Nuxe huile prodigieuse and Nuxe reve de miel lip balm

Of these two French products, I am in love with the lip balm and so-so on the dry oil. Both of these products are sold on the U.S. And in Target, no less. But they are expensive either way, in Europe or the U.S. In America, buy it online from the U.S. website. It is cheaper than Target even with shipping. 

The lip balm, full name is baume levres ultra-nourissant or in English, ultra-nourishing lip balm, is from the brand Nuxe from the reve de miel line, which means honey dreams. It is amazing. I love this lip balm. It is super moisturizing for my lips, which are always chapped. It is magic. Seriously. It was expensive at 9€ but I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I am tempted to buy more at target when I run out, even at $19 a pop. It's that good. If I run out before I can get back to Europe to buy more, I will likely buy at target.

Before and after of my lips

The balm smoothed everything out in a very lovely way without being super shiny or sticky. It is just comfortable and soothing. It gets a 10/10.  

I like the oil. I do. I just don't like it for my face or hair. I look like a greaseball with it on either. I tested it on my hair. You're welcome. Because I want to cry just thinking about this shower tonight. 

So I took a shower and sprayed down my body and hair (my face is sacred and I have learned my lesson about oil on my face. Not for me!). Then I went to bed. Legs and arms are smooth and soft. But look like legs and arms so no point in showing pics. But my hair. My hair is a ball of butter. 

I used the huile prodigieuse OR which has gold shimmer. The sparkles are pretty. The grease look, not so pretty. 

So overall 2/10 for the hair/face and 8/10 for the body. 

I did use my Klorane dry shampoo to see if it would soak up the excess. 

Much better!! But I don't want to have to use dry shampoo everytime I use oil in my hair, so I'm just not going to use oil in my hair! The Klorane gets a 6/10 because it does cost a lot for not a ton of product and since I have a lot of hair I have to use a bunch. I'll make it 7/10 because it has different colors for different hair colors. I have used Batiste in the past and hated it because I turned gray or white haired. This one just sucks up the oil and leaves my natural color, although a little stiff to run my fingers through. 

 

Post trip

Lisbon and Paris were amazing. I fell in love with Paris. I want to go back and never return. 

Lisbon was wonderful but didn't strike my heart the way Paris did. 

If you head to Lisbon, take a day trip to Sintra, an old Moorish town. Super cool. 

We took a tuktuk tour with this gentleman. He drove us up the mountain and just passed cars when he felt like it (no waiting in traffic for us!). It was a blast! We went into this old church from the 1400s. So cool. There was this old Madonna doll that just stared at you wherever you were in the room. There was also a beautiful scenic outlook and a second one, overlooking Sintra and Lisbon and the water. it was lovely. 

Most of my photos were on my instant print camera unfortunately for you. I just have a few. 

Paris was magical. I fell in love swiftly and easily with the city of light. It was romantic and perfect for me. 

I was greeted to the city (I flew into Beauvais) with the Arc de Triomphe. It's so huge! I then walked to the Place de la Bastille for lunch which was near my hotel in the 3rd arrondissement. 

After checking in, and taking a quick nap (so exhausted!!), I went to see la Tour Eiffel and Shakespeare and Company. 

The Eiffel Tower really is majestic. I was impressed by the splendor and how enormous it really is!

I also ate the hugest fraise (strawberry) macaron I have ever eaten. It was the size of my palm. 

Shakespeare and Co is an old bookstore that I have heard about for years and have been dying to go. It was amazing. It wasn't the only bookstore I went to but it was great nonetheless. 

These are some of the gargoyles on the Notre Dame. The Notre Dame was very interesting. I would like to tour it eventually. I had a short list of everything I  had to do while I was in Paris. I definitely got my list done. Next on my list was to see the Catacombs. 

The catacombs are where 6 million Frenchmen are buried in tunnels under Paris. They arranged the bones in patterns and have been open to the public since the 1800s with a few closures here and there. It was really cool. 

The last thing on my list was to go to la Conciergie. That's the prison where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned. It is a beautiful, grand building with arches pictured above. They show demonstrations of the types of cells and damn, it would be cold in the middle of winter. I can't imagine. 

 

This is Place de Saint Michel. I love the dragons. 

My souvenirs from Paris were pharmacie finds. And lots of them. I was a woman on a mission once I discovered pharmacies. I went into almost every one that I passed. I found tons and tons of products. Most of which are not sold in the good ol USA. European skincare has more stringent standards than the U.S.  So their products are better. I plan to review them soon!!

Back to Lisboa!!

This is from a neighborhood in the Alfama. I adored the Alfama. It was so homey and charming. 

Another cobbled street in the Alfama. You can see the laundry lines outside the windows.  

Saturday was my last full day in Lisboa and I just wanted around and found things I wanted to see and saw them. It was lovely. 

And just so you know, the pharmacie is Europe wide. So when you see a green cross, go in!! (It's farmacia in Portugal but still has the green cross!) At the Lisboan airport (Portela), there is a farmacia where I spent most of my remaining euro on beauty supplies! Look for a review coming soon!

First trip abroad since Nov 2012

I am both extremely nervous and extremely excited.
This is my first trip since coming home. I mean, I went to Nola and Boston and PA but Boston and PA are home and Nola was with Doug, who was a comfort zone at the time.
I am nervous because I haven't traveled. I haven't avoided it, I just haven't done it. It was too anxiety-inducing at first and now I am more ready. But still a little anxious.
I read guidebooks (which I have never done before) because I felt like getting the lay of the land would be good for me. It has been so far!

Portugal and Paris

My best friend and I are taking a bestie-trip NEXT MONTH (HWHAT?) to Portugal! I will take a little solo jaunt to Paris while she is presenting at an academic conference.
I can't believe it is so soon! I can't believe it is so long from now!
I am super stoked.
Any recommendations on food/places/things to eat/see/do?
We are definitely going to Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal. Not sure where else.

Minimalism challenge

I found this Minimalism Challenge from Cupcakes and Cashmere which is one of my favorite blogs. I am definitely going to try this out. :)

#FrostyVoxBox #Rimmel Review

I am obsessed.
I can't say I love this eyeliner because I am obsessed. It is so smooth and easy and pretty! My eyes pop with the blackest black this eyeliner is. I love my eyes. They are my favorite feature (some of the time. I pretty much just like myself). I stand out with my baby blue-green-goldies and this eyeliner makes my eyes the star of my face. But it ALSO flatters my skin. I have really clear, blemish-free skin (due to drinking a gallon of water a day - plus herbal teas). So this eyeliner doesn't tug or rough up my skin which is a great benefit! I am crazy about it!


Here is my tutorial: Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Tutorial - I totally took this video while driving - so that can attest to how easy to use it is! (although, don't drive and do make-up - not safe - I did this at a stoplight, I swear)

LINKS
Rimmel London US website
Rimmel Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover on Influenster
Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliner on Influenster
Rimmel London US on Facebook
Rimmel London US on Twitter

#FrostyVoxBox #CelestialTea Review

I have always been a fan of #CelestialTea !! I drink tea regularly, and I love herbal teas. This one is no exception. It is just the right amount of flavor. I don't add sugar or cream or milk.
It is easy to make. Boil a cup or two of water, dunk the tea bag and enjoy! Preferably on your favorite chair while reading a good book. But it is still good while studying and reading textbooks.

LINKS
Celestial Seasonings website
Celestial Seasonings on Influenster
Celestial Seasonings on Twitter
Celestial Seasonings on Facebook