for the past two years now, I have even tried some samples and I have decided that it is time to purchase them. 

I have just finished my toner and, even though I still use micellar lotion, I really wanted to try this new product from the Resist range - the Weightless Advanced Repairing Toner. From the Resist range I have also chosen the 2% BHA exfoliant - Daily Pore-Refining Treatment. 

My last skin care pick was a face cream, I wanted to try a new one that has SPF, something light, something suitable for my sensitive combination skin. This face cream has so many positive reviews that I have decided to buy it - it is the Hydralight Shine-Free Daily Mineral Complex (with SPF 30). 

They had an offer where I received a sample of the Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum for free and I also got to choose 5 free samples. Besides all these, I also received Paula's book ”20 Beauty Myths Busted!” that I can't wait to read and tell you about it.

If you are interested to try Paula's Choice products too, I have a $10 off coupon (click), good for your first order, as a new Paula's Choice customer.

 

Let me know if you enjoyed this haul and if you want to find out more about the products that I have just showed you!


Yours,
Rally

Hello everybody! Bună tuturor!


As we enter in a new month - my favorite Autumn month - October - it is time for me to show you another ”beauty empties” post. As you can see from the picture down below, I have used up quite a few beauty items, a mix between European and American products, that I can't wait to share them with you.


Începem luna Octombrie cu o nouă postare din seria ”produselor consumate”. După cum veți putea observa din poza de mai jos, s-au strâns suficiente produse care așteaptă să vă capteze atenția. Așa cum v-am obișnuit, vă voi prezenta un mix de produse europene și americane pe care le-am folosit până la ultima picătură.

Let's begin with the ”Face and lip care” section and see my used up cosmetics!

Să începem cu ”Îngrijirea feței și a buzelor” și să vedem produsele consumate!

• The Aqua Treatment Balancing Toner from Capra Nera - oh, how much did I love this product. Capra Nera is a European brand made in Switzerland. This product wowed me completely and I have used it until its last drop, one of the best toners I have used so far. It was perfect for my sensitive combination skin. Believe it or not this product lasted me a whole year and I was using it daily.

• The Sébium Global face cream from Bioderma - helped me to bring my sensitive combination skin to a certain ”normality”. I loved using this product, as you can see I have already finished two tubes. I have saved in my blog's drafts the review for this face cream, so stay tuned this month for the review. 

• Another product from Bioderma that I love is the Mattifying Sun Fluid Photoderm AKN Mat with SPF 30 - my every day go-to face cream which I have mentioned it in the ”5 SPF cosmetics to consider for fall and winter” article here on the blog and I am planning to review it for you guys soon.

• As you all know already, my guilty pleasure are the lip products, so, yes, I have a ton of lip balms too. One of my favorites is Nivea Hydro Care, this is such a smooth product, it feels so light on the lips and provides long lasting hydration. It is perfect as a lipstick base too. Be careful with the lip balms, you might get addicted! Here is an old article on my blog about lip balm addiction - read it - ”Are you addicted to lip balm?”.

 

• Loțiunea tonică din gama Aqua Treatment de la Capra Nera - a fost un produs iubit și folosit până la ultimul strop, un produs de care am fost foarte mulțumită, pot spune - cea mai bună loțiune tonică folosită până acum. Acest produs spornic mi-a reîmprospătat și revitalizat tenul sensibil și mixt. Poate nu o să vă vină să credeți ceea ce vă voi spune, dar acest produs, deși folosit zilnic m-a ținut 1 an de zile (da, ați citit bine!). Dacă sunteți curioși să aflați mai multe despre produsele Capra Nera din gama Aqua Treatment, vă invit să citiți acest review.  

• Crema de față Sébium Global de la Bioderma - m-a ajutat să-mi readuc tenul sensibil și mixt la normalitate. După cum vedeți am consumat deja 2 tuburi. Îmi propun de ceva vreme să vă vorbesc despre acest produs, am salvat pe blog review-ul care va apărea publicat în această lună. 

• Crema de față Photoderm AKN Mat cu SPF 30 de la Bioderma - este crema de care nu mă lipsesc nici măcar o zi. V-am mai povestit despre ea pe scurt în postarea intitulată ”5 SPF cosmetics to consider for fall and winter” și îmi propun să vi-o prezint mai în detaliu pe blog cât de curând.

• Știți deja că plăcerea mea vinovată se referă la produsele pentru buze. Pentru mine îngrijirea acestora e sfântă așa că nu-mi lipsește balsamul de buze. Unul dintre preferatele mele este Nivea Hydro Care - un balsam care se simte atât de fin, delicat și ușor pe buze, dar care oferă o hidratare de durată. Este perfect și ca bază pentru aplicarea rujului. Aveți grijă însă cu balsamurile de buze, se poate ajunge foarte ușor la adicție. Vă las link-ul unui articol mai vechi, citiți-l să vedeți dacă și voi sunteți dependente de balsamul de buze  - ”Are you addicted to lip balm?”.

Let's continue with the ”Hair care” section!

Continuăm cu produsele pentru ”Îngrijirea părului”consumate.

• In my search for a good shampoo that can bring my curls back (long live humidity!) and get me rid off frizz and dandruff (long live hard water!), I have bought a lot of products, I have 5 opened shampoos, but none of those helped me as I expected. I managed to finish this Moisture Renewal shampoo from Pantente, a product that offered me hydration, but did not wowed me.

