I Turned 30 This Week & This Is How I Celebrated

That's right, the big 3-0! Happy birthday to me! This post is going to be a bit of a departure from all the recent product reviews; something more along the lines of 'A Week in Photos' series I once wanted to do on the blog so you could get to know me a little better on a personal level. As you may know from this ramble, or may have realized along the way, I don't post hauls here anymore. I know that 'What I Got for My Birthday' posts or videos are always click-worthy (and certainly a great way for the birthday person to look back on their special day), but I wanted to share something different instead: all the fun and extraordinary experiences I've had this week to celebrate the occasion. This is not to say that I haven't received (or bought for myself) any gifts - it's just to shift the focus a little bit from 'having' to 'doing'. I hope you enjoy!

On Labor Day (Monday), my husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. In general, we're not big on anniversary presents but we like treating ourselves to a fun night out together. This year we've been going to quite a few concerts; not those crowd-packed dancing by the stage type rowdy affairs because we're much too introverted for that, but more of a 'seated at the table, enjoying cocktails/ snacks and listening to live music' type of events. So for our anniversary, we booked a table at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola to listen to Robin Eubanks & the Mass Line Big Band. We love going to jazz concerts but it just so happens that we've never seen a big band performance before, so it was a very memorable experience. We were seated right by the window (the venue is located in Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle) so we could also enjoy the view of the park and shimmering lights of the city in the distance. Since cocktails are out at the moment (I'm 8 months pregnant and Mr is taking antibiotics), we decided to order dinner, and I was very pleasantly surprised by my vegan 'risotto cake' entree. Even though the dish was a simple combination of rice and veggies, it packed a ton of flavor from heirloom tomato sauce and firm, lightly sauteed pieces of squash and green beans. If you're a fellow New Yorker - or visiting - and you like jazz music, I definitely recommend Dizzy's.

On Tuesday, I relaxed at home and tried not to get too caught up on my regular to-do list. I didn't do anything special, but I wanted to take some time to pamper myself in the evening. I redid my badly chipped manicure - I opted for a never before worn bottle of Zoya Toni, a dark blackberry plum shade. I love those vampy shades on the nails but then I sort of ruined the mani by applying an old and gloopy top coat, which now - 48 hours later - is still not completely hardened and causing bed sheet creases and the like. Lesson learnt; and needless to say the top coat went straight into the empties bag. In the evening, I took a soothing cool shower using some new products I recently ordered from Ulta (even though I still think body scrubs are not absolutely necessary in my routine, I really enjoy my repurchase of Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub), and applied a luxuriously hydrating face mask from Laneige (reviewed here). I currently tend to get very tired at night and can't get out of the bathroom fast enough before I fall asleep, but I really wanted to do a little something for myself and loved looking at my freshly polished nails.

On Wednesday (my actual birthday) I had a doctor's appointment in the morning to check up on the baby bean. You guys may think it was silly of me to go to the doctor on my birthday - I mean, people generally don't find doctor's visits very alluring - but I quite like going to my obstetrician. The entire office is friendly and efficient, but most of all, I get to hear baby's heartbeat and feel reassured that he's doing just fine in there. I also learnt that his head is very low now, so that's probably the reason right there why I have to get up every 2 hours at night for a trip to the bathroom, lol. On my way back, I stopped at a Sephora store to redeem my free birthday gift and have a little look around. I purchased Sephora brand Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes to pack in my hospital bag, and was seriously tempted by Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick, but decided to put it on my wishlist for the November VIB sale instead. My cashier that day was genuinely kind as well - we had a nice chat about Zoya polishes, and she assured me the make-up wipes were really good :)

On my walk home from the subway station, I went into Sugarcube Patisserie in Long Island City for a decadent sweet treat. I opted for their tasting menu of handmade gelato + pastry, and I ordered a small latte to balance out the sweetness. I've had their gelato before and thought it was excellent - this time I got hazelnut as well as mango & passionfruit sorbet - and the Middle Eastern-inspired cheesecake I chose for my pairing didn't disappoint either. I'd definitely recommend Sugarcube for a sweet treat if you're ever in the area; but mind you, the pairing is a very large dessert and I kinda wished I could share it with someone :)

When I got home I had some PR packages waiting for me, and it just never gets old for me you guys - opening those up always feels like Christmas. But I satisfied myself with a quick peek and turned on the laptop to Skype with my parents, who wanted to wish me happy birthday 'in person'. In general, it was a day of long-distance video calls: later on I also FaceTimed with my brother, and then with my best friend late in the evening. I felt touched that they all remembered and wanted to chat on the day. I also received lots of birthday emails, and again really appreciated the thought - lots of people prefer now to write something quick on your Facebook wall and while that's nice, I don't really use Facebook anymore so I was doubly thankful a lot of people remembered that and chose to send an email instead. Other than that, I relaxed, watched some YouTube, and did a quick spot of blogging - I guess the latter was the most productive part of my day.

