You nailed it!

MERMAID NAILS

2014-05-27T14:51:00.000+02:00

These nails instantly made me think of a mermaid's tail. I love how they look different shades of green and blue when the light hits them.

I used the white/clear hexagon glitters in the back of this set from Born Pretty Store. A little goes a long way if you don't throw them all on the floor like I did. I did have a nice and glittery floor after that :)

I tried some different combinations on a nail wheel but as you can see it's important to push all the glitters into the nail polish otherwise they're going to stand out or fall off.

I used MAX nail polish in grey, which is sold at the dutch store Action. As you can see the clear hexagons look green and blue over grey nail polish.

1. Polish your nails and let them dry.

2. Apply a top coat on only one nail at a time

3. Dip your nail in the glitter pot or throw the glitters onto your nail.

4. Push the glitters into the top coat

5. Apply a top coat

I really love how it turned out! The set of glitters costs $9,42 and the nail wheel costs $1,49 on Born Pretty Store. I also have a 10% off coupon for you when you enter YNTW10 in the check-out.

SPRING SHOE INSPIRATION

2014-05-09T16:42:00.000+02:00

Hi! Today I have some Spring shoe inspiration for you. I really love Dr. Martens, Jeffrey Campbell Lita's, flower prints, animal prints, black high heels and sandals so there's a mix of these in today's inspiration post.

1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 | 10 11 12 | 13 14 15

The links to the shoes are all above. I'd love to get number 2, 5 and 11. Which ones do you like?

PREVIEW: CATRICE CARNIVAL OF COLOURS LIMITED EDITION

2014-05-04T15:54:00.002+02:00

Unique sceneries, a culture full of passion and pure love for life. The samba, carnaval and soccer, that’s Brazil. This Limited Edition “Carnival of Colours” by CATRICE will warm the hearts of the Brazil fans. This LE will be in store from half june to july 2014.

Baked trio eyeshadow

in C01 Rhythm Of The World, C02 International Anthem en C03 Flag Attack. € 3,89

Ultimate colour lip glosses that look a lot like the ones from Hourglass

in C01 Burning Down The Arena, C02 When I Say Li, You Say Lac…, C03 Go Yellow, Go! en C04 Feel The SpiRED. € 2,99

Ultimate Nail Lacquer

in C01 Team Blue, C02 Viva Brasil, C03 Burning Down The Arena, C04 When I Say Li, You Say Lac…, C05 Go Yellow, Go!, C06 Feel the SpiRED en C07 Black For Gold. € 2,99

Cat eyes eyeliner per

in C01 Black For Gold. € 3,59

Beauty bag
€ 3,59

The colours of this Limited Edition aren't too special, but it's nice if you're searching for basic nail polish colours. I do really like the beauty bag and I'm interested to see how the lip glosses turn out.

What do you think?

TREND UPDATE: CUT-OUT

2014-04-24T12:42:00.002+02:00

I really like to pick the fashion trends that fit my style. I like things that are feminine, but with an edgy and rock-ish twist. One of the trends that really suits this is the cut-out trend. I selected some examples that I put into a moodboard to show what options you can go for.

As you can see there are a lot of different examples with cut-outs in different spots.

Somethimes cut-outs can be too showing, but I think it's nice for a party or a night of going out. A good example is this cut-out dress from Dressale that's now sold for 70% off!

This is a super sweet dress with a nice triangle cut-out. This would be great for a wedding party or even a festival.

This is a more subtle cut-out that's also appropriate for work.

Would you like to win a Dressale item and get a guaranteed $5 off coupon? Like their Facebook page, register an account on their website and post on their Facebook page to win.

How would you wear this trend?

GIVE AWAY WINNER

2014-04-22T17:17:00.000+02:00

Hi ladies! I'm officially an adult now. Woooo!
Like I said, I would announce the winner of my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette on my birthday, so here it is.

The winner is ... Sammy!
Congratulations! I have sent you an email with more details.

Of course there will be another give away in the near future so I'll keep you posted.

I'm going to celebrate by birthday now. Have a nice day yourselves too!

Lots of love! xx

My life in pictures | Spring has sprung!

2014-04-10T20:26:00.000+02:00

If you follow me on Instagram (@reneequekel) you've probably already seen these pictures, but I still wanted to share some moments that I captured in the past few months. Here we go!

Pretty flowers

Lunch: yoghurt, corn flakes and raspberries. Yum!

I went to see Maroon 5 and it was awesome. Adam Levine sure looked fine!

Selfie with my friend Kelly at the Maroon 5 concert.

Oh Amsterdam! I've spent the last few months in Amsterdam since I'm doing my graduation internship there.

My friend Vera and I in a bar

I created a product line for the brand Kneipp! This is a little preview.

