Skincare

Instytutum Skincare Rebranded – Is it still as good?

/ Linda, Libra, Loca
Products mentioned in this post are PR-Samples. Please read disclaimer.

It is always bitter sweet if a brand decides to invent themselves new and reformulate all their products, isn’t it?

If you have been around here for a little while, you might have heard me talk about Instytutum. This Swiss brand, founded by Natalia Derkach (a fellow doctor) claims to offer “result driven skincare” and presents itself with sleek, almost clinical packaging.

 

Instytutum Rebranded
Instytutum Rebranded

 

You know I am all about skincare giving results, and I found quite a few products within the Instytutum line that I considered worth the (admittedly hefty) price tag. So when I learned that not only the packaging had been changed, but that there were tweaks to the formula as well, I was worried.

After testing the new versions for several weeks now I am ready to give you the details on how the Instytutum rebranding changed the products and if my favorites are still my favorites!

Read more


Leave a comment

Monthly Recap – Blog Post Topics November 2018

/ Linda, Libra, Loca
This blog post contains affiliate links. Please read disclaimer.

November is done and dusted, and tomorrow will be the day I get the boxes with Christmas decoration from the basement and start randomly putting them on available surface spots.

Not kidding here, I am a lost cause when it comes to decorating, no matter how much Inspiration Boards I have on Pinterest.

But I am making an effort, for the kids mostly, as I want them to embrace the spirit of the season.

 

Blog Post Topics November
November Impressions

 

While we get all festive here, why not take the time and browse through my most recent blogposts, just in case you missed some? And if you did, consider subscribing to my Newsletter here, which I will actually send out once more than me and my mother are subscribed.

I know that having an actual mailing list is uber important for blogs, but given that we share a house I don´t think my mother needs my updates electronically.

Read more


Leave a comment

Skincare gift guide for mature skin

/ Linda, Libra, Loca
This blog post contains affiliate links and *PR-Samples. Please read disclaimer.

The older we become, the harder it gets to buy presents for us, I admit that.

Take me as example: I try to be more minimalistic in my way of living (the emphasis being on “try” here), which rules out decorative stuff, I like to read, but get my books at our local library and already own more makeup than any sane person would ever need. So what on earth should you get me?

 

My skincare gift guide for mature skin
My skincare gift guide for mature skin

 

Events are of course a welcome surprise, as is chocolate, but for both there is a limit in how much you can actually fit into your days. Well, there is one for events at last, not so sure about the chocolate part…

Now what about skincare? Difficult, I admit. But not impossible! And I am not talking getting a generic gift set here, I am talking about a thoughtfully picked item that is tailored to the other persons needs.

So I sat down and figured out a few examples on what to get, divided by budget and by skincare concern. Not without an agenda, I might add!

To my family reading – gifting skincare is possible, and in my case very welcome!

Read more


Leave a comment

Does blue light from our screens damage our skin?

/ Linda, Libra, Loca
This blog post uses affiliate links. Please read disclaimer.

I love it when I get questions from you guys. Not only do they help me create content I know you’ll be interested in, but they open my eyes to topics I would probably not even have thought about.

Of course I had heard about blue light affecting our sleep patterns and straining our eyes, but to be honest I never gave it much thought.

 

Blue light damage skin
Does blue light from our screens damage our skin?

 

At least not until a question kept popping up here on the blog and on social media: “Do you recommend wearing SPF even if I am indoors to protect me from blue light from my screen?”

As soon as that happened I noticed more and more companies marketing skincare items as “blue light protection”, and if anything can get me into research mood, it is a company claiming skincare benefits and charging extra for them.

So, lets talk about the question “Does blue light from our screens damage our skin?” and, if it does, how can we protect ourselves?

Read more


Leave a comment

My favorite face masks – for the moment

/ Linda, Libra, Loca
This blog post contains *PR-Samples and affiliate links. Please read disclaimer

A beauty lovers heart is fickle, and what is deeply loved one month might be gathering dust just a few weeks later. Believe me, I have been there!

 

My favorite face masks
My favorite face masks

 

But there are a few items that stay with us for longer, products we reach for over and over again, and now that fall is around the corner and I get the urge to pamper myself, I figured it would be a great time to share my favorite face masks. All of which have been in rotation for at least a year!

I divided them into four categories: Exfoliating, hydrating, purifying/oil control and brightening.

If you are wondering why there is no “antiaging” category, it is because I feel like serums are much better suited to deliver results there, simply because you use them every day.

