I was instinctively drawn to the skincare brand Mad Hippie because I myself am a mad hippie!

But as I am also a serious skincare fanatic, products need more than just a clever name to capture my interest.

I like my skincare products to be highly natural. And full of top notch quality ingredients. And I want them to work!

So when I read the ingredients in Mad Hippie skincare products and saw that they were loaded with super star ingredients from natural sources, I was very eager to try them and see just how well they work.

A quick word about the brand…  Mad Hippie is a small, new-ish American cosmetics brand from Austin, Texas. Their products are made with a high content of natural ingredients.

Though they do not carry the organic label, it does not necessarily mean that they are cutting corners. I’ve found some cosmetics brands before who refuse to put the organic label on their products because they do not agree with how low the standards are in order for a company to be labelled organic.

Maybe Mad Hippie is one of them? I promise I will look further into this matter of why they do not have the organic label on their products.

In any case, on to my review of the two Mad Hippie products that I’ve been using for the past six weeks… the Vitamin C Serum and the Eye Cream!

MAD HIPPIE VITAMIN C SERUM

This serum is packed with eight active ingredients, including Vitamin C and E, Hyaluronic Acid, and Ferulic Acid.

Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant in skincare. It fights against free radical damage and slows down aging. It has been shown to regenerate collagen and improve the appearance of wrinkles. In addition, Vitamin C lightens pigmentation and helps to brighten your overall complexion.

I was originally looking at Skinceutical’s C E Ferulic treatment, which costs a whopping $153.00! But then I saw that Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C serum also contains Vitamin E and ferulic acid, for less than a fourth of the price. Obviously, I went with Mad Hippie.

Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid are also anti-oxidants that can prevent the signs of aging and protect against environmental pollutants as well as against the damaging effects of UV rays.

How To Use: The serum comes in a glass bottle with a glass dropper. This actually makes it really easy to apply. You can use the serum either in the morning or the evening. And then follow it up with your regular moisturizer.

My experience: I only use this serum once every third night. If you’re curious as to what my skincare routine is like, you can read about it here. When I do use this serum, I tend to be very generous with it. I put a drop on my forehead, each cheek, my chin and my nose. I then lightly massage it onto my skin with my fingertips.

The serum comes out as a clear liquid, with a sticky gel-like consistency. The scent is light and pleasant, with sweet floral overtones.

Once the serum is absorbed, I noticed that my skin feels taut immediately afterwards and takes on a bright sheen.

The Results: …are amazing! However, they became only apparent to me after one month of use.

And what did I notice? The lines that were forming around my mouth and on my forehead have been visibly reduced. My skin feels smoother and firmer. The dark blemishes on my check have lightened. And my complexion has overall become brighter.

What I Like About Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C Serum:

- The results!
- Reduced lines
- Smooth, firm skin
- Lightened blemishes
- Brighter complexion
- The price is really good for what it does
- Easy to use with the dropper
- Loaded with great ingredients
- Flower Power packaging!

What I Don’t Like About It:
- It could be a little more hydrating

How Much: $27.19 for 30 ml / 1.02 fl oz on iherb.com

Would I Buy It Again: Definitely!

Ingredients: 

Water Deionized, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), Alkyl Benzoate, Vegetable Glycerin, Water, Glycerin, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Clary Sage (Salvia Sclarea), Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis), Hyaluronic acid, Amorphophallus Konjac Root Powder, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Vitamin E (Tocotrienol), Ferulic acid, Chamomile Flower Extract (Recutita Matricaria), Sodium Phytate, Xanthum Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose

MAD HIPPE EYE CREAM

This eye cream is loaded with 16 Active Ingredients. Jeeze Louise, right?

The featured active ingredients are peptides, ceramides, pomegranate and white tea. But what caught my attention in the first place were the Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. 

Vitamin K is an ingredient to look for if you suffer from dark under eye circles. The eye cream also contains titanium dioxide, which has sun-protective properties and helps to prevent further darkening of the skin.

So, I specifically chose this cream with the hope that it would help to banish my dark under eye circles.

