De-cluttering...(and some storage tips)!!

It is that time of the year again when I freak out and start throwing away and giving away lots of my stuff.
This "activity" is what I like to call de-cluttering and I thought that, this year, I should do a post in order to inspire more people to get rid of things they no longer need or want.
This year, I started off with cleaning out my massive bathroom cabinet which had been bombarded with all sorts of products that I haven't used in a long, long time and/ or products that were empty or had expired.
So, I went through all 4 of my drawers and the roll-top storage cabinet and threw away some stuff.
I also went through my make-up collection and threw away some products that were no longer needed or had expired.
These are some of the products that I got rid of...

Now, I took pictures of the two lipglosses I back-to-maced (there is no such phrase is there?!) because I would like to remind you all to check your products regularly and make sure there is no change in consistency and/ or smell. If there is...then get rid of them ASAP.

Then, I re-organised my products according to frequency of usage and type. For example, on the top left drawer I keep all my hair-related products(brushes, pins, ties etc) and next to the sink I have my perfumes and daily skincare products. Here is a little taste of what I did...

        

The inside of the drawers is not perfect, as much as I would like it to be but at least all my stuff is organized according to what I use them for...!Of course a misc drawer is always a thing and that is O.K.(or at least that's what I keep telling myself).

That is all for today my dear readers. I hope I have inspired you to de-clutter because I promise that once you have you'll feel like a huge weight has been lifted...!

Hope you're all well...

xoxo

A. 

A special post...

A couple of months ago I posted a small text explaining why I had been MIA for a little while. In that post I mentioned that we almost lost a friend and colleague.Today, I will write a bit more about that and share a facebook page with you.

So...Richard Devine is a well known martial artist and wushu champion. On the 17th of March 2012, a couple of weeks before his 23rd birthday, and while he was training on a trampoline, he had a accident which rendered him paralysed from the waist down. Richard and I worked together in Moscow and I have to say that he is one of those people for whom nobody has anything bad to say about. Richard is a well respected colleague and a loving husband and father(he has a 12 month old baby daughter). For the past couple of months his family has been informing us of the progress he has made. It is important to note that he survived a transfer from Moscow to the U.K. and that, at first, he was unable to move from the neck down. He is very strong and we believe in him and wish to support him using any means to our disposal. 

Unfortunately, since I am not, currently, in the U.K. I cannot physically help out but I can definitely share a page created by Richard's brother to support his recovery. 

                                            

                                                https://www.facebook.com/TheDevineJourney

If you want to, take a look at this fb page. I am not asking you to do anything really. However if any of you would like to share the page then please do so. 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this post. 

I will be back with my regular posts in a couple of days.

xoxo

A. 

Bazaar and duty free haul...

Hello Hello,

I am back home(finally) and I couldn't be more excited because this means HOLIDAYS!!!!
How have you been my dear readers? I missed you this past week. I have been doing some shopping which I am going to share with you right now. However before I do I would like to thank and welcome my new followers/ readers. Nooooow on to the haul....!
I only picked up two things from the airport duty free store and both of them are from YSL. Firstly I picked up my mascara (the faux cils in Noir Radical) and a lipstick(Rouge Pure Couture No 6).

The lipstick blended out and simply swatched

Now, I also went to the Estee Lauder/ Sarantis bazaar with Lydia (the blogger behind : Made of Stars  and and one of my best friends) for the third year in a row and even though it wasn't as good as the previous two years I still managed to pick up some interesting stuff which I will share with you riiiiiight now ;)
(You can find last year's haul here, if you'd like to compare my shopping)

Let's take a closer look...

The first thing I went crazy over with a mini Estee Lauder kabuki from their collection with Michael Kors called "Very Hollywood"(the collection, not the brush :P).

Here is a picture...

I also picked up two brushes from MAC.These were part of a collection but I cannot remember and I do apologise for that. These brushes(the 234 and 235) are "split in half" and one side of them consists of natural bristles while the other one consists of synthetic ones. 

          234 - 235

               Synthetic side- Natural Side 

                  Moving on tooooooo lipgloss, I picked up 4....

MAC lipglass in "Wee Coquette", Estee Lauder Pure Colour UltraLight gloss in "Berry Light",

Clinique Vitamin C lip smoothie in "Pick me up" (part of a bundle on 3 mini products including the next product and a lipstick that my mom pinched :P) and last but not least the MAC Suntint in the colour "Full of grace" from the Surf Baby Collection.