After my husband came back home from work in the late evening, he surprised me with an entire cake from one of my favorite French bakeries in the city, and he also bought 30 candles for me to blow out. I'm obviously not telling you my birthday wish - but I did manage to blow out all thirty in one go :) He also gave me a gift certificate to a nail salon in our neighborhood, which I was super happy to receive - while I still enjoy doing my own manis, at-home pedicures are nigh on impossible with my very large watermelon belly, and I would definitely like to squeeze one more in before I deliver. Apparently the certificate is also only part of the gift; he wanted to give me something while we're waiting for the other part to come in the mail. It's all very mysterious and I love the anticipation - it makes the present that much more exciting :)

Overall, I had a perfectly beautiful, peaceful and happy birthday. I felt pampered and cherished and even though we did not have some huge celebration, it was exactly how I wanted it. Early in the week, I also indulged in some online shopping: I ordered two make-up bags from Korean brands in incredibly cute patterns (I'll definitely show them to you once they get here, but as they're being shipped from South Korea, it will take a few weeks), and placed an order at The Body Shop for some bath and body products - I have been missing having their body butter in my stash, and I'm really unhappy with my current make-up remover so I got their Silky Cleansing Oil among other things. Oh - and I also bought lots of new knickers from Aerie. My current underwear is a state - and mostly too small to boot.

There you have it - I hope you enjoyed this glance into my birthday week. In case you're wondering if I feel any different or perhaps a little sad not to be 20-something anymore, than my answer would be no: I guess to me it doesn't feel like a milestone, it just feels like another date. I enjoyed my twenties, but I think my thirties are going to bring even better and bigger things; you know, what with the arrival of a new family member and taking on a whole new role in my life. Also thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday on Instagram/ Twitter - I never cease to appreciate your guys' support and kind words. Thank you for reading!

What's In My Shower

I don't believe I've ever shared my shower routine on the blog; it probably has something to do with the fact that I'm predominantly a bath person, but recently I've started going to the gym and so the need for a post-workout shower has arisen - and at any rate, I use pretty much the same products when I shower as I do when I bathe. Having trudged through this completely superfluous introduction, we can now jump straight to the products I keep in my shower/ bathtub!

Starting with bodycare, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a bar soap person and much prefer the convenience of a shower gel. To that effect, I've been using the Pacifica Sulfate-Free Body Wash in Malibu Lemon Blossom for a better part of this year; even though cost per bottle is quite high compared to drugstore shower gels, I find that it lasts a really long time, and most importantly, it's very gentle and non-drying on the skin. The Kneipp In Shower Body Lotion in Black Currant & Pomegranate is the newest addition to my routine; it was a gift from my brother this past Christmas but I just started using it. I expected it to be something along the lines of Lush Body Conditioners or the Nivea In Shower lotion, but it's actually a shower gel and body lotion in one - or simply put, a moisturizing body cleanser that doesn't lather. I'm really liking the different texture and cassis smell, but I've read online that a tube doesn't last long.

I've talked about the Haus of Gloi Bubbling Scrubs numerous times on the blog - it's still one of my absolute favorite body scrub formulas, and the scent Twice is Nice is a delicious concoction of sugar, butter and coconut. I was curious about the 'Fresh Cream' fragrance of this Philosophy Hand Wash when I spotted it at TJMaxx, but it turned out to be just okay; I use this as a bubble bath, by the way. You can use any type of a foaming product as a bubble bath: a shower gel, hand wash, even shampoo, if you so desire - it's a good tip if you have a backstock of products that you want to use up a bit faster.

