Alverde Beauty Haul

Hi Ladies! Today I want to talk about drugstore finds in general and the ones I got from Germany. 

One of the most exciting things about traveling is discovering the local products one particular place has to offer. The same holds true for makeup and skin care products. Say, for example, you would go to Paris, run a search in Google and you would find so many posts telling you to visit the French pharmacy. They have a list of products that have a cult following in France and the world over. This includes the sunscreen I am currently using from La Roche Posay. I will be going to Japan soon and I am so excited to look for cosmetics that people are raving about here in the Philippines!

In Germany, they have a chain of drugstores called the Drogerie Markt (DM) that offer several local cosmetic lines. This includes Alverde: (as translated from German by Google)

Philosophy

Among the brands dm is alverde NATURKOSMETIK for pure natural cosmetics that are free from purely synthetic fragrances, colors and preservatives. Beyond what is behind the brand, refer to the following philosophy. 

Our conviction

Sustainable thinking and acting are top priority in alverde NATURKOSMETIK.Therefore we are working on recipes that give naturally effective skin care and development and manufacturing processes to protect the resources. We are very pleased that you alverde NATURKOSMETIK for selling certified natural cosmetics brand in Germany make

Our origins

Natural Cosmetics has become a household word - that was not always the case. From a deep conviction to dm in 1989 decided on a product series that is built primarily on the basis of plant materials. We consider the needs of our customers as an incentive to continue our usual way dynamic. From the beginning, the offer of 14 alverde NATURKOSMETIK articles has therefore expanded considerably. 

Our product promises

According to the philosophy alverde our raw materials are preferably certified organic. All products are free of ingredients based on mineral oil as well as purely synthetic fragrances, colors and preservatives. The majority of our products supports the alverde Vegan seal that guarantees that no animal ingredients are included. In general: For alverde NATURKOSMETIK no animal testing is carried out. To meet your high demands on natural cosmetics, we face the additional stringent requirements of Natrue . This independent body committed to high ethical and ecological principles: With the Natrue seal are exclusively those products certified to meet the stringent, standardized regulations pertaining to the naturalness and compatibility. More information about the certification with the Natrue Seal, visit the international website of Natrue . 

Your Safety

Since 1989, the dm-brand convinced alverde NATURKOSMETIK with 100 percent natural and also high-quality toiletries. Some of them have been awarded by independent consumer magazines such as eco-Stiftung Warentest and test with top vmarks. 

I have been more and more interested in organic cosmetics, and Alverde definitely offers a wide range of high quality products to choose from! And the best part is, it's surprisingly so inexpensive. Most of the stuff that I got are below 5 euros :-)

Here are the stuff that I got, from left to right: Mineral Make Up Base Gel, Brow Gel, Lip Liner and Duo Kajal Eyeliner.

 I'm going to start with my favorite, the Alverde Eyebrow Gel. I'm not an expert on makeup application, and I've tried watching videos on how to make those perfectly done eyebrows, but I could never seem to pull it off. My eyebrows look too thick or too dark when I try. This eyebrow gel is a winner because it helps me achieve nice enough looking brows without too much effort. It's fool proof! All I do is brush it onto my brows, going in the opposite direction of growth, and then smooth it into place with the brush provided on the other end. Sometimes, when I'm not too busy, I use a fine tipped brush to create a more defined line and my brows look awesome! I find that the brown shade really helps. Most of the eyebrow pencils available here come in shades that are too dark for me, since I am fair skinned. This shade is just right for my brows. It helps me give that extra emphasis on my brows, especially when I'm wearing dark rimmed eyeglasses. I wish I bought more than one, and I'm surely going to look for a substitute when I run out.

Here's how my eyebrow looks like before and after application, which I did very quickly, like I would on a busy day. Like I said, it makes my brows look a bit fuller and more well defined, without looking overdone. It also helps my brows stay neatly in place throughout the day. Plus it's organic!

