Ride or Die Tag

Posted in Beauty, In your 40s, Uncategorized by Joanna Malefaki

Of course I am a makeup junkie and I do spend loads of money(s) on makeup and pretty stuff. So, today when I was catching up on my YouTube videos I noticed that a lot of the channels I had subscribed to had Ride Or Die on their Thumbnails.After watching Jaclyn’s video (the one who started this tag) and a few of my other favourite YouTubers, the blogger in me decided to revolt and …….

OMG I am going to break all the bloggersphere laws and publish a second blog post in one day? Oh yes, I am! And Oh yes, I did.

So the #rideordie tag is what products would you take with you on a desert island. I have cheated a bit but eh, life is short and yeah, my post so I can cheat!!

First of all ladies, you are on a desert island and you don’t have the most important thing???!!!

Sun screen/ block

I would take a sun screen/ sun tan lotion on my dessert island! Of course!! Now I have been using this all summer and it is going down as my ride or die cause AT LAST I found a sun block that does not feel oily, greasy, yucky!!! What am I talking about? Super City Block by Clinique.

20160802_175532

Foundation

L’oreal Infallible Mate 24H- Matte. I have been repurchasing this for so long. I really like the coverage and the non greasy feeling. My luxury going out foundation is of course Double Wear by Estee Lauder (cheating……).

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Powder

Chanel Les Beiges healthy glow sheer powder. I hit pan, bought a new one, and am hitting pan again.

Lipstick

For an everyday lippie I think it’s Plum Pop by Clinique. Yeap. I love it. I love all my Clinique Pops.

1lip

Blush

Mac Fleur Power.

Hair Product

OK, so it’s not a makeup product but how ugly do you feel when your hair looks horrible and meh? Yeah. So, I have bought so many of these magical bottles, I have actually lost count. Diamond Shine all over Gloss Spray by Charles Worthington. I love it. It makes my hair so shiny!!!

Perfume

OK, so I am going to cheat here (again) cause I have two choices. For going out I ❤ Chanel Mademoiselle (sophisticated classy smell). Now, for every day/ going to work summery perfume (and already on the second bottle), hands down it is the Escada Delicate Notes (it smells like a clean powder).

Mascara

Anything L’oreal.

Eye Shadow Pencils/ Crayons

The Clinique Chubby Sticks. I wear them every single day since I discovered them. They are so easy to apply and last all day long. I am really happy with them. My favourite one is the ample amber. Keep in mind that cause I am visually impaired these pencils have proven to be life savors!!

pencil

Contour Palette

Too Faced Cocoa Contour. I have been using this every day and I am hitting pan on both contouring shades. I do not really use the highlighter. I do use the banana powder though.

palette

Kinda Ride or Die

All summer I have been wearing the Bronze Goddess Multi Palette, so it should go here for a palette that is travel friendly and has a highlighter, a blush and a bronzer.

Palette

So these are my Ride Or die products. Do you agree with me on any of these? Feel free to leave yours in the comments below. I watched Tati, Kristina and the Jaclyn Hill who actually started the tag. You should check their videos out if you haven’t already.

Oh! Don’t forget to follow my blog ❤ ❤ Also, follow me somewhere/ somehow.

Talk soon xxx

*In the mood for shopping makeup? Check out Beauty Bar

FREE 1-2 Day Delivery on Orders $49+ For All Customers

(This is an affiliate link. You do not pay extra for your purchase, you just help me keep this blog going xx Thank you xx)

21Aug2016

Laura Mercier makeup tutorial experience

Posted in Beauty, Hauls, In your 40s by Joanna Malefaki

I love getting my makeup done, don’t you? I also enjoy learning new things about how to apply makeup and get suggestions about brushes, sponges, techniques to apply makeup. When I heard the phrase,

Do you want a flawless makeup tutorial at the Laura Mercier contour?

Of course I jumped at the opportunity cause I do not have a Laura Mercier contour in my home town. The other reason was that the phrase flawless makeup is important to me. You see, if I am going to wear makeup, I want to look flawless. I am more on the medium to full coverage side of the spectrum than that of the light coverage.

Seriously gals, if you are going to wear makeup, it better cover, otherwise why bother?

