Hiatus + Explanation

Hello my lovelies,

I have been MIA for a while on this blog, and to be honest there is no excuse on why I have neglected the blog so much. The summer months I have been so extremely busy with everything that things have just slipped my mind. My personal life is going good and I have been investing a lot of time into that. Sometimes I forget about myself which I have been trying to get back. But for some reason I keep feeling a little bit lost. 

I am trying however to keep up with my youtube channel and if you have not subscribed there you totally should lol. My channel name is Elly4u 

I think I will invest a bit more time into my youtube channel and I am happy to make videos. Please leave me requests for videos. For when I have a lack of inspiration.

To make it up for my absense of my channel and my blog I will be doing a big giveaway on my channel for Christmas so make sure you don't miss that.

I am hoping that in the new year I will be able to pick up where I have left off with my blog and write again.

I hope you understand. 

All my love,

Ellen

Save the blogs you follow on Google Friend Connect

Hello my lovelies,

I apologize for leaving the blog again, I have fallen sick last weekend and have been trying to get better ever since. This however has given me the opportunity to explore on how to save all the blogs I have been following on GFC. Bloglovin has made a solution for it, all you have to do is go to http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader and then just click the blue button and it will import all the blogs you follow on GFC. Sounds easy enough right?

I will make another attempt into blogging again tomorrow. Just because I have been feeling a little bit under the weather it just feels so uninspiring to write to be honest. But I shall do my best.

xoxox Ellen

Project Samples with Issho Genki

Hello my lovelies,

today I have a slight different type of post for you than usual. In my daily diet I always take supplements to support hair growth not only to build a better immune system but also to get my hair to grow stronger.

When I received this little sample from JohnBeerens.com I was curious to try it out as it promises you it lowers bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. It will make your skin healthier and younger looking.

Well I thought I would give it a little try and make it a small project samples. In a couple of days I will give you all feedback about the supplements.

Now my question to you is do you take any supplements? and why?

Starlooks Lipstick Review in Roseate *

Hello dolls,

I have been trying to get back into the grove of writing blogposts again. So far so good I guess, I might actually try the typing up posts in advance approach. Normally I just post whatever is on my mind that day and how I feel about something right on the spot. But maybe this plan will actually work for me. I don't really plan because with me never ever goes according to plan. That's why I don't plan, more of an impulse type of person.

Now I receive an additional product from Starlooks because I post a review of the Starbox on my blog/youtube channel. Unfortunately this will come to an end but that won't stop me from posting my monthly Starbox on my youtube channel. 

This month I received a lipstick, which I was super excited about. Because last month I received a pigment, not much of a pigment person. But I am a total lippies person!

The packaging is the usual Starlooks packaging where at the bottom you can see the color in the container. Which I love because this way I don't have to memorize the name with the color and just take it out of my lipstick drawer when I want to wear that particular color.

The color of this lipstick is called Roseate and it is a dusty rose type of color that can look depending on your lipcolor nude with pink undertones on your lips. I personally love the color, it is a color I wear every now and then when I feel like more of a natural look. 

The formula of this very moisturizing and does not feel drying on the lips at all. The color is fairly build able although just one layer of this lipstick can give you enough color. 

It is a nice color to wear during the summer although I am more a bright pink lips type of girl.

Murad with a discount up to 85%

Hi dolls,

I came across this little great deal! And I had to share it with you guys. Yes you did read it correctly Murad products with discount that can get up to 85% now you might think this is too good to be true. Well it isn't, I love this webshop and it is by a famous Dutch celebrity hairdresser.

I do have to say I am an affiliate of them but I do not get paid for promoting them whatsoever and when I find a great deal I just have to share it with you.

If you have not heard of Murad before it is an amazing skincare brand by Dr. Murad who made products for all skintypes and is most suitable for sensitive skin.

