Evening Skin Care Routine

I tried to give you some tips and tricks of how one can build an evening skin care routine.

1. Remove Make-up

For taking my makeup off, I usually use the Ahava Gentle Eye Make-up Remover. It is really fluid and turns into a gentle foam when applied on the eyes. For the rest of the face I use Nivea products. First a cleansing milk and then a tonic.

2. Clense the Face

To make your skin even cleaner you can try L'Oreal Pure Zone in the cleanPad+GEL edition. It purifies the pores and helps prevent black heads. Because I have a mixed skin type prone to black heads I really like products that can help prevent this.

3. Pore Refining and Moisturizing

As a next step I included the use of some products of the Kiehl's range that I bought from StrawberryNET. After moisturizing the skin it is good to pay some extra attention to the eye area. I use the Ahava Mineral Eye Cream which is really refreshing and super hydrating!

If you liked my nails stay tuned! Making of video coming up!

Taking up a Martial Art. Aikido

Before I started Aikido, I had a really sedentary life. I tried several tricks like going swimming regularly or going to the gym. I never felt motivated to go on with solitary sports on the long run.

So after being fed up with swimming, or better to say with not swimming as regularly as I should have, I decided to pick up a martial art. I opted for a martial art because I had some deeply imprinted memories about karate trainings from my childhood. I did not remember much, just stretching, being really thirsty, being punched in the stomach, laughing a lot on the way home. That kind of pleasant exhaustion we all know after intense physical activity. Not only this, but also that feeling of balance and self-confidence the practice of a martial art can give you.

With all these nice memories I started browsing among martial arts. I read a lot about martial arts in that period and tried to figure out what would fit me best. I had a green belt in Shotokan Karate when I was a kid, but most of the knowledge was forgotten. It was not something I could build too much upon, so I decided I would sign up as a beginner anyway. Browsing among martial arts I found Aikido. I must admit I chose it because of the nonviolence and best martial art for women motto, but by now I know better.

So after picking Aikido I was sure I was on the right way. Training would imply meeting other people who would be enthusiastic about martial arts and most probably about Japan and Japanese culture also. This was the perfect ground that would keep me motivated to train regularly. I knew that missing classes would result in Sensei and the others asking why I wasn't there the last time. I also knew from previous martial arts experience that it was really hard to catch up with the others once you missed out (a reason why I hated Katas in Shotokan Karate). In addition, something you instinctively do in martial arts in compare yourself with others, which is sometimes demotivating but other times can make you develop and earn more knowledge.
I hope this small article helped you and if you are still undecided, I listed some points that might help you.


You should pick up a martial art because:


1.) it is healthy
2.) practice is done in groups, which is more motivating than struggling alone
3.) comparing yourself to others can both motivate and demotivate you, it is up to you!
4.) you learn something new and can develop yourself
5.) you gain more self-confidence


And these are just a few points I listed above.  About the first Aikido training in my next post. Until then, keep it real and let me know if this article helped you in deciding to change your lifestyle and picking up a martial art! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a mail.

Nails

Short, bright colored nails or natural French manicure? Whichever the choice, most girls have a considerable number of nail polishes. This sometimes ends up being a veritable collection. Come on...I know you also have some dried out nail polishes in one of your drawers. But it is OK...I myself hardly remember finishing any other nail polish then clear coats. At the moment I really like Miss Sporty (what else should be expected from an aikidoka???) nail polishes because of the bright happy colors and the quick drying. Take a look at my little set of nail polishes I keep in a nice wooden bowl:

Haha, just now while editing I observe I forgot an Aloe Lips there. The truth is I just use this bowl to keep random lipsticks and hairbands also >.<

So now let me present the present status of my nails:

O_o yaaaaaaaaaaaakkkk
But the nail polish itself it a really pretty color. The design of the bottle is also really edgy. And I have quite some clothes with dark blue patterns that harmonize with this nail polish:

I totally hate it when the nail polish is kind of chopped, so the moment I finish this post I will do my nails again. I might get back with the update status of my nails on the bottom of the post later.

At school or college you can allow yourself to have funny looking nails, but once you start working it is a no go. It would look really unprofessional if I would hand some papers to the Auditor that is a present in our house with such nails. But somehow, even if I top coat them, my nails do not resist the constant tipping from the office. There are of course a number of more long lasting manicure styles but I somehow prefer the natural nails with nail polish. It is more time consuming, but also more fun.

These days I discovered a nail cure can help you drop bad habits. I also admit that I sometimes find myself biting my nails. Baaaaaaad habit! This is a biter tasting and completely efficient rescue coat. Once you tasted how bitter it is, you will keep your nails away from your mouth the whole day. It can be used both as top and as base coat, or as both. If you want to take advantage of the curing effects, you need to use it as a top coat:

Color your nails into fun colors and let me know your favorite brands! ^.^y

Update with my present nails:

Aikido and Conflict Resolution

In a world where stressful situations are not only inevitable but almost constanly using our energy, martial arts can offer help. I am not talking about martial arts as refuge but as a tool to cope with everyday stress. I stumbled upon this very interesting article on StumbleUpon.
There are also several other articles that appeared about Aikido in your Daily Life.
These are all totally worth reading!

