DIY Lotions

Things in Switzerland are expensive and cosmetics are no option. This is always a problem during winter when my humidity loving skin basically dries up from the extremely dry European winters. I really need a potent skin nourishing cream but on top of being very expensive, not all of them are compatible with my Asian skin. So, I started venturing out for some nice non-chemical, hydrating creams by making them myself.

I buy most of my ingredients in the US. It's much cheaper and it's very vertile to use for many things so it's well worth it. For this body butter lotion recipe, I only need 6 ingredients and 6 tools.

Ingredients: 
Coconut oil
Shea butter
Apricot oil (also can use other oils such as almond, jojoba, etc)
Olive oil
Beeswax
Essential Oil 

Tools:
Jar (I used an empty jam jar)
Grater (** note I later found out it's VERY difficult to wash after grating beeswax. Better to use a knife!)
Cutting board
Measusing Spoon
Measuring cup
Pot 

Grate the beeswax **

Put all ingredients in the jar

Double broil it over heat

Leave it to cool

Divide into different jars for convenient use

Refrigerate for a few hours

It's a very "heavy" recipe. So if you have acne prone or oily skin, it'll be too much. It's basically like jabbing on butter on your face. But if you have VERY dry skin (like me) whose skin is cracking and getting itchy, this is perfect. I mix it with my other moisturizing lotions to give it an extra moisture soft finish. It also works great to put on your skin right when you get out of the shower before you towel dry yourself. And finally, it's also great for chapped lips. Enjoy :)

ヨーロッパのプチプラコスメブランド

最近ヨーロッパで大人気のプチプラコスメがイタリア・ミラノ発のKIKO。ちょっと日本っぽい名前なのか結構奇抜な名前も人気なのかな？フランスに住んでいたときホストマザーが夏のバーゲンでお店を発見したのがきっかけ。ホストマザーが買ってきたネイルの発色がすごーく綺麗だったので思わずモールに行って探してきたらティーンからOLやら層が広い人気店。お店は高級そうなのだけど、大体の商品が２００円～１５００円ぐらいとかなりお得。そのお店がジュネーブの国境沿いの街にもあると知ったので早速いってきました！

店の外見はこんな感じ。ブティックコスメ店っぽい感じがします♪

発祥地のイタリアではもちろんお隣のフランスやヨーロッパ各地でも店舗が出始め、かなりの人気。最近ではニューヨークとロスにも進出したそうで早く地元のサンフランシスコにも出てくれないかな・・・

今回は奮発して８点買っちゃいました。当初は７点だったんだけど、ある一定の価格以上購入するとプレゼントでもう１点ボーナスしていただきました♪　それでも４０ユーロ、１点につき大体５ユーロとこの品質では激安・大満足です。

リップステイン・グロスは一番のお気に入り。色も長持ちするし、発色もいいのですごーく重宝しています。KIKOが人気であるもう一つの理由は広告のモデルがアジア人やアフリカ人が多く使われているというのもあるのではないかと思います。ヨーロッパだとどうしても白人がメインの客層なので他の人種にとって合う商品がなかなかないんですよね。KIKOだと種類とか色が豊富なのでどんな肌の色でも合う感じでなじみやすく・使いやすいんです。そういう意味でもアジア進出近いと私は個人的に思ってるのですが・・・

Volume Attraction Mascara - かなりボリュームが出るマスカラで気に入ってます

Eyebrow fibers -眉ジェル、しかもファイバー入り！色も自分の眉にぴったりだし、長持ちするので毎日のメークにはマストアイテムとなりました☆

Daring look eye liner - 目が小さいのでアイラインはかなり太め。これは太い筆なので書きやすいです

ネイルはボーナスも入れて３色も買ってしまいました　汗。右はマット仕上がりで、左２つは艶やかな仕上がりなので使い分けてます

これからヨーロッパに来る方、お土産にもってこいですよ～

KIKO

** Just a warning that this will be a bit of a girly post so skip if you're not into cosmetics.Although if you're planning a trip to Europe, it may be worth to note the places to buy gifts for your mom, gf, sisters, etc. 

I discovered Kiko through my host mom in France. She's a genius looking for good quality good deal products and she came across them when they were doing a massive summer sale. They have great low-priced great quality things, much better than American cheap brands anyway. They're a cosmetic brand that emerged from Milan and they're quickly spreading around France and rest of Europe and I saw that there's a few stores in LA and NY area. So I was very excited to  find out they have it in the border city across from Geneva as well.

Bought all this, plus since I bought over a certain amount, I was even able to get a bonus product (+1 nail polish) my total bill of 8 products came out to be around 40 Euros, or about 5 Euros per product! It's a great deal and the quality is just as great. I've been loving ALL the products that I bought

My far favorite is the lip stain/gloss in one. It really stays on for hours and I love the texture of the gloss. Lots of nice color selections to choose from, espcially with my Asian skin it's usually very difficult to find a shade that fits me. But KIKO ads use a lot of Asian as well as African models as well so I can see how they're popularity is growing globally. I don't think there are any stores in Asia yet but I can see one coming very soon... considering they're very popular online

Volume Attraction Mascara - I love the thickness after I put it on my extremely microthin lashes!

Eyebrow fibers - They're mascara gel for my eyebrows, it stays on for hours and makes my brows look thick it's on my must-have for my everyday make up now.

Daring look eye liner - I have very small eyes so these thick liners make my eyes stand out nicely

Kiko nail polishes are the best. They're about 2-5 Euros but the qualities are almost that of department stores. Plus they come out with so many different colors and varieties, you don't feel guilty buying a lot..or should I be?

Hopefully they will open stores soon in Northern California as well, they're quality and prices are top-notch. But for now, look forward to it on your next trip to Europe... ;) (hint hint)