Growing up wildebeest

Mornings in any big city is like witnessing the great yearly migration from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti. I'll never forget my first time in the Serengeti, just as the liquad mass of wildebeest had arrived, flowing into that immense flatland like a river in its bed. Strangely, I felt an almost surreal connection with that four-legged, foul smelling, constant frolicking crowd. They reminded me of everything I'd ever loved about growing up in a city. Yes, it's a bit smelly and yes, you tend to step on each other. Yes, sometimes, some people just need a good head butt, and yes, usually you wish people could just follow the damn flow and stop grazing around, but it's that intoxicating feeling of oneness and total freedom at the same time that you never get anywhere else. 

I've sung enough songs for how highly I thought of city life, but it never fails to dawn on me like a whole new emotion when I get back in a city after a while.

Kiss and Peace

Miss Wildebeest 

What traveling by air is really like

Traveling is not for the faint hearted. While I can still distantly remember a time when heading to an airport was fun and light and usually accompanied by complimentary candy from my mom, my travels nowadays are a neat bundle of nerve-wrecking hopes and expectations. You hope your luggage will not be too heavy, too plump, too round or square, liquidy or whatnot. You hope the nice person at the metal detector won't choose you, out of all those currently on their merry way to their designated gate, to take your shoes off or to be man/womanhandled because you left a freakin' penny in your back pocket.

You expect your plane to leave on time, arrive on time, not have annoying/ill-smelling/disrespectful individuals sit next to you. You expect some sort of passenger drama because it's 2016 and people still don't turn their phones off or fasten their seatbelts. 

Shall I mention the number one passenger drama I've, and I'm sure you have too, experienced on EVERY single flight in Europe? As soon as the plane touches the tarmac, giddy Europeans spring up, frantically opening overhead compartments, searching for stuffed hand luggage twice as big as what they should be carrying, only to be left standing there like hurried idiots for an extra 15 minutes, some vacantly complaining as to why the damn door doesn't open while this silly airplane is still moving. Silly plane.

I've come to loathe traveling by plane. It now takes too long, I get checked way more than I feel comfortable to, the people have remained or even descended into a state of complete inadequacy and unawareness.

Traveling by plane from and in Europe doesn't involve having an experience. It's like catching the bus on Friday afternoon. You are not expecting warm nuts and plushy seats, it's cramped and unfortunate and you usually just want it to be over.

I've just landed. People are clapping. The guy driving the plane did his job. He deserves an encore request. Geez'

Kiss and Peace

Sarcastic Miss Sinister

Running in molasses

I feel stuck in an oven. I feel like a butter cookie glistening in the dim light of my double sized oven. It's summer in the city and there is nothing I can do about it. No face mist (too bad Kiehl's, you've served me good in the past), no water-f***ing-proof mascara (YSL&Revlon, I heart you, but this is an epic fail for you), no fancy organic cotton, goop-approved T-shirt will avoid me assiduous perspiration. I am broken. Moving around this mighty city feels like walking through the molasses that one of my favorite writers of all time talked about. If I knew not, I would say I'm in Harper Lee's Alabama world. 

My hair is limp and has decided to be shapeless, and no matter what styling tip I search for on Bloglovin, there will be no solution. 

I wonder why bloggers in general never talk about the real real of running around in a city. You get sweaty, your pores dilate, your hair gets twice as dirty as it would normally and it usually ends up in a tight bun to keep it off your shoulders and stop heating you further. There is no wavy curls casually flowing, no full makeup, no rows of accessories neatly stacked on your goddessesque body. I can barely stand clothes in this heat. If social norms were a tad bit more progressive, we would all berunning around in nothing but our birthday suiys, hopping like happy bunnies.

After realizing I would be aline for dinner, I've now treated myself to two desserts and a glass of Cabernet. Pure happiness. If the wine would have been a bit warmer and the wifi would have worked, it would have undoubtedly been #perfection.

Kiss and Peace

Miss self-contempt Sinister

I've hopped on the summer mascara trends bandwagon - YSL Mascara Vinyl Couture Review

After reading about it in every June issue of virtually every magazine, I went into Sephora practically demanding one of these. The new YSL Mascara Vinyl Couture promised longer, fuller lashes with added bonus of a lacquered effect.

I tried on the basic black which looked awesome but when I got my hands on this cobalt blue shade, which befittingly is called "I'm the trouble", I knew it was ti be mine.

I paid around 35€ cause I had a coupon, but the price is somewhere around there.

It says it's waterproof, or at least I remember the Sephora shopping assistant saying as much, but as I suspected, considering my long standing financial bond with YSL mascaras, it's not. So all you ready to put it on for summer and/or the beach, be warned!

It does indeed look incredible and gives a decent amount of volume.

In daylight, it will make people stare, that's just how gorgeous it looks, in the evening or indoors, people next to you will notice it, maybe even the odd waitress/fellow beauty blogger!

If you're ready to jump on the colored mascaras bandwagon this summer, I would definitely recommend this to you!

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Looking for glitter? Clarins After Sun Shimmer Oil

With summer finally here, well sort of here, I'm ready to break put the SPF50 protection and the body glitter. In that order. A couple of years ago I had found the perfect summer product. A SPF30 lotion with glittery particles from L'Oreal. It was stupidly cheap, smelled divine and I was in love. What did L'Oreal do? They stopped producing it. (insert Mutley grumbling noise) If you do not know who Mutley is and what noises he made, you need to google this right now.

Last week I spent a good hour perusing Sephora and a plethora of other beauty shops on the hunt for body glitter that didn't look like something out of a cheap 90s chick flick.

And I found this Clarins After Sun Shimmer Oil. And I'm in love again. 

It leaves my skin soft, wonderfully scented and subtly glittered. It's 35€ for 200ml of product but you only use literally a few drops for each body part. 

I'll be putting it to further test this weekend on my short trip to Sicily and let you know how it went.

Any thoughts or impressions? Have you already used this product?

Kiss and Peace

Glittery Miss Sinister

Summer Shower Essentials - Phytorelax Multi Vitamin

During my short visit to Cosmoprof this year, I chatted with a very charming Italian from Phytorelax Laboratories. He was trying to do two things. Take me out to dinner and sell me on how awesome their new multi vitamin lines were. One of these didn't go so well and I'll let decide which.

He gifted me the Nourishing Dry Body Oil (which is actually a spray), a wonderful concoction of some sort of watery serum and oil that smells like 1000 plus one oranges. It is enriched with Vitamin A, C and E, sans icky stuff and contains 98% natural ingredients. It has been my go to product after each and every shower. It easily absorbs and leaves my skin soft and scented.

Fun fact? The serum and oil divide so you have to shake it really well to blend them and create the mix!

Fun fact part II? First time I sprayed it on it was all over my bathroom floor (ceramic) and I nearly broke my neck trying to get out of the bathroom.

It retails for about 10€ here in Italy and you can find it in any drugstore but not at the supermarket. Y

I was so happy with this oil that I decided to buy the Multi-Use Vitamin Bath from the same line. I got it on sale for about 7€ (kaching!) and just love it. It boasts the same formulation of the oil, is super delicate and has the same incredible smell. 

If you're looking for something fresh yet nourishing for the summer, you should definitely give these a try!

Kiss and Peace

I'm finally back Miss Sinister