Now for my haircare, the MoroccanOil Clarifying Shampoo and the Goldwell Rich Repair hair mask both date back to when I used to work in a hair salon, which marked the peak of my interest in hair products. But ultimately, I'm really not a 'hair person' - I just can't be bothered. So even though both of these are lovely products, I'm working on finishing them up and eliminating clarifying shampoos and hair masks from my routine.

My current shampoo and conditioner combo is by the brand OGX (formerly Organics), which has great sulfate-free options at the drugstore. Since my hair is fine and I'm always looking for ways to increase volume in my strands, I opted for the Biotin & Collagen Shampoo - it cleanses very well without stripping. One tip to remember about sulfate-free shampoos is that they don't foam as much as regular shampoos, which is why I find them more effective when I shampoo twice: first with a small dollop to lift most of the dirt and grease, secondly with a slightly bigger dollop to really lather up and massage the scalp. I follow with the Coconut Water Conditioner, which is good, but I'm not too particular about conditioners - nearly any will do in my book.

Lastly, the pink razor you see in the first photo is by Dorco, which makes fantastic razors and cartridges at less than half the price of Gillette or Schick razors. If shaving is your preferred method of hair removal, I strongly recommend you to check out Dorco's website - I was sick of paying around $25 every time I need a new pack of cartridges for my Venus razor, and now I don't have to (so you know, more money for make-up...?).

And that's it! Let me know if you have any questions about these products, and please comment down below with what is your current favorite shower product. Thank you for reading!

Everything's Coming Up Roses...

... but no, I mean it - just about everything. You guessed it: it's all because of the dreaded Valentine's Day, or Cupid's Day of Doom as I like to call it; well, maybe not exactly, but you might have correctly inferred that I harbor a strong dislike for February 14. I DO like roses though, so I thought we could meet in the middle - you'll be conjuring images of glitter, pink hearts and romantic dinners, if that's your thang, and I'll just talk about one of my favorite flowers. Deal? Or does everyone hate me now?

Anyhow. I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but it turns out I have a good variety of rose-centric beauty products - I won't lie, I mostly enjoy using them due to the sweet but sophisticated, feminine floral aroma, although rose (or more specifically, rose essential oil and rosehip oil) has a number of skin loving properties too. Rather nifty coincidence, right?

Starting with skincare, I've waxed lyrical about the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum ($54 for 30ml/$150 for 100ml) before, but here's a quick recap: it's a beautifully-scented hydrating serum rich in natural ingredients including anti-aging rosa canina fruit oil (rosehip oil), which helps to diminish scars, lighten pigmentation and nourish dry skin. I've also recently picked up a bottle of organic Rose Hydrosol from Mountain Rose Herbs ($4.50 for 3 oz spray bottle); hydrosols or flower waters are by-products of essential oil steam distillation and offer all the beneficial components of a whole plant. Rose hydrosol/ rosewater has antibacterial properties, helps balance sebum production and tighten pores, calms and relieves anxiety. I like best using it as a toner or a natural pillow spray.

My rose-scented bath selection includes an old favorite, Lush's Rose Jam Bubbleroon ($6.25 for 3.5 oz), previously metioned here (thank you Kar Yi for reuniting me with it!), and a new find: Neom Organics Complete Bliss Bath Oil ($56 for 100ml) with Moroccan Blush Rose, a perfectly relaxing, moisturizing treat. In terms of scent difference, Lush's Turkish rose is a bit sweeter, jammier and more edible, while Neom's Moroccan rose smells greener, sharper, more rose geranium. To complete our rose world tour, I was gifted this Bulgarian rose soap by my mom; this hot pink bar smells like garden rose petals, fresh, clean, slightly musky. The soap came in a set with a little vial of rosewater, which I can't wait to use for scenting pot pourri sachets or in a diffuser.

While browsing The Body Shop's hand cream offerings, I couldn't resist a purse size tube of their Wild Rose Hand Cream ($20 for 3.3 fl oz/100 ml, I believe my smaller size was $10). This luscious cream contains rosehip and brazil nut oil (by the way, I love The Body Shop's Brazil Nut Body Butter, it pretty much smells like nutty donuts) and it's aimed at more mature skin types but I find that it works perfectly for my dry, eczema-prone hands; it's richly moisturizing yet soaks in without leaving a greasy layer, and the rose scent is not too overpowering - it has a sharp, soapy edge to it.