Read more


Leave a comment

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2 % + B5 – #firstworldproblems

/ Linda, Libra, Loca

This blog post contains affiliate links. Please read disclaimer.

Is the “feels” side of a product important to you? Or is the sensual experience secondary, as long as a product delivers?

And isn´t even asking this question the epitome of #firstworldproblems?

I guess it is. If a product delivers ingredientwise, shouldn´t that be the only thing that matters? Why would we spend more just to have a more pleasant experience when applying something?

 

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2 % + B5
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2 % + B5

 

A question I do ask myself quite often when it comes to The Ordinary products, and one that I have yet to find an answer for.

But I have learned, the “feels” do matter to me, and, within reason of course, I am willing to pay extra just because something feels nicer.

Last product to proove that? The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2 % + B5

Read more


Leave a comment

5 hacks for oily skin (that are not skincare)

/ Linda, Libra, Loca

Oily skin – my biggest issue ever since I was 13 years old.

Well, that and acne. And the question why my thighs looked thick in pencil skirts. And why I always seem to fall for the bad guy. But not todays topic, Anne, get back on track!

Over the years I have tried countless things to keep my skin balanced, from the “harsh foaming cleanser followed by alcohol toner” routine to several kitchen hacks the friend of a friend (of a friend) had amazing results with.

 

5 hacks for oily skin
Glow? Yes, please. But not the oil!

 

You Tube wasn´t a thing back then, which was probably a blessing. I bet I would have been the one to try the toothpaste/baking soda face mask at some point!

The key to balanced skin is obvioulsy the right skincare (and there are plenty recommendations on the blog here), but today I decided to focus on things you can do without buying a new cream.

Read more


Leave a comment

Monthly Recap: August 2018

/ Linda, Libra, Loca

Times are busy, and I feel like they get busier every day. Catching up with my favorite blogs daily is something I haven´t been able to do in a long while, and as I figured you are probably in the same boat, I decided to introduce the Monthly Recap series.

It is meant to be an overview of all the blog posts I have written, all the videos I have uploaded and a few extra informations thrown in for good measure. To make it easier to find what you are interested in I split it in three categories: Skincare, Makeup and Lifestyle.

 

Monthly Recap August 2018
Cap de Creus – Spain

 

Looking back at August for me means looking back at my annual holiday in France, two weeks filled with sun, sea and (probably too many) croissants. I decided against vlogging (it would just have been me eating all the time), but put up a France 2018 Highlight on my Instagram Profile should you be in the mood for some snaps.

Read more


Leave a comment

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask – Is this fall I smell?

/ Linda, Libra, Loca
This blog post contains affiliate links. Please read disclaimer.

Is it too early to think about fall?

Rhetorical question, of course.

YES! IT IS!

Leave me to my beach sunsets, my coconut scented sun cream and my “too hot to sleep so I´ll dance the night away” nights.

 

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask
Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

 

Not that I have many of those, mind you, but I could have, in a parallel universe where I am awake after 10 pm. Ah, back in the days…

Where was I? Fall. Or at least the prospect of fall, with the promise of crisp mornings, colorful leaves and … pumpkin spice latte.

Isn´t that what fall seems to be all about? This seasonal beverage taking over social media feeds?

You tell me, because I never had one. *insert schocked emoji*

Not because I am cool enough to be anti-pumpkin spice latte. Even thinking about it makes me laugh. Or because of the huge amount of sugar it contais. That hasn´t stopped me with any other beverage either.

No, because I don´t drink coffee.

Completely useless information here, granted, but I do have a related question for all your pumpkin spice latte experts: Someone told me the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask smelt exactly like the Starbucks drink. True?

Read more


Leave a comment

Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser – Summer lovin´

/ Linda, Libra, Loca
This blogpost contains affiliate links. Please read disclaimer.

Summer lovin´, happened so fast…

Whenever temperatures are up and a beach holiday is in the cards, this line from Grease is my constant companion.

 

Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser
Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser

 

Not that I have had many summer flings lately, my beach days are filled with sand toys and my idea of a wild night is going to bed after ten pm.

But the lack of fiery-eyed gigolos in my recent past (Mr. Loca is handsome, but not fiery-eyed) doesn’t mean that I can´t enjoy a little summer affair.

I just shift my attention to skincare products.

The cleanser I am flirting with in 2018? Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser.

Read more


Leave a comment