I was looking for something to reduce the dryness, fine lines and discoloration around my eyes. Because of my health struggles last year, the area around my eyes was looking horrible. My beauty salon sold BioEffect and I tried it even though it costs around 75 euros. I was feeling so insecure about it, I was willing to try it; so here are my thoughts!

Balm Desert - The Balm 
Great during summer but also pretty as a contour shade in winter, when used with a light touch.


Rimmel - Natural Bronzer 022 
This was one of my first bronzers, I have repurchased it before but as I've grown older I don't use it as often because I feel like it's a little orange. It's great when I'm very tan though!


Sigma Aura Powder - In the Saddle
I believe this is 'technically' a blush but it works perfectly if I want to create a warm and simple contour/blush look.


Urban Decay - Beached bronzer in Sun Kissed 
I posted about this one when I first got it, I absolutely loved this Urban Decay collection and this bronzer is perfect during summer.


Milani Baked Bronzer in Glow
This is my only glitter bronzer, for a reason, because I just don't enjoy shimmer or glitter on my face as much, but I love this bronzer when I'm on holiday, I use it on my shoulders and chest as well to get that sun kissed look! I swatched it in this post. 


Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer (light)
This bronzer smells AMAZING! It smells like sunscreen and always makes me think about summer. It's a perfect shade for me to use in winter, though I use it all year round. It blends really well too.


MAC - Studio Sculpt Defining Bronzing Powder - Golden Rinse (Wash & Dry Collection)
This is the bronzer I use most often, it's not that noticeable but I have used it so much, it's very sheer on the skin and has the lightest, subtle shimmer to it. It blends amazingly with the skin as well.


W7 Honolulu Bronzer
I use this bronzer when I'm the most tan, so mostly right after my summer holidays.


Too Faced - Beach Bunny Bronzer
I probably don't use this bronzer enough, it's almost untouched but whenever I want to get rid of it, I use a touch of one of the colors and I get reminded of how pretty it is..


Too Faced - Chocolate Soleil 
This Too Faced bronzer however, is one I do use quite often, it's a great contouring shade as well if you use more of it on tanned skin.


Thanks for reading!
Love, Christine

Over these past few months I've made some essential zero waste or minimal impact swaps in my entire apartment, but one of the rooms where most has changed is definitely the kitchen! We've managed to change our habits quite a bit, so today I'd love to share some easy things you can swap out to make your kitchen more zero waste!

* Tupperware instead of freezer bags
One of the easiest swaps has to be using plastic tupperware instead of one-use freezer bags. You probably already have some old tupperware you don't use every day, check the bottom to see if it's freezer friendly but it probably is! I use these to store away fresh fruit, veggie meats, leftover soup or sauce, single slices of gluten free bread,...


* Sustainable scrubbers and cloths in stead of sponges
I don't know how many sponges we used to go through every year but I can tell you it was too much! Sponges can get very dirty, very quickly and they are not recyclable at all. I opted to buy a wooden scrubber, a compostable dish dumpling and washable clothes. You can get these scrubbers and dish dumplings on Kudzu or usually any eco or zero waste store.


* Pot covers in stead of plastic film 
We have 2 pot covers: a small one for bowls and a bigger one for pots. This is great if you've cooked or prepared something for later, or haven't finished something yet, but don't want to transfer it to some tupperware. Plastic cling film is not recyclable and goes straight to landfill or the incinerator. You could even use any old lid you have lying around the kitchen to place on top of a pot or bowl!

* Food Huggers in stead of plastic film (again)
I got these Food Huggers from Kudzu but I've seen them in many different stores already. They stretch around any vegetable or fruit to keep it fresh if you don't want to use the whole thing right now. I love using these because my flatmate doesn't like all the vegetables I like, but I don't want to prepare an entire eggplant for myself all at once!

* French press in stead of coffee pads/capsules
I just got rid of my Senseo coffee maker, even though I used to love it so much, because I learned that even coffee pads aren't compostable. I don't drink coffee every day, so for me this was an easy swap. I buy coffee beans in bulk and grind them myself. I keep a container of ground coffee ready to use. I even think it tastes much better this way!

* Metal straws in stead of plastic straws
This is really a no brainer swap, it's the easiest thing to do and it's not even expensive! I again, got these from Kudzu but they are available widely now. You can use this at home like I do, or even bring it with you to restaurants or takeaway places to avoid plastic waste on the road! These are dishwasher safe and come with a little brush to clean the inside.