Coral gel polish

I found this old picture of when my dog was still a little puppy. She's already turning 9 this May.

With my friend Anne during carnaval. When you get to choose between being a devil or an angel there's no hesitating for me haha. I got a little crazy with a red smokey eye.

A photo diary isn't complete without a picture of the sky! Haha

Here I was doing a scent workshop and smelling all kinds of perfume notes. I'm an intern at Annindriya, they do scent marketing and develop perfumes and it's awesome! They also have a webshop with delicious niche perfumes. You should really take a look! Oh and they also ship international! I love the beauty business but the perfumery business sure is something that I'm really into. I should write more about perfume, right?

A little OOTD

Oats & banana pancakes, I love trying out different mixes.

Here I was taking some random pictures with my new camera. It's a Canon EOS 1100D.

So these were some moments of the first few months of 2014. I had a great time. How was yours?

GIVE AWAY: URBAN DECAY NAKED 3 PALETTE

2014-04-05T13:19:00.000+02:00

To celebrate that I'm turning 21 this month I am giving away the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. It's probably on all of your wish lists so I though that this was the best item I could think of!

What to do

1. Follow me on Bloglovin

2. Comment below telling me whatever you want, just make sure to leave your email adress.

To have a bigger chance on winning you can also follow me on

Twitter

Facebook
Share this post on any social media platform you like

I will choose the winner on my birthday; April 22.

Good luck!

Beauty wishlist

2014-04-04T17:13:00.000+02:00

These are the things that I'm dying to get! I just need to go to England again to get the collection concealer (and to meet a friend!) because I adore it and I even use it as a foundation because the lightest colour matches my skin tone so well. All the other ones are old favorites that I want to rebuy and that are quite easy to buy online or in store. All products are linked to Dutch webshops, so it might be easier to google the products for other webshops if you live somewhere else.

What's on your wishlist?

Matching the moisturizer to your skin type

2014-03-31T15:49:00.000+02:00

Not sure if your existing moisturizer is the right one? It’s simple! Apply your moisturizer fresh out of the shower and let it sink in completely. Before you apply make-up, run your fingers (or even press a tissue) lightly over your face. If there is any residue or grease, your moisturizer is too heavy. Your skin should feel soft, smooth, and mostly matte if you’re using the correct balance of moisture in your daily skincare routine.

If you find that your current moisturizer just isn’t cutting it, here are a few tips on how to find the best one for your skin type.

If your skin is oily:

Opt for something oil-free and look for the words “non comedogenic” which means that it won’t clog your pores. I prefer water-based moisturizers and a gel or lotion texture. These feel extra light and refreshing, yet still hydrating.

If your skin is dry:

Look for a thick cream that works to moisturize skin more intensely and I have found the effects to be more long-lasting than a water-based moisturizers. My skin tends to get very dry in the winter months and so I make sure to add a night cream (without SPF) or a hydrating overnight facial mask to my routine as well to keep things hydrated 24-7.

If your skin lacks moisture:

There is a big difference between a dry skin and a skin that lacks moisture. A dry one has dry patches and needs a thick cream. When your skin lacks moisture it feels tight. It's a good thing to find hydrating cremes that lock in the moisture in stead of a thick cream.

If your skin is sensitive:

Look for things that are dye and fragrance-free. I also love the addition of aloe in a facial moisturizer, which feels soothing. Sensitive skins should also be extra careful to conduct a patch test to look for adverse reactions.

If you are looking to fight wrinkles:

Look for something that includes SPF. Protecting your skin daily from the sun’s rays leading to a much healthier appearance. Trust me, your skin will thank you!

As a final rule of thumb, I am a firm believer in always testing new formulas on the back of my hand before I spread them all over my face. I can tell a lot by how quickly a moisturizer sinks in and how it feels on my skin. I look for that soft, smooth, matte feeling – and it almost never steers me wrong.

Do you have any tips to add?

This article is written by Lara Ramos from HSN. Thank you Lara!

Sammydress brushes & make-up

2014-03-28T13:49:00.000+01:00

Isn't this the prettiest brush? I love the clear handle!

I was browsing on Sammydress looking for a contour brush that was similar to the well known NARS flat bronzer brush that everybody is raving about on youtube. This one came close.

The brush comes in a set with some other ones. Ofcourse they're not real Dior brushes, but it's a handy case.

Next to the bronzer brush, there's a small lip pencil, a short and flat eyeshadow brush. a foundation brush and a powder brush. The brushes do lose some hair while applying make-up, but that's no problem for me considering the price. I especially like the bronzer brush and the other ones are okay for when you run out of clean brushes. Of course they're not comparable to brands like MAC or Zoeva, but they're nice if you want to try out brushes for the first time.