Shop Murad with up to 85% off

Starlooks Starbox May 2013 + My birthday box

Hello my lovelies,

Boy has it been a while since I posted something on my blog. I was just looking at my previous post and it was dated 31st of May!!! Like seriously?! has it been that long? To be honest there really is no excuse for me slacking because I see bloggers all the time who have a fulltime job plus a family to look after and they still manage to blog. I have a job but although the job itself is not draining my energy the travel to and from work however is. Not only that lately there has been some issues where it has proven to me once again, you cannot trust anyone. The most difficult thing is that the person who is suppose to be a leader figure for you betrays you.

Well I could go into depth of the story but it is not the most interesting of stories. But the more exciting thing is the Starbox of May! The preview of the Starbox was really exciting, and I thought we would be getting something as bold in turquoise but we didn't which was a little disappointed but the rest of the box was not as disappointed although 1 of the products I would not be so keen on using. Which product that is? You can check it out in the video.

As you might know when it is your birthday month and you are subscribed to Starbox you will receive an additional box with makeup goodies. Super duper nice and I do not know any other subscription service that actually does that. 

Starlooks Starbox May 2013 + Birthday Box 

Get your own Starbox right here

Lip Factory Inc May 2013 Unboxing + Review

Hi my lovelies,

Well I have to say, boy did this box took its time to get to me. It got shipped on the 8th of May and left the US on the 10th I believe and only received it on the 29th. That is 3 weeks! Normally a package from the US takes about a week, if it takes any longer than that I get worried. (example my starbox shipped end of last week and I received it yesterday)

Anyhow as always Lip Factory Inc is worth the wait. If you have not heard of them before, they are a monthly subscription service where they send you a variety of makeup items to create the look of that month. If you love lip products then this is definitely the box for you, every 4 months they send out an all lip products box! 

This month's box, contained some of my favorite brands and brands that I have never heard of before. I love discovering new brands. I shall not type much further and just leave you to enjoy, also don't forget to check the description box to read on how you can get your own Lip Factory Inc beauty kit!

Lip Factory Inc May 2013 Unboxing + Review

Etos Salt Scrub Review*

Hello my lovelies,

Can you believe it? It actually started to look a little bit more spring like over here. Today I spend my day first at the dentist this morning and then I wanted to go buy my YSL Rouge Volupté in shade 1 but it was not there :-( I was so sad. Let's just hope I will be able to buy it on thursday which will be my next day off.

Now that spring is finally started to show itself to us. We will all be able to be showing our legs again and some might even want to use fake tan. What is very important when fake tanning or trying to get the maximum tan is to exfoliate. This removes dead skin cells and cleanses out your pores. Even though I say this, I am horrible at keeping my own rules. I tend to forget to exfoliate but I have promised myself to do it at least once a week.

Onto the review, I received the Etos salt scrub to review. Etos is one of my favorite drugstores here in the Netherlands. They actually recently re-did their entire wellness line. 

This salt scrub has a scent from a mix of lavender and patchouli and I can say it smells absolutely gorgeous! First time I opened it, I closed it again and I could still smell it. I guess some of it got on my hands, oh wow even after 2 hours I could still smell it. And if you are a lavender and patchouli type of girl this is absolutely for you.

The salt has sunk to the bottom a little bit so it is fairly liquidy at the top. But when you use it just stir it a little bit and all is good. I love how it feels, the salt bits are not too large but not too tiny as it is for the body and not for your face where I prefer smaller scrub pieces. It leaves your skin very clean and fresh and of course smelling amazingly! 

The packaging is nice sturdy plastic packaging, so no problems when knocking it over (which happens to me because my shelf in the shower is pretty full and I tend to be clumsy and just knock things over randomly). The minty green color, gives it a nice calm look, not too much graphic on the packaging which I find very important when it comes to a wellness line. 

Now the price of this scrub is € 6.49 which I find pretty reasonable as the jar is quite large. The contents is 250grams to be exact. Other prices from the same wellness line start at € 4.99

So what do you use for your body scrub? Or what is your favorite?

