DeeWanderlust: Brugge, Belgium

Posted in Denisse Samantha, Travel: DeeWanderlust by denissesamantha

Finally, here is the other half of my Belgium travel diary. Brugge was stunning and I thought that it definitely deserved to have its own separate post. This is the link of the first half if you haven’t seen it yet – DeeWanderlust: Brussels, Belgium

Honestly, Brugge wasn’t part of my initial itinerary when going to Belgium but since we were staying longer than planned and with peoples’ suggestions we took a day trip to Brugge. I’m so happy that we did as the city was absolutely stunning.

We took the train from Gare du Midi station and bought our tickets there on the day. Ghent was part of the ticket, but we decided to skip it and focus on exploring Brugge.

Brugge is a beautiful city and I am glad that I got to explore this fairytale medieval town.

Below is Bruges’ Town Hall ‘Stadhuis’, which is one of the oldest building in Belgium. The amazing Gothic architecture was constructed between 1376 and 1420. It’s insane to think that it is from here that the city has been governed for more than 600 years!

Lunch with a view – as you can see I enjoyed having beer, mussels and fries (and of course I also had waffles for dessert!)

I seriously loved the vibe in this place. The cobbled streets, horse carriages and medieval canals reminded me of a place that we visited in the Philippines called Vigan.

Don’t you just love these colourful buildings in Markt Square? So pretty!

Finally, I had to have my moment of overlooking the canal. Touring around can get too much sometimes, most especially when it’s summer time. This is why ever time I go on a trip I make sure that I stop for a moment and take the time to enjoy the scenery. Brugge was so tranquil and peaceful and this was definitely a good trip for me.

Let me know on the comments down below if you have been to Brugge or Belgium in general and what you loved about the city the most?

As for me I really enjoyed my trip because the places were full of life. It was buzzing with people, music and of course delicious food! I also admire the architecture and historical buildings that Belgium had to offer.

Where is your next holiday destination?

Love from,

28Dec2017

NYX Haul + First impression

Posted in Beauty, Reviews by denissesamantha

I have always been intrigued with NYX products even from before. Few years back, NYX was not readily available here in the UK as how it is now. It was so difficult to get hold of the brand as I am usually left with no option but to pay a ridiculous amount for shipping fee coming from the US. However, now is a different story as it is available in Boots, their own NYX store and online excluding the high amount of shipping fee.

Here is a little NYX cosmetics haul, I have picked up:

NYX tame and frame tinted brow pomade

NYX sculpt and highlight face duo

NYX color correcting powder in banana

NYX eyebrow pencils in dark brown and medium brown

NYX soft matte lip cream in Copenhagen

NYX born to glow liquid illuminator

NYX jumbo eye pencil in milk

NYX lingerie lipstick in teddy and ruffle trim

NYX lingerie in teddy and ruffle trim- I have been so obsessed with liquid lipstick lately. I’m sure you girls can relate. There are so many good ones out in the market and I just want them all! I’m so happy with these two shades that I picked up. I feel like they are the ones that I wanted as I was going for a warm rich brown and a nude shade that won’t wash me out. However, I must admit I did struggle to decide which ones to purchase as I feel like there are a lot of shades that are very similar. At some point when I swatched them, I couldn’t tell the difference between the three shades from far away (baby doll, lace detail and satin ribbon).

These are the swatches for the two shades I picked up, as you can see they are both gorgeous!

Color correcting powder- I love this one! I have used other banana powders like Ben Nye previously, which is much more expensive than this NYX one. Surprisingly, I feel like it works the same for me. I usually apply this to set my concealer and it does brighten up the eye area. Some people also use this to set their foundation.

Sculpt and highlight- I am liking this so far as it does a good job in contouring my face. I literally put the tiniest amount and it works perfectly well for me. I like the creamy texture of it and how easy it is to blend. The problem with the one I picked up is the highlighter does not match my skin tone. It is super light on my skin and I struggle to make it work. I am yet to find a way as to how I can use the lighter shade.

Liquid illuminator- I am not sure if I like this one just yet. The one I picked up has a pink tone to it. It is nice as it gives a luminous glow but the thing I’m unsure about is the shade. I usually tend to layer it with a powder highlighter just to tone down the pinkness. I have read reviews and people have mentioned that they love it and use it on its own. So perhaps it is just either my skin tone or personal preference on how I want my highlight to look like.

Eyebrow pencils- I love these and yes both shades! They are both repurchases as I have been using them for few years already. I feel like I am in between shades of the dark and medium brown but it is perfect when I combine them together. I love how it gives me a natural-looking brow.

Jumbo eye pencil- This eye pencil especially in shade milk has been raved about few years back within the beauty community. I have never tried it until now. It does a good job on making eyeshadows more vibrant and it can also be used for a little bit of highlighting in the inner corner of the eyes. However, I sometimes find that the product is not very blendable. It can pull and tug on the eyelid.

Soft matte lip cream- I believe the lipsticks from this collection were my first matte lip creams. I feel like this range started the hype for matte lipsticks. The shade I picked up recently is Copenhagen and I love it. It gives a perfect vampy vibe to any make up look.

