Review: Dr. Eckstein Kräuter Supreme Night Cream and Eyecare Balm

I can't believe I haven't written a review on this either! One of the few brands that I am faithful to.  Dr. Eckstein isn't 100% organic or natural, but I think most of the products are based around natural ingredients, chosen to solve specific skincare issues.  I am probably on my third for fourth jar, and one lasts a long time.  My order arrived in the beginning of February, and I am almost half-way through the jar now at the end of June.  What is great about it is that it helps clear up acne and discolorations left by blemishes.  I use it EVERY night after cleansing.  When I strayed, what do you suppose happened? HUGE pre-menstrual zits, that's what! When using this, I forget how bad my skin really is.  If you have acne and haven't been satisfied with the moisturizers that you have already tried, the Kräuter Supreme is worth a shot at $28. It is seriously amazing.

This past winter, the corners of my eyes became red, dry, and flaky.  There is always something new going wrong with your body when you start getting older!  Eye creams are very expensive, but this was reasonably priced at $22 for 0.5 oz.  Beauty Habit has it marked as an "Eye Wrinkle Cream" but it is actually called an Eyecare Balm. Luckily, I don't have to deal with wrinkle or lines yet, and I think adding an eye cream will delay signs of aging.  I got this the same time as my Kräuter Supreme (at the beginning of February) and have barely made a dent.  It has a very rich texture, so I really only need a pin-head size for each eye


photo credit: beautyhabit.com

Reviews: Karuna Anti-Blemish Mask and Avène Eau Thermale

Last night I used the last Karuna Treatment Mask and remembered that I didn’t post any opinions on it.  I really have to give this a positive review because it totally calmed and soothed my skin when I got back from vacation and I felt sunburnt.  Another thing that helped was spraying my skin about 3 times a day with the Avène spray that I usually keep in my purse, but I am sure the other mineral water sprays out there like Evian and La Roche-Posay will work just as well.

Karuna Anti-Blemish Treatment Mask: 4 individually wrapped masks for $28.  I bought a box from Henri Bendel during the winter and have used the first two intermittently and not according to directions, so I was just “meh” about them.  But when I came back from vacation a few weeks ago, I had to go through my skincare arsenal to find something to soothe my skin in order to prevent my nose from peeling.  I put on the Karuna mask and instead of peeling it off after 20 minutes and washing my face like I normally did, I fell asleep with it on.  A few hours later, I woke up with a feeling of “OMG WTF is going on with my face???!!!?? Oh that’s right, I’m wearing a mask” and took off the mask, which was mostly dry.  My skin absorbed a lot of the liquid that the cloth was infused with and my face looked and felt smooth, hydrated, and plumped up with nourishment. Not rinsing it off is the key! I will definitely buy this again, and I would like to try the exfoliating mask sometime too. Though a complaint I had is that some of the writing on the box is in white, which makes it extremely difficult to read.

Avène Thermal Spring Water: 50 mL/50 g/ 1.76 oz for around $7. I prefer the smaller version in order to keep in my purse and because I think the spraying mechanism on larger size may clog before using the entire bottle. From the time that I laid out in the sun too much, I knew I needed to do something to prevent peeling and to heal the damage.  Not only did it help soothe my skin from the sun and from traveling, I think that it helped prevent blackheads and small spots from appearing because from the time I stopped using it, those started to reappear on my face.  It is either that or the sunshine, so I have started up using the spray again to test my theory.  I really think that the minerals found in spring water that helps skin – I observed that French people had really nice skin, and they drink a lot of spring water that lists the minerals right on the bottle’s label!

photo credits: skinstore.com and amazon.com 

Cropping Skinny Jeans with Raw Edges

Earlier this week I took a pair of shears to a pair of skinny jeans that I wasn't wearing often and cut them above the ankle.  It wasn't as easy as just cutting and calling it a day. I have some experience in sewing, so I used chalk, a sewing gauge, pins, a good pair of shears, and a needle & thread.  I kept the edges unfinished, but I have another pair of the same style of jeans that are white, so I want to do a finished edge on that pair, probably sometime next week.  The jeans that I altered were by BDG, and I bought them a year or two ago at Urban Outfitters. I think they are the same ones as these:

photo credit: Urbanoutfitters.com

Step 1: Put on your jeans and wear them for at least an hour.  Skinny jeans usually need to be adjusted during the day due to sitting and walking, so wearing them for a little while to find the ideal fit will lead to accurate length. This is my starting point:

