Zixi

Zixi Black, ACNE

francesinha

at Francesinha na Baixa festival, Oporto.

Francesinha na Baixa it's a gastronomic festival dedicated to francesinha (literally 'little french girl'), one of the most typical dishes in Oporto - a sort of hot meat/ham/sausage sandwich with cheese and special spicy sauce, served with french fries. And, of course, beer. Ten days of greasy goodness! More next year.

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O Francesinha na Baixa é um festival gastronómico dedicado, tal como o nome indica, à francesinha, um dos pratos mais típicos do Porto - ainda que possa não ter experimentado, penso que qualquer português saberá do que se trata: uma espécie de sandwich quente com carnes, enchidos, queijo e um molho especial, servido com batata frita (para os mais corajosos, também com um ovo 'a cavalo'!) e acompanhada com cerveja. Pelo segundo ano consecutivo, foram 10 dias dedicados a esta maravilha gordurosa. Há mais para o ano!

white obsession ♥

My perfect white room. White is always my first choice for everything. Sheets, blanket & boots by Primark. And that is Becas just being cute ^_^.

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O meu quarto branco perfeito. O branco é sempre a minha primeira escolha em tudo. Os lençóis, manta e botinhas são da Primark. E esta é a Becas a armar-se em fofa ^_^.

Paris ♥ Montmartre

♥

05/08

Diana Baby Gold Edition 110 camera; bento box & cutlery, by MonBento; Shis, at Praia do Ourigo, Foz; potato flour and pastry cream cake, recipe available at Flagrante Delícia (portuguese only).

My birthday - presents, dinner by the sea and cake!

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O meu aniversário - presentes, jantar à beira-mar e bolo!

High cheekbones ♥

Don't you just love those amazing strong cheeks? If you weren't blessed with beautiful prominent zygomatic bones, you can always fake them with make-up...you'll only need blush under your cheeks and a good illuminator on your cheekbone. If you already have them use the same trick to enhance them!

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Quem não adora estas maçãs de rosto bem demarcadas? Se não foram abençoadas com zigomáticos proeminentes sempre podem fingi-lo com maquilhagem...é só usar o blush por baixo das bochechas e passar um bom iluminador nas maçãs de rosto. Se já as tiverem naturalmente, podem sempre utilizar o mesmo truque para evidenciá-las!

  

Childhood photos ♥

I love childhood photos so much...yesterday I found this cute picture of me. I think I was 3.

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Adoro fotos de infância...ontem encontrei esta foto minha, bem fofa. Acho que tinha 3 anos.

The coolest couple on earth ♥

Johnny Depp & Kate Moss

Day 60

After 2 months on Accutane here are my first before & after pictures. My skins feels and looks much more smooth. Here you can see my cheek (right next to my nose) with some major improvement. 

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Após 2 meses de Orotrex (isotretinoína) aqui estão as minhas primeiras fotos de antes & depois. A minha pele está muito mais lisa. Aqui fica uma imagem da bochecha (zona lateral ao nariz) com melhoria significativa.

On My Wishlist...

On My Wishlist... by catsaffairs


1. Asos blouse; 2. Love, Chloé perfume; 3. H&M skirt; 4. Tous bracelet; 5. Pieces Bag; 6. Chloé ballerinas; 7. Marc Jacobs earrings; 8. Yves Saint Laurent, Baby Doll mascara; 9. Benefit, Hervana blush; 10. Shiseido BB Cream; 11. Shiseido Perfect Foundation brush.

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1. Blusa Asos; 2. Perfume Love, Chloé; 3. Saia H&M; 4. Pulseira Tous; 5. Carteira Pieces; 6. Bailarinas Chloé; 7. Brincos Marc Jacobs; 8. Rímel Baby Doll, Yves Saint Laurent; 9. Blush Hervana, Benefit; 10. BB Cream Shiseido BB; 11. Pincel Perfect Foundation, Shiseido.

Summer Affair ♥

Summer Affair by catsaffairs


Zara blouse; H&M shorts; Guerlain Shalimar, perfume; Ted Baker earrings; Chanel Emprise nail polish; Bimba & Lola bag; Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 1, 2 & 3 book; RETROSUPERFUTURE sunglasses; Lanvin ballerinas.

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Blusa Zara; Calções H&M; Perfume Shalimar, Guerlain; Brincos Ted Baker; Verniz Chanel, Emprise; Carteira Bimba & Lola; Livro 1Q84 1, 2 e 3 de Haruki Murakami; Óculos RETROSUPERFUTURE; Bailarinas Lanvin.

Hair Affair ♥

Perfect accessories for a perfect hairstyle, all by & Other Stories.

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Acessórios perfeitos, para um penteado perfeito, todos da & Other Stories.

Back...

Yes, it's been a long time, but my blog's still alive...

So, after years of trying everything on earth to make my skin look flawless I decided to get on isotretinoin (Accutane/Roaccutane, Claravis - in Portugal it is called Orotrex). I don't have cystic acne or even severe acne - I have a moderate comedonal acne (with open and closed comedons, mainly on T-zone) that is very persistent (I think I have it for 12 years now) and resistant to the appropriate skin care and topical medication (Isotrexin, Differin, Epiduo...yes, I've been on all that).

After doing my homework (read papers, studies and do my online research) I did the blood tests and started my 6 month course on a 20 mg dose (contraception is MANDATORY and I was already on it). After 20 days I increased the dose to 40 mg/day.

Now, the aim my first post about Accutane (I'm calling it Accutane because is the most common name) is to talk about the side effects and how to minimize them. For those of you who are thinking about taking this drug:

1- Your skin will dry...

