Monday 11 November 2019

Long time no see... A short goodbye from this platform.

So, it's been a while since I blogged!

I have come to the conclusion that blogging isn't necessarily for me.
I'm quite happy using my other platforms now that I have started using them regularly and can finally do video content!

So for those who didn't know...
I have moved back to the UK, been living in central Scotland for the past 4 months and it has been wonderful. I had completely forgotten how easy life is when you have access to everything you need!

I have officially started my Youtube channel, active as usual on Instagram and have also started to dip my toe into TikTok. I have the same username everywhere if you want to check what I've been up to: cynthia_steenkamp.

Other than that I've been busy sorting out our home from scratch for the third time in the 10 years I've been with the love of my life. Our little girl Cookie is so happy! My heart is so full right now and I can't wait for what the future has to offer.

This is my goodbye from this platform.
I don't quite know if I will start blogging down the line or what will happen but as mentioned I'm very happy with the outlets I currently use.

Hope you're all doing well and have a wonderful last few weeks to 2019!
Look after yourselves and see you around!

Monday 8 April 2019

Review: Espionage Cosmetics Cartridge Compacts.




Where to begin...
I love these things and I remember that I completely missed the cut off date to pre-order due to my yearly medical check trip to South Africa after making sure everyone else knew about them! Haha. But Espionage Cosmetics had my back and I got a lovely care package around Christmas with two cartridges, some of the new shadows and the lip blushes.

I have since bought an additional cartridge which is the Zelda inspired one, of course I had to have that one! 

But enough about all that, let's get into the actual review.

These cartridges are made to hold two standard sized eyeshadow pans which sit very snug once in place and can be removed thanks to the little hole in the compact.
There's two mixing compartments in each compact which is great for just that, mixing. During my recent trip to Sweden I used this little compartment to keep a little clear balm to mix with a shimmer shadow which I was using as a highlighter. 

The mirror is an actual glass mirror which I have successfully already scratched on my favorite compact. Sigh. I just can't have nice things! The size is about as big as a standard size powder compact but shaped as a Game Boy cartridge. Perfect size for keeping in tight jeans, breast pockets, tiny purses and anywhere else you'd be able to. 

This is such a fun little item for anyone who grew up on these games. It makes me so happy opening my bag and taking this out, just fills me with a sense of pride and nostalgia. This is definitely an item I'll be collecting and seeing that the pans that fit into them are available from such a wide variety of companies makes this even more attractive. 







Sunday 24 February 2019

In my stash: My current F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics Eyeshadow Collection.


I've been meaning to post swatches of my collection for a good few months now but with moving and not being able to find the pictures from my original swatches I had to do it all over.

Had close to no clouds today (at last) and I was finally able to swatch them all. F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics makes amazing shimmers, everything is vegan, cruelty free and hand made.

All shadows were swatches over "Embellished" Eyeshadow Primer by Darling Girl Cosmetics.

I do have an affiliate code you can use if you want to, it's "CYNTHIA" (all caps) and it gives you 10% off your purchase.

Limited edition shadows have * at the end.
















Monday 21 January 2019

In my stash: Favorite lip balms.

Oh well hello there! I've been ridiculously overwhelmed with life lately and everything had to be put on hold for a week or two, sorry for that but I'm back to my normal self now... Feels like its been a long year already...

Anyhow!


Lip balms!
Ah, so much money that has vanished over the years when they go "poof". I have never been much for really caring about ingredients and benefits of my lip balms until I started going cruelty free and educating myself about what does what.

There's a crazy amount of bad products out on the market, I can't even begin to tell you how many balms ended it drying out my lips or even disappeared off my lips in no time... Also, as I was writing this post I realized that most of the balms I feature here had been sent to me or GWP but these are my opinions and nothing has been filtered... I've basically only wasted money in the past year seeing as I have started " investing" in quality but only one that I bought myself (out of the countless) are here...

But that's not what this post is about.
This post is about my favorites!
I've become quite the addict and I use different typed of lip balms for different reasons, so if you, like me, are a self proclaimed lip balm connoisseur then keep reading and also dropped me your recommendations!



 F.A.I.R. Beauty Cosmetics.
Peanut Butter Cup and Candy Corn Lip Balm ($ 3 each).

I love these balms as a night time balm, they stay on through the night and don't "evaporate". Colourless and don't melt in your average summer temperatures which I've had a lot of unfortunate accidents with other balms leaking in my bags or pockets... Not a nice thing... The fragrance is quite strong but I don't mind it as it kind of  makes me love them more as they trigger childhood memories.



 FRUU
Colour Balm in Mulberry (£ 5).

One of those perfect tinted lip balms. I got this one in a subscription box many months ago and I keep reaching for it. It's not a very hydrating balm but the colour does stay on for a while and doesn't have a fragrance.



Bybi
Plumper Lip Balm (£ 9).

I won this! And it was lost for a few months due to us moving, that's why it looks a bit rough. But this is what I use to prep my lips before applying a matte liquid lipstick. Works well and doesn't feel like your lips are on fire or you're being attacked by a swarm of bees. Its a light tingle and it does what it's supposed to. If only more products did what they claim...


Linda Hallberg Cosmetics
Fantastick in Ametrine ($ 23).

I actually bought this one! I'm about halfway through it and I will absolutely pick up more when I got to Sweden next month! It has a very pleasant texture, not thick, not sticky, not too slippery, it's just right in my opinion. Oh, and it has SPF. It is so damn difficult finding a good quality SPF lip balm that feels nice... The tint isn't crazy, it is just a nice way to perk up a dull face.


