L'OREAL ELNETT HEAT PROTECT SPRAY SATIN - REVIEW

 The last couple of years I had been hearing lot about heat protectors, but never found the need to purchase one. With all the repairing shampoos, conditioners, masks and serums in my bathroom I couldn't quite find the space nor time for it. 

But after passing by the L'Oréal Elnett Heat Protect Spray Satin in store, I caved in and decided to find out if there really was any added value to these protectos that could make my locks healthier and prettier.

This is what L'Oréal says about the spray: 

"L'Oreal Elnett Heat Protect Spray Satin is specially adapted to your straightening routine with heated appliances. The advanced triple action formula:

Protects from heat damage up to 230°C, with proven efficiency, leaving your hair shiny and soft like satin.

Helps smooth hair and lock out frizz and humidity.

Locks in a straight look for up to 3 days.

How to use the spray: 

Press button to unlock the trigger. Spray on damp hair from 15cm away. Its lightweight formula evenly covers your hair from root to tip for optimal results. Comb through and blow-dry with a round brush. For added volume, focus on roots and blow-dry head upside down."

What I like about the L'Oréal Elnett Heat Protect Spray Satin:
The button to lock the spray (see picture above) is very useful. You can take the spray on vacation without having worries about it leaking in your luggage.
I also love the reach of the spray. It's pretty big (a lot of hair gets in touch with the product per spray), which makes it easy and quick to spread out the product around all of your hair.

It has a nice typical L'Oreal scent. I really love all the hair sprays scents from L'Oreal. Probably something nostalgic that reminds me of my mom, back in the days you HAD to spray an entire can of hair spray before leaving the house.

What I don't like about the L'Oréal Elnett Heat Protect Spray Satin:

It leaves the hair greasy very quick. You have to test out the spray a couple of times before finding the right amount to use. Even one or two or two sprays too much, left me with "didn't wash my hair in a week" looking and feeling hair. I wouldn't recommend using it on the roots for extra volume either (like it says in How to use the spray), unless you're going for the slicked back (wet) volume look.

I haven't noticed a difference in the condition of my hair. It hasn't gotten healthier or shinier since using the spray.

Would I buy the L'Oréal Elnett Heat Protect Spray Satin again?

Probably not. I haven't noticed a lot of advantages from using the spray. I would more likely pick up a different heat protector once this one runs out. 

If you like to test the spray yourself, you can find it at the drugstore or online for about €4,98.

Hope you found this review useful! 

x x x

METALLIC FLASH TATTOOS

The newest trend in fashion world is one I'm dying over! I have always been a huge fan of body art like tattoos and henna, but have never taken the plunge myself because I keep on changing my mind of what I want. As long as I'm not 100% certain, I'm staying away from the tattoo shop (yes, I'm boring like that)...

This new fashion hype offers the perfect solution for my fear of commitment though!

So what am I talking about? The metallic flash tattoos are basically a mix of body art with jewellery, and are the new and improved henna! The tattoos add shimmer and sparkle to any outfit and will be the most on trend accessory of the moment.The tattoos stay on for 4 to 6 days depending on how well you take care of them. You will need to avoid soap, lotions and water from the tattoos to keep them intact. And the prices range from €15-€25/ $20-$30 depending of brand and size. 

Here are some examples I really like.

Arrows

Necklace and hand designs

Body chain 

Wing and bracelets

Also celebrities seem to dig this trend. Queen B herself was seen rocking the metallic look some weeks ago while vacationing in France. Paired with a bronzed skin and bikini, the tattoos can give you an instant princess feel.

And Beyonce didn't stop in the front, as she put them all over her back as well!

I wish I would've found out about this trend earlier, then I would've blinged it up a bit more! But now that summer is over I will probably opt for a visible hand design or neck tat to start with. 

Here are some links where you can purchase your own tats: 

http://www.flashtat.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Metallic-Temporary-Tattoos-Divine-Planet/dp/B00K5YU3NU

http://luludklifestyle.com/products/golden-i-jewelry-tattoos

Have you tried this trend already? 

x x x

TENERIFE TRIP

Hi everyone! I'm back from a little internet break. Sometimes it's nice to diconnect from the online world, no social media or e-mails can be such a relief. I guess it can be hard for our generation to remember life before the internet, that's why it's nice to make you live it once in a while. 

It can be quite the reminder you're living your own life and own moments, that there's no one online who can feel what you're feeling or think what you're thinking in those moments. 

But now I'm back to reality and ready to share some of my vacation moments.   