Last but not least, my beautiful vintage-inspired bottle of L'Occitane Rose Quatre Reines Eau de Toilette ($22 for 0.66 fl oz/20 ml). This rose soliflore is composed of four different varieties of rose: the Grasse rose, the Bulgarian rose, the Moroccan rose and the Turkish rose. This light, refreshing EDT becomes more powdery and musky as it dries down on the skin without turning too old lady - it still retains an effortless, sunny, summery quality. If you're after a feminine, but not overly complicated rose perfume, I do recommend you give it a sniff.

Now that I've been smelling all these rose-scented products for the past hour, I may actually use one or two this Friday night... but I'm not promising anything! What are your favorite rose-themed beauty products?

Christmas Bath Treats with Neom, Haus of Gloi and Hugo Naturals!

Just four sleeps till Christmas for me! For all my non-Polish readers out there, we Poles start celebrating one day early, on Christmas Eve, first with a fast until the first star shines bright in the sky, and then with a feast of 12 dishes. Christmas is not quite here yet but we're sure already preparing for it; my infallible mum is cooking (and baking!) up a storm in kitchen, my dad is braving the cold and the heights to decorate the house, and I'm wrapping all those presents and trying to be a good helper to everyone else.

But, after a good work's day, I like to relax with a cup of tea next to the fireplace, and then tiptoe upstairs for a warm, relaxing bath. This year I somehow managed to accumulate quite a few Christmassy bath treats, and I wanted to show you what I'm using in case you needed a last minute gift inspiration or just wanted to pick up something for yourself.

While I was purchasing a Christmas set of Neom Organics candles for a hostess gift, I spotted this mini set of three Neom's bath oils called Three Nights of Peace ($17 for 3 x 5ml on beautyhabit.com). I've actually never tried anything from the brand and also haven't tried very many bath oils (bubbles are usually my jazz), so I didn't hesitate long to plop it in my basket. The box is beautifully made with a thick, textured paper, and the mini bottles are frosted glass, which adds to the lovely presentation. 

The set comes with the scents Complete Bliss (Moroccan Blush Rose), Real Luxury (Lavender, Jasmine, Brazilian Rosewood) and Tranquility (English Lavender, Sweet Basil and Jasmine). So far I've tried Tranquility, which was calming, slightly herbaceous and very spa-like, and Real Luxury, which was warm, sensual and yes, luxurious. I only used about 1/4 of a bottle per bath (because I'm a cheapskate) but I find that even this small amount was enough to impart a beautiful scent and give the bath water some moisturizing properties. Big thumbs up from me; oh, and the little vials are also perfect for travel!

Speaking of travel-friendliness, these adorable Butter Bombs from Haus of Gloi ($2.50 for 1 oz each) would be great to take with you too; I sure packed one... or more in my suitcase! Doesn't the canvas baggie they came in look like a miniature Santa's sack? Anyway, these little scoops are meant to be both fragrant and moisturizing with cocoa and mango butter. They have a much softer, crumblier texture than regular bath fizzies (compared to LUSH, they remind me more of bubble bars than bath bombs) and turn the water slightly milky and foamy.

 

You can see here that Butter Bombs really do look like little scoops of ice cream! Gingerbread, which is the first scent I tried, is absolutely amazing: rich, spicy sweet, decadent. Again, because I'm cheap, I only crumbled about 1/3 into my bath, which gave off a lot scent, a bit of moisture but no slip in the tub. Next time you order your Pumpkin Butters from Haus, do give these a try as well!

Lastly, as if one marzipan scent from Haus of Gloi couldn't be enough for me, I also picked up this Fizzy Bath Cupcake from Hugo & Debra Naturals ($4.99 for 6 oz) at my local Whole Foods. I've only tried Hugo's bath salts previously and I heard these bath fizzies are really good, so I had a good look at their Christmas offerings (I believe there are two other scents available, Cranberry Pomegranate and Vanilla Peppermint) and came up with the Marzipan scent. Unfortunately, this cutesy cupcake is the black sheep of this post; I really was not impressed with the product. Once out of the protective plastic film, it immediately crumbled into loose chunks, and even when I just about put my nose in the product, I couldn't smell more than a faint, sugary scent with a trace of almond. It did turn my bath water a cheery pink though...

I do feel spoilt rotten with all these bath treats; but that's what the Holiday season is all about, isn't it? Do you take more baths in the winter? What are your favorite bath products?