I also bought this eyeshadow palette for €2,98 which is super cheap. The colours are super super soft, well pigmented and blend very well. Because of how soft they are they do have a lot of fall-out, but that's a matter of tapping off your brush before applying the eyeshadow.

As you can see there are some nice shimmery colours and there's a variation from light to dark. There are also some matte and neutral colours in it which I like even better.

You can buy the brush set for €4,68 and the eyeshadow palette for €2,98 at Sammydress.

Disclaimer: the products used in the review were provided to me by the company.

Wake up looking gorgeous

2014-03-22T18:49:00.001+01:00

"I'll sleep when I'm dead." People always say this and I could understand why. School, work, family and a social life take so much of our time that the seemingly mundane act of sleeping just doesn't make it on our to-do list. We spend too much on expensive beauty products when really, the most effective and natural skin care treatment doesn't cost anything at all. And not only is it free, but you can start the regimen as soon as tonight. Yes, you can sleep your way to a better and more beautiful skin. When we sleep, our body goes into repair mode. We wake up feeling refreshed and gorgeous not just because our skin renews itself - old cells get replaced by new ones as we sleep, but also, many skin care products we use tend to work best when we're at rest. A good 7 to 8-hour sleep will also help improve memory, enhance metabolism, boost immune system, and reduce stress levels.

Want a healthy glow in the morning? I hope the following tips on getting a good night's rest help.

- Make your bedroom more comfortable and relaxing - cozy bed, pillows and comforter; lower temperatures; closed curtains.

- Sleep with comfy clothing.

- Wear socks to bed.

- Take a nice bath.

- Drink a nice glass of warm milk.

- Snack if you must but keep it light.

- Stay away from stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.

- Read a good book.

- Ignore your clock, phone, tablet.

- Listen to relaxation CDs.

- Go to bed as early as you can.

- Try to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.

- Exercise regularly and eat healthy.

- Meditate.

- Go to the bathroom before you sleep.

Are you getting enough beauty sleep? I know how difficult it is to squeeze in some shuteye when you're really busy but remember, it's good for you and definitely worth making time for.

This article is written by one of my readers; Hannah. Thank you Hannah!

BIO

Hannah is a frugal living enthusiast, a lipstick addict, and mom to 5 cute furry babies. She runs a website dedicated to offering free health insurance resources.

And the winner is...

2014-03-04T09:32:00.000+01:00

Hi! Thank you all for entering my Sammydress give away.
The winner is... Marianna!

I have sent the winner an email with all the information.
I will be doing another give away really soon!

Give away: Sammydress

2014-02-18T16:00:00.000+01:00

Did you see my other post on my Sammydress clothes? Now you can have the chance to get them too!

Sammydress has selected some items that you can win.

The links for the items are:

http://www.sammydress.com/product1011313.html

http://www.sammydress.com/product985261.html

http://www.sammydress.com/product970180.html

http://www.sammydress.com/product1042281.html

http://www.sammydress.com/product1021044.html

http://www.sammydress.com/product1015777.html

http://www.sammydress.com/product1012269.html

http://www.sammydress.com/product236136.html

What you have to do to win:

1. Like Sammydress on Facebook

2. Leave the product link, size and color in the comment box.

I will choose the winner on March 1st.

Good luck!

CH gel polish

2014-02-16T16:25:00.000+01:00

Gel polish is popping up everywhere. From high end to high street, more and more brands have released gel polish. I really like it because it makes your nails a lot harder which means that they can grow longer and stronger and that gives you more wear out of your polishes.

I tried two gel polishes from CH nail which is sold at Born Pretty Store. I chose the top coat and a bright watermelon colour.

This is number 019. In real life the colour is even brighter. It's quite thick, but that's normal for a gel polish.

Here I used the gel top coat over a normal catrice nail polish called Pebble Beach.

I have to say I'm a big fan of gel nail polish, but sadly this one doesn't stay on as long as other ones I'm used to. It stays on without chipping for about 4 days, which is still a lot for a normal polish, so it's good if you want to try a gel polish that isn't too expensive.

The top coat costs $8,60 and the watermelon colour costs $7,06. They're both sold at Born Pretty Store.

When you enter the code YNTW10 you get 10% off at Born Pretty Store!

OOTD: Sammydress

2014-02-13T16:11:00.000+01:00

Lace Top Sammydress | Statement Necklace Sammydress | Skater Skirt Ebay | Tights Hema | Star Heels Nelly

Hi guys! Today's outfit is about the order I got from sammydress.com. It's a webshop with heaps of fashionable and cheap stuff. Apart from clothes and accessories they also have shoes, bags and make-up. I've been scrolling on this webshop for days because I could not decide what to choose and I still want a bunch of other things too. The top is only €5,67 and the necklace is €4,50. With prices like this it's definitely worth a try right?