Step 2: Fold the bottom of both jean legs upward and mark where you want to cut.  To determine your ideal length, look in a mirror after folding your jeans.  Wear it around for 15 minutes or so then look again to see if you are truly satisfied with the length.  Use a piece of chalk to mark the bottom of the fold on in the inner and out seams of one leg.  You can use chalk that is from a fabric store or even a WASHABLE chalk that kids use.

Step 3: Take off your jeans and turn them inside out.  Lay the pants flat on the ground or on a table.  On the leg where you put the chalk marks, measure the distance from them to the bottom on each seam (I used a sewing gauge, but a ruler or tape measure would work).  Make sure that the fabric is smooth and pin above the chalk marks and along the seams to ensure that one side won't move out of place while you cut.

Step 4: Cut that leg using a good pair of shears, keeping your cutting hand as even with the table/floor as possible. I cut above my chalk line, at 5 and 1/8 inches.

Step 5: Put your pants back on and check out if you like the way that pant leg looks. Satisfied with the length? Move on to the next leg.  If it can go shorter, cut again, and remember to measure and mark with chalk where you want to cut. 

Step 6: Again, while inside out, measure and mark the second leg where you want to cut.  Above the chalk mark was 5 and 1/8 inches, so I made the new chalk mark above the ruler when it measured 5 inches.  Repeat pinning and cutting correctly.

Step 7: Almost there! Right-side-out, the outside seam is not anchored. So I took a piece of dark thread with a study needle and with tiny stitches, attached it to the inside of the jeans, trying not to go through to the right side(the part that shows when you wear the jeans). 

Good luck with making your cropped jeans out of a pair of skinnys! For my white pair, I will probably do the "French cuff" way of folding it under, but I will probably stitch it down using my sewing machine.  We'll see. Sorry for the poor pictures, if and when I crop the white pants, I will use my actual camera instead of my flashless blackberry! (By the way, the nail polish I am wearing on my hands is Dr.'s Remedy in Mellow Mauve and I can't remember what was on my feet)

An Ode to Pat McGrath - @patmcgrathreal

This past week, quite a few people that I follow on twitter have been  encouraging others to follow Pat McGrath on twitter. Her handle is @patmcgrathreal.

The best part about following Pat McGrath? She loves to take pictures!

 photo credit: Pat McGrath

Totally swoon-worthy, right?  She's been around for years, usually collaborating with designers to come up with fantasy looks and trends to reflect the theme of  their runway shows.  The first two pictures are from two different Christian Dior shows - she is (was?) a long-time collaborator with John Galliano. The third is from Dolce & Gabbana, where she consulted for them to develop their makeup collection. The last is from Stella McCartney, where the look is usually naturally beautiful.  Pat McGrath has a very impressive range!

photo credit: style.com

French Beauty Product Shopping

So in Paris I visited Mademoiselle Bio and the famous Pharmacie on Rue de Four, which was an absolute madhouse! So far I have only tested 4 products well enough to make reviews, so here we go:

1. Bioderma Photoderm Mineral SPF 50+ Fluid .  The news of the U.S. F.D.A.'s plans to update their sunscreen guidelines have hit the beauty blogs, but many have known for years how these guidelines do not refer to both UVA and UVB rays.  I have heard that international, in particular French, sunscreens are truly broad spectrum protection.  I chose this one for no particular reason, though I knew La Roche-Posay Anthelios Sunscreen was very popular.  I might have chose this one because of the price (my shopping basket was filling up!).  Overall, I thought it worked pretty well - on the day that I only applied it once, I got burnt on my nose:-( Goes to show - when you are on the beach, remember to reapply and still wear a hat! A fedora worn low seemed to be the hip thing to do. Another thing is that it is very WHITE.  I am black. It left a white cast on my face, which didn't exactly look great, but hey, neither does sunburn!

photo credit: amazon.com

2. Douce Nature Savon d'Alep Nature. I use a bar of Savon d'Alep in the shower, so I was hoping that this would be easier to use.  Ehhhh, not so! It doesn't really foam up that well, so I have had to use this on my shower puff with my regular soap.  I didn't see any benefit or adverse effects, so I can't say that I would buy this again.  It is made with olive oil and laurel oil, typical with the Aleppo soaps.