My beauty appointment

My appointment was on Saturday at 2 with Alex, the Laura Mericer makeup artist in John Lewis Sheffield. I sat down on a comfy chair and the tutorial started. Alex told me a few things about the person Laura Mercier.

She was a painter who went on to do makeup. She likes to use a canvas and people’s faces are the perfect canvas. She invented a primer in order to be able to have the perfect canvas to apply makeup on.

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After cleansing my skin, Alex applied the Flawless Skin Repair cream and Eye Serum. Both felt so nourishing and really comfortable on my face (they are on the To Buy list ladies). She then used a hydrating primer and tested samples of foundation on my hand. I like mate finishes and I don’t like my foundation to feel oily , so I went for the Silk Cream oil free Photo Finish foundation. Alex used a beauty sponge/ blender. I told her that I like using a brush and then going over my foundation with a stippling brush. She said that sounded OK as well. She then applied the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer (No1) and secret camouflage (No2) with a brush. After that, the Laura Mercier Transluscent Powder.

Makeup

After the foundation had settled, it looked very natural and all my red spots/ rosacea was covered. She applied a bit of makeup as well, so she used the Matte Radiance Baked Powder in No2 (beautiful finish, nothing scary and perfect for people who are a bit more heavy handed….. like me). On the cheeks she used blush Heather Pink and as a highlighter the face illuminator in the shade Indiscretion ❤ <3. I like wearing bright lips, so we went for the lip cream in the shade Coral Reef (gorgeous).

Top: Illuminator Middle: Lip Cream Bottom: Baked Powder

I ended up buying

The Lip Cream: £22

The Foundation £35

The Baked Powder/ Bronzer £27

I also got the illuminator (bought this the previous day and don’t remember the price. It is 30+ though).

All in all, it was a lovely experience and Alex was very helpful. I have an eye makeup tutorial planned next, so stay tuned. If you are in Sheffield, you really should go to the Laura Mercier counter in John Lewis.

Do subscribe to my blog if you enjoyed this post (check top left hand side bar). Also, why not connect with me on other social media platforms? Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram/Google+.

*In the mood for shopping makeup? Check out Beauty Bar

FREE 1-2 Day Delivery on Orders $49+ For All Customers

(This is an affiliate link. You do not pay extra for your purchase, you just help me keep this blog going xx Thank you xx)

Talk soon!

xxx

21Aug2016

Correcting Skin Problems Using Lasers and Other Methods

Posted in Beauty, In your 40s, Uncategorized by Joanna Malefaki

If you want to treat a skin problem, the biggest question to ask is which treatment type should you pick? Are lasers the best option for you, or would you be better off using a different type of treatment method? The only way to answer that is by comparing treatment methods.

Using Some Type of Peel to Clear Up Your Skin

One option you have is to use some kind of peel to clear up your skin. There are several different types of peels or peel-like techniques that you can try. The most commonly thought of peel is probably the chemical peel, which involves applying a particular chemical mixture to the skin to help get rid of dead skin cells and other debris on the surface.

Another peel-like procedure is the laser peel. Professionals have used laser machines to remove the surface layers of their clients’ skin for years. The idea of the procedure is to let the fresh, healthy skin cells below show through and get rid of any dead cells or foreign bodies clogging the skin’s pores.

A third type of peel-like technique that can accomplish a similar goal in a different way is microdermabrasion. That uses a specialized tool to “sand” the surface layer of skin off, much like sanding a board to remove rough patches.

How Peel Techniques Differ from Each Other

Peel techniques are all done using different products and devices. Those differences also make some of them better or worse for certain people. For example, if you have dark skin then some types of lasers might not work well for you because they are better at treating lighter skin shades. Yet, other laser treatments might be perfectly fine. You just have to check with a skincare professional to find the right one.

There are no such good options for darker skinned people when it comes to chemical peels. The chemicals are universally bad for darker skin tones because they actually contain bleaching agents. That means that they can permanently, or at least semi-permanently, change the color of your skin, if your skin happens to be dark.

Other Skin Treatments That May be Worth Trying

There are also plenty of other skin treatments out there that may be worth trying. Among them are lotions, creams, intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy, and sound wave treatments like ultrasound or radio frequency procedures.

