Why does my favourite perfume smell differently?
Have you ever loved a fragrance, stopped using it for a while, and when you finally decided to buy it again, you found out it smells differently from what you remembered? Unless your nose is playing tricks on you, chances are the fragrance you loved has been reformulated. But why?
Why are fragrances reformulated?
Well, there are several reasons why fragrances are reformulated. Some of the ingredients used in fragrances can become rare or even extinct and are so substituted by others widely and readily available. Another reason is money: some ingredients can be expensive and so sometimes they are replaced by cheaper ones.
In addition, some of the ingredients, esp those used decades ago, can turn out to be allergens (like oakmoss) or dangerous to humans so they had to replaced. Other times, a brand simply decides to change a perfume simply to put up with the current fragrance trends and attract a new audience.
Reformulations aren’t publicised
Fragrances are constantly reformulated and if a scent has been out for a couple of years it is very likely that it underwent some changes. Those changes can be so subtle, you barely notice them, while other times they are pretty obvious and the fragrance can smell completely different from the original.
In any case, you need to trust your nose to detect any difference because perfume houses don’t like to publicise the reformulation of fragrances, esp when they had to do it because one of the ingredients was unsafe. And asking sales assistants won’t be much help either. Most of the time they just deny any reformulations and swear that your favourite scent is still the same.
Whatever the reason and despite the lack of notice, your favourite fragrance has forever changed. After the first disappointment, if you’re lucky you’ll like the new version and keep using it otherwise your search for the perfect scent needs to start all over again. 
Has your signature scent ever been reformulated? If so, did you use the new version or tried something else instead?
Source: OrangeCounty_Girl
Help! My foundation is too dark!
Have you ever got a foundation that’s too dark for you?
That happens to me all the time. My skin is so pale that most foundations, esp drugstore ones, are too dark for me. Finding a shade that matches my skin is so hard that sometimes I have no option but to purchase one that is slightly darker than my skintone. *sighs*
But you don’t need to be pale to get the wrong foundation. The lights in the shops can be deceiving (always test foundation outside a shop in broad daylight) and you can end up buying the wrong shade or now that’s winter, the tan you had this summer has faded and your foundation doesn’t match your skin anymore.
But there’s no need to throw it in the bin. There are a few ways to put your dark foundation to good use:
Mix and match
If you have a foundation that’s too light for you lying around, you can darken it by mixing it with a few drops of the darker foundation. In alternative, you can also mix a foundation that’s too dark with your lotion to create a tinted moisturizer. It’s easy to do: just add a few drops at a time until you get a shade that matches your skintone.
Lighten it up with powder
Once you applied a foundation that’s too dark for you, you can apply a lighter pressed powder (a powder foundation will do the trick too) over it to lighten it up and even out the skintone. After all, you need to set the foundation with powder anyway, so why not use it to tone down the color so that it will match your skin as well?
Contour
If your foundation is one or two shades darker, you can use it to contour your face. Contouring with liquid products is easier than doing it with powders, lasts longer and looks very natural. Just apply the foundation on any part of the face you want to shape (nose, jawline, hollows of the cheeks, temples, around the hairline) and blend well to soften any harsh lines.
Swap it
If you really don’t want the foundation, you can always swap it with a friend or with some other beauty addicts online. There are many beauty forums on the internet where people can swap items that don’t suit them and get something they’re actually gonna use in return. But as I showed you above, a darker foundation can turn out to be very useful, so consider carefully how you can make it work for you before getting rid of it. 
Have you got any more tips on how to use a foundation that’s too dark?
5 Tips to Stop Biting your Nails
If you bite your nails, you’re not alone. Nail biting is a common habit and, unfortunately, one that’s very hard to break. I’m guilty of it too. Throughout my childhood and high school years I would bite and chew my fingernails until they were all gnawed and bleeding. Ouch!
I was tired of looking at my ugly nails, feeling the pain when I’d bit too much and not being able to wear nail polish. I knew I had to stop but it wasn’t easy. Up to this day, I still bite my nails (well, just one of them actually, the others are all pretty and long) when I’m nervous and stressed.
But by following the tips below, I almost completely killed this bad habit and hopefully soon, I will leave that one finger alone too for good. Here’s how I did it:
1. Apply something nasty-tasting on your nails
When I became serious about stop biting my nails, I went out and bought one of those disgusting-tasting nail polishes. I was doubtful but they worked wonders! Everytime I tried to chew my fingers, I would get such a bad taste in my mouth, that pretty soon my desire to bite my nails disappeared forever. In alternative, you can use ricin oil or soap. It will work just as well and put you off biting your nails for a long while.
2. Replace a bad habit with a good one
Some people bite their nails when they are bored and have nothing to do or they simply like to have their hands occupied. If this is the case, don’t bite your nails but do something else instead, like playing games on your mobile or knitting. Anything you like that will keep your hands busy will do.
3. Apply nail polish to your fingernails
If your nails have grown a bit, you can apply nail polish on them. The brighter the polish, the better. If your nails look nice you wouldn’t wanna ruin them and besides, nail polish doesn’t taste good. And who would want to eat it anyway?
4. Apply fake nails
To stop biting your nails and make them look pretty while you’re waiting for them to grow out again, you can get fake or acrylic nails. They are hard so you can’t bite them and they don’t taste good either.
5. Wear gloves
I consider this to be an emergency solution for when my nails are too short and gnawed to wear nail polish and I don’t have anything disgusting at hand to apply on them. Although gloves are uncomfortable and can make it hard to do even the simplest things, once your nails are covered and you can’t see them, you won’t be tempted to chew them.
