Keeping good memories

Dear readers,

Trying to get rid of years of accumulated rubbish is not that easy when it comes to items that have a great sentimental value.

I've taken a few days off from work to prepare for a small remodeling at home, just some new windows and a painting job, nothing major, but nevertheless the perfect time to some autumn cleaning.

I was throwing away some old stuff when I came upon certain items that I had difficulty getting rid of. Letting go of good memories is a hard thing to do but I simply can't keep every single little thing only because it reminds me of a particular time in my life. I wish I had a huge cellar to keep all this stuff but I don't so I came upon the idea of keeping all this stuff in picture format. This way I could bring myself to part with all these little dust and mite paradises:

Gutxi, this is a baby leopard my good friend Laura gifted me 15 years ago, he came within a leopard printed mug which btw has long gone, broken along the way, I imagine.

Dodo is a dodo, duh! My good friend Tania bought this for me about 10 years ago when she went to Jersey for the holidays. Her family had lived there for a while and she and her sister were both born on the island but came back to live in Spain shortly afterwards.

This bag was the hardest thing to part with, maybe because we are not in speaking terms anymore. My friend Vanessa brought this for me from a trip to Bali, Indonesia shortly before we parted ways.

And this is a hand-woven hat made by indigenous people from some part of Colombia. My dentist travels to Colombia once a year to visit her family and she always thinks of bringing me a souvenir, she's so thoughtful. I've never worn it and I think I've kept it long enough, time to move on!

What about you? Do you keep boxes and boxes full of memories?

For the love of good friends,

The battle of the make up sponges

Dear readers,

Reviewing products is not my forte as I am the worst at describing things, even in my own language.

I did a lot of research before committing to spending 20€ on a single make up sponge until I finally caved and purchased the Beauty Blender (pink). Although I have to admit that I waited until I found it for 12,50€ and I recently got a new one for even less, you can read that particular BB story here.

I have to say that I immediately switched over to using the BB and left my foundation brushes aside. To me it gives a flawless application, it leaves no streaks and it even helps reduce my huge pores. As you use it damp it doesn't absorb much product but even so it's a nightmare to clean, you'll never get it all pink again. Aside from that it's really worth paying the extra cash.

After using the BB for several months I couldn't resist and ordered the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (orange) - sorry about it being dirty but I used it this morning to apply my make up as usual.  I wanted to compare both sponges as I was curious to see if I'd made the right choice. The RT is 3 times cheaper, selling at around 7€ but I also got this at a discount :)

At first touch I didn't like the feel of it while cleansing it before use. The texture reminds me a bit of the Tempur technology, you know, the viscoelastic foam that certain mattresses are made of. I thought it was a weird material for a make up sponge and that it wouldn't feel right on the skin.

Since I started using the RT sponge my poor BB has been left in a dark drawer without a glance of regret. I can't really say it applies better but it's definitely quicker which is what I need as I only have 15 minutes to get my make up done before rushing to work.

With the BB I use short bouncing motions to pat the foundation into my skin but with the RT I take the flat side and brush/swipe the product onto my skin. This makes the application so much easier and quicker with equal results. You could take an extra minute to bounce the round side of the sponge on your face for a final blending to get the air-brushed finish everyone is talking about regarding the BB.

And to my final advice: if you're undecided between these two make up sponges and you are not a beauty blogger who needs to try out every single product: guilty! I would undoubtedly go for the RT.

What are your favourite tools to apply foundation?

For the love of make up,

#2014BloggerChallenge: My fave beauty shopping sites

Dear readers,

I'm a huge online shopper, I find pleasure in hunting down the most perfect deal and trade in any coupons I can get my hands on. My greatest hero is Tati from GlamLifeGuru and I love watching her Madness Monday haul videos.

Here are my top 5 online stores for skin care and make up at the moment:

1. Look Fantastic
2. Feel Unique
3. The Body Shop
4. Lush
5. Perfumerías IF 

Next are some less visited sites although I used them a lot in the past:

1. Yves Rocher I'm very fond of this brand as I started using it when I was a teenager
2. Strawberrynet I find better deals elsewhere but I still keep an eye open for special deals
3. Adam Beauty they only accept PayPal payments so no shopping here until they accept cards
4. Sasa I like Strawberrynet better but they have a wider selection of asian brands
5. Perfume's club I'm trying out other brands that aren't sold here

And lastly, some sites I wished offered international shipping:

1. U.S. Sephora (we don't have an online store over here)
2. Ulta
3. Target
4. Boots (they started shipping to Spain but only certain brands)
5. Bath & Body Works

What are your favourite stores? Do you rather shop online or in store?

Happy shopping,