Here are some more things that I really like. Can you tell I love black?

If you see some nice things, but are still hesitating, here's a little help to push you over the edge. When you enter the code ITRYPARTNER you get 9% off your purchase. I will do another blog post on their make-up as well. Enjoy shopping!

Catrice Feathers & Pearls LE

2013-11-10T10:25:00.000+01:00

Oh how I love all the holiday collections of beauty brands! From this December to January Catrice will release their Feathers & Pearls collections which - like the name says - is full of feathery patterns and glittery pearls. Take a look at all the prettyness that's coming to us.

Eye palette Hollywood's golden age EUR 4,99

Lash & eye sparkling gel EUR 3,39

Clear brow fixing pen EUR 2,89

Lashes for gold EUR 3,99

Skin pearls EUR 3,59

Roaring lip colour EUR 3,99 Charleston's fame, Roaring red, Josephine's joy

Ultimate nail lacquer EUR 2,99 in Flapper style & Golden twenties

Charleston's fame & Roaring red

Running wild

Nail sequins EUR 2,99 Golden twenties & Running wild

I'm super excited about this collection. I love the nail sequins and the eye palette and all the colours are basic good colours like reds with a couple of glamour details.

What do you think?

How to: fix broken powder

2013-10-17T14:17:00.001+02:00

What I look for in a bronzer is for it to be matte and to fit my skin tone. For a pale girl like me the last part isn't too easy. Luckily I found a pretty good one at Sephora which you can see below. Actually it's a mattifying compact pressed powder that I got a hundred skin tones too dark, in number 56 mahogany to be specific, and it's awesome. The best part? It smells like chocolate. Yes ladies, let me just repeat that: it smells like chocolate! Since Sephora left the Netherlands it's not that easy anymore to get my hands on this bronzer. I can't even find it online anymore, so you can imagine I wasn't too happy when I found this baby all broken in my beauty case. Luckily there was a way to fix it. After posting this picture on instagram I received some questions about how I fixed it so here it is!

What you need
- Broken compact powder, bronzer, blush, eyeshadow etc.
- Alcohol, the pure version, not the beverage! :) You can buy it at any drugstore, for example in the Netherlands you can get it at Etos or Kruidvat.
- A knife

What to do
1. Get your broken powder and break it a little more with a knife.
2. Pour in the pure alcohol.
3. Mix the powder and the alcohol with a knife.
4. Spread it out with a knife until it's a smooth surface. Mine looked - and even smelled - like chocolate mousse.
5. Let it sit for a night until it's dry.
6. There you have it, your fixed powder like it's brand new!

I hope your sad and broken make-up back home will get a second chance!

Change your habits: Change your skin and nails

2013-09-18T11:04:00.002+02:00

Summer is a time of real fun, of going out with friends, relaxing, chilling out and generally having a good time. Aside from the holiday season - which we're slowly moving on to - it’s probably the one part of the year that everyone truly tries to cut loose and enjoy themselves, especially if there are lots of drinks on offer. This, can, however, have a bit of an impact on the look of your skin and nails and leave them feeling a bit worse for wear. Here’s the lowdown on what drinking can do to your skin and nails and how best to help yourself if you’re struggling with a good-time beauty hangover!

How alcohol affects our skin and our nails
You know, in moderation, alcohol can be a good thing for us, especially if you like a nice glass of red wine. Wine, in particular is full of body friendly anti-oxidants which, in the long term can help us in the fight against all sorts of different health conditions and illnesses like heart disease, cancer and stroke. When it is drunk, in small amounts (we’re not talking bottles here!) it can really be of benefit to us. However, it’s when people start to drink to excess over long periods of time that health problems can start to manifest and become more apparent.

The most obvious thing to say about drinking alcohol is that it dehydrates you. You know when you’ve had a big night out and you wake up the next day, look in the mirror and you feel like you’ve aged ten years? That’s what it does to you. When you’re dehydrated your skin starts to dry out and you'll need to use so much moisturiser it’s untrue. The same will happen to your nails – they may look parched and over time start to break and split more often, which means you need more hand cream and nail oils to help them repair properly.

It’s a sad fact, but after the age of eighteen, the skin starts to lose two really important elements which set us on the road to (eek) ageing. Collagen and Elastin begin to deplete as we hit our late teens and the more you drink, the quicker those reserves will go as alcohol effectively destroys the ‘fibers’ of these two things in our skin. One final thing that happens is that we also start to lose something called Hyaluronic Acid. This is another chemical that keeps our skin looking plumped and radiant – you’ve probably heard it being talked about in beauty magazines as it’s an important skincare ingredient, used in eye creams and serums. Again, once we start to overindulge, the rate we lose this starts to increase and we need to find ways to replace it.

