Setting the pace: 3 things I changed to take better care of myself

Setting the pace: 3 things I changed to take better care of myself

Sometimes, all you need in life is something to hold you accountable... Like your body reminding you that you made the promise to take better care of it. 

I used to think that new year's resolutions were a myth, a facade you use in front of people so you'll pretend to have a plan for the year ahead, the project to be and do better. I believed that new year's resolutions were an excuse for past behavior, a fake goal to have something to talk about at parties and dinners. But in reality, it's been almost three months, and I kind of think I'm kicking a** at resolutions. 

It's a common belief that we tend to let go of our new year's resolutions after three months because we have realized that we might have set the bar too high. After six months, it has become a vague souvenir, an idea we thought about and quickly deemed too hard to achieve. And finally, at the 12-month pinpoint, it has turned into an excuse for your new resolutions. 

Although I'm still currently at the baby stage of sticking to my resolutions, I feel quite confident in saying that I might have figured it out... Did I finally find the right ones? 

New year, new me... Well, new mindset. It was time to have better thoughts and words, and care for myself and my body. It's self-care time baby! So here are the three main things I implement to take better care of myself.

First thing: sweating! 

With the plan to start working out again, I signed up for ClassPass. Clearly, if 2022 proved one thing, it was that I couldn't stick to a gym routine when working out from home. It was too easy for me to look at my yoga mat from the comfort of my couch and contemplate the idea of putting on leggings while I was slipping on sweatpants. With the attention to getting my body back on track of peace, I started to sign up for a different class each week: hot yoga, chill yoga, reformer pilates, barre, modern aerobics, boxing, cardio dancing... The list goes on.  

Surprisingly I realized it was not the whole sweating that gave me the sensations of peace and happiness, it was the curiosity of trying new things. If I'm confident my body could handle more than one or two sessions a week and that I would see more results by doing so, it was not my first intention to get in better shape, getting in better mental shape was the main goal. Signing up for only one class a week meant having a body care ritual, something I knew I could commit to, and stick to. 

Second change: brushing and rinsing 

When I came across the "shower everything" TikTok trend, I thought I would give it a go. It meant trying to find small rituals I could add to my routine which basically means: spending as much time as I can in the bathroom before jumping into bed. We're talking hours, not minutes. It meant: dry brushing, makeup removal, face cleansing, exfoliating, masking, before stepping into the actual shower, scrubbing, then washing hair and body, then hair mask, and body lotion. 

While this ritual is only meant to be performed once a week and has proven to help to sleep better, I still keep on dry brushing a couple of times a week. What I also started to implement into my daily shower routine is rinsing my legs with cold water. If it helps get the blood flowing, for me it gives me a feel-good feeling about sticking to a routine that makes me feel good about my body and makes me see it a different way.

Last thing: nourishing

To say I've always had a bad relationship with food is an understatement... Growing up with a mom quite obsessed with her weight, but not necessarily ours, put the idea in me that I should be obsessed about mine too. Unfortunately, it meant starving myself rather than paying attention to the way I was actually nourrishing my body. Now 28 years old, I'm finally trying to stop feeling guilty about what I eat in a day and instead pay attention to what meals and nutrient could make me feel good. I won't lie, it's a long way to go. 

My new obsession? Understanding how my body works through my cycle, also knows as: finally trying to comprehend my period rather than complaining about it for a week, and learning the names of the other phase of my cycle. 

Overall, my new year's resolution has turned from "taking better care of myself" to "understanding and accepting myself". 

I guess it's an adult kind of thing. 

Love,

Elsa

20.2.23 Comments: 0

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Brushing my problems away

Brushing my problems away

 There's a saying in French that goes "il faut souffrir pour être belle", also known as "you must suffer to be pretty". 

I resent it, even though I grew up with my mom trying to brush my curly hair and calming my nerves with this particular phrase as if it would make the pain go away. I hate the idea that as women we have to always be silently in pain, and yet I keep inflicting myself with the same daily ritual for the past month: dry massage. 

The original idea: thinking I could feel better about myself and stop inflicting my body with the idea that I have to be thinner. 

The reality: not seeing any results but believing I actually feel better (well kind of) after installing this body and self-care ritual. 

If you're not familiar with the ancestral ritual of dry massage, where have you been? I was first introduced to this type of self-massage which consists of essentially brushing yourself from feet to belly and then from hands to heart when one of my friends was getting married. In search of body care that could help her get in shape for her wedding, she came across some beauty guru dry massage routine and sent it my way for me to review it.