Espionage Beauty / Espionage Cosmetics
Lip Blush Tints in Bubble Dragon and Barrel Blast ($ 6 each).

These were kindly sent to me in PR. These are surprisingly pigmented once you get through the top layer which mine seemed to have as the first few times I used it I didn't get much colour. They smell like candy and bubblegum which is something that makes me happy. I didn't think I'd get as much use out of these as I have, they're just so damn convenient to keep in my "on the go" palette.


Dr. Paw Paw
Multipurpose Balm (£ 3.95)

A GWP I received ages ago but didn't touch until a couple of months ago when I had some random dry spots on my hands. I love this balm. It's my bedtime main. I wake up with nice lips which is a lot to ask here as I tend to get really dehydrated through the night.


But that's it for now.
A few of these are running low and I'm trying to not buy anything unless I have to this year. I do have high hopes seeing as I have found some wonderful products over the last two years that I will stick to. Hope this helps someone out there and don't forger to leave me tour recommendations!

All the balms above are cruelty free and vegan.

Monday 7 January 2019

Current stash, post declutter.

I've been going hard on decluttering my life over the last four years and early December I decided that it was time to say goodbye to a lot of things in my make-up stash.

Ma stash.
So this is what I kept.
I didn't have a huge stash to start with as I've always made sure that I don't have more than what fits in a regular desk drawer. It's not so much that I don't have space but more of a way for myself to not get overwhelmed and not know what I have, which has happened more then once before I started my somewhat minimal living way. I do go through a decent amount of products in a year but right now I feel like I'm in a place where I'd much rather use up what I have then buy things this year. I do however have 5 things coming and will most likely pick up a few things during my visit to Sweden in a few months... But until then, I'm happy.

I have a wide range of everything I can imagine ever needing and I'm also a fan of mixing so I don't own loads of lipsticks or any other things, I prefer buying lip safe pigments and have good mixing mediums. This is something I did a lot more when I first started exploring make-up. Now I enjoy having a couple of perfect lipsticks to take with me everywhere and not make a fuss.

Since I discovered make-up I've stopped using foundation, I only spot conceal and use correctors if needed. Powder is my best friend but I only use it for my T-zone and a fine banana powder for under my eyes. Not buying foundation has probably been my best decision! I could to start with never find a match as I have a pale olive skin tone and in the early 2000s there was, if you were lucky, maybe 5 shades to chose from... And seeing as I grew up in Sweden, there wasn't much catering for non Scandinavian complexions.

Eyeshadows is the thing for me.
I love wearing it and while my fashion is dull and muted, my eyes will absolutely compensate for that... Oh and blinding highlighter of course.

For this year I won't be doing many hauls, instead I aim to do "what's in my stash" again on a monthly basis or whenever I feel like swatching stuff for my own sake. I have for a long time wanted to do a digital library of my make-up and I think now's the time to do it!

So yeah, that's it.
Hope you enjoy and let me know if you plan on doing a minimalist year or declutter your own stash.

Tuesday 1 January 2019

New kinder year: Veganuary.


If you, like me, always aim to do the right thing and be the best you can possibly be, then veganism might be for you. I'm Chilean, our food culture is very meat heavy and I grew up in Sweden where again, food culture is very meat heavy.

I wanted to create this post to help those who are interested in living a more ethical life take the first steps in the right direction.

First of all, please keep in mind that it takes time.
I don't suggest throwing food, make-up, skincare, fashion and what not away. This is why I incorporate the word ethical which to me is the baseline of doing good.

Changing your lifestyle takes time and as someone who has been changing towards a vegan/ethical lifestyle over the past 12 years I can advise you to not stress about it. The biggest change isn't about what we throw away, how we nitpick at things or the preaching, the biggest change has to come from your heart.

I don't say this lightly.
Opening your eyes to the reality of the vast cruelty we pay for is not an easy pill to swallow... It is something that constantly hurts me deeply when I see any form of animal product. And I never expected to feel this way in my life, I used to be an exotic meats eater, avid luxury collector etc. I would enjoy all forms of cruelty and it took a lot of research and basically studying for me to come to terms with it being time to make a change in my life.

I can't imagine people enjoying butchering animals unless there's something very wrong with them which leads me to question how we can justify paying for such a thing... Doesn't it make us as consumers just as sick as someone who enjoys causing pain? We pay for it after all, we create the demand. A very powerful phrase is "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian" by Sir Paul McCartney. While vegansim doesn't include dairy, honey or eggs, basically anything from animals, I always encourage people to do their own research. There's so much information widely available now... And with the times changing where so many facilities who have animals are being monitored with CCTV due to reports of animal cruelty there's no better time to wake up to the big marketing scam we have been fed for generations.

I'm always available for discussion and help.

Documentaries I recommend:
• What the health.
• Cowspiracy  
• Food Inc
• Earthlings
• Forks over knives

There's a lot more if you simply Google "Vegan Documentaries" but I thought these would be a great start.

Inspirational and generally helpful Instagram accounts split into genre:

Food:
@avantgardevegan
@bosh.TV
@accidentallyveganuk
@thevegankindsupermarket
@thevegankind
@nutrition_facts_org
@epivegan


Activism:
@anonymousforthevoiceless 
@albaparis
@earthlinged
@nimai_delgado

News:
@plantbasednews

Hope this helps.