Simply Suzy Has Moved to SimplySuzy.nl!!

Simply Suzy has moved!

2010-01-28T16:17:00.004+01:00

I have a new & shiny domain, which can be found at:
http://www.simplysuzy.nl

Or check out my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/Dottilicious

See you there!! :D

The adventures of a Pale Porcelain Princess

2009-10-31T11:30:00.000+01:00

I am pale. In fact, I am so pale that I don't need to wear light colours when going for a walk at night. Any light reflects right off me. I'm like a freakin' glow in the dark sticker. And hold a milk bottle next to my face and you can't see where my skin stops and the milk bottle begins.

It may not be hugely common to be this pale, but it's not insanely rare either. I mean, when I go to visit my family in the UK, I see plenty of fair girls.

Yet somehow cosmetics companies seem to think that there are no snowwhite-esque girls in (Western) Europe. It seems bloody difficult to find a pale (liquid) drugstore or higher end foundation (or suitable bronzers & blushes for that matter).

My usual makeup shopping experience goes something like this: I walk into a store with my fingers and toes crossed and I say a quick little prayer before a sales lady jumps me like a hyena spotting a poor innocent deer. I then mention I'm looking for a foundation and the sales lady proceeds to quickly glance at my face before diving into the various makeup stands. She will then find something that is obviously not light enough for me, but try it out on my jaw line anyway. "See? Perfect match!"....yes, if you rub it around my jawline so much THAT THERE IS NOTHING LEFT, then yes, I suppose that is a perfect invisible match!

And then there's the dreaded "Are you ok? You're so pale?" question that doctors ask me. WTF? Don't ask me whether I'm ok! Ask any of those orange my-skin-has-morphed-into-leather looking girls whether they're ok! You're supposed to fry bacon, not yourself!

Having an unnatural tan seems to be the beauty standard and I can't for the life of me understand why! Why does society put across some kind of message that pale equals unhealthy?

If you are naturally pale, embrace it! Don't hate it! Work with it and you'll see that it's actually very pretty and special.

To make a long story short: Show some love for the pale people.

Pale Pride, yo.

Yes To Carrots - An Extensive Review

2009-09-02T20:30:00.003+02:00

My YTC stash:

The carrots range is great for dry skin and has helped tremendously with keeping my eczema (and thus dry skin) semi under control. Because those of you with eczema will know that flare ups can occur at any time, so it will never be fully under control.

The YTC products are all paraben free and consist mostly of organic ingredients. They are all based primarily on the repairing qualities of carrot juice. Add a long list of other yummy fruity, mineral-y and vegetable-y (heehee) ingredients to that and you have a recipe for success.

The only thing I don't like about YTC is that they use imidazolidinyl urea as a preservative. It is known for releasing formaldehyde in the body. But, they seem to be changing this....I noticed that they removed it from the shampoo. So I have my fingers and toes crossed that they will remove it from the other products too! :)

But enough chit chat. No brand is perfect of course, but YTC comes close ;) So let's continue on to my thoughts on the products I have!

C a Softer You Hand and Elbow Moisturizing Cream: I don't know how I ever managed to survive without this stuff! While it does take a while to fully absorb, it leaves your hands so incredibly soft and moisturized! I like to massage a little bit of this into my cuticles before doing my nails and it works really well. The only downside is the size of the tube. It's VERY big (200ml) so taking it with me in my purse is difficult :/ But you do get one heck of a lot of awesome product for your money!

Eye and Face Makeup Remover: I use this only to remove my face makeup with, because it doesn't seem able to remove (waterproof) mascara very well. And if you get it in your eyes by accident: OUCH!! Also, you need to moisten your washcloth/cotton wool pad before you put this stuff on it. It will work a lot better then :) But I love this stuff for those no-makeup days when you just want to let your skin breathe. It's a very gentle cleanser and non-drying for parched skin.

C Loves Your Hair Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo: I was using Chi Organics SLS Free Olive Shampoo, but when the supplier wasn't able to supply (:P) it anymore, I was forced to look for something else. I'm allergic to SLS (causes my scalp to break out in eczema hot spots), so that made my search a heck of a lot more difficult. But this stuff is amazing! And the smell...OMG! <3

C is for Conditioner Pampering Hair Mud Conditioner: The first time I used this, I found it awfully slippery haha. So my first reaction was "Oh God, silicone build up, Do Not Want". But, while it does contain dimethicone, I haven't had any problems with it weighing down my hair or causing nasty build up. I have no idea why that is though.... Either way, once you get past the too-slippery feeling and you (blow)dry your hair, it feels really soft and healthy. And it really does condition and nourish your scalp very well.

C is for Clean Gentle Exfoliating Facial Cleanser: Excellent exfoliating cleanser for superdry supersensitive skin. 'Nuff said ;) It makes your face feel really smooth and clean. Doesn't get rid of any hardcore flakiness though. I found myself needing something more gritty during wintertime. But now that it's summertime, this is perfect for me.