* Compostable baking paper 


Just check for any OK compost labels on the packaging and you're good to go! I got this roll at Kabas in Mechelen, a zero waste bulk store.


* Buy in bulk, not in packages
And lastly, a MAJOR tip for the kitchen. Buy your nuts, seeds, dried fruits, flour,... in bulk as much as you can. If you don't have a zero waste or bulk store near you, try a market or buy paper bags. If you don't even have those around, you can opt to buy the biggest bag you can find to reduce plastic use. If it's something you use all the time and doesn't go bad quickly, why would you be buying small plastic packs?

I hope you learned something from my kitchen and that you enjoyed these tips!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo Christine

In my UK Cruelty Free Haul I featured these two Alba Botanica products. I use a lot of different hair products because I constantly change my hairstyle and how I wear my hair. Sometimes I let it air dry and leave my waves, sometimes I straighten it, and sometimes I leave it somewhere in between by coming it out. I've tried using these two products in a bunch of different ways and here are my thoughts! I got the Hawaiian Marula Miracle Leave-in conditioner and the Hawaiian anti-frizz serum.


The Hawaiian anti-frizz serum is supposed to make your hair smooth and frizz free. Even though it says 'sleek' on the packaging, I've used it when I've left my hair wavy as well. I love using just the tiniest bit of this when my hair is towel dry or when it's almost dry and it's looking a little frizzy. It's also great to use if I'm blowdrying my hair and want it to look a little smoother and sleeker. I use this almost every time I wash my hair and I absolutely love it!


I use the Hawaiian Marula Miracle leave-in conditioner a little less than the serum. Usually if I have enough time in the shower, I use conditioner and sometimes even a mask as well. If I do that, my hair is moisturized enough and adding more product would make it too heavy and greasy. I do however love using this when I'm running late, I wash my hair and quickly condition it a little bit in the shower and when I hop out I pat my hair dry and apply this. After that I leave my hair as is and let it air dry. It does at that little bit of extra moisture I need without making it feel too heavy.


What I love about this brand, besides it being cruelty free is that it's also vegetarian and free of parabens, phthalates and synthetic fragrances! 

Everyone that knows me can tell you I'm addicted to tea! I always love going to friend's houses and discovering which types of tea they have, and trying out new things. So here's a look into my current tea stash! It changes all the time, but I do have a few staples. I also show you how I store my tea!

My tea box is were I keep all 'leftover' tea or tea that I buy in a big box and store in my pantry. I have a few different bits and bobs in here, but I did recently take out some single tea bags that I need to use up in the next week or so, because it was getting a little messy!


Right now I have some raspberry tea that I rarely ever drink. I also have some Dragonfly tea (great for digestion), Pukka Clean Matcha Green tea and Pukka Mint Matcha Green tea, those are almost running out. The Heath & Heather Organic Lemon & Ginger I have in here for easy access because I've been having some throat issues. The Yellow Label Tea is mostly for my friends, so I have a big box of it in my pantry.


Heath & Heather is a brand I recently discovered and I've been loving these blends, the Lemon & Ginger especially. I also have Green Tea & Jasmine, Energising Morning Time and Camomile with Manuka Honey. These are all organic and the packaging is so beautiful, if I had the space in my kitchen I would love to keep this on my counter.


Another brand I have a few teas from is Biolys, which I buy at the pharmacy (or online pharmacy). It's also an organic brand but one that focusses specifically on health issues. I came across this when I tried out their mint tea for my stomach and a tea to drink before bedtime which I both loved. I now have one for Light Legs, the Fat burner, a Purifier and one for Cellulite. I mostly focussing on feeling light and healthy and looking that way too, so hopefully these will boost that a little bit!


Since I ran out of my other bedtime tea, I decided to try this Sleep Easy tea by clipper, I'm trying it this week and I'm excited to see if it works for me! I usually always enjoy Clipper teas, so I have high hopes.


I have some triangle tea bags and loose leaf teas that I prefer to store in jars, so I upcycled some Nutella jars from my flatmate (I don't eat Nutella because I'm allergic to hazelnuts). These plastic jars aren't recyclable so it's best to upcycle them if you have a use for them. The plastic does make it easy to write on with a sharpie because you can easily erase it with nail polish remover!


I have some loose leaf Taiwan Gunpower in one, but most contain triangle teabags. Keeping them in one airtight jar keeps them fresh for longer and doesn't mix the scents!


I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my pantry, if you are curious about any other things in my cupboards or any other tips on upcycling please let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo Christine