Product review: Nivea Nourishing Body Lotion

Today I bring you this review of the Nivea Nourishing Body Lotion, which was actually an "accidental" buy for me. I was on a road trip to Fez for my friend's wedding, and I had forgotten my body lotion. For somebody with dry skin, that is a huge no-no. So I stopped at a gas station, went inside the tiny shop, and started looking for a Nivea lotion, because that's what they carry. I bought this in a tiny version, thinking it'll probably be very average and it's no use spending the money on the full size. But I was pleasantly surprised and I might go back to the supermarket for the full size when I run out!

Summary: 

You'll love this if: 

• You have dry to very dry skin

• you like your skin to have a slight glow in the light

• you have a soft spot for nostalgic smells.

Skip this if: 

• You have oily skin, 
• You don't like the "Nivea smell" 

Keep reading for before and after pictures, and a detailed review of this product!

Beauty Focus: my favourite makeup brushes

 

A few weeks ago I posted this Instagram picture of my favourite makeup brushes, all bundled into a glass after their bath. I realise I am talking about my makeup brushes as if they were my children, and that makes me sound like the makeup equivalent of a crazy cat lady, but if you know how much time, effort and most of all, money went into building my collection, you would understand. And if you are reading a post about makeup brushes, you probably do understand.
That Instagram pictures was one of my «best-sellers», so I thought a more detailed blog post was in order. Yes, 8 likes is a «best-seller» in my Instagram life. Yes, that does make me sad.


I bought A LOT of makeup brushes in the past two years, and I hated most of them. These are the brushes I use at least once a week, and I will try to make this as clear, thorough and brief as I possibly can. 

Keep reading for a detailed account of my favourite makeup brushes and more pictures.

OOTN and FOTN, wedding edition

Sorry about the lack of posts, I've been away from home and then got pretty sick.
This past Saturday I was invited to a high school friend's wedding in Fez (coucou Imane, félicitations!), and I thought I'd do a little blog post about what I wore.

Outfit Of The Night: 

Dress: Banana Republic 

Brooch: Chanel 

Bracelet: Hermes 

Watch: Cartier 

Shoes: Roger Vivier (not pictured)

 Keep reading for an awkward close up photo of my FOTN, after the jump!

OOTD: white and tan and turquoise, oh my!

Today's outfit of the day was so perfect for a nice spring day, and so easy to put together. That's the magic of dresses for ya.

Dress: Alain Manoukian

Shoes: Mellow Yellow

Bag: Zara

Belt: H&M

Necklace: Asos

Watch: Icewatch

Sunglasses: RayBan

Leave a comment to say what you think, and what type of post you'd like to see here!

New purchase + half an OOTD

Today I went outside of my comfort zone and wore something glittery in the broad Marrakesh daylight. The glittery thing in question is this Zara metallic kimono, which Laura from buynowbloglater.com MADE ME buy. She just made me, people. The bottom half of the outfit is not in the picture for logistical reasons, but you're not missing much, just rolled up blue jeggings and some low-rise Chuck Taylor Converse.

Kimono: Zara

Tank top: Zara:

Jeggings: Mango

Shoes (not pictured): Chuck Taylor Converse

Ring: Asos

Watch: Cartier

Glasses: Tom Ford

Another thing a blogger forced me to buy is this awesome Zara shopper. It's 100% leather and was a bit on the pricey side for Zara (1199 MAD), but after Vivianna from Vivianna Does Makeup kept waxing lyrical about her version (she has the cream/ beige one), I felt compelled to get this one. I've been looking for a bag in this colour for ages and have never been able to commit to a designer option, so I compromised with this. Knowing me I'll end up buying an obscenely expensive bag in the same colour before summer, but you can never have too many bags. At least that's what I'll keep telling myself.

Review: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

This is my first time writing a review, so do be kind if there are some structural flaws. 

Today I'm reviewing the new NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. I think these haven't been out for long, and they don't retail in Morocco, since nobody sells the NARS brand here for now. That's a shame, and somebody should definitely do something about that.

You can, however, buy them online. Lots of websites even offer free international delivery, such as asos.com .

Now for the actual review. 

Summary: 

You'll love this if: 

• you don't have many skin imperfections, 

• you are looking for a natural, glowy finish in a foundation, 

• you need SPF protection.

Skip this if: 

• You have oily skin, 
• You have very blemished skin

• you like matte finishes, 

• you take lots of flash photographs (the SPF can give your ghost-face in pictures)

Texture: 

This tinted moisturizer has quite a liquid texture, but not as liquid as say MAC Face and Body foundation ie, it's not runny, yet fluid.

SPF: 

It has SPF 30, which is the highest SPF I have seen in a tinted moisturizer. I live in Marrakech and am prone to sun spots, so this is a big selling point for me.

Smell: 

The funniest thing about this product is the smell. It reminded me of that good old Nivea Crème we all know. I have another NARS foundation and it doesn't smell that way at all, so I am guessing this is specific to the moisturizer part of the product.

Coverage: 

This is definitely a light coverage product, it just improves the appearance of your skin but it doesn't cover it up. This is good if you just want glowier skin, but don't have any major blemishes to hide. If you do have blemishes, you will need to locally apply concealer when you're done with the tinted moisturizer.

Colour range: 

NARS has quite a wide colour range, in my opinion. This awesome beauty blogger has swatches of the whole colour range, check it out here. 9 shades is a pretty good range, and what's even more impressive is that it can fit way more than 9 skintones. I am definitely more olive-y than Fleur (FleurdeForce of Youtube fame), who is blonde and English, yet we both wear the shade, Alaska.

Longevity: 

As a dewy finish makeup product, it won't wear that long, but I guess you could powder it to make it last longer. If you have oily skin and foundation doesn't stay on your skin, I would say this is not for you. I have dry to combination skin and I think it lasts just fine. It wears off in a very uniform manner, so you won't be left looking all blotchy.

FOTD: subtle winged eyeliner

So this is one of my typical looks, just a small flick of eyeliner and flushed cheeks. Sometimes I go for a more Amy Winehouse-esque eyeliner look, but for a Monday, I decided to keep it soft. 

Face

Nars Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska (Light 2)

Illamasqua cream blush in Betray

Chanel Bronze Universel (as a contour)

Lips

MAC Tinted Lip Conditionner in Petting Pink

Eyes

Bobbi Brown Longwear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink

Make Up Forever Waterproof Eyebrow Corrector in shade 3

What's your go-to makeup look?