Glossybox Unboxing May 2013 ''Beauty Favorites''

Hi my dolls,

You are probably thinking, one week we hear nothing from her and now we got 2 blogposts on the same day. I know I am a horrible person for slacking so much when it comes to my blog, I am hoping this new found motivation will put me through. Also all of my favorite TV shows are on their summer hiatus between TV seasons so no distractions!!

1 of my favorite beautyboxes came yesterday and I have to say I kind of liked the previous boxes more but I guess you can't have it all. I will leave it to you to judge whether or not it is any good.

Glossybox Unboxing May 2013

Truly Yours May 2013 ''Naturally Truly Yours''

Hi my lovelies,

I have an unboxing for all of you today, well I uploaded it yesterday but writing a blog post about it today. The theme for this month's Truly Yours is natural beauty products. I love using natural beauty products because I usually don't have to worry about all those chemicals that are in there or that your skin will react strongly to it.

Enjoy the unboxing and let me know what you think of the box.

Truly Yours May 2013 ''Naturally''

Battle of the Sunscreens (ft. Hannah, Australian Gold & more...)

Hi my dolls,

I have been really slacking when it comes to my blog and also my youtube channel. I have been thinking about making new banners and also change the background on this blog a little bit. But I have also been thinking about changing my blog entirely and move to a tmblr account instead of blogger. I know I am very indecisive. 

I guess I just need to get back into the groove of things. Starting off with catching up with my channel, where I uploaded a new video a couple of days ago. Ok maybe not a couple of days ago more like 5 days ago. Battle of the Sunscreens, it is basically a review of various sunscreens and comparing them to one another. 

The brands that I have featured in this review are Paula's Choice, Lovea, Hannah, GiGi and last but not least Australian Gold. You will not only find out which ones are my favorites but also which one I would recommend for the face and for the body. 

p.s. I purposely decided not to pick any drugstore brands as these are reviewed tons and tons already. Enjoy!

Battle of the Sunscreens

It's My Birthday Giveaway!

Hi dolls!

Today is my birthday even though I am turning 25 I don't feel like I am 25, more like 5 and did my parents knew that. (proof is on my instagram @ellenyu88)

Now I wanted to share my birhday joy with all of you guys by doing a small birthday giveaway! I did however limit it to my channel but thought I would post it on here too if you wanted to enter. I would enter because I am giving away some of my favorite things (feeling like Oprah saying that lol)

Birthday Giveaway Video!!!

Rules are in the description box of the video.

Good luck!

Starlooks Glitter Glam in BB Pink Review *

Hi my lovelies,

As promised I am going to be reviewing the Starlooks item I received for review purposes.

This product is Glitter Glam which is basically a glitter type of pigment in BB Pink a very pretty pink with gold shimmer. 

To be honest I am not a huge glitter person so I am not hugely excited about this. The color however is very very pretty but if you are not using the right primer, the glitter will not show up.

Above with the Starlooks primer

Below without. (No Flash)

(with Flash)

Unfortunately the pictures do not give it enough justice on the prettyness of this glitter. If you would like to purchase it yourself it can be done here Starlooks Glitter Glam in BB Pink

Starlooks Starbox April 2013 Unboxing + Review

Hello my dolls,

You have probably been wondering a little bit where I have gone to the last week, I have been so caught up with work and when I wasn't working I was actually at home being sick. I have been having not the greatest week just because I have not been feeling 100% and when you don't feel 100% and you try to still give your fullest at work it just drains all your energy. But I have finally started to feel a little bit better, although I am still coughing away it is not as bad as it was.

Because I was feeling better, I managed to edit this video and put it up a couple of days ago. The product that I received for review will be posted in a blogpost after this one so don't forget to come back and check what my mystery product was.

For those of you who don't know what the Starbox is, it is a monthly subscription service where you receive a selection of full size Starlooks makeup products to try out for $15.- per month plus shipping! Check out my video plus description bar for more information.