I took a trip of nine days to Tenerife with my boyfriend, also my sister and her boyfriend were there some days. We needed a relaxing vacay very bad, as my boyfriend and I have been working hard for the last couple of months and there are some big projects ahead of us. We mainly focused on spending time together and wanted to include rest and action in our trip!

I've been to Tenerife a couple of times which makes it easier to find your way and the nice restaurants, but it can also make it a bit boring. That's why we tried to add some new elements to this trip, like our trip to Masca. Which is basically a hike of three hours in gorgeous surroundings! Sometimes the track gets a little tricky with steep edges and loose rocks but it was so much fun and rewarding when we reached the ocean. We had to take a boat to return to the nearest by village Los Gigantes. Which included a very nice surprise; doplhins. So nice to see these beautiful animals free in nature!  

Here are some pics... 

Watching the sunset

Masca

Waiting for our boat...

Dophins!

Deserved a nice glass of wine after an exhausting day!

Delicious salad with tuna and mozzarella

And I guess the end of this post kind of symbolises the end of summer for me! I get pretty sad at every ending of summer, but I'll try to make the best of the cold this year. Afterall, every season has it charms (I'll keep telling myself that through rainy and snowy days..)

x x x

TEEN CHOICE AWARDS 2014 - BEST DRESSED

Sunday evening the Teen Choice Awards took place in LA, and it was the hotspot of the night for young hollywood. Many popular celebrities like Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and the Jenner sisters attended the event. Some in hopes to receive their own award!

I was pretty excited to see all of the red carpet looks, as I like to see girly and trendy outifts celebs pull out of their closets when going to events for younger audiences. It's less about being sexy and more about being pretty, which sometimes feels like a revelation. 

These are my favorite looks of the night!

Kylie Jenner

The first cropped beauty of the night. I prefered Kylie's outfit so much more than big sis's Kendall, who opted for a sleek chique white jumpsuit. Which wasn't that appropriate for the Teen Choice awards in my opinion.

Taylor Swift

Love the shape of the skirt and the green color!

Shay Mitchell

Very girly, but also a bit more seductive than the other cropped outfits. The dark lips and nails make the look a bit too sexy for this event I think. If the white lacy outfit would've been combined with hot pink it would've been spot on. But still one of my favorite looks of the night!

Lea Michele

Wow, has Lea Michele ever looked better? Her body is in great shape and I'm in love with the messy bangs!

Italia Ricci

Love this jumpsuit! The print with the golden accessories match perfectly. 

Katie Stevens

I have to be honest, I had to google this girl to know who she was... But I'm in love with the feather skirt she's wearing! I've been looking for one for months, but can't find an, affordable, one...

Jennifer Lopez

How is it possible that every time I see a picture of Jennifer Lopez she looks younger? Is this a real life case of Benjamin Button? I can't get over how good she looks, green is definitely her color! And I think she must agree as she's been spotted in it a lot this summer.

What was your favorite look of the night? 

x x x

COCONUT WATER - MY NEW OBSESSION

A new obsession is in the making...

I've tested out coconut water for the first time this week, and haven't been able to go one day without. I was hooked instantly!

I had read about coconut water in the past, I remember some years ago it was boombing amongst celebrities like Rihanna and Jessica Alba, but I had never found it in Belgian supermarkets. This week I was talking to colleagues about vacations, tropical sun, coconuts.. and eventually coconut water. I decided to look for it in the supermarket again and luckily I bumped into it. I was excited to try it out but was also a bit sceptical and wondered if it would taste like natural coconut water or more like an aroma or extract. But I found the taste pretty close to the straw sticking in a coconut taste!

Besides being delicious, there are other benefits of drinking coconut water.
It's great for your skin, it moisturizes your skin from within and is great to clear up acne.
It facilitates digestion.
It reduces your blood pressure.
It boosts hydration.

This is the one my supermarket offers, Vita Coco water. The water contains per 100 ml 18 calories, 5 grams carbs, 0 grams fat and 0 grams protein.

I've also tried the coconut pineapple mix, which is delicious as well. A bit higher in calories but you do get the taste of a virgin Piña Colada! 

I would definitely recommend trying out coconut water if you haven't yet. It's a great variation to drinking regular water all day or if you've never been a fan of the bland water taste. I personally love to drink 2 liters of water a day, it makes me feel hydrated and healthy, but I'll be adding one or two portions of Vita Coco to my drinking routine!

Does anyone of you drink Vita Coco? Or do you know any other brands I should try out? 

x x x 

TOMORROWLAND 2014

Last weekend I went to the 10th edition of the Belgian music festival Tomorrowland (a three day dance festival) and I had the best time ever! The weather was perfect (except for the one rainy cloud on sunday evening), the DJ's were great, AND I was in great company of my boyfriend and friends! 