How To Use: The cream comes in an air-tight plastic bottle with a pump. You gently massage the cream onto the skin beside & below the eyes. And you’re supposed to use this twice daily.

My experience: So I actually use this cream once a day, as I still have another cream that I’m trying to finish. The texture of the cream is light and absorbs easily. The scent subtly hints of berries.

The cream feels soothing and is excellent at hydrating the skin around my eyes! It also works well under makeup.

Results: The cream is very good at hydrating the delicate skin around my eyes. It feels soothing and helps reduce puffiness.

The ingredients are supposed to help protect my skin against external aggressors and thus, slow down the formation of wrinkles and sagging. But the result of such preventive measures are hard to assess.

As far as reducing the appearance of dark circles under my eyes however… I can’t say that it’s helped too much.

What I Like About Mad Hippie’s Eye Cream:

- Hydrating
- Soothing
- Reduces puffiness
- Loaded with great ingredients
- Helps to protect the skin against external aggressors
- Helps to strengthen the skin and reinforce collagen production
- Works well under makeup
- The price isn’t too bad for what it does
- Flower Power packaging!

What I Don’t Like About It:

- Not that effective at banishing my dark circles

How Much: $19.99 for 15 ml / 0.5 fl oz on iherb.com

Would I Buy It Again: I wouldn’t say it’s high on my re-purchase list.

Ingredients: 

Water, Niacinamide, Regu-Age, Eyeliss, Haloxyl, Matrixyl 3000, Glycerin, Vitamin K ( Phytonadione ), Titanium Dioxide, Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate), Squalene, Cholecalciferol, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Argan Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Chamomile Flower Extract (Recutita Matricaria), Vitamin E Acetate, Ceramide 3, Buckwheat Wax, White Tea (Camellia Sinensis Extract), Pomegranate Seed Oil (Punica Granatum), Sorbic Acid

Concluding Thoughts

I was very pleased with Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C serum!

But I was rather disappointed with the Eye Cream. Too bad! Keep in mind that I was looking for very specific results. So the eye cream might work quite well for you.

Also, Mad Hippie offers a 100% money-back guarantee if you are unhappy with a product and you return the unused portion within 60 days.

So I’d say, it’s well worth the risk of giving Mad Hippie a try!

Would you give Mad Hippie a try? Also, if you’ve had great results from an eye cream–especially at reducing dark under-eye circles, I’d love to know about it!

It’s a guide to help you “unlock your inner French woman.” Another version of this book was published under the title “All You Need To Be Impossibly French.”

Helena Frith Powell is a British writer and journalist who lived in France at the time of writing this book. In this book, she set out to investigate what exactly makes French women so elegant, glamorous, chic and super thin?

But are they really?

Again, as with my other article on 5 Classic French Beauty Tips, I have to start out with a caveat. These stereotypes of French women are just that. Stereotypes. And during her investigation, Helena mainly talks to illustrious, upper class and super wealthy french women to reinforce these stereotypes.

I would safely bet that the majority of french women do not live according to these stereotypes.

Nevertheless, the book is an entertaining read.

And there are a lot of cultural and lifestyle observations here that we can learn from and perhaps, even adapt into our own lives. 

Personally, I’m a big fan of the zen approach that french women have towards exercise.

The gym culture and the marathon culture really hasn’t taken off in France as it has in the U.S. Instead, women prefer more serene forms of exercise. Like walking, cycling, ballet floor barre exercises, yoga, playing with their children, and especially making love!

As Helena put it, french women “treat exercise rather like they do food; a little everyday.”

When it comes to food, they never deprive themselves. But the key is that they eat some kind of fruit and vegetable everyday, they eat small portions and they stop when they’re no longer hungry.

In order to maintain their figure, they also make use of slimming creams and gels. I’ve seen these a lot in the pharmacies and parfumeries. While I’m here I probably ought to just try one.

If you’re curious as to which slimming creams to try, Helena cites a study that rank L’Oréal’s Plénitude Perfect Slim and Elancyl’s Concentré-Lissant Chrono-Actif as the top two most effective creams. Both are available in the UK.