Starlooks Starbox April 2013 Unboxing + Review

Huge MakeUp Haul (MAC, Sleek, ELF, etc.)

Hi dolls,

I filmed this on the same day as the lip factory inc unboxing and review but I didn't upload this until today because I had the Truly Yours box to unbox as well and I know some people would be super interested in what I received this month.

And also this has been a haul, that was long overdue. Keep in mind that I did not purchase all these products in one go but was a more collective haul in the past couple of months. 

Huge MakeUp Haul (MAC, Sleek, ELF etc.)

Truly Yours April 2013 Unboxing

Hi dolls,

Yesterday I received my Truly Yours April box and I was hoping it would be better than last month, because last month I was pretty disappointed by the box. The box was just not my thing. Of course I did the unboxing on-camera so you can see what my first impressions were of the box.

Truly Yours April 2013 Unboxing BeautyQueen Edition

Enjoy the unboxing! Let me know what you think of the box.

Lip Factory Inc April 2013 Unboxing + Review

Hi dolls,

Every time I receive an email saying my Lip Factory Inc beauty kit has been shipped I count down the days (usually 7 days) but this month it took a little bit longer. You should have seen me looking out of the window every 5 minutes I hear a noise outside thinking/hoping it was the mail man with my package.

Well it did finally arrive along with 2 other packages. Of course the lip factory inc package was the most exciting, every month you receive a little surprise in the mail with a whole beauty kit to create the look of that month.

As usual they did not disappoint, want to know what I received? Click the link and find out, plus my thoughts on the products.

Lip Factory Inc April 2013 Unboxing + Review

Truly Yours ft. Viva + Miss Lipgloss Unboxing

Hi dolls,

I received this box about over a week ago. I decided to buy this box because I was hoping it would be better than their previous box. And I was not disappointed, this box however was 25 euro plus shipping which was €2.95 so all in all this box almost cost 30 euros. So I was hoping it would be worth it.

MissLipGloss is one of the largest Dutch Beautyblogs and she was launching a beauty book that would be included in the box as well. I wanted the book and as said it would be including some of her personal favorite products.

I decided not to film an unboxing video, because this box is not available anymore as it is sold out. And for the people who are curious about the box, I thought I would do a blogpost on it.

Not only did I receive the book but also a magazine with the blogger on the cover.

The entire contents

The book, fit perfectly in the box. Retails for € 17.95, I wish it had a hardcover instead of it being a paperback.

The Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair mask, super excited to try this one out. I heard so many good things about it. Retails for € 16.10

Andrélon, Get the Volume powder. I have always wanted to try out one of those volume powders. Retails for € 4.99

Make-Up Studio, blending sponge. Great sponge to receive a flawless foundation face. Retails for € 10.90

Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick in 15 Rouge Podium. A very pretty vibrant red with the slight shimmer.

The extra, Snowberry night cream sample. I like the Snowberry brand, I just wish the sample would be bigger.

The total value of this box was; € 62.93 plus the magazine of € 2.95 makes the total € 65.88

What do you think about this box? Do you think it is worth the 28 euros?

Glossybox April 2013 Unboxing

Hi dolls,

I know I promised a skincare special but it has been crazy busy yesterday and then I also received my Glossybox and had to film it because I was super excited and could not wait. And trust me it was totally worth it to spend some time on that. This month it lived up to its promise of Glossybox being a high end brands box. I shall stop typing and just let you watch the video. Enjoy! Don't forget to let me know what you think.

Glossybox April 2013 Unboxing

End of Project Samples Week 13

Hello my dolls,

I have to admit that I have been so extremely busy that I have not had the time to type up this piece. I as working 4 days in a row last week and then had Sunday off. And now I have another 3 days in a row to work, but I found a little bit of time to give you my review on the samples that I have used up.

The first sample is the Biotherm Blue Therapy serum and it smells very ocean like fresh scent. It reminds me of Davidoff Cool Water perfume. I don't know, but I am not a huge fan of all these serums. I just don't think they are something I would like to use on a daily basis. 