It didn't take long or me to get my hands on Ruhi Dry Body Brush and start my own journey of dry massage. I must say, my ritual didn't last too long. I couldn't tell you why... Probably the lack of energy to have a sustainable self-care routine. Yet, here I am, 2+ years later, giving the dry massage another chance. 

What started as a way for me to inflict yet another idea that my body wasn't enough and needed to be thinner, smaller, better, quickly turned into an almost daily ritual, and an excuse to spend way too much time in my bathroom. As I'm writing this, it's been a month or so, maybe two, since I started dry massage again. And I can confidently say now... That I don't see any results on my body.  In fact, my cellulite has been left intact. 

While I'm not here to complain about the lack of investment of my body to join me in this wellness journey, I must say it's been a bit frustrating but the overall impact is way better than the disappearance of cellulite because I've installed a ritual, a mean for me to take care of myself and have some time alone to just relax. 

I've never been a truly consistent person. In fact, I was never able to keep a routine going. Take my lockdown push to start having a green smoothie for breakfast, for example, it lasted as long as the lockdown went on (the first one). And as for my wish to follow a 30 days pilates challenge, I kept going until day 8. So it's safe to say that I don't really like to stick to a routine. The good news is I've been able to be (almost) successful with the dry massage because it forces me to stop and just take the time for myself. And even though it's not the easiest task to brush your dry body for at least 5 minutes until you turn red, before hopping into the shower, I couldn't be prouder of myself, at 28 years old finally succeeding at keeping a ritual. 

Being written down, and on the web space, I'm confident in saying that it might be hard to stop now, and face the risk to disappoint the 2 or 3 people that visit my blog.

Love,

Elsa

17.2.23 Comments: 0

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New Beginning

New Beginning

Hey there,

I put down my pen today and leave my stories on the side for a much more beauty appropriate post. I haven't written for so long on this blog that I haven't even said that I have officially started a career in the beauty world. Well... you can't really call it a career. For now, I'm just accumulating experiences as an intern. Back in January, I was interning for the brand Oh My Cream, which really taught me a lot about cosmetics, the good products for my skin, the best routine to adopt etc. I've learned that I have combination skin, with lots of dehydration, and that my skin is acne prone, which I did know already. My vision on skincare has really changed but I've been so selfish not to share it. The truth is, even though I have changed my routine, my skin hasn't followed along and my acne got worst for the last six months. 

I've learned that I should let go of my micellar water for good because it was the cause of many sensibilities and the reason your skin would not get better because it actually harms the skin instead of protecting it. I've been taught that I should take off my makeup with oil, cleanse my skin with a cleansing gel, exfoliate with a soft exfoliation powder; tone with a serum and hydrate with oil. So I did for 6 months, switching products every two months or so because my skin wasn't accommodating so well. And then the wake-up call... 

My skin has cleared up a bit after the third time I've changed my routine, but my acne got really worse two weeks before my brother's wedding. I lost all my confidence, and I was beginning to accept the fact that I wasn't going to clear my acne before the wedding. But then my co-worker came to the rescue and told me that the reason my skin was getting so bad, was probably because I've developed an allergy to face oil. My skin didn't react well to it, and it began to make sense as my acne has been worse since I've joined Oh My Cream. 

So once again I've changed my routine just in time for my 3 weeks vacation to California. I've switched my makeup removal oil for a micellar water under a gel texture, all natural, with no harm to the skin. I've kept my cleansing gel but switched for a much softer one, and I've let go of my face oil for a much more hydrating and repairing cream, which could treat the dryness of my cheeks and the spots and scars on the rest of my face. I now work as an intern for Birchbox and I can now say that my skin has gotten much better and if you're a little creep that wants to zoom on my photos, you can see that my skin is actually clear even though I am obviously wearing makeup. 