• I have found my ally in the battle against dandruff in a Romanian product that I am so proud of - the Anti Dandruff shampoo with Ichtyol from Gerovital Plant - Farmec - I saw results from the first usage and it is now part of my hair care routine.

• În această perioadă am început să folosesc mai multe șampoane (am vreo 5 șampoane încercate, nu exagerez!) în căutarea celui care mă va scăpa de mătreață și a-mi oferi buclele de odinioară. Am reușit să termin acest șampon de la Pantene - Moisture Renewal - un șampon ok, mi-a oferit hidratare părului, dar nu m-a dat pe spate.

• Șamponul antimătreață cu ichtiol din gama Gerovital Plant de la Farmec - nu mai are nevoie de nicio prezentare. I-am făcut un review detaliat pe blog, pe care vă invit să-l citiți.

The last used up products are the ”Body and nail care” ones. Let's see what I've got!

Ultimele produse pe care vi le voi prezenta sunt cele din categoria ”Îngrijirii corpului și a unghiilor”.

• I was able to finish this humongous body lotion with Shea Butter from Jergens - and let me tell you that I was very impressed with it. I absolutely love this product - it deeply moisturizes and provides long lasting hydration, has a wonderful smell and, on top of this, it is also very affordable. On my next trip to my local Walmart this product will certainly be in my shopping cart.

• The green tea lemon shower gel from Sephora is one of my favorites and I had to stock up a little. I have thrown away a few used up bottles before I was ready to post this article. This is the last one, I am recommending this product to you too, its fresh scent will revive your senses every time you'll use it.

• When I want to relax myself after a long day at work, I always go to my Japanese Cherry Blossom bubble bath from Bath and Body Works - I have been lusting for this product for a while now and, as soon as I arrived in the US, I did buy it - it has exceeded all my expectations - this product smells divine, makes you thinking of the far away Japan, modern and futuristic, full of color and mystery, which I would love to visit one day.

• I haven't use in quite some time the Lady Speed Stick deodorants, I am a big fan of the Degree deodorants, but this particular one with wild freesia made a nice impression on me - it lasted me forever (3 months and a half used daily), did not leave white marks on my clothes, my armpits were always dry and protected against the sweat. 

• I have also used the mini version (50 ml, 1.69 fl.oz.) of the Berganot Body Butter from Boots (UK brand, you can find these products at Target, Boots/ No.7). I used this product for my hands and heels, I did love it, smells so good, goes easily into your skin and offers a long lasting hydration.

• My last used up product is a product dedicated for nail care - the 4 in 1 complete care from Flormar (a Turkish cosmetic brand). This product is a smoothning base coat, powerful strengthener, growth treatment and shiny top coat, which helped my nails a lot. I do love it, besides that, it is very affordable (aproximately $3, unfortunately you can't find these products in the US).

 

• Am reușit să termin uriașa loțiune de corp cu Unt de Shea de la Jergens - un produs de care am rămas plăcut impresionată și am fost foarte mulțumită - hidratează în profunzime, oferă o hidratare de durată, are un miros minunat și, în plus este foarte accesibilă ca preț. Cu siguranță, acest produs se va mai regăsi în coșul meu de cumpărături.

• Gelul de duș cu ceai verde și lămâie de la Sephora este preferatul meu de ceva vreme, așa că am avut un mic stoc de geluri de duș. Să tot fi aruncat câteva ambalaje până am ajuns să scriu această postare. Cert este că acesta e ultimul, vi-l recomand și vouă, e fresh și vă va revigora simțurile pe dată cu fiecare utilizare.

• Momentul meu de răsfăț după o zi grea de muncă nu se poate concepe fără un spumant de baie cu arome jucăușe, iar acest produs cu floare de cireș japoneză de la Bath and Body Works s-a aflat pe lista mea de ceva vreme. Așteptarea a meritat, căci mi-a depășit expectanțele - miroase divin te poartă cu gândul la îndepărtata Japonie, modernă și futuristă, plină de culoare și mister, pe care mi-ar plăcea să o vizitez într-o bună zi.

• Deodorantul stick Lady Speed Stick cu frezie sălbatică a fost o surpriză plăcută pentru mine. Nu mai folosisem acest brand de foarte multă vreme, eu sunt fan Rexona și am vrut să-l încerc. Pe lângă faptul că m-a ținut o veșnicie (3 luni jumătate cu utilizare zilnică!), nu a lăsat urme albe și am avut mereu subrațul uscat și protejat împotriva transpirației.

• Varianta mini (50 ml) a untului de corp cu extract de bergamotă de la Boots am folosit-o pentru îngrijirea mâinilor și a călcâielor. Miroase extraordinar, pătrunde ușor în piele și oferă o hidratare de durată.

• Ultimul produs este unul pentru îngrijirea unghiilor - tratamentul 4 în 1 de la Flormar (acționează ca și bază, întăritor pentru unghii, tratament pentru creșterea unghiilor și top coat) - un produs care mi-a plăcut și mi-a ajutat mult unghiile, costă doar 10 lei și atât vă spun, merită încercat.

These were my used up beauty products. I would love to know if you have used one of these products or what would you be curious to try from what I have presented here.

Acestea au fost produsele consumate de mine. Mi-ar plăcea să știu dacă și voi ați folosit vreunul dintre aceste produse sau care dintre ele v-ar tenta să le încercați.


Yours,                                                                                                       A voastră,
Rally                                                                                                         Rally