Some people might find that their skin starts to look red or develop high colouring, especially round the cheeks or nose. Sometimes there might also be acne type spots that accompany it and the skin might feel warm or raised when touched. Over time, what tends to happen is that the alcohol will bring the really small blood vessels in the skin closer to the surface which increases the redness. As we age, these can turn into broken capillaries and spider veins, which might require help from a dermatologist to correct.

This is exactly how I feel after drinking a bit too much

Look after yourself
First of all, it’s really important to say that for the most part, drinking is something that people find fun and social and a nice way to relax an unwind. If however you’re finding that drinking is perhaps becoming an issue, then it can help to find someone to talk to, either a trusted friend, doctor or even from a proper alcohol treatment facility in which you can get the help you need. You shouldn’t suffer alone. Seeing the effects alcohol has on your skin is one thing, but making sure that you’re truly healthy in body and mind is equally as important. When you have a drink or two, take note of the way it makes you feel and the effects you notice the day after. It’s only then that you can really see how much it affects the condition of your skin. It’s from there that you can start to look at your beauty routine and find the best way of treating any problems that arise!

I just couldn't spare you this one haha

How to help your skin and nails
First of all, after a big night out, make sure you’re properly hydrated the next day. Water is the key here – and drinking five to eight glasses during the course of the day should go some way to helping you feel less sluggish, headachy and tired. What you do to your skin is the next step.

Hungover skin needs proper cleansing, toning and moisturising, twice a day. You should really be doing this religiously anyway, but it really is more important after a night out. As you apply your cleanser, use gentle upward sweeping movements to not only loosen dead skin and get your face clean, but to get the blood flowing to the surface and make you feel more awake. Follow this with your toner and moisturiser.

Again, when you apply your cream take care to use massage on your skin so that it penetrates better and your skin looks plump. During the evening, as part of your cleansing routine, add in a gentle exfoliant to remove dead skin cells and follow with a moisture mask, which you should leave to sink in and do its job.

my favourite; Lush lemony flutter

Treat your hands and nails to the same – any left over exfoliant from your face, use on your hands to slough away dead skin and follow with a rich, luxurious hand cream, paying attention to massaging it into the cuticles and nails themselves. A nail oil, something like almond or apricot oil is full of nourishment and can help stop the nails from splitting and breaking as you start to recover.

Ofcourse I'm not a saint either and I can't deny that I like to drink some myself, but it's good to be aware of the effects of alcohol on your body and especially on the nice parts for a beauty lover; your skin and nails. So have fun, but not too much!

images: tumblr. context: Jennifer Lewis

Switch to Bloglovin'

2013-07-01T23:17:00.000+02:00

Hi sweethearts,

I just wanted to let you all know that Google Friend Connect is shutting down by tomorrow so that means that I will lose all of my lovely followers. And that's not the way we like it! So if you'd still like to follow me please do that on Bloglovin'. All you need to do is click here and we'll be reunited!

Thank you! xx Renée

Nail polish wall! + To all my Dutchies

2013-04-02T20:54:00.001+02:00

Today is the day to use my lovely beauty network. Since you're the exact right target group for a little 10 question long questionnaire about beauty and fashion I would looove you to fill it in if you're Dutch! http://bit.ly/11i1lmH You're the best!

Anddddd. I'm working on my polish wall. I've already put up 3 shelves that fit 40 Catrice-sized bottles each but I will defenitely need more than 9 shelves to fit everything in. I've stopped counting at 300 so it's getting real bad. It's so much fun to colour coordinate them! That will be my weekend project.

Essence advent calendar

2012-11-28T11:49:00.001+01:00

Hi beauties!

There's going to be a cool essence advent calendar on the essence website again this year with lots of prizes, diy and make-up tips starting from the 1st of december. not long now ...

Each day you can answer a question on their website to win a prize. I love this sharing initiative

The magic dr. Bronner

2012-11-23T13:22:00.000+01:00

All of my US followers probably already know this brand but a lot of other don't. This is a really nice brand with a story.

A piece of history
A while ago I was at a cosmetics fair where I spoke to a very enthousiastic guy who's the fifth generation of the soap making Bronner family. He was that excited that he instantly gave me some products to test and told me his family history.

Born in 1908 in Germany, Emanuel Bronner was the third generation of the family of soap makers and a far family member of the guy I spoke to. The Bronnr family has been making soap since 1858 and was the first ever to create the wellknown piece of soap that's still in our sinks today. A couple years later the world war II struck and he fled to the US. Unfortunately his family stayed behind and passed because of the war. Emanuel continued the business in the US. In 1997 he died, but this family kept on working for the brand.