Swatches (under natural light)

Moving on to the other mini Clinique product which was in the little bag/bundle. This is the perfect size for your handbag and it is, also, a lovely colour and it is called : Fresh Bloom All Over Colour in No 3/ Almond blossom. 

   

      From left to right: A mixture of the colours, The darkest/bronze shade, The highlight

Next up is a nailpolish I picked up from MAC and it is called "Rain of Flowers" (I think it was from the Venomous Villains Collection but correct me if I am wrong).Unfortunately the picture of the product was deleted by mistake and I have no time to take more pictures but I do have a swatch for you...

Last but definitely not least is a MAC quad in the colour "Parlor Smoke" and it is from one of the Autumn collections. This is a great smokey eye quad with some very nice and unique colours that I didn't already have in my collection :) 

From left to right: Parlor Smoke, Cross Cultural, Indigo Noir and Steel.

 That is all my lovely readers!!What do you think of my haul and the products I picked up!Let me know...

xoxo
A.

Ready for boarding...??!!

I have a "special" post for you today...!I am , finally going home (at some point at the end of this week) and I have been packing like a crazy woman, every night after work. So, today I thought I should do a post on what essentials I will be bringing with me on the plane(mostly beauty and make-up related).

So...I am putting everything in a Body Shop orange mesh make-up bag. I, also, put a small MAC bag(I cut the top off first) inside it just in case something breaks or leaks. 

Now here is a list:

Kleenex hand wipes

Nose decongestant : If you are like me and you have a messed up nose diaphragm and allergies then you might need one of these on a plane.

A mini Chloe perfume

MAC studio fix powder for touch ups

ELF mineral blush in "Coral" for the same reason

A kabuki brush which I cannot find right now hence it not being in the photos

Eye drops because my eyes get really dry when I am travelling

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream because everyone needs an amazing product like this to moisturise dry patches. And you can also use it as a lip balm.

OPI hand and body lotion in coconut and melon which I use as a hand lotion

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine to use as a lip colour

Blotting tissues which I am actually out of and I am going to get some tomorrow 

last but not least my current obsession which is the................(drumroll)

Caudalie Eau de Beaute(beauty elixir)...!I have been sooo obsessed with this the last couple of weeks and I think I'll be doing a review soon(if you guys want one).

That is all my lovely readers.

What do you normally take with you when you travel by plane?Let me know in the comments... ;) 

xoxo

A. 

NOTD featuring Essie's "A crewed Interest" & "Lilacism"

The first step is admitting that you have a problem and........I think I do. I have been buying nail varnish like there is no tomorrow and I really should stop.

But until I do I have a NOTD for you!!I wanted something fun and spring appropriate so I decided on this combination. 

"A crewed interest" is from Essie's spring collection and it is a gorgeous, creamy peach.

"Lilacism" is an all time classic lavender colour from Essie's permanent line. 

Please keep in mind that "lilacism" is not true to colour in my pictures. My blackberry tends to turn purple into blue so this colour looks a lot more blue than lavender. Hopefully you get the concept though.

Hope you like it...let me know ;) 

xoxo

Athina

Summer Chic

Sooo...another quick post for you today!I only just started using POLYVORE and I thought I would share my first collage. It is a little scrappy but it will get better after I master the ability to use the site :p

I thought I could even use these collages to share my beauty wishlists with you as so many other bloggers do. 

Let me know what you think...

xoxo

A. 

NOTD OPI "Ski Teal we drop"

I've got a NOTD for you today featuring OPI's "Ski Teal we drop" nail varnish....
Let me know what you think of this dark creamy teal....!I think it is a great shade actually and I love how it looks against my pale skin...:)

xoxo
A.

April Favourites

It is that time of the month again when all the beauty bloggers and vloggers share their monthly favourites.
So I am hopping on that train riiiight now....!

So here they are:

1. Garnier BB cream (there is a very small amount left)

2. EOS lipbalm in summer fruit (I prefer the lemon one but this month I have been using this one more)

3. Sally Hansen cuticle gel (I looove this product)

4. MAC  "Peaches" blush (lovely colour...an all time favourite of mine)

5. YSL faux cils mascara (another all time favourite)

6. MAC Extra Dimension skinfinish in the colour "Superb" (I have a review of this product here) 

7. Bourjois metalise eyeliner pencil in "Brun Inoxidable" (I have been loving this as an eyeliner)

8. MAC penultimate eyeliner

9. Sigma E25 blending brush

10. OPI "Expert Touch" nail varnish remover

That is all....!!!!!!

I hope you liked my April favourites and I cannot wait to read about your favourites.

xoxo

A.