For the most part, all of those treatments are fairly safe, regardless of your skin tone. However, many of them are also weaker and less effective than lasers, chemical peels, and other treatments of that caliber. That means that you may require multiple treatments and a lot more time to achieve the same results that you might get from far few laser or chemical treatments.

Facelifts Are a Last Option

One final thing to remember is that, while facelift procedures have their place in the skincare world, they should always be the last option you try. One of the above methods or a similar method is likely to work for you with fewer risks and less recovery time. You just have to talk to your skincare expert to figure out which one is the right choice to treat your skin.

*This is a sponsored blog post

19Aug2016

Virtual Consultation with Max Factor

Posted in Beauty, In your 40s by Joanna Malefaki

Hi everyone,

A couple of weeks ago I got a tweet from Max Factor saying that I had won a virtual consultation with a Max Factor makeup artist. Yay. Today I am going to share with you what Mari Jelle (the Max Factor makeup artist) told me. Her top tips regarding contouring.

The Consultation

So Max Factor suggested some times for the Skype consultation and I chose to have mine during my lunch break. I had to find a quiet room which I did and waited for them to call me on Skype. The makeup artist, Marie, was so pleasant and smiley, so I immediately felt comfortable. She asked me what I’d like to learn about or talk about and of course I said,

” contouring”

She sat close to the camera and asked me a few questions about what products Iuse to contour and what brush. I told her (Toofaced Cocoa Contour Palette and a Sephora brush). She then showed me what other kinds of brushes I could use.

Marie’s Top Tips.

Start from almost the top of your ear and stop close to your eye.
After contouring, add your blush.
When you blend your contour you should move your brush upwards. Always go up, not down.
When applying bronzer, start with your forehead and move to all the places where the sun would ” catch you”.
Highlighter goes above your cheek bones, nose, above your lip’s cupid bow and some on the chin (just a bit).
Blend everything carefully. If you do not blend you will be left with lines and we don not want lines. Uh-uh .
If you make mistakes, you can “correct” them by using your powder.

We spent about 25 minutes chatting. She also showed me some of the Max Factor products. It was a great experience and I am thankful for this opportunity to talk to someone who works at a brand’s headquarters.

I love contouring. I have seen a change in the way my makeup looks and am now a contouring addict.

So, that’s all for now. Don’t forget to subscribe (check my sidebar on how to do that) and connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram/Google+.

See you soon.

xxx

*In the mood for shopping makeup? Check out Beauty Bar

FREE 1-2 Day Delivery on Orders $49+ For All Customers

(This is an affiliate link. You do not pay extra for your purchase, you just help me keep this blog going xx Thank you xx)

This is not a sponsored post

16Aug2016

A weekend in Newcastle: food, drinks and earrings

Posted in In your 40s, Travelling by Joanna Malefaki

If you are a fan of a fun night out from places with amazing decor to more chilled out pubs, and if you like vibrant city center and friendly people or finally if you are looking for a place to spend bank holiday weekend or any weekend, then you should read this post.

When I talk about Newcastle, I am a little bit biased cause I have really great memories there. That’s where I got my first job at a UK uni, I made my first English friends. Friends I am still in touch with and well, it is a great place, close to my heart. A couple of weeks ago I went there for a hen do. One of my friends invited me and of course I decided to go. So, today’s post is about what I did during the weekend in Newcastle.

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Hotel

I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Jesmond. I had stayed there before and I liked the rooms. I became a ‘club’ member and this gave me an extra discount. The metro station is quite close to the hotel, but I used a taxi quite a bit and paid about 4-5 pounds to go to the center. The room I stayed in was spacious and the best thing is that everything in the fridge is complimentary (water, juice, kit kat).

Food & cocktails

Passing Clouds

On the first night, I went to this new bar/ restaurant called Passing Clouds. Very beautiful inside. There was live music and real yummy cocktails. There is also an outdoor seating area and we sat there. I strongly recommend this place. Check out the pictures below.

Kafeneon (Greek restaurant)

That was a funny place to go for food (I am Greek), but in the end, the food was yummy, atmosphere was great and the price was good as well. You should check this place out if you are a fan of the Greek cuisine.