Fair
The products are fair trade and not tested on animals. The containers are made of 100% recycled materials, the ingredients are 100% organic and the products have received a list of good labels. Emanuel Bronner even attached that much importance to being fair that he always travelled business class when he needed to fly. A little detail: he was almost 2 meters long!

Magic Soaps
After this history class I'll quickly go over to the products. First up are the Pure-Castile Soaps. A nice details is that the story of Dr. Bronner is on the containers and so are his quotes. The soap is made of pure castile soap which is a fully natural and ecological soap that doesn't contain any animal fats. Most soaps do. Ew.

The cleaning ingredient is not a bad cleaner like SLS, but it's saponified coconut. We all know how nourishing coconut oil is. Then it only contains other good stuff like oils and vitamins. There are no synthetical thickeners in it so the soap is a little more fluid than you're used to.

18-in-1!
We've all seen the 3-in-1 products but 18-in1?! Because of the pure ingredients it's possible. Together with his fans Dr. Bronner made up a list of uses for the soap.

1. Shaving. 1 part of soap and 2 parts of water. It's a little slippery but it works!
2. Shampoo. Wash your hair like usual. It works really well but it makes your hair less smooth because it contains no silicones and other synthetical softeners. Just use a conditioner and it's solved.
3. Brushing your teeth. Yes really, it's possible. I played safe and went for the peppermint version. It foams even more than normal toothpaste and is better for your body and the environment. Just look up what's in your toothpaste. No thank you. It does taste a bit off but still like peppermint. My teeth felt really clean afterwards.
4. Showergel. It works! But that's no surprise.
5. Hot towel massage. Add 3 drops of soap to a hot towel. Put it on your face and massage it.
6. Bath. A couple of drops make you foam away! !
7. Deodorant. I was a little sceptical about this one. Soap as a deodorant? Add 2 ml to a spray bottle of about 125 ml water and add Himalaya salt. I didn't try this one but it might just work.
8. Mouth freshener. Use your home made deodorant from above to keep a fresh breath. Just to make sure; don't use a regular deodorant!
9. Mouth wash. Add 2 drops to a glass of water.
10. Baby washgel. This is a mild soap so baby skin can handle it. There's also a version without perfume.
11. After-shave. Use your deodorant/mouth wash as an after-shave to get rid of the ichy feeling you get after shaving. The men around me didn't buy it so I should try it on my own legs.
12. Hand soap. Need to explain?
13. Washing your clothes. Use a fourth of a cup and add it to your washing machine.
14. Foot bath. Add a spoonful of soap to some hot water and start soaking. The peppermint and tea-tree versions work refreshing and healing.
15. Animal wash gel. I can't imagine my dog to like the smell of peppermint so I didn't try this one. Considering the ingredients this is possible with another scent.
16. Fruit and vegetable wash. Even your food gets the dr. Bronner treatment! De soap removes the bacteria from your food. Again I wouldn't choose the peppermint version but the baby version without perfume oils.
17. Plant and garden spray. 1 teaspoon of soap added to a litre of water makes sure the bugs will stay away from your food garden.
18. Multi-cleaner in house. Scrubbing floors won't be boring anymore! Using lavender or almond will be nice for a fresh or ginger bread smell in your house.
19. Make-up brush cleaner! I came up with a number 19 myself. I think this stuff is awesome as a brush cleaner because of the soft cleaners and the oils in it. I usually use a baby shampoo which also does the job, but this is even better and less harsh.

If we have to believe Dr. Bronner and his fans we don't need anything else anymore. As far as I could test them, all of the 19 uses do the job. I really like the peppermint scent and it's perfect for me as an anti-morning person. It's nice to wake up with in the shower because it's fresh and tingly because of the peppermint oil. And when you're in the shower don't hesitate and start multi-tasking! Give your hair, body, teeth and shower curtain a quick wash too! One thing: don't use it too much because then the scent will make you nauseous after a while.

This 236 ml bottle costs €9 which is decent for a magic multi-tasker. The smallest 59 ml bottle costs €3. The biggest 994 ml bottle costs €19,95.

Conclusion
I adore the enthusiasm of the Dr. Bronner family and I really like their products and their story. I will show you the other products later which I really like too.

Depending on where you live you can buy it in stores (US and Asia) and almost anywhere in the world on the internet. Just google it!

Review: Colgate Max White One

2012-11-17T20:20:00.000+01:00

Hi guys! Today I've got a review for the new Colgate Max White One products for you. Next to your hands (which you know I like to write about!), your teeth are your trademark too so I was very willing to try if these products work. While I was writing this review it got me thinking about smiling and the meaning of it so I got inspired and decided to make a little video!

