All posts tagged: french

Hair Treats

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A few months ago I started dying my hair again. That whole “I’m going to rock my natural hair colour”-thing didn’t exacly do it for me, so I am back to being an blonde and basking in it! My hair is a frizzy mess if I don’t style it, but a dry mess when I take care of that frizz, so with three blow dries a week, I need a few power troopers to keep my tresses soft and silky. Would now be a good time to share my recent hair care favourites with you? Hair treat no 1 is the Phyto Paris Phytomillesime Beauty Concentrate Leave-In Concentrate, a leave-in treatement formulated specifically for coloured hair. The red bottle does not only represent my love for Phyto haircare (That Phyto 7 Hydrating Cream… Oh my!!), it also matches the “Phyto Red Love Apple Technology” which is created to protect you tresses from external aggresors, heat and subsequent damages. It is a leave-in treatment (#myfavouritekind), so I scrunch this into my towel-dried hair before blow-drying it. A few …

Holding On To That Summer Feeling With Le Petit Marseillais

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My Summer tan might be long gone and temperatures over 20 °C a distant memory, but at least of one my Summer favourites is crossing over into Autumn/Winter territory. A refreshing dip in the pool after work makes way for a relaxing bath and face mask session as my beloved me-time-moment, but Le Petit Marseillais stays by my side. This French brand needs no intro, and everyone who, like me, adores their products and scents will love these two new lines: the Express Body Sprays and the P’Tits Bonheurs (little bursts of happiness)? The P’tits Bonheurs really are these little bursts of soap-y happiness. Out the  4 ‘flavours’ (Au Pays du Miel & une Nuit, Ma Pause Coco-ning, Ma Vie en Rose, Croquez la Fraise à Pleines Dents), I have been savouring the Miel & Un Nuit, in which the honey from the French Alps is a one-way trip to the land of  milk & honey, and Ma Vie en Rose, more fragrant than 100 handpicked roses brightening up the room. Literally night and day, these two could not be more …

When In France….

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You do some pharmacy damage… It’s like an unspoken law that, whenever I (or just about any other beaty blogger for that matter) am in France, I feel this urge to plunder the biggest ‘pharmacie’ I come across on that trip. Sure, I need to show some restraint, otherwise my family travel budet is blown to pieces, so I draw up a ‘must have’ and a ‘would be nice to have’ list before, but it is a given that, whenever I am in France, even for a few hours, a local ‘pharmacie’ will be visited, and some hauling will be done. Here’s what I brought home this time: Biafine, known and loved by everyone, is a lifesaver in my household. My sensitive skin yearns for a touch of this ointment whenever I react badly to another product, burn my self whilst cooking or even when I get sunburned. Another product that I repurchased for the gazillionth time is the La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray, the simple formula of Zinc Sulphate, Sodium Chloride and the La Roche-Posay Thermal …

An Abundance Of Oils

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What better universe to divulge yourself in than that delightful, aromatic, silky soft and golden hued one of body and face oils? My devotion to oil is no secret here on LeenLovesStyle, and with a love so devout an intense, why stick to only one product? These 4 have been on rotation lately, and here’s a little breakdown of each of them: The Avène Body Oil has long been a darling of mine, and is the epitome of minimalism. No frills or thrills, but boy does this oil deliver! Thanks to avocado and calendula oil, it breathes life back into parched skin, takes it from croco to soft & supple. Plus, the Avène Thermal Spring Water in it has this heavenly soothing effect on my itching and dry limbs. Sheer hydrating heaven! Another golden oldie in my collection is the Caudalie Huile Divine / Divine Oil, and quite frankly, the clue is in the title. Divine by name, divine by nature, this oil raised the bar when it first launched several years ago. Not only …

Covering my bases with the essentials

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It is no secret that I absolutely love love love Avène! Several friends recently asked me if I could recommend some great skincare brands, and so I got to thinking. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that, even though they all have different skintypes and issues they want to adress, my mind kept going back to one brand in particular. Avène has been a lifesaver of mine in more situations that I dare to admit, having saved and soothed my skin after an allergic reaction to another brand more times than I can recall. But where to start? What to go for first? As the wise Julie Andrews would sing: “Let’s start at the very beginning!”. Keeping that in mind, Avène released ‘The Essentials’, a duo that takes us way back to the basics, proving that all that glitters ain’t gold when it comes to skincare. Sure, us bloggers can be real magpies when it comes to new products, but sometimes it’s good to realise that content is far more important than packaging, …

I’m an Avène Skin Care Ambassador!

