smell – Le Beauty Journal

On Buying Yourself Flowers And Feeling Pretty Good About It

Since I’ve decided to sort of re-start the whole blogging thing, meaning to reconsider why and how I was actually blogging, I’ve realized it’s :

1. Way more difficult to give more depth to the articles

2. Way more inspiring

3. What I’ve always wanted to do a.k.a write and share things that inspire me!

You know what I’ve always wanted to do as well? Buy myself some flowers. Now, you may think “it’s super easy to do, not a big deal, what is she on about hey?”

I’ve been buying myself flowers for years. There’s a lovely, very french, market every weekend approximately 5 minutes away from where I live but I suck at buying groceries. Every time I go to this market, I come home with burgers and flowers. I never know which fruits or cheese to get – well that’s a lie… I always know which cheeseS I wanna get -, some vegetables are still a bit of a mystery to me and let’s not talk about meat or fish. Basically going to the market to actually get stuff to cook with stresses me out.

So every time I’d go… “no, not a gift, they’re for me”. At first I was annoyed. But slowly I started to feel empowered by this question.

Yet, I find myself going back to this market, especially during spring/summer because I love the atmosphere : loud, chilled, smells lovely, people take the time to talk to each other… Oh and there’s a florist who sell gorgeous bouquets. I vividly remember the first time I got myself some flowers. I had no idea what the name of the flowers were and felt quite self-conscious about it, especially because in front of me in the queue, people seemed like bloody experts! When it was eventually my turn, I simply showed the ones I wanted to the florist. And then he said the sentence I was going to hear every time I’d ever buy flowers on my own. “Is it a gift?”

“Non. No you don’t need to wrap them all up. They’ll be fine on their own and they’ll come home to a very nice household even if they’re not a gift per say thank you very much.”

So every time I’d go… “no, not a gift, they’re for me”. At first I was annoyed. But slowly I started to feel empowered by this question. Buying flowers wasn’t a statement. I love flowers, and as soon as I moved out of my student flat into a more grown-up flat I thought it’d be nice to have flowers from time to time to lift up my mood and add a bit of color to my living-room. Yet it seemed like buying them for myself really was a statement. You know how for some people it’s not easy to go to the cinema alone? Well for me, it was the whole buying flowers thing. It gets easier though. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older and maybe wiser, if it partly has to do with all the women I follow on Social Media who also buy themselves flowers and “treat themselves”… If it’s because we’re in an era of self-care and self-love, though to be fair I don’t think about it as taking care of myself, but it definitely is a comforting action!

It’s been a few years since my first visit to the market’s florist. Now, he doesn’t ask me anymore. And he gives me advices on how to take care of my bouquets. Also to be fair, it’s logical for him to ask if it is a present or not, because it could be. Next time someones asks me I might say, “Yes, it’s a gift. To myself. Wrap them all up like crazy please.”

Magic cream : Weleda skin food

I’ve known about this product for so long but never really thought it would be my jam. Girl, was I wrong ! I have just finished my first tube, and immediately bought a new one therefore I thought I’d write an article for you on this subject, because it’s so, so good ! Also, I’d like to point out that my sensitive skin has not reacted at all to this product, I mean, it has, but in the best way ! No allergic reactions, nothing but plumped, glowing skin !

WHAT’S THIS STUFF ?

It is a multi-purpose rich cream for face, body, hands etc. Weleda is a natural and organic brand created in 1921 that I really trust. I use their shower creams because it is sulfate-free and smells like actual lavender which I love.

Weleda Skin Food has been around for ages, and I’ve actually been seeing a lot of people talking about it on Instagram pretty recently, specifically Makeup Artist extraordinaire Katie Jane Hughes, whom I adore. I decided to go for it, and get myself some. Verdict ? I now need this in my life forever. Just so you know, I have combination skin, dehydrated and I suspect I have dermatitis seborrheic.