The second sample is the Vichy Idéalia it is the smoothing and illuminating cream. The scent is a bit floral pinky scent. I like it, but do I think it is that illuminating not really. I like it as a primer type of cream. I don't know if it will work fully as a primer as it is too small of a sample to actually judge it like that.

The last is the Anatomicals farewell the scarlet pimplehell deep cleansing mask. It really has a mud look to the mask, and it smells like a botanical garden. At least that reminds me of it. But it is very pleasant smell.

Would I say it is deep cleansing? No probably not, I don't think any of the ''deep cleansing masks'' ever deep cleansing. It does give you a clean feel though.

This week I will not be doing a project samples mainly because I have some other reviews lined up. I will be reviewing all the daily moisturizers and creams I am using on and off.

L'Oreal CC Cream Review

Hi dolls,

I realize that this week has been so far so good when it comes to me blogging. We are almost half way and I have posted a blog every day so far. Let's just cross our fingers and hope it continues this way for the rest of the days. Because I do really enjoy blogging and it gives me something to talk about.

However this blog post is about a video I posted last night on YouTube and I thought I would share it on here as well. Mainly because not all of you are subscribed to my channel and I thought this would be something that would be interesting to a lot of you. Considering it is a fairly new product.

L'Oreal CC Cream Review

Enjoy the review and let me know what you think of the CC cream!

Project Samples Week 13

Hi my dolls,

I have a new project samples for you. This time they are all in foil packets. I do have to say these foil packets are kind of annoying and I just want to get rid of them asap!!

The first is the Vichy Idéalia smoothing and illuminating cream. I don't have great experience with Vichy on project samples so far. But I hope this one will have a better outcome.

The second is the Biotherm Blue Therapy serum. Another serum in a foil packet which means just one use only. Normally I want more uses from serum samples.

The last is not really a sample but is a full size one off Anatomicals deep cleansing mud mask. I am quite curious about this, just because of it's name. Farewell the scarlet pimplehell

That is it for the samples of this week. Which sample do you look forward to the most to see the review about?

End of Project Samples Week 12

Hi dolls,

I usually post the end of project samples blogpost on Sundays. But I decided to take a little relax break from everything on Sunday and have a proper rest day. Before having a busy day on Monday doing a few chores that I had planned before I actually do a blogpost.

I seriously have admiration for the bloggers that have a full time job and also have a family life. Because I have a lack of time for all the blogging and video making. And I am currently working part-time hours and also do not have a boyfriend whatsoever.

Anyhow I shall continue with the short reviews of the samples I have used the past week. 

The first is the Eucerin even brighter cream, it contains spf 30 which I am happy it contains as it is pretty important especially now that it starts to look a little bit like spring. The cream itself feels like it is just pure sun screen because it leaves a white glare on the face. And it feels very greasy, it has some room for improvement.

The second sample is the Goodskin Labs Smooth-365 serum, I quite like it but I wish it didn't came in this small sample. It gave a good base to a more simple moisturizer.

The third and last sample is the Sisley Restorative body cream, I did not like this that much. As it felt very heavy on the skin and also has a medicine/herbal scent. Which I am not a huge fan of.

I will post a new project samples week 13 tomorrow instead of later today.

Nivea Lip Butter Review *

Hi dolls,

I actually have had this review ready for a while but all I needed to do was to type it all up. I already took the photos and everything about a week ago. And was actually planning to post this last week.

But of course with my procrastination and busier schedule it has totally been on the back burner. Especially after my previous review, which I had to film and edit (if you make videos you know how much time is spend on editing). 

The first time I saw the Nivea Lip Butters were the American YouTubers talking about. And they were a huge favorite by everyone talking about them.