But ! I can now list my favorite products from my skincare routine : 

• I take off my makeup at night with the Patyka Micellar Gel, but since I ran out of it during our vacation in sunny California, I now use the Drunk Elephant Cleansing Gel, which I found at Sephora US and really love. They both take the makeup off really efficiently but I would say the Drunk Elephant gel is better at it. Although the Patyka's texture is much more refreshing and nice on the skin, the Drunk Elephant leaves the skin nice and soft. I also love the foaming effect of the Drunk Elephant gel once you add water. However, the composition is much cleaner for the Patyka Micellar Gel.
• I cleanse my face day and night with the Susanne Kaufmann Cleansing Gel, which I really love the smell and the soft texture. I love how my skin feels fresh and glowy after I use this. I also use the Ren Rose Centifolia Cleansing Gel, which has a really soft action on the skin but really cleanses the skin. 
• Once every 2 or 3 days, I exfoliate my skin with the Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant, which is "the bomb" for a Photoshop look. It takes off the dead cells on the skin and leaves it so radiant and soft. It doesn't harm the skin, it hasn't increased my acne or my scars. In fact, it has helped remove them. Definitely the best exfoliant I have ever used! 
• I apply the Garancia Elixir du Marabout serum, which I have talked about before on the blog. It is seriously amazing to treat imperfections, nothing beats this. Although the Grown Alchemist Blemish Gel Treatment was also a great use on a more local scale.
• For moisturizing, I now use at night the Ren Skincare Clearcalm 3 Rehydrating Cream, which has the greatest action on my skin to treat my oiliness and dryness, and my imperfections. The texture is a bit rich, which scared me at first, but it has helped my skin so much! 

I would get more in depth about the products I have tried and my impressions on multiple skincare products and routine in a future post, but I hope you still found this one useful. 

I'll talk to you soon,

Love,

Elsa. 

PS: Don't forget that you can subscribe to my Newsletter to receive the blog posts directly into your inbox! You can also follow me on bloglovin for notifications when I post something. Finally, for daily updates, follow me on Twitter and Instagram.

Paris, France 22.8.17 Comments: 0

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Hot and Iconic

Hot and Iconic

Hey there,

Charlotte Tilbury is a super talented and incredible makeup artist. I first heard of her makeup brand in Dublin, 2 years ago, because we don't get Charlotte Tilbury in France. I immediately fell in love with it and was obsessed with the makeup, the makeup looks she creates and the brand identity. I just love how her products can turn someone into a true icon. Although a little bit overpriced, the makeup is of great quality. The palettes are super pigmented and the lipsticks are just amazing. My first experience with Charlotte Tilbury was actually after Christmas, when my boyfriend got me the Vintage Vamp palette, and that was the beginning of a huge obsession. 

A few months later, for my birthday, I ordered two lipsticks on the website: Love Liberty and Bond Girl. The package arrived on time and it was so pretty, I didn't have the strength to toss it. Again, a few months after that, I was surprised to see that Charlotte Tilbury was available in Amsterdam. There was no way I was taking my flight back home without a little shopping session there. I must admit, I went a little bit overtop, but I just got paid for my internship and I mean... it's Charlotte Tilbury... So I left Amsterdam with another palette, the Dolce Vita, and two other lipsticks, Walk of Shame and Secret Salma. 

Hot Lips - Secret Salma 

I've already done a review on the Vintage Vamp palette, and another review on the Dolce Vita will be on its way too. However, the name of this blog being Lipstick Road, I couldn't possibly not review the different lipsticks, even though they are from different collection. In fact, Love Liberty, Bond Girl and Walk of Shame are from the Matte Revolution collection, while Secret Salma is from the Hot Lips collection. 

Hot Lips - Secret Salma

Love Liberty is a deep berry shade, Bond Girl is a nude pink/coral shade, Walk of Shame is a light red with coral undertones, and Secret Salma, inspired by Salma Hayek, is a baby pink shade. 

Matte Revolution - Bond Girl

How do they look? The lipsticks look quite luxurious when your first pick them up. It's rose girl, very precious and high end. There are only the initials CT on the top of the cap. Beside, I was pretty surprised with the form of the actual lipstick when I first open them up. They are not your regular round lipstick, they are actually angled, which I first found funny, but is actually not that bad. In fact, I find it even easier to apply the lipsticks. 

Matte Revolution - Bond Girl

How are they ? The lipsticks are pretty amazing, the colors are beautiful, and they feel very nice on the lips. They are all matte lipsticks, although they don't feel matte at all, they are very comfortable to wear, they don't dry out the lips, they settle very nicely on the lips. I would even say that they have a creamy outcome. For the most part, they must be comfort matte, because they do transfer a little bit. However, they are long wear, and the formula is just amazing.  They are so easy to wear on a daily basis, and could easily be worn day to night. I tend to stay away from non matte lipstick during summer time, but this summer I sworn by those lipsticks, not only because of the colors that could be easily worn in spring, summer, fall or winter; but also because of the formula. 