To me a smile means so much. On one hand it's just a little gesture, you're just being polite. But on the other hand it can mean so much to someone if you just smile to them. Somethimes I'm cranky and nothing seems to go right, at that point when someone I don't know smiles at me I'm like "Well it's not all that bad" and I instantly feel better. A smile is also a big way of expressing yourself. A smile is something people instantly see. It shows how well you take care of yourself and it's your trademark. I hope to encourage you to just smile! It's not hard and it can lift you and other people up. Wear your smile with confidence! And gain confidence by having a bright smile! I actually even went to the dentist to shoot this video haha.

On to the review. I got a press box full of things for the new Colgate Max White One line that was released in September at our local drugstores Kruidvat and Trekpleister for all the Dutchies. Ofcourse I couldn't help myself so I had to paint my nails Colgate red.

Hi there! When I opened it up I saw a mirror and a cute post-it from the nice PR woman Lotte. I love those little personal things. Thank you! I think I'll use this mirror for a little DIY project and glue it in a closet or something.

The inside of the box. There's a moleskine looking notebook, an awesome red clutch, a little white mirror and then the products that it's all about: the tooth paste, the tooth brush and the mouth water.

Accessories

The clutch which will be my new friend for going out | The note book | The inside of the book | The little mirror.

Colgate Max White One Toothpaste
First up: the tooth paste that will supposedly make your teeth one shade whiter in one week. I like that thought! I've had braces for a couple years and I take great care of my teeth to keep them how they are. As you can see I've used quite a lot of it already because I've been using it for about 2/3 weeks.

The toothpaste contains little whitening crystals that get rid of the little spots on your teeth. I really like the taste of the tooth paste. It's real peppermint instead of spearmint or something else that a tooth paste sometimes tastes like, which I don't like at all. Just give me the peppermint :) The tooth paste costs €3,99 which is a decent price for me.

Colgate Max White One Tooth brush

You already had a little preview of the tooth brush on the previous picture, but here you can see what's special about it. The brush has so called whitening cups that brush your teeth a little harder and better. I really feel it while brushing and I don't know if it's just me but I feel like my teeth are cleaner than usual.

The back of the brush has a rubber tongue "scraper." I usually use the regular hairs of the brush for scraping my teeth and cheeks but I have to admit that this feels a little less harsh and works fine. The tooth brush costs €3,79.

Colgate Max White One Mouth water

Then there's the mouth water which has the same taste as the tooth paste. A lot of mouth waters make it close to impossible to keep them in your mouth for the recommended time, but this one does the job. It's fresh but not eye-popping and cheek-explosing fresh so I like that!

It's bright blue and somehow that always makes me think of a bright sunny ocean. Nice little detail. The mouth water costs €6,49.

Sensitive teeth

My teeth are quite sensitive so I actually expected my teeth to respond badly to these products but they surprisingly didn't at all! I didn't notice any pain or sensitivity.

Result

This is a before and after with about 2/3 weeks between it. The first picture doesn't look as good as the second (not looking at the shade of my teeth). Judge for yourselves.

Colgate makes me smile!

Conclusion

My teeth feel really clean after using the products and stay like that for a longer time than usual. I think it's a combination of the whitening crystals in the tooth paste and the whitening cups in the tooth brush. Then the mouth water gets rid of bacteria so people won't faint when they come near you. I didn't notice any big differences in the colour of my teeth but I do feel like they have whitened a little. These products are not for an instant white smile, but I don't think you should want that either and it's not good for your teeth at all. I will definitely use these products up and I'm thinking about buying them again. I'm still a little suspicous about whitening products and I want to warn you for them too because they can have severe consequences for your teeth if you don't do it right. Take a good look at the product and the ingrediënts before using a whitening product.

+ The products just do their job. They're nice for brushing and rinsing your mouth

+ I feel like my teeth look a little better

+ My teeth feel cleaner and stay like that for a longer time than usual
+ The products taste and smell nice

- The price is a little higher than a drugstore brand, but not super expensive

- The ingredients aren't natural at all, but that's not what you're going for when you're using whitening products.

Just smile!

You can enter to win a Max Over worth €2000 with carreer coaching, an iPad, a photoshoot and more! Just like the Dutch Colgate Facebookpage to see!

Up to the test: Skin 79 BB cream

2012-10-30T16:33:00.001+01:00

In the Netherlands too, it's impossible to miss these little wonder cremes. Big brands are constantly producing them and the smaller brands and drugstore brands are also releasing their versions.

What is BB Cream?
You probably already know but I'll give a short explanation. The words Renée and short don't really match (exept for my height!) but I'll try. In 1960, the German dermatologist Dr. Christine Schrammek discovered a formula for a creme to protect her patients' skin after surgery. Around 1985 Korean actrices and celebrities started using the BB creams. They were seen as their beauty secret and that resulted in a huge BB cream hype. It did take 52 years for it to come to Europe though.