Lola Jeans

Now, on to my favourite.This is probably the prettiest, most plush place I have been to during the summer. The food was tasty and the cocktails were delicious and sooooooo different. And yes, the drink in the tea cup is a cocktail called China Rose.

Browns

This is a bar/ restaurant. I went for food there. Had a delicious starter with mushrooms and a burger. Very tasty and great environment. Not too loud for a Sunday dinner.

Shopping

I walked around Eldon Square which is a big mall in the center of Newcastle. You can find almost all the mainstream stores there. The only thing I bought is this cute pair of earrings from Accessorize.

Hen Do

Oh!! This was so fun. Part of the hen do was at Lola jeans. We went to the bride to be house and played games. Had a laugh. Then we went for drinks to Durham. It was great to do some bar hopping in Durham!!

So there you have it loves, my weekend in Newcastle.

If you like reading about beauty, makeup, reading haul posts and first impressions, but you also like to check out places I go to, then don’t forget to subscribe to my blog. Also, why not connect on social media and be best buds Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram/Google+. . Have you been to Newcastle? Any suggestions about where else I need to go?

6Aug2016

Reality vs. expectations

Posted in In your 40s, Thoughts by Joanna Malefaki

One of my favourite scenes is the split screen scene in 500 days of summer. If you haven’t watched it yet, you need to. It’s actually one of my favourite romantic movies.

I have been thinking quite a lot for the past few days about how expectations can be great or high or how you can have none or low. As a cynic, I am more on the no/ low expectations side of the spectrum, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. In romance we tend to build someone up, expect a lot, day dream, have little hearts float out of our eyes like a cartoon character, and then get struck by the reality that, “well, em, he’s alright”. The latter is actually a good case scenario. The worst case scenario is getting hurt because our expectations did not become our reality and our hopes are just shattered.

But why do we have so many high expectations? Why is it that when you first meet someone you think, “He’s perfect. I want to make babies now” and then the bubble bursts or we fall off the pink cloud. Reality hits us and we realise that he is just a boy and we are just a girl.

My philosophy is expect shit and it can only be better. That way,

When you go on a first date, you don’t feel that nervous.

When he doesn’t call, you do not have a panic attack.

When the first kiss, is not what you expected, it’s all good.

When you have no expectations, it can only be better.

Now you may ask, ” C’mon expect the worst, for better to come?”

Hell yeah!!That’s my philosophy and mine alone. I ain’t here to persuade you that I have the answer to matters of the heart, cause I do not. This is my blog, so I say my thoughts. The comments section is where you get to say your thoughts and can tell me off if you wish to.

So, back to my ode to expecting nothing in order to get something. I think that in today’s society we expect romance and love to be perfect. It isn’t. We expect to meet the one. And he does not exist. In my mind, there are many ones and those ones come around at different times and if you miss the momentum then tough. We read magazines about what our significant other should do. What is acceptable and what unacceptable. The ’10 things that show that he is Mr Perfect’ (Cosmo for the young ones and Marie Claire/ Elle for the older ones. I am talking to you!). We watch romcoms that show men running to the air port in order to find the one. Going after ‘serendipity’ and serendipity actually happening. And yada, yada, yada. We create an atmosphere of ‘great’ expectations and then reality hits ya! So, yeah, next time you meet someone, keep the bar low. It can only get better. Do not expect the moon or the sun. Expect a ray and take an umbrella just in case!

A zillion words later, a blog post full of gibberish.

I am holding a giveaway, you may want to enter. You actually should if you read till the end of this post. Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to hear where you stand regarding expectations high/low or no……

Reality vs. expectation

Catch ya later.

Joanna

2Aug2016

July Favourites & Giveaway

Posted in Beauty, Hauls by Joanna Malefaki

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: Winners to be announced

So loves, time to talk about the things I loved in July and once again…. the UK edition cause if you didn’t know, I am in the UK (yay). First of all, I got to say that I loved our 4 day heat wave. Woohoo. It reached about 30 degrees in Sheffield and yes, even though I am Greek, I did feel the heat and ❤ <3. Now, let’s move on. I am going to talk about my faves in beauty, random and best part of all, I am doing a giveaway and you have a chance to win some of the things I am talking about (new ones, not my ones!!).