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Finally!!! After months of having to bite my tongue, I can finally let you in on a personal secret that I’ve been keeping for far too long. Together with 4 other amazing bloggers I’ve been selected to be a beautiful part of the official Avène Belgium Bloggers Team! As official Avène Skin Care ambassador (how I love that title!), we get to spoil you with tips and tricks, reviews, new product launches, inside info and anything else you want to know. For example, want to know why the Avène Thermal Water is the best option out there, and what else it does besides soothing and refreshing? Head on over to my first article as Skin Care Ambassador (for Dutch-speaking readers only sadly), and let me know what you think! http://blog.eau-thermale-avene.com/BE-nl/2015/08/05/avene-thermaal-water/    

Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm With Rosewood

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It’s no secret that the French have long mastered the skincare game, and that French pharmacy brands are on a whole different level! Darphin, first among equals of these French pharmacy high-end treasures, has a solid base that they have been building ever since that first potion created by Pierre Darphin 60 years ago in his beauty salon on the legendary Place Vendôme. Driven by a desire to combine their knowledge of pure, effective botanical plants, aromatic care and essential oils, they have created that perfectly tuned, cohesive series of products that just beguilingly invite you to have that spa experience in the comfort of your own bathroom. Not only offering luxurious textures that far surpass the normal French pharmacy offering, Pierre Darphin himself created several skin-sculpting and massaging techniques that not only boost the performance of the Darphin products, but also keep your skin glowing and healthy. Off course nothing beats a pampering session in the luxurious surroundings of the Darphin Spa, but on those days that Paris just isn’t an option, I like …

Winter saviour – La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP+

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When temperatures start to plummet oustide, our skin starts to suffer. Skincare routines are adapted, richer formulas and textures start making their way into everyone’s bathrooms again and out come other hydration boosts. Not only our face, in direct contact with the outside world, suffers a great deal, the rest of our skin also wants to curl up and hide far away underneath all those layers of clothes.  Our legs, prime focal point all summer, need more than a light lotion or some after sun to avoid that dreaded craquelé effect, so it’s time to pull out the big guns. French pharmacy skincare brands are a constant presence in my bathroom, between facial skincare, body lotions and creams and children’s skincare, there are always several products rotating at any given point. Between my and little C’s dry, itchy, diva skin that flares up even worse in the winter, we are on the constant hunt for a great find to treat our atopic skin, but truth be told, I always reach back for my dermatological golden …

Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge Eau Fraiche

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If you’re looking for a new fragrance this season, but not quite ready to spritz on the heaviness of the Tom Ford’s of the olifactory universe, Roger & Gallet is the one brand you can always rely to cater to your every need (or preference). Fresh this season and perfect to warm up these chilly pre-winter days, their latest offering Gingembre Rouge Eau Fraiche* is been all I’ve been wearing these last few weeks. Inspired by a travel stopover in exotic Zanzibar, the scent’s creators Alberto Morillas and Amandine Clerc-Marie wanted to place ginger in the spotlight. At times energising, fresh, sensual or a comforting warmth, ginger has a multitude of facets, and this fragrance is an ode to each and every one of them. Fresh ginger, combined with notes of juicy mandarin, lychee and pomegranate and orange blossom give it a sweet touch, which is countered by ginger flower (a scent similar to lilies), crystallised ginger, cedar wood and white musk for a touch of earthy, powdery warmth. The Gingembre Rouge Eau Fraiche really is a study in contrasts, …