Skin 79 I chose Skin 79 because I have a very light skin tone. The western creams are way to orange for me and a lot of Asian ones are too gray. I've read a lot of good reviews on the Super Plus Triple Functions one from Skin 79. It has a pink undertone so that's perfect for me.

Skin 79 is made by Cosmax Inc which has an Ecocert label. Which means that 95% of the ingredients are natural and 10% is organic. I ordered a 40 ml bottle but I got three 15 ml bottles which is more and easier to hold. I like how the BB cream comes in a bottle instead of a jar because it takes less preservatives to keep it how it needs to be.

Really Ecocert?
The list of ingredients is huge! I was kind of sceptical about how natural this BB cream is despite of the Ecocert label. Is it green washing? I looked up all the ingredients and I spot a lot of plant and herb extracts. It also contains a lot of natural solvents and colouring, softening -and mattifying substances.

ParabensDespite of the fact that the BB cream is in a bottle with a pump there are a couple of parabens in it. Methylparaben and propylbaraben to be exact. This is a cheap preservative of which is said that it carcinogenic, stays in your blood stream for 5 days and can arouse allergic reactions. Both parabens come from fruit, but these parabens are synthetically manufactured so it's still not that natural.

These parabens are at the bottom of the ingredient list so they can barely do any harm, but I still don't like having this on my skin. There are a lot of natural substitutes that can be used so there's no need for parabens. Ecocert claims to not approve of parabens to be in their products so I put on my inspector Gadget glasses and emailed Skin 79 and Ecocert. Apparently Ecocert does work with Skin 79 but thelabel isn't on their BB creams. That wasn't clearly told on their website at all so that is a little misleading. Still most of the ingredients in the BB cream are natural.

The BB cream spreads out nicely and isn't too thick. It makes my skin look very opaque and decreases redness. As you can see my small birthmarks are covered but the really dark ones aren't. This is good for me because I don't want to have a pancake look. You can easily build opacity in layers if you want to though.

Here you can see my skin before applying the BB cream. It is quite red as you can see but it's covered after applying. Sadly enough, this BB cream is for a normal to greasy skin and my skin is very dry so I really need to apply a thick and moisturizing cream before wearing this one. When you have greasy skin I can recommend you to use some (mineral) powder afterwards but when your skin is dry please don't. It'll only accentuate the dryness..

I apply the BB cream with my Zoeva buffing brush because it decreases the barbie look Zelf breng ik de BB cream aan met een buffer kwast van Zoeva, klik hier voor mijn review.

If you have a greasy and light skin with a pink undertone this BB cream is the one for you! It costs €20,49 for 40 ml which isn't much if you ask me! The Dutchies kan buy it here. You can also buy it on ebay.

What's your favourite BB cream?

My latest make-up looks

2012-09-02T14:43:00.000+02:00

At the moment I'm sporting this awesome manicure. I layered two coats of H&M Hello Kitty Silver over one coat of Kinetics Missing Link. Ofcourse I topped it off with a thick layer of topcoat. Because of all the glitter it doens't chip fast and you all know I like that!

This is starting to become my signature look. I have only worn mascara for a long time but I started to adore eyeliner. I've been using the Essence eye base to seal in my look. Then the Catrice waterproof liquid eyeliner and this is the BEST I've tried so far. It dries very fast and creamy and when it's on your eyes there's no going back! So you have to be quick if you want to remove some excess with a q tip. It has a veryyyy thin brush and the brush is quite hard so you can put it on your eyelid without it bending all ways and ruining your look. Then I use three different Sephora mascaras. 1. Sephora lash plumper - for thicker lashes 2. Sephora advanced lash booster - it really lengthens my lashes 3. Sephora Le waterproof - for a waterproof and rain-stain free look. :) I should find a mascara that does all in one right? But I'm a Sephora addict and this is a nice combination for me because I still create a big mess while applying mascara. So I can easily remove excess mascara and then gently apply the waterproof mascara without messing up.

Just had to show this one. You know it's true.

Leopard konad nails.

Here I'm wearing Manhattan 78T which is a teal creme and a dupe of P2 Dangerous. I'm photographing myself in my - now empty - bottle of DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom. Oh how I love you.

Here I did an ombre sponge manicure with Essence Season of Extremes LE 'Did someone say nude?' and Catrice Oceana LE 'Pebble Beach'. Here I still had to apply a topcoat to fade out the hard lines. It looked way better in real life, really :P

Your favourite: Kiko 270 over MAX Black

I'm working on the update of my polish stash and I'm scared to see the final number of polishes. Anddd I finally got my steph dad to like the idea of a nail polish rack so he's planning on making one for me. Ofcourse with my help :)