Beauty/ Makeup

Lippies

I got this nude shade lippie (YSL) which feels really comfy on the lips. It is not at all long lasting and the pigmentation is medium. I like it though cause it is very moisturising on the lips.

I also got this Rimmel lippie and it is called vintage pink. It’s more of a mauve/pink nude tone (part of the giveaway!).

Clinique City block

I use this sun block under my makeup and I love it because it is not at all greasy! It feels a bit moist when you apply it but after a few minutes it gets absorbed and you are good to apply your makeup.

Lipivir

I loved it so much it got it’s own blog post. If you get cold sores, you have to check this out. For the full review, press here.

No7 Eye shadow crayon

I am really loving my eye shadow crayons and I wrote a blog post about them (part of the giveaway).

My cute pedi set

Oh! To be honest, I just got this cause it looked pretty!! This is part of the giveaway.

Book

Whilst I haven’t finished reading this yet, I like it so far. It’s called The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger. Again chick lit. This was written by the author of the Devil wear Prada and it nice to read.

TV Show

Suits is back. Season 6 people. If you haven’t watched it yet, why??? Why? If you love legal drama and clothes, this is the one to watch!

Song

Rihanna featuring Drake, a beat. Work, work, work.

Elephants in Sheffield

The whole city is full of statues (charity for Sheffield’s children hospital). Here are some of my faves.

Max Factor virtual consultation

I won a virtual consultation with the makeup artist at Max Factor. It was so much fun and helpful. Post pending but had to mention it cause it was sooo cool.

Clinique asking to share my pic

So, I got a comment on Instagram from Clinique asking to share my picture on their site. I said, ” Yes!”. I am gonna become a face model (:P). This is half of the the pic, and yes, I look a bit angry dunno why. I am a nice person, I promise!!

Giveaway

I thought it would be nice to do a little giveaway of the things in my favourites ( I bought new ones. Not sending you my used ones!!). So, if you want to take part in the giveaway, you have to do 2 things:

1. Subscribe to my blog via email or WordPress (see top left hand sidebar)

AND

2. Follow me on Instagram or Twitter (@mypinkrambles on both platforms).

Prizes:

A lippie (Rimmel Vintage Pink)

A pedi set

A No7 Eyeshadow pencil (Gunmetal Grey)

The giveaway is running till the 15th of August (10 p.m. UK time). Once I know the winners, I will contact you via Instagram or Twitter and ask what you prefer. The giveaway is open internationally. If you are already following my blog, you can still enter by leaving a comment below. There will be 3 winners.

Do you have any July faves you think I’d like? Let me know in the comments section below. Thanks for stopping by!!

28Jul2016

To the Test: La Roche Posay Rosaliac AR Intense Serum (update)

Posted in Beauty, Thoughts, To the test by Joanna Malefaki

So, I had said that I will revisit this product a while ago and I forgot to give you an update. So, what am I talking about? The La Roche Posay Rosaliac AR Intense Serum which is supposed to be great for reducing redness. .So how is it working for me? Well, I stopped using it for two reasons:

Reason 1

I went to the skin doctor and I do have Rosacea and no cream will get rid of my redness. I will probably get the spots of my face with some kind of laser treatment.

What is Rosacea?

Well, redness of the face and according to the National Rosacea Society symptoms are:

Redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead.

Small visible blood vessels on the face.

Bumps or pimples on the face.

Watery or irritated eyes.

I actually have sensitive skin, redness on the cheeks (close to the eyes), and watery eyes.

Reason 2

The package broke in my makeup bag whilst I was travelling and I stopped using it. The packaging is definitely a fail especially as there is no cap.I can still use the product but it squirts out of the side and it is kinda disgusting.

So, there is my update. You can read the original post that prompted this one by clicking here.

So, that’s all for now. Subscribe to my blog if you liked what you read. It does put a smile on my face. Maybe give my Facebook page a ‘like’ so you can get notifications of when I post? Connect with me on Pinterest / Twitter/ Instagram/Google+.

Talk soon

Joanna

27Jul2016

Cold sore product review: Lipivir

Posted in Beauty, Thoughts, To the test by Joanna Malefaki

Hi everyone!!