Tinted brow pomade- This is my favourite one out of all my purchases. I have used it so much since I bought it. It is so easy to use and it glides onto the skin and eyebrow hairs. I usually combine this with the NYX eyebrow pencil.

I hope you enjoyed reading my first impression on the listed items above.

Comment below on what your favourite NYX products are. 🙂

Lots of love from,

4May2017

April favourites

Posted in Beauty, Reviews by denissesamantha

Recently I have been staying away from my usual skincare. For the past few months I have been trying so many different products that my skin got so dry and sensitive at some point. Therefore, I decided to give my skin a break and go back to my old skincare routine. I have been using the Simple range for so many years, not only that the products are affordable but they work amazing too!

My faves out of the range are their micellar cleansing water and their light hydrating moisturiser. I have tried their night moisturiser and I must say that I did not enjoy using it. It felt very sticky and heavy on the skin but the light day to day moisturiser works perfect for me.

ELF daily brush cleaner– Honestly, I get so lazy when it comes to washing my make up brushes. This brush cleaner makes it easier for me to clean in between make up applications. It disinfects the brushes and makes it clean and fresh before use. However, I only use this for quick cleaning and I still do my usual routine for thorough cleaning.

ELF eyeshadow duo– I love these pretty sparkly shadows and I have been using it quite a lot recently. However, I must say that the staying power is not good by itself. Therefore, when I use this I always make sure that I apply an eyeshadow primer.

ELF HD powder– I have a few different brands of powder in my collection and one of my most affordable and my favourite one is the NYX banana powder. I have been alternating my NYX and this ELF powder. So far so good but I don’t think its amazing as I am unsure about the ‘soft focus’ effect. I usually use this to set my foundation.

Aesop remove– Honestly, I still have to give this product a go as I haven’t been using it long enough for me to be able to give my full comment. Initially, I didn’t like the product due to the thickness of the oil and the residue it leaves on the skin after use. I am aware that the oil is probably good for the skin but it is just a personal preference as I got used to micellar waters when it comes to taking off my make up. I decided to add it on my April fave as I have recently been liking it because of its ability to take off most of my stubborn mascara residues. I sometimes struggle to take off my Maybelline Hypercurl Mascara but when I use this it comes off straight away.

Philip B Katira Hair Masque– Love this stuff, it really does make my hair shiny and bouncy when I use it. All you have to do is rub a small amount of this hair masque into a towel-dried hair and comb through. I use it differently, sometimes I tend to leave it overnight but usually I only leave it for about 20-30 minutes.

Eyelashes– Love these lashes when I’m having a break with my all time fave Ardell demi wispies. However, this one looks glam unlike the demi wispies which are perfect for everyday use.

Tempura seaweed snack– I know this is not a beauty related item but I have been obsessed with this snack recently. I just had to add it on my my April faves!

What are the things that you are currently loving?

Lots of love from,

23Jan2017

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve Review

Posted in Beauty, Reviews by denissesamantha

Lip creams and lip stains are such a big thing in the beauty world right now. There are so many options from both high end and drugstores brands. I have been wanting to try the Sephora Cream Lip Stains as they are recommended by so many beauty bloggers. However, Sephora products are very hard to get hold of as we don’t have a store here in London. There are available websites online but the shipping fees are crazy. I picked mine up when I went on holiday and made sure I bought a few to last me for a long time.

Pros

It is very pigmented; mauve pink shade with dark undertones.

It goes on creamy and dries into a beautiful matte finish.

It is a lightweight stain and does not feel sticky at all.

It is long-lasting on the lips and does not usually require a touch up.

The collection has 15 shades in total including both matte and satin finishes.

Cons

It is not very accessible here in the UK. It is possible to order on the Sephora website but be aware of the shipping fees. There are beauty blogger that keeps comparing this product to Stila Liquid Lipstick in shadePatina as they said that it is the perfect dupe for it. However, I could not say for myself as I do not own the Stila liquid lipstick.

Tips

Make sure to exfoliate your lips especially if it is dry and peeling. Apply balm to give moisture to the lips before applying the product.

I usually scrape off the excess from the applicator on the side of the tube to make sure that I don’t pick up too much of the product.

I personally don’t use a lip liner with this product and I start in the centre of my lips and smooth it outwards towards the corners of my lips.

Stay away from oily foods to make it more long-lasting.

Verdict

I give Sephora Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve the rating of 4/5. I love the finish and how pigmented it is. It is the perfect mauve shade for me as I prefer this shade rather than wearing nudes that washes me out. I usually exfoliate my lips as part of my regime, therefore I have not experienced any flaking or any dryness with this product. Avocado oil was one of its ingredients and this is to provide comfort and nutrition for the lips. On the other hand, I will just keep wishing that someday we will have the Sephora Collections readily available here in the UK. Overall, I am very happy with it and will continue to buy the other shades from the collection (perhaps another holiday soon that has Sephora stores).