Another admirable french characteristic is their positive attitude towards aging.

Older women in France are still looked upon as sexy and desirable. In fact, lots of older women past their 50s still take very good care of themselves and even take on younger men as lovers.

The absolute key to the French way of ageing? Staying natural. French women don’t fearfully cling on to their youthfulness or try to completely eradicate the passage of time. Also, they see beauty as something to work on.

If you want to age gracefully, start early by protecting your skin from the sun and eating well.

The book focused a lot on french women’s obsession with sexy, matching lingerie.

There was also a chapter on fashion and observations about how french fashion has adapted to modern times. These days, it’s quite normal to pair a Chanel jacket with jeans and a t-shirt. Ironically, although haute couture originated in France, french people these days can no longer afford them. Haute couture is now made mainly for the delight of foreigners with money. 

There were many other cultural observations in the book that I found fascinating, but not really having to do much with beauty or style. Things like cattiness among french women and work ethics (or lack thereof).

It would be interesting to hear what french women have to say upon reading these observations about themselves.

Many times I found myself laughing out loud while reading some of the observations about french people. Especially because I personally have had the pleasure of experiencing the truth behind them. For example, the stereotypes about horrible french customer service? I’d say 75 percent of the time, it’s true.

The part that made me laugh the most though were Helena’s observations on the french tolerance for taking on lovers and extra-marital affairs.

While Americans and Brits have puritan and rigid attitudes towards marriage, french people see fidelity as “arbitrary and sterile”. To the french, love (or lust) excuses everything.

French men and women can have lovers outside of their marriage. Provided that they keep things on the DL, of course.

While writing this book, Helena herself flirts with the idea of having an affair with a mysterious french man, who she anonymously refers to as B.

And do their flirtatious games turn into something more serious?

Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out.

Find The Book: Two Lipsticks And a Lover On Amazon.
About The Author: Helena Frith Powell’s Website.

That’s how long I’ll have lived in Paris by the time I leave next month.

My unconsummated love affair with this maddeningly beautiful city is now quickly coming to an end.

I’ve known it for months. But I’ve just been hesitant to say it on this blog. Mainly because Ziba has always been a blog based in Paris.

Paris is, after all, the city where Ziba was born.

In fact, Paris is where many of my colorful plans and daring dreams have taken shape.  

And I’d willingly stay forever if I could. But in order for me to move forward with my dreams and my goals, I have to leave this place. And I have to be open to the changes in my life that are coming.

Yet, it’s been a blast! I’ll be taking many magical memories with me. All those long meandering walks and bicycle rides, the fresh baguettes and buttery croissants, the friends and smiling folks in my neighborhood, surprise bobo art shows, dancing around in rock concerts, picnicking by the river, planting little plants on our balcony, gazing at the moon through our telescope…

And yet, it hasn’t entirely been picture-perfect either. There have also been moments of pure frustration. The kind of frustration you get from living in a super tiny apartment in the attic somewhere in the heart of the heart of Paris. Picture lots of things falling out of small cabinets and onto your head, bumping elbows with door frames and tripping on stacks of books…

But in the end, I know my boyfriend Oliver and I will always look back at this time in our life with much laughter and happiness.

And so, you ask, where am I going now? Well, in the fashion of true nomads, all I can say is… well, right now I can’t say for sure yet.

Yeah, I knoow. Crazy, right? But this is the way I’ve been living my life for the past six years. And I’m just trying to get to a place (both physically and figuratively) where life will finally be a little more stable.

As of right now, all I know is that life is taking us farther and farther out west.

And so, what does this mean for you, my dear readers? 

It means that you are getting a change of scenery. It also means, you are going to start seeing more and more reviews of non-French cosmetics. And alas, I think it might also mean that my blog posting schedule will be a little more erratic as I go through another transitional period in my life.

But, in the spirit of true nomads, I have this feeling that years from now… yes, many years from now…

My path will lead me right back here again…

To Paris.

Photos taken by and copyright of Oliver Squibb.