I started to get dry skin on day 3 - depending on the weather, on if I wear make-up or not or on how much liquids I drink, my skin flakes a lot or a little. When my skin is not flaking a lot I do my usual routine - clean my skin with a mild gel, spray it with mineral water, use a moisturize and, if i'm going out in the sun light, protect it with solar filter. If my skin is really dry, besides my usual routine, I use a richer cream, specific for extreme dryness, at night. When I get cracked skin, besides all that I apply a specific balsam (like Eucerin Aquaphor).

2 - Your lips will get miserable...

Prepare to spend lots and lots of lip balm - if you are careful enough you can overcome this side efect. When my lips are NOT chapped but are flaking I do a light exfoliation with my toothbrush or with sugar and apply lip balm after...it really helps.

3 - If you wax your upper lip, peel flaking skin, use pore strips, pull out black heads with your fingers or pop zits it will get a mess...

...so, DON'T do it.

4 - Your nose may bleed...

...but a nose hydrating spray/gel will take care of it.

5 - You may loss your appetite...

...but, unless your BMI is extremely low, I don't see a problem in that.


I'm currently on my 31st day of Accutane and I'm so happy I've started it! I didn't have that "inicial flare" yet, and I think that is because I don't have inflammatory acne. My skin has cleared up a lot.

My next post on Accutane will be on my skin routine while on this drug.


Have a nice week :)
 

On BB creams...

After months trying BB creams I finally felt prepared to write about them...

So, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, what is a BB cream?

BB stands for 'Beblesh Balm' or 'Beauty Balm'.

First of all, a BB cream IS NOT a tainted moisturizer or a fond de teint...unfortunately many brands decided to launch 'BB creams' that are very similar to these products...but we'll get there.

A BB cream is mainly a cosmetic product that unifies the skin tone, making it look smooth and healthy - a 'baby skin' effect. The objective is a natural finish, like you don't have make-up at all. 

Most of them claim to have treatment proprieties - yes, they make the skin look good after some months but this is probably because they contain high SPF (sun protection factor) and hydrate the skin, not because some magic secret formula. 

Basically a BB cream is a well balanced mix of a moisturizer, SPF, primer and a little color (to even the skin tone, not to color it!).

Which one to choose?

It depends on your type and tone of skin and the amount of coverage you need.

There are hundreds of BB creams on the market, specially on the Asian one, the main producer and seller of these creams. Now the main European and American brands have launched their BB creams.

The Asian BB creams all have pretty colorful and sparkly packages, kind of royalty names and all of them have millions of proprieties, so it can be really confusing to choose one. For example, Skin79 (on of the top BB creams brands on Asia) has this pretty little board to help you choose the perfect BB cream for you.

The Western BB creams are much easier to choose: usually each brand has only one BB cream with two or three different tones (light, medium, dark).

How to apply it?

I use my BB cream as I would use a primer or a foundation. 

Although it has moisturizer, it doesn't give my skin the hydration it needs, so I apply it after my daily moisturizer. 

I use a small amount and spread it lightly with my fingers and then use a sponge to make it more even. Sometimes, when I have more time, I use a brush. And I don't use foundation on top of it. Some people use it, but I don't see a point in it, at least for me. So, If I need little coverage, I use BB cream, If I need more coverage I use foundation, without BB cream.

So, here are some BB creams I've tried...

♥ Skin79

I ordered this miniature set so I could try the main BB creams from this brand. It brings four 5 g miniatures (enough for a month, if used daily): Hot Pink Super BB, VIP Gold Super Plus BB, Diamond Luminous Pearl BB and Diamond The Prestige BB. Like I said, royalty names.

I found the Hot Pink Super BB to be a little thick. The other three creams were fluid enough for me, the tone being the main difference. So, the VIP Gold Super Plus BB was too yellow (certainly not ideal for european skin) and the Diamond Luminous Pearl BB was way too....pearly - perfect for a night out but definitely not for daily use. So, I felt in love with Diamond The Prestige BB. It has the perfect tone for me and is fluid, very easy to apply.

♥ Estée Lauder

I think this is the closest Western BB cream to what a BB cream should be. Differently from the Skin79 BB creams this one hydrates the skin much better. It has SPF 35 and is available in too shades, light and medium. A little bit overpriced.

♥ Dior

I wouldn't call this one a BB cream. It is somewhere between a tainted moisturize and a regular foundation. Too much coverage, almost no hydration. SPF 30. One (very dark) universal shade, and very expensive. 

♥ Sephora

Like I said, most Western BB creams are very similar to tainted moisturizers...this is another one that looks like one. It is available in two shades, light and medium, both of them very dark. And the SPF is only 15.

♥ Kiko

A pleasant surprise. I though it will be another disappointment, like Sephora BB Cream, but I actually liked it. It is not like the Asian BB creams, but the coverage is thin enough. Besides, it has a wider range of shades - light, natural, rose, medium and dark. And the price is fair enough. Unfortunately SPF is only 15. 

♥ Garnier

Not to much color, but yet, not a true BB cream. A little bit oily in my opinion. It is available in light and medium. SPF 15 only.

♥ Erborian

I really like this one, although it gives a little bit more coverage than those of Skin79. I bought it for those days that I need a little more coverage but I don't feel like covering my face with foundation. It is available in clair and doré shades. It has SPF 25 and leaves the skin really smooth.

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Still have lots of BB creams to try but, for now, I'm sticking with Erborian and Skin79 Diamond The Prestige BB. Yesterday I've purchased the latter here and they delivered it in less than 24 hours! (I live in Portugal and it cames from Spain). Besides that, it came beautifully packed and with samples from other products. I also bought a lemon mascara that smells heavenly.

♥

More here.

Affordable Affairs #2