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Morning Skin Care Routine

I would like to present you my morning skincare routine. At the moment I am using some Neutrogena products with which I am really satisfied!

Step 1: Cleaning

As I have a mixed skin type my T-zone is more prone to acne and to blackheads. That is why I need to take special care and clear these areas thoroughly. Until now the best product I found for preventing blackheads is the Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Facial Cleanser. I use this product every morning and it is the second time I restock...which is kind of atypical for me because I normally like trying out new products on the market.

Step 2:  Moisturizing


After thoroughly cleaning, you need to moisturize. In winter it is still important to use a moisturizer with a minimal SPF. You can of course increase the SPF level in spring and even more in summer. At the moment I use the Ultimate Moisture Day Cream. This one has SPF 15, which suffices for me in winter.

Step 3: Moisturize your lips!


Even if sometimes you might have the tendency to just put some moisturizer on your lips and think you are done, you should think twice. I have already read posts about how lip care is addictive. However, in winter hydrating your lips is an essential step you should include in your morning routine. You should repeat this for a reasonable number of times a day. You can read more about lip moisturizing here.

My absolute favorite in lip care is the Aloe Lips with Jojoba. After applying it, your lips are instantly moisturized for a long time. No stickiness or unpleasant smell and taste. I keep restocking on this since I discovered it. It is definitely superior to Nivea, Labello or other drugstore brands.

Coming up :

My Evening Skin Care Routine

Women in Aikido

If you do a search on this, you find almost nothing. I might try at some point to compile some information about the most famous female Aikidoka, but until then feel free to check out the poll this week! Can women get just as good or even better than man in Aikido? As for my side, I can observe that we have a considerable advantage. While my fellow male colleagues from the dojo sometimes try to solve techniques with raw force, women are obliged to observe the subtleties in order to put the uke to the ground. It is true that women started practicing martial arts much later then men. It is also true that most martial arts are competing and scare the female audience away. However I know that people who really study what martial arts are about, clearly realize that there should be no gender separation while training. At our dojo there is a tendency to separates on genders while training. I am not sure if this is the best approach. Maybe for a beginner practitioner it is more comfortable. As for myself I try to look for male counterparts most of the time because it is there where I can truly see if my technique really works.

Kiehl's

When deciding about what beauty products to use, like many of you I also browse the net. I check out forums and what I like to do most of all is watch you tube videos where people talk about their personal preferences. One of my favorite youtubers is fuzkitty. She is always really natural and cute. Just as myself, not only is she interested in having a nice makeup but also in having a healthy and glowing skin.

It was under her influence that I decided I should try some Kiehl's products. As these products are not available in Hungary, I had to search on the web and I discovered a great site which has free shipping, called StrawberryNET.com
There I chose from the large Kiehl's range the Rare Earth Pore Refining Tonic

What attracted my attention at this product that it refines the pores and it also makes the skin appear more matte. As I am 24 my attention is now focused on products that clean my skin and make it look as healthy and clean as it can be. Another important step after cleaning and tonifiying is moisturising. So as a next Kiehl's skincare step I chose the Ultra Facial Moisturezer

My skin type is mixed and it is also rather sensitive. From time to time I visit a cosmetician. I think having your skin cleaned by a professional is really important. Cosmeticians can tell you what exact skin type you have and also how to take care of your skin. My cosmetician told me last time that some redness I observe on my skin is due to the fact that the skin is really thin and the thin veins are to be seen. She suggested that I keep my skin well moisturized and also that I wash my face only with warm water. Too cold or too hot water can cause the veins to appear even more. It is also well known that you need to take care of your skin not only from the exterior but also with what you eat. Some time ago as my cosmetician was applying a home made fruit masque on my skin she said I should vitaminize my skin more. I then asked her what masques I should buy. She just laughed and added: Well I meant by that, that you should eat more vitamins! I was not aware of that before, but after I heard and read a lot about how healthy eating can have a good effect on your skin. So I try to eating as healthy as possible, but in the mean time there are also some dietary supplements one can take. At present as the flue season is approaching I take some products of the Forever Living Product range: Forever Garcinia Plus, Absorbent-C and Forever Bee Propolis.

As this was my first order from StrawberryNET.com I got a free Brush on Gloss from IsaDORA in 03 Candy the color that I myself chose when completing the order ^.^y

Aikido

I am a 5th kyu Aikido practitioner. A few years ago I realized that sedentary work at the office will not bring my body any good. I started swimming. That is a way to solitary sport that can get boring after a while. As I used to practice Shotokan Karate in my childhood, I decided I should take up a martial art. After a lot of searching I decided Aikido would suit me the best.

Beauty

I will present several beauty products and beauty routines I have. I will share my likes and dislikes with you under the motto healthy mind in a healthy body. And that brings me to my second post.