Some pics

I only had been to Tomorrowland once before some years ago, when it wasn't that big yet. But the 10th edition I didn't want to miss! As the festival is practically right behind my corner, it's a big thing amongst my social network. Skipping it, is even kind of frowned upon "Why aren't you going? Why are you being boring? It's the best festival in the world!".

But since I was a student the years before I kind of had to pick and choose my spendings and always skipped it from my to do this summer list. Now that I have been working some months I have been able to save up some much needed cash. Because prepare yourself when you decide to go, it is a very pricey event. With entrance tickets (that sell out in hours) of €200, burgers of €7 and coca cola of €4. 

But the prices are easily forgotten when you see the beautiful decors and stages. The Tomorrowland team really works hard to provide a gorgeous fairytale atmosphere. Dressed up partygoers finish off the scenery.

I will definitely try to get my hands on some tickets in 2015. And if you ever get the chance to go yourself, I would highly recommend it! The international crowd makes it a unique chance to meet new people and the Tomorrowland vibe is simply unforgettable! 

Maybe I'll see you there next year! :) 

x x x

 

LITTLE UPDATE

Hi everyone! It's been some weeks since I showed sign of life, but here I am! I just wanted to give you a little update on why I haven't blogged the last couple of weeks. No big news, just circumstances that got in between...

So firstly I got sick. I got the stomach flu which completely knocked me out for five days. It's been years since I got this sick so I decided to take the time to rest and recover as soon as possible (since I couldn't eat or move and was super bored of the Geordie Shore marathon playing non stop!) After that I got back to work and needed to catch up on the workload, which meant working extra hours and passing out the moment I got home... I also had to take care of my boyfriend, who got sick some days after me. The poor guy, didn't think my germs seriously.. 

And lastly I took a little trip to Lisbon with some friends. I lived in Portugal for four months some years ago and it was amazing to be back and recognize everything. I got to show my favorite places to my friends and got to relax and have fun. But a seperate blogpost about this trip will come on soon! 

That's kind of it... Just life getting in between me and my blog time! But I promise I'll do my best and become a better blog host again ;-) And if I'm MIA again, keep an eye on my Instagram account: thebeautiesmoothie, I update it more regularly.

Hope you're all doing fine, enjoying summer and thanks for visiting my blog! 

 x x x <3

BET AWARDS 2014 - BEST DRESSED

Yesterday the annual BET awards found place in the Nokia Theatre in LA. The BET Awards celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are broadcasted live on BET (Black Entertainment Television network). 

As I live in Belgium, I didn't get to see the show. But I did watch the internet and noticed some great looking ladies. There were definitely a lot of white and natural toned dresses, kind of missed summery bright colors on the red carpet! 

But here are my five best dressed girls from last night!

Jennifer Hudson

Simplicity is key in this look. But the black accents and the short punk hair give the look an interesting edgy feel.

Karrueche Tran

Wow. I follow Karrueche on Instagram and love her sweet girl look. This night the red carpet presenter went a bit more sexy and diva for the occasion, opting for long curly hair and a cut out short dress. But count on her angelic smile to add instant cuteness to the sexy look.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Just like Miss Hudson, Gugu goes for a little white dress. She keeps it basic by pairing her dress with only white accessories. The natural bronzed makeup and pulled back hair make the look complete.

Nicki Minaj

Pills N Potions singer Nicki Minaj is still ditching the bubblegum pink and rainbow shades of hair and it suits her well! For the BET awards she wrapped her curves in a simple black dress. The rapper is certainly sticking to her new and improved style: less is more.

Pia Mia

I love the dark lips on her skin tone and the headband makes the outfit! Maybe a tad too much cleavage for her age (17), but hey we've seen worse right? 

x x x

EXPERIMENT: DOES A UNIVERSAL IDEAL OF BEAUTY EXIST?

Esther Honig is a young American woman who got the idea to put beauty to the test. She sent a barefaced picture of her to 25 worldwide freelance graphic designers and asked them to make her beautiful using photoshop. Only demand was that it had measure up to the standards of the national beauty ideal. 

This is the photo Esther sent out, without any makeup or photoshop.

As you will notice the differences between countries is huge! Some go for over the top makeup and some prefer natural looks.

Australia

Morocco

Italy

Greece

Vietnam

Argentina

Germany

United Kingdom

Israel

Honig could conclude that a universal ideal of beauty doesn't exist. It's ridiculous for women to try to reach something that isn't real. Once again it is proven that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so try to reach your own beauty ideal and no one else's.

x x x