I also got the Alverde Mineral Make Up Base. I love that this product is so simple but very reliable. I hardly put on foundation, but when I do, I notice that it just quickly wears off especially on hot humid days. I started using makeup primer only recently and it really does make a huge difference. It brings out the best in my foundation, making it look smoother and more even and it prolongs the life of my makeup. This makeup base is almost scentless, and has a very light tint that disappears when it sets. You hardly notice that the primer is there, it's very light and doesn't make me sweat. Plus it doesn't make me break out or irritate my skin. I've been using this stuff a lot, and I'm afraid of running out soon. I hope to find an alternative that's organic as well.

The Alverde Duo Kajal Eyeliner that I picked came in Gold and Brown. I have mostly black eyeliners, but I sometimes put on this dark brown liner for a different look. Downside is, it tends to smudge and spread, so what I do is I use primer on my lids and use a tiny sponge to just blend it in for a softer, shadowy look. I use the gold on evenings when I want more dramatic eyes, mostly on the inner corner of my eyes and a bit on my water line. It just glides smoothly and applies evenly. I've even used this for an eyeshadow one time and pulled it off ;-)

The last product on my list is the Alverde Lip Liner in Nude. I got a nude lip liner because I've been into light colored and nude lippies lately. It's creamy, without being too drying on the lips. It smells delicious, with a slight hint of vanilla like MAC lipsticks. It wears quite long too and I've used it as a primer for darker lipstick, to achieve a more matte look.

So these are my finds from Alverde. I sure wish they would start exporting their products to the Philippines. I still have other products from this brand that I want to try. Aside from Human Heart Nature and Snoe, we doen't have too many locally made cosmetics that are organic, which is really unfortunate.

Are there other organic brands that you love? What are your best buys from the drugstore? I'd love to hear from you :-)

Thanks for reading this!

ARTDECO Invisible Lip Liner

Hello Ladies!

I realize I've been posting more about beauty products and not much about makeup so here's one item that I really want to rave about: ARTDECO's Invisible Lip Liner.

I've been into nude and light colored lippies lately and I've been using nude lip liners until I discovered this one. My complaint about lip liners in general is that they are never quite the same shade as my lipstick. It becomes even more obvious when you use nudes and light colors. ARTDECO solves that problem by coming up with a colorless liner. It just helps you outline your lips, keeping your lipstick edges sharp and defined, without changing its color.

ARTDECO is made in Germany but their products are now available at the Beauty Bar. I'm not sure though if they sell this particular lip liner here, but you can always try your luck via online purchase.One thing I like about German products is that they adhere to stricter standards in product safety, and they never test on animals.

ARTDECO Invisible Lip Liner

Here's how it looks like. As you can see, the liner is wrapped in plastic when you purchase it, so you're sure no one has tried it before you. Another thing that I absolutely love about it is that it's twist-to-release and you don't have to sharpen it. It bothers me that there's a lot of wastage when you use sharpener. Plus it's messy and the tip easily gets blunt and soft. Up to this day, I wonder how other girls sharpen their liners so perfectly.

The color is soft pink but when you put it on, it's absolutely colorless, just like wax but lighter and more matte. It stays put for a long time, is easy to apply, and basically just fool proof even for makeup newbies like me.

Here's a sample of the product. I made a thick line in the middle and applied a very light pink lipstick around it. As you can see, the boundaries are outlined very well, and is completely transparent. If you look closely, the liner also fills in the little lines on the skin, and some have used it as a lipstick primer successfully. As for me, I just really use it to outline my lips, especially for softer and lighter shades. It really makes my lipstick look better, even professionally done, and it never bleeds out and fades on the edges anymore.

I really hope they start selling this here soon, before I run out, because I will definitely repurchase. It's a makeup must have for me!

Have you tried ARTDECO Invisible Lip Liner? I'd love to hear your story :-)

Thanks for reading this!