Have you got any more tips to stop biting nails? Share them in the comments!
Source
How to make perfume last longer
After years of searching, you have finally found your perfect signature scent. And you probably spent quite a lot for it too. But it has a huge flaw: it doesn’t last long. You spray it on in the morning and after a few hours, puff! It’s completely gone! That sounds awful, doesn’t it?
It’s things like that that could make you fall out of love with a fragrance and never use it again. Or make you reapply it several times a day and run out of it pretty fast. Well, there’s actually no need to do neither of these things. Just follow the tips below and you fragrance will last for hours and hours..
Why do some scents don’t last long?
Well, there are several factors that contribute to the staying power of a scent. The first thing to consider is what type of fragrance you’re buying. Perfume is the most concentrated type and therefore, the most longlasting. Eau De Cologne, on the other hand, is very light and has poor staying power.
Your skin type is another thing to take into consideration. Perfumes tend to evaporate quickly on dry skin and last longer on oily skin. That’s because oily skin contains more natural moisture that will retain the scent for longer.
The way fragrances are stored is important too. Keep the bottle in the box away from light and heat, which could ruin the scent and make it less long-lasting. Environment and individual body chemistry are also factors that could affect the staying power of a scent.
Prime & Layer
Just like makeup, fragrance needs a primer to make it last longer. But is there such a thing as a fragrance primer? Yes and you probably have it in your stash: lotion. A lotion will moisturize the skin so that the scent will last longer.
Your best bet is to use the matching lotion to the fragrance you’re using. A lot of brands, especially during the holidays, release kits that include perfume, body lotion and shower gel so that you can layer the scent starting from the shower. As a result, the scent will be more powerful and last longer.
If you don’t have the matching lotion to the fragrance and don’t want to buy it either, you can just apply any unscented moisturizer of your choice. A scented lotion is not recommended because it may clash with your fragrance and make you smell bad. Of course you could still use it but test it before going out, so you’ll know how the scents will smell once combined.
In alternative, you can also use jojoba oil or vaseline. Just apply them on the spots where you’re going to spray the fragrance. They’ll do the trick too and are so inexpensive!
Spray the fragrance in the right places
I’ve also noticed that where you spray the fragrance also matters. For instance, fragrances last longer on me when I spray them on my wrists and at the base of my throat. That’s because in these places, called pulse points, the blood vessels are very close to the skin and release more heat, which boosts the fragrance. Other pulse points include the temples, back of knees, inside of the elbows, ankles and between the breasts.
Have you got any more tips to make a fragrance last longer? Share them in the comments.
Source
Worst of Beauty 2009
Hi guys,
yesterday I blogged about my favourite products of 2009. But not all products are good or work for everyone so it’s now time to share with you the worst products I tried this year. Some of you may not agree with me so feel free to share your opinion of these products, but for me the items listed below in no particular order were a huge disappointment:
1. Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream: this is the worst moisturizer I’ve tried so far. It makes skin very soft and gives it a refreshing feeling, but it does nothing at all for my oily t-zone. That’s as shiny as ever when I use this cream. And the formula is not great either: it contains comedogenic ingredients which can cause breakouts and Alcohol Denat which can dry skin and cause free radical damage.
2. Jesse’s Girl Eye Dust: these pigments are loved by many but sadly, I’m not one of those. I find their pigmentation to be very poor. Of course the color payoff is decent if you apply a primer first and gets better if you use them wet, but personally if an eyeshadow doesn’t show up at all on bare skin (and keep in mind that mine is very pale), it’s just not worth the money for me . I always use a primer but a good pigment/shadow should have decent pigmentation even without in my opinion.
3. Deborah 24 Ore (Hours) Pencil Eyeliner: it is supposed to be longlasting, but instead it starts fading after a few hours, doesn’t even last 5 minutes on the waterline and it’s not pigmented at all. Even after 4 or 5 layers I still can’t get decent color payoff. Total waste of money.
4. Pupa Blush Brush: I usually love Pupa products but their brushes are a huge disappointment. The bristles aren’t very soft so they scratch my skin (ouch!) and they don’t reshape perfectly after washing. But at least, they don’t shed.
5. Blistex Lip Infusion Lip Balm: this is a liquid lip balm with a metal ball applicator that gives lips a refreshing feeling but unfortunately it doesn’t moisturize lips. At all. It lasts 15 minutes on the lips, then you need to reapply. And it tastes disgusting too.
6. Helena Rubinstein Collagenist Eye Zoom with pro-Xfill Eye Cream: I wasn’t sure whether to include this product in the list cos it isn’t bad, just average. But in the end, it is its hefty price tag that secured it a place here. This is a very basic cream that only moisturizes the eye area. Nothing else. And for €59,01 I expect more. Usually I’d recommend it to young girls that don’t have wrinkles or major problems in the eye area but I doubt they could afford it. And why waste so much money on this when any eye cream out there moisturizes the eye area too, anyway?
7. Neutro Roberts Intensive Beauty Balsamo Corpo Sotto La Doccia: this is a moisturizer that can be applied in the shower and is supposed to save you time in the morning but for me it didn’t work. It moisturizes skin, but only slightly and the effects don’t last long. I still need to apply another moisturizer afterwards, which makes this product completely useless.
What were the worst products of 2009 for you?
Disclosure: all the products in this post, apart from the Neutro Roberts one which could be requested on their website when it was launched, were purchased by me and reflect my personal and honest opinion with them. For more information, please see my disclaimer.