HOW I USE IT

It’s thick, and you don’t need much. Warm it up between your hands before application and enjoy the texture and the lovely smell which I could not really describe, I’d say it’s quite fresh, with a hint of lemon/pine/tree ? Honestly, great smell !

Quick treatment

First, I thought it could be nice to try it around my nose, where the dermatitis seborrheic just won’t go away. And it definitely helped ! I think I should be more consistent and apply it regularly, because it’s still there, but it’s definitely not as bad as it was : after applying Skin Food, my skin felt smoother and less irritated. Actually telling you about it, reminded me how good it was when the dermatitis was just at its worst, so I’m going to make it my mission to use it faithfully, starting tonight !

Overnight magic

Then I decided to simply use it as a night cream for a couple of nights. That was a great decision let me tell you. The next day, my skin was souple, softer, nourished yet not clogged. I would not use it as a night cream every night, since I don’t have dry skin, it would be too much. From time to time though, works great !

All over glow

I also, sometimes, only put it on my cheeks at night. I do my skincare routine, and at the end, just massage a tiny amount of Skin Food where my skin could use it. So… basically everywhere except the T-Zone area. I also apply it on the high points of the cheeks if I want to add some glow to my tired face, before I do my makeup. That way I feel like, I look better, and my skin’s enjoying a little extra boost in the morning.

If my skin were to freak out again, I’d, without question, choose Skin Food because of how gentle, effective and reliable it is.

To sum up : gorgeous formula, low price (around 8-9 euros), cool brand… If you haven’t yet, you should definitely give it a try ! Hero product for sure.

Double Cleansing : The Balmy Discovery

As I told you before, I used to clean my face with a Dove soap many moons ago. Then I discovered beauty blogs (Caroline Hirons more specifically who’s a trained professional, and whom opinion I trust immensely) and realized it’d be nice to actually cleanse my face with a product designed for that purpose. Later on, I read online that some people would recommend to double cleanse and I was a bit sceptical. Though now, when I think about it, it sure makes so much sense to double cleanse ! You remove makeup, and then you clean your face. Quite logical right ?

At first I thought it might be a bit too much for my skin, and in France nobody I knew or read was talking about double cleansing at the time (around 4-5 years ago). Being quite low key I just was not sure it would be necessary for my skin. Yet it completely changed the texture and the quality of my skin. Et voilà, I would not ever not double cleanse (is that a correct sentence ? Pardon my English) !

2 steps is all it takes and the first one is a new discovery

Years went by, I tried my fair amount of cleansers, and today I thought I’d share my latest discovery with you. I have just found the perfect first step cleansing balm : if like me, you have sensitive, combination and dehydrated skin, this could be perfect !

The cleansing balm is by the french company, Oh My Cream. I’d say it’s the equivalent of Space NK but in France. They have a very cool website, with great brands like RMS, Joelle Ciocco, Kjaeir Weiss, Oskia, Susanne Kaufmann,, Tata Harper, Paï, Antipodes, etc. They started in 2013 online, and have now opened a few stores all over the country. The most exciting part is that they have recently launched their own range, with gorgeous packaging, affordable prices, lovely ingredients and a very simple yet effective routine. They have released four cleansers, two oils and an exfoliating powder amongst with travel sized minis of the range. They do recommend double cleanse, which I find very interesting, because it means it’s probably something more and more people do which makes me really happy !

I got the balm, because I love how it does not go everywhere, and it travels really well. It partly contains coconut and jojoba oils, oat and salicylic acid and OMC recommends it for sensitive, prone to imperfections skins. It smells a lot like sweet oats (I’m not the best at describing smells, am I ?), which at first I did not like at all but it’s fair to say I really enjoy it now, so I guess I just needed to get used to it. It’s not too strong either, so it helped.

Its thick, gorgeous consistency removes all makeup, and leaves the skin soft and clean. I think it is going to last me a long time, you truly don’t need to use a lot which I appreciate and it’s so efficient and gentle, I simply don’t see myself use something else at the moment.

