Flawless Skin

Hi people, 

Right, so it's Friday night and there's nothing worse than having a breakout.  I thought I'd go over two important parts of my beauty regime which helps me to get flawless skin.  Well, maybe that's an exaggeration! But this trick is in the cleansing and a Benefit playstick.

Cleansing

For me the trick lies in washing my face with a gentle exfoliator.  Nothing with hard granules, but one that gently lifts away the dirt and makeup of the day without damaging your skin.  Every day I use Simple's Oil Balancing cleanser and then follow with the soothing cleanser.  

Ciao a tutti, 

E' sabato sera, e non c'e' niente di peggio che avere un breakout. Quindi ho pensato di discrivere due parte imporanti del mio regime di belezza che mi aiuta a ottenere una pelle perfetta... o forse perfetta e' un essagerazione!  Per me il trucco di ottenere pelle perfetta e' di lavare la faccia con un esfoliante pee sollevare il sporco sensa dannagiare la pelle.

Makeup -

 Benefit's Playstick - this is great for problem skin as it contains the healing extract teatree.  I love the light smell of it which reminds you that you're not just covering up bad skin but healing it. I love the coverage as well, it can be built up to cover blemishes, yet you know that it isn't going to make them worse.

Evening -

Please please remember to take off your makeup at  night! Leaving it on won't let your skin breathe and it will be covered in all the dirt of the day.

Trucchi - 

Benefit's Playstick (si trova a Sephora) - questo prodotto e' buonissimo per pelle problematici in quanto contiene un estratto di teatree che guarisce la pelle. A me piace il profumo di questo prodotto perche se senti l'odore del estratto che serve come un ricordo che fa bene al pelle all' stesso tempo di coprire le macchie.

Nella Sera -

Per favore ricordatevi di togliere il trucco prima che andate a dormire! Lasciando il trucco non lascera' la vostra pelle a respirare e sera# coperta in tutta la sporcizia del giorno!

Highstreet Makeup

Good Morning my beauties!

I had planned on doing a summer outfit for today with some pictures in Hyde Park, but being London, its currently torrential raining outside.  So here I am, in my big jumper in my flat. 

 Rather than drowning in the rain later with expensive makeup, I thought I'd show you guys that cheap highstreet makeup can look just as good if you choose the right products.

Buongiorno a tutti!

Oggi volevo fare un outfit di estate forse con qualche foto fatto a Hyde Park, ma invece, ha piovuto un casino a Londra e in questo momento sta ancora piovendo forte. Allora, io sono qua, nell mio appartamento con un maglione.

Nell posto di affogare nell piogia con trucchi costosa, ho pensato che sarebbe meglio di mostravi quanto trucchi economica comprato al supermercato puo sembrare trucchi di lusso.

  

This look is really easy to recreate and I've used a mix of highstreet and luxury makeup.  I believe in using great makeup, but that doesn't always been that the most expensive is always the best.  Sorry if some of you guys are aren't from the UK and might not have some of these drugstore brands like Boots no7.

Questo stile e' veramente facile de recreare.  Ho usato un mix di trucchi dal Highstreet e prodotti di lusso.  Io credo che dobbiamo usare sempre il migliore trucchi, ma questo non vuol dire che questa sarebbe sembre il piu costoso.  Mi dispiacce se alcuni di voi non siete in Regno Unito e potrebbe non avere alcuni di queste marche dal farmacia  come Boots no7.

Primer - Number Seventeen Photo Flawless, I promise it works just as well as Benefit's Porefessional.

Foundation - My good old trusty YSL teint touche eclat,..I'm sorry guys I believe foundation isn't something you should scrimp on as cheaper ones come out pink on me!

Eyeshadow - GOSH in gray brown

Bronzer - Number Seventeen Instant Glow Shimmer brick, Ok, it's not quite Bobbi Brown's Shimmer brick, but it's near enough and in the rain I don't want to be wasting no Bobbi Brown!

Lipgloss - No7 High Shine gloss in Almost Pink

Messing about on the river

Today I changed from my usual foundation and switched to a lighter one - Benefits You Rebel lite. It was a beautiful day with sun so this tinted moisturizer was perfect for not being heavy. I set this with MACs magically cool loose powder in truth and light and opted for a gorgeous sparkly dusty colour by Urban Decay in Midnight Cowboy Rides Again.  I love this shade of eyeshadow as it is full of glitter and stays all day! Just make sure you use a primer too!

Clothes - Jack Wills Fullford tee, Jack Wills Houlden Lightweight,  Guess Letitia skinny jeans,

Lazy Sunday and Pink Lipgloss

Hello!  It's a Sunday, and about to pop out into London to enjoy the bank holiday!  So I've gone for a super laid back look as today is all about chilling. 

I went for - Beach look hair (bumble and bumble surf spray), faded jeans, hoodie and subtle makeup.  Oh, and then some neon pink lipgloss by YSL to make it pop!