Matte Revolution - Love Liberty

Final thoughts ? Overall, Charlotte Tilbury is a great brandy with high quality products. Obviously, it is quite pricy, and I would not spend €30 on lipsticks every day. However, with the quality of the products and the whole service behind every purchase, I wouldn't mind treat myself once and awhile because the quality is just amazing, and it's not debatable. Talking about the service, when you order online, the package is not only nicely packed, and delivered on time, but you can get a few samples so you can try out skincare products, lipsticks, foundations etc. 

Matte Revolution - Walk of Shame 

I hope you liked this post, let me know what you think about the lipstick. Have you ever tried Charlotte Tilbury products ? 

Don't forget that you can subscribe to my Newsletter to receive the blogpost directly into your inbox! You can also follow me on BlogLovin for notifications when I post something. 

Finally for daily updates, follow me on Twitter and Instagram. 

I'll see you soon,

Love,

Elsa. 

Paris, France 30.9.16 Comments: 0

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Sexy and Creamy

Sexy and Creamy

Hey there,

Unless you're not into makeup or you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Urban Decay has launched it's Vice Lipstick Collection over the summer. And while well-known beauty bloggers were receiving the box with the complete collection, 100 lipsticks that is, I was at Sephora, on a budget, picking what colors I was going to get. To be honest, this purchase was kind of unreasonable, since according to my boyfriend 'I own enough lipsticks and don't need more'. Yes my boyfriend is hilarious, and all the makeup addicts and shopaholics out there will understand my struggle. It's the new Urban Decay collection! I need at least one lipstick! 

I wanted a color that I didn't own already, and that I could easily wear on a daily basis, and after much consideration, I went for, surprisingly, two creamy lipsticks. I'm usually a matte girl, so you'll understand my surprise when I found myself reaching for creamy lipsticks. I don't really like how cream lipsticks feel on the lips. I feel like they do not last as long as matte lipsticks, and tend to transfer easily. Well that's not the case for the Urban Decay ones. 

I first picked out Shame, which is a deep purple shade. I first thought that it will be hard to pull off such a strong shade, but it isn't that bad actually. I ended up wearing it two days in a row to go shopping, in full summer weather. However, I feel like this shade will be perfect for fall and winter time. The second one I picked out is Hitch Hike, a nude but with pink and coral undertones. This one gives a way more natural look and is perfect for spring and summer, or even if you're looking for a natural look. I've been wearing Hitch Hike literally all summer. 

I realized I tend to be attracted to the same shades. For example, I'm always attracted to either deep red/burgundy, deep purple or really nude shades, and always matte lipsticks. Since I tend to do something rather natural looking on my eyes, I usually go full out with the lips. 

So how do they look? The lipsticks are really pretty. The packaging is pretty simple but true to Urban Decay's style. It's a metallic purple and gold round package and it has Urban Decay written on it, and the UD initials on the actual lipstick. Although the packaging is original and quite unique, it's not the most practicable lipstick. It is quite hard to open actually because there's nothing you can hold on to that can make a click noise, and make it easier to open. 

How are they? As I said the lipsticks are creamy lipsticks but I feel like they have a matte finished feel on the lips, but not on the outside, if you know what I mean. They don't feel heavy or sticky on the lips. They feel nice and light. The colors are really nice as well, they are pigmented and so pretty. They stay on really well, but they will transfer like crazy if you eat or kiss someone, especially the Shame Lipstick, which is a shame... Overall, they are quite long wear, because you still have some on the lips when you're done eating, drinking, kissing and whatever. Moreover, the mixture is quite nice on the lips, because it doesn't dehydrated or hurt the lips. 

Final thoughts? I'm really happy with the two lipsticks. The colors are incredible, I'm quite amazed by the creamy texture because it's light, comfortable and nice. It is long-wear, so it's always a good thing. The only thing that bothers me is the packaging, although you get used to it after awhile. This purchase really comforted me in the idea that Urban Decay is truly a great brand, its products are amazing and have a great quality. The lipsticks are also not that expensive, they cost €19, which I don't think is that bad, it's cheaper than Mac, Nars etc. Overall, they are great quality and quite affordable lipsticks that I would highly recommend. 

I hope you liked this post. Did you get any Vice lipsticks ? 

Also don't forget that you can subscribe to my Newsletter to receive the blog posts directly into your inbox! You can also follow me on BlogLovin for notifications when I post something. 

Finally for daily updates, follow me on Twitter and Instagram. 

I'll see you soon,

Love,

Elsa. 

Paris, France 26.9.16 Comments: 0

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