Next time, I’ll tell you all about my favorite cleanser used in the second step of this double cleansing routine. Basically, I always try to find a routine that involves an oily based product for the first step, and a milk or cream cleanser for the second step, so stay tuned for the next review !

You can get the Oh My Cream Cleansing Balm here by the way, it costs 29 euros for 150ml.

What do you guys use to cleanse your face ? Do you double cleanse ?

Klorane does the best…

There are so many dry shampoos on the market nowadays, I thought I’d let you know what my favorite is. Because I have tried the ones making your hair smell like a margarita, the ones making your hair like cardboard, the ones doing absolutely nothing, so I would love to simplify your life and make it easier for you to get a dry shampoo that simply does the job.

I touch my hair all the time. ~~I also use my straighteners to revamp my curl every other day~~. Update : I’ve actually stopped using styling tools a few weeks ago. I will write a dedicated blog post about my journey with curly hair ! Back to the article…

What I’m trying to say is : it gets dirty after two-ish days. And I hate to wash my hair, which is not the perfect combination.

It does make your hair white, and a bit chalky if you put too much which I’m often guilty of, it’s not actual magic.

I’ve tried many dry shampoos like I said, but I do love my french pharmacy products and I have to say, the Klorane classic dry shampoo is the best one I’ve tried. Not the one for brunettes, or the one for greasy hair with nettle, no no. The classic oat milk version.

It does make your hair white, and a bit chalky if you put too much which I’m often guilty of, it’s not actual magic.

But spray it in your hair, give it two minutes to absorb the excess “oil” ~~sorry, hate this word too~~. Then brush or just run your fingers through your hair if like me you have curly-ish hair and voilà ! It adds volume, makes the hair lighter and fresher, and allows me to add a day without washing my hair. Also sometimes when my hair is too clean and soft, I add a touch at the roots just to give it a bit more texture.

The smell is light, and it does not linger. It costs around 8 €.

Parfait !

Le perfume

I never really wore perfume until two years ago. I would not find anything I’d absolutely love. Everytime a friend or a blogger would talk about his/her favorite perfume, I would try it, and be systematically disappointed.

I remember once reading in the french Elle about a Paul Smith perfume. The article was so well written I thought, “that’s it, this is my perfume, this description is SO me”. The next day, I headed to Sephora. Needless to say, I did not like it. I really tried to find what the journalist described in the smell, but it just was not working for me. The funny thing is, I was so certain I would love it, I kept coming back to Sephora, to try it, give it time to develop, give myself time to love it, again and again and…

At first when I got the bottle, I’d spray it and it would smell a bit like cold rocks, you know like when you go visit a church in the winter.

It felt like this perfume was a secret I was not a part of. This somewhat anecdotic experience stopped my research for Le perfume. Then I discovered, can’t remember how which is silly, Ambre Fétiche by Annick Goutal, an emblematic perfumery french house.

And, head over heels, fell in love. I got a little sample, and finally got the full size bottle for christmas a couple of years ago. Basically from october until april, I use it almost every single day. At first when I got the bottle, I’d spray it and it would smell a bit like cold rocks, you know like when you go visit a church in the winter. Then, with time, when the bottle is not brand new so I’d say a few days into it, it develops quickly into a warm amber enveloped in vanilla and smoke.

The Annick Goutal description is way better than mine if you want to check it out. It wraps itself around you in the best possible comforting way. I get compliments all the time which is nice, but what I absolutely adore is to re-wear a jumper on which I’d already sprayed perfume on : the smell is softer and becomes part of the fabric.

I kind of wanted to find a new perfume this winter, because I’ve used two bottles of this one, but to be honest, when the owner of the shop I get it from told me that the “jus” (juice) of this perfume was fabulous, I felt so glad and, well, flattered…

I just got a new one again, because after all, it is my perfume.