I first thought, well we probably won't get them here in Europe. But no, weeks later I received an email saying these Lip Butters were going to be sold in 3 flavors in Original, Raspberry Rosé and Vanilla Macadamia. They retail here in the Netherlands for € 2.99 and are exclusively available at Kruidvat. Please contact Beiersdorf if you would like to know where it is sold where you live.

They come in tins of 20ml. I like the tins as they have a matte finish an d the lids do not come off easily when you have them lying around in your purse but still come off easily by just twisting them off.

So is the lip butter as amazing as all the American YouTubers have been saying? Well I really like it a lot! I currently only have the original but am planning to buy the other two as well. The original has no scent, is super moisturizing as you would expect from a nivea/labello lip product.It does not feel greasy on the lips just moisturizing.

As you can see I have made a dent in the lip butter tin already, I think at the time I was using this for about 2 weeks. I usually apply this before I put my makeup on and is underneath my normal lipstick for that day.

The original Nivea lip butter is white in it's tin but goes on clear. I did a swatch of it, you can see it slightly but I did apply it quite heavily on my hand. Even then it does not feel greasy!! 

I would love to know your thoughts on the Nivea Lip Butters. Would you buy them?

Also I would like to know what type of video you would like to see in my next video. A haul or a March favorites?

Khroma Beauty Mascara Quartet Review *

Hi my dolls,

I have a review for you. I have to admit I was pretty excited when I first heard that the Kardashian sisters were coming out with a beauty line. They are always so impeccable when it comes to their makeup. And if they have the high standards for their beauty line as to their usual makeup routine then I knew we would be set with their makeup line. I know they are huge fans of MAC and Nars products. So if it was anything like that type of quality but for a more affordable price then it would be totally worth it.

I shall not blab on too much about the brand. I will let the review video speak for itself.

Khroma Beauty Mascara Quartet Review

Project Samples Week 12

Hi dolls,

I have to apologize once again for the lack of blog posts, I seem to not be keeping up with my blog, youtube channel, my social life and a job very well. I will try my best but that is all I can do. I am going to try and make a schedule. Maybe plan a couple of posts ahead. But I cannot promise anything.

I am a day late with this project samples but it should still work out and I can put up the review of it all this Sunday.

The first sample is from GoodSkinLabs and it is the Smooth 365 serum, I am pretty excited to try this out because I have heard some great things about GoodSkinLabs but have yet to try out anything of that brand.
The next sample is the Eucerin  Even Brighter creme, it says it will give you a more even skin tone and will make your pigments disappear. I am curious about this, as it by the same company as Nivea.
The last sample is from Sisley Cosmetics, a pretty high end brand and it is a body cream that I will be testing out. Since it has been so cold lately I need as much body cream as I can take.

Let me know if you have tried any of these brands out and what you think of them.

End of Project Samples Week 11 *

Hi my dolls,

It is the end of project samples week 11. This week has been a crazy busy week for me with a ton of things I had to do. Therefore there was a lack of posts. But hopefully I will get into a more steadier schedule and can plan things in advance.

As I said in my project samples post I did some research on the Payot brand and found out that it is a Parisian spa brand that was founded in 1927. So they have been around for a while.

I am going to try to make this post short and to the point reviews because I am pretty tired and all I want to do is go to bed with a hot water bottle and fall asleep.


The first is the My Payot Masque which is a very nice face mask that claims to give you a radiance look after using it. I have to say I really like this mask a lot and it hydrates nicely without it being oily. And cleans your face very well. Your face feels fresh and rejuvenated.

The next is the My Payot Créme de Jour which is a daily moisturizer. And I got a couple of uses out of this one, it has a soft apricot yoghurt scent to it and really moisturizes your face nicely without it being oily.

The next is the My Payot Créme de Nuit which is of course the night cream that goes with the day cream. It has the same scent but a thicker consistency and feels a bit heavier on the face. But moisturizes really nicely as well. Especially with these dry nights we have been having with the heavy winds and having to have the heaters on.

Let me know what you think of these Payot products.

Thanks to JohnBeerens.com for giving me these samples to try out.