3. Galénic Gommage soyeux au savon noir.  I have been a long-time fan of black soap.  I am a repeat consumer of Tadé Turkish Black Soap, since my first purchase of it in France about 6 years ago. I was used to seeing more of a rough/solid texture, so  the gelatinousness and loose particles of this one by Galénic threw me, and I didn't expect much out of it.  Boy was I surprised when I used it! I foamed beautifully - I didn't need as much black soap as what I would normally use. The results were the same - super smooth skin.  There is no rhassoul clay or laurel oil in this black soap, the first few ingredients are: water, olive acid, olea europea fruit oil, argania spinosa shell powder, glycerin, fragrance, argania spinosa kernal oil, etc. The price and size is better for Tadé, so I will stick with that brand.

4. Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. So.  A common product I saw on Into the Gloss between supermodels and fashion people and Julia Restoin Roitfeld and  beauty directors is this.  It has to be good, right? Well, it is. I have very dark hair, and there was no white powder or anything like that.  This was the first time I have even used a dry shampoo and it is love! Now that outside decided to get super hot, and I am on an exercise kick, I will probably use it more often in the fall when I straighten my hair more. I am also still curious about Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray, so I might try that one of these days too.

I still need to conduct further tests on a peel for scars, a cream for acneic skin, and a bio micellar cleansing solution. Can you believe I didn't buy any nail polishes?

Telenovela Beauty

If you are one of the very few people that follow me on twitter, then you know I am obsessed with Sacrificio de Mujer, a Venezuelan soap opera that was filmed in Miami, and is currently playing on Univision here in the U.S.  It will be ending soon, and I think I have a pretty good grasp on what it takes to look like a telenovela star =) I haven't used all of the products below (I am no telenovela star), but I am interested in trying them if I haven't already.

Skin: Unsurprisingly, the actresses are pretty fair skinned with light eye colors, but many of them have golden sun tans.  Gorgeous, clear skin is a must - these women probably have access to the best dermatologists and aestheticians in Miami.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask:

 La Mer Crème de la Mer:

St. Tropez Self-Tan Lotion:

Institut Esthederm Bronze Repair Anti-Wrinkle Tanning Cream:

Eyes: What you need are dark colored shadows, a lot of black eyeliner, false eyelashes, great mascara and waterproof everything! When you either get your heart broken, find your lost child, get into a heated argument, attend a loved one's funeral, or reminisce about a great former love, expect to shed some tears.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Liner:

MAKE UP FOR EVER Eye Seal:

Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Waterproof:

Nyx Fabulous Lashes:

Hair: No matter what color, your hair needs to shine like glass.  Hair should be reach past your color bone, and possibly slightly curled at the ends.

Davines Conditioner, NouNou Illluminating with Tomato Extract for Colour Treated Hair, 8.45-Ounces

MoroccanOil Gold Glimmer Shine:

Avanti Silicon Mix Shine Hair Polisher:

Sedu Revolution Clipless Curling Iron:

L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray:

Body: Other than a tan, a telenovela star must be bikini/lingerie ready. So get waxed within an inch of your life and start working out (of course, after talking to your doctor about your exercise limitations)

I was surprised to find out that Marjorie de Sousa is blonde!

photo credit:Media Connection/Misha

Kettlebell Leg Workout:


Tabata interval training (this workout starts at around the 3.30 mark):


stock photo and screenshots from videos on: novelasyseries.univision.com


product photo credits: respective link sites (spacenk.com, cremedelamer.com, sttropeztan.com, sephora.com, lancome.com, nyxcosmetics.com, amazon.com, sleekhair.com, roundbrushhair.com, and folica.com)