C Today or C you in the Morning Moisturizing Day Cream: If you have normal or oily skin, then this is not the moisturizer for you. But, if you have skin that, on a good day, resembles the sahara desert....well, then give this a go! But for anything other than severely dry skin, this is just not suitable, as it is a VERY rich cream (and it even feels a wee bit greasy). I prefer using Dr. Organic's Pomegranate day cream instead, simply because I'm not a patient morning person and that one settles into my skin quicker. But I've been using the YTC day cream as my night cream LOL. Still, I don't think I will repurchase this one. Purely because it's too rich, even for my dry skin.

C the Difference Exfoliating and Soothing Mud Mask: Great stuff :) I didn't notice any beneficial effects when it came to blemishes, etc. But the ingredients are great for brightening the complexion and evening out the skintone.

C Me Smile Lip Butter: This is the only product I'm feeling a little meh bleh blah about. I like it when I use it, but then afterwards when it's fully absorbed into my lips (or simply has worn off due to eating, etc.) my lips don't feel as moisturized as I feel they should be. But maybe I just have extra dry lips to begin with? Either way, I feel my Weleda Everon lipbalm does a better job at fully and truly moisturizing my lips. But I prefer the scent and light citrus flavour of the YTC lip butter.

Wow, that was long review! Well, I hope that was helpful for you guys! Have any of you ever used YTC products? Or perhaps things from their tomatoes or cucumbers range? Let me know what you think!

Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator - Week 6 Update

2009-08-04T01:49:00.000+02:00

It has been close to 6 weeks since I've started using the Ardell Brow & Lash Accelerator. High time for an update I think! ;)

I know it's not the best quality picture, but you can clearly see a difference now! YAY! My lashes are much stronger and, dare I say it, they look a little bit longer too.

The length isn't dramatically different compared to a couple of weeks ago, but still, I'll take any length it can give me.

I'm going to keep using it, that's for sure. Hopefully it'll continue improving my lashes. We shall see ;)

Have any of you ever used this product?

Ardell Lash Accelerator - Week 2 Update

2009-07-08T15:17:00.009+02:00

So it has been two weeks since I started using Ardell's Brow & Lash Accelerator....time for an update, methinks! ;) I don't know whether I'm imagining it or not, but my lashes do feel longer and stronger (mostly the latter).

Or perhaps that is just wishful thinking. But, I did notice that it was easier to remove mascara without ripping tons of lashes out. So they seem more resilient.

What do you guys think?

I'm going to keep using the product and then I'll post another update in two weeks. We shall see ;)

Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator

2009-06-25T15:59:00.006+02:00

What it claims: Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator is a concentrated serum of multi-proteins that works to immediately repair weak lashes and restore thickness of over-tweezed or thinning brows. Added conditioners soften dry, brittle lashes enabling them to grow longer, thicker and fuller.

Unfortunately, I inherited my dad's lashes instead of my mum's. Which means that while they're full, they're also super short and pretty much stick straight.

Plus, the lashes of my right eyelid are much longer than those of my left eyelid. I think that was caused by my E.L.F. eyelash curler incident, where I managed to pull out almost all of the lashes of my right eyelid. They ended up growing back longer.

Blessing in disguise perhaps ;) But since I'd rather not have to resort to the same tactic for my left lashes *shudders* I thought it would be cool to try out a lash growth accelerator!

I ended up buying Ardell's Brow & Lash Accelerator. Mainly because of the price, which is muuuuch lower than other lash growth products out there. But also because the ingredients are less scary than those of say, Lilash. Ardell's contains a good amount of Castor Oil, which is great for conditioning/strengthening lashes.

Enjoy these creepy "Before" pics of my lashes! :D

In two weeks, I'll post the progress again. Hopefully they'll be a little bit longer!

Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator is available for $3.19 excl. shipping at Madame Madeline.

Who The Heck Am I?

2009-06-24T22:32:00.008+02:00

Heya peeps! :D Welcome to my brand spankin' new blog!

I'm Suzy, 25, Dutch, short as a toddler & and pale as a true PPP ;) I've been blogging for 9ish years now (I know, I know, Suzy go get a freakin' proper hobby :P), mostly about day to day stuff. But the past year and a half, I became obsessed with makeup and other beauty related things.

So what better way to feed the addiction than to start a blog about it! :D And dear God, what a nightmare it was to get this thing up and running! Once I figured out the coding, coming up with a title was equally difficult.

Ice tea was gobbled down to keep the caffeine flowing through zee veins to stay hydrated, much brainstorming with friends was done, titles such as Peachy G33kcheeks (buttcheeks anyone?) & Sugarsweet (damn you MAC for beating us to that brainwave!) and Astraea (too similar to the Dutch word for stretch marks) were thrown out the window.

Until eventually, it was decided that "Simply Suzy" would be best ;)

What will you find here? Well, mostly me discussing recent beauty buys (a.k.a. hauls), but also swatches and some of my crazy ramblings about various topics.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the madness that is my makeup obsession!