Today I am going to talk about a product I just used, something I had never heard of before and fell in my hands completely out of luck! I went to the #BloggersBal about a month ago an one of the goodies I was given was this Lipivir tube which is good for cold sores. I chucked it somewhere in my makeup bag and totally forgot about it until the horrid cold sore appeared. I tried to deal with the ‘situation’ by using a lip balm cause initially I thought that my lips were dry. Then, I looked at the mirror and freaked out. A huge cold sore! I then remembered that I was given a Lipivir and I tried it.

2016-07-27 16.00.20

Before I move on to tell you my opinion, let’s see what the website says. So, according to Lipivir,

no pharmaceuticals

no one can see you wearing it

no cortisone

skin friendly

no side effects

Is that true?

Regarding the chemicals, I do not know.

Regarding the no one can see it. Yes. That’s true.

Skin friendly? Read on.

Side effects? Well, I was fine when I used it.

Now the review and my story

So, I had a cold sore on my lower lip. I applied Lipivir for the first time and at the beginning it smelt and tasted like lemon. After a while though, it tasted like YUCK!! I actually got scared and googled the side effects!! I thoughtmine had expired or something! I saw that there were no problems and relaxed. I went to bed and the next morning the cold sore had vanished! It wasn’t there! So, who cares about the poisonous flavour, it’s worth all the bitterness cause my lips were fine!!

Where can I get this miracle worker?

Online.

How much does it cost?

2 gr are about 9 pounds. It is worth every penny.

If you do not mind the yucky flavour and remember to avoid licking your lips, you are fine and this product is totally worth it.

This is not a sponsored post, bu I did get the product for free cause it was part of a goodie bag! You should try it out if you suffer from cold sores. So, that’s all for now. Don’t forget to follow my blog or connect with me on social media. Got loads of these fab reviews ahead!!

xxx

Joanna

24Jul2016

No7 eye shadows: 1st impressions

Posted in Beauty, Being colourblind, Hauls, In your 40s by Joanna Malefaki

Hi everyone,

I did a bit of shopping a few days ago. I wanted to try some of the eye shadows and eye shadow crayons from No7 at Boots. So, I went to Sheffield city center and walked into that Boots.

2016-07-23 14.58.12

A very helpful sales assistant helped me choose what to get and also wrote down all the colour for me on a piece of paper which was so helpful. (shout out to the Boots sales assistant cause I am colourblind and I need all the help I can get!).

IMG_20160724_141243

Stay Perfect Eye shadow

I got two. Each one costs £7. I got the shades Truffle which is a brown/ orange colour and the shade mink which is a brown / silver/grey shadow. I have not worn them yet. The pay off is quite good but I think I prefer the crayons cause the pigment is better. Not much fall out though. According to the Boots website, this is

very blendable

But don’t quote me on that cause I do not know!

20160718_171450

Stay Perfect Shade and define Crayon

I got Pink Pearl which is a light pink ( shimmery) and Gunmetal Grey which is a grey/ blue (shimmery).They cost £8 each. I have worn these eye shadow crayons and they are very long lasting. They dry quickly, so you should blend as soon as possible. They do not budge. The packaging is much better than other eye shadow crayons (e.g. y Burberry one). It is not flimsy. You twist the top to get more product. These crayons are supposed to be dupes for the By Terry eye crayons.

Keep in mind that the 3 for 2 sale was on,so you pay for 2 and get the cheapest product for free.

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Swatches

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From top to bottom

Pink Pearl (crayon)

Gunmetal Grey (crayon)

Mink (eye shadow)

Truffle (eye shadow)

No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make up Remover

I also got the Eye Makeup Remover and tried it on the spot. It did take a few wipes to take off the crayon, but it did without having to rub my eyes. They eye shadow came off straight away with this eye makeup remover. It does not leave your eyes feeling too oily, but you do have a sense of oil on your lids after using it. Nothing a bit of water does n’t get rid of. Also the top of the bottle is quite big so be careful of spillage and wasting the product. My first attempt was really messy.

So, have you tried any of these products? Any suggestions on a product I should try from the N07 line? Please let me know in the comment section below.OH! Don’t forget to follow my blog or connect with me. Talk soon.