Clothes: hoodie - Jack Wills this season, jeans - Guess Letitia skinny jeans,

Makeup - Benefit playstick, MAC magically cool liquid powder in Truth and light, Diorshow mascara, urban decay 24/7 black eye pencil, YSL pink liploss in golden fuscia 4



Protect Saturday night hair

A night out definitely takes its toll on your hair.  I mean, it goes through some seriously stress in order to get it primped and preened to perfection.  And for you guys like me with unmanageable, wild hair, it needs some industrial strength GHD's and curling tongs to get it looking anywhere near half decent.

When using a lot of heat on your hair, it is ESSENTIAL that you protect it.  I've learnt this a whole 10 years after destroying my hair.  I not only used heat styling every day but I also I felt like heat protection was over rated.  As a result my hair never gew and was like straw.  But, for the last year I have been using heat protectiong products and my hair is now soft to touch and has grown so much.

Routine

After washing I always use a detangler - Aussie's luscious long leave in conditioner does wonders.  I then reccomend using Aussie's heat protector.  Just rub this silky cream through your wet hair and then Elnett's heat protector on dry hair which is ready to be straightened.  This gives the ultimate protection.

Berry red lips

Happy Bank Holiday!

It is definitely time to celebrate the gorgeous long weekend we have ahead of us so I hope all you guys paint the town red!  And your lips too!

This is a fairly romantic look as it enhances your natural beauty with its focus on red lips and shimmering brown eyes. I love this as both a day and evening look as it can be dressed up or down with your clothing. The look focuses on natural, wavy hair,  gray-brown eyeshadow and a matte berry red lipstick.

Makeup used- YSL Le teint Touche Eclait foundation, Benefit Hula bronzer, Nars The Multiple cream blush in Orgasm, Urban decay eyeshadow in Verve , DiorShow mascara, 

And the grand finale, the red lips- Soap and Glory's fabulips in Pom Pom.  This was my first try of their makeup line, and though I was cautious at first, I will definitely try more of their products.  This lipstick gives you berry red lips which has a touch of pink.  It comes out matt and so lasts for ages and doesn't get on your teeth!

Green eyeshadow and wavy hair

Good morning everybody,

It's another day in the office, but that doesn't mean it has to be dreary!  Today I've got a mega low maintenance look which takes minutes, green eyeshadow with wavy hair.  Going for a coloured eyeshadow takes the same amount of time as a neutral coloured one to apply, yet makes far more of a statement.  Leave your hair natural and pin it up at the sides and you'll be ready for work in seconds.

Makeup: Le teint touche YSL foundation in B55, MAC blush in Pinch me, Chanel eyeshadow in Khaki Discret, Diorshow blackout waterproof Mascara

I'm crazy about this Chanel eyeshadow as it's not too green.  It has a lot of gray hues in there and has amazing staying power.  I kept my lips natural as with dark eyes I didn't to draw attention away from them nor look too made up.  This look is perfect for work as it is low effort yet makes you look perky and ready to go!

What's your favorite low maintenance work makeup routine?

Aztec Gold Earings

Hello by beauties,

I've always been a fan of gold statement pieces which means I'm going mad on this seasons trend of Aztec jewellery.  I find that you just need one piece to completely transform your outfit and makeup, whether it's a heavy necklace, bracelet or earings.  But if you heap it all together it may end up as overkill.

Makeup: Benefit Playstick, Diorskin Nude, Urban Decay in Blackout, Diorshow Waterproof, Clinique Longlast lipgloss in guavagold, Bareminerals Brow Color    

I thought I'd match these heavy gold earings with strong black eyeliner...I guess trying  to get my Aztec swag on.  These are last season, but I'm lusting after these from Topshop.

These and similar jewellery would go great with a colourful Aztec bustier....unfortunately it's faaar too cold today for me to be wearing mine so it's been artisically paired with my black heavy winter coat.  Thanks London.

Over and out!

Bronze it up!

Putting on the right amount of makeup depending on the occasion is sometimes quite hard to gauge.  There's nothing worse than being too made up or too little. This weekend was a close friends birthday and she treated us all to a beautiful home cooked dinner.  I opted for a subtle gold and black smokey eyes with tonnes of bronzer to make it a bit more special



Below are some of my most used and most trusted makeup products.  These all make part of my fail-safe makeup bag and I carry with me wherever I go!  The bronzed effect was achieved through lightly applying the Nars bronzer all over with a large bush and then concentrating more under the cheekbones in order to acheive contouring.  The Benefit blush I then gently applied above this to lift the cheekbones and add a glow.

Face makeup - applied in this order

• YSL touch eclait foundation in B55
• Concealer - YSL top secret BB cream
• MAC prep and prime white loose powder
• NARS laguna bronzer
• Benefit Cosmetics blush in dallas

Eye Makeup

• Clarins barocco trio (my favorite smokey pallet in the world, discontinued)
• DiorShow Blackout
• Chanel kohl crayon in peche cuivre

Clothes: Zara biker jacket, Miss Selfridges jewelled shirt



10 second mascara!

When you’ve only got seconds to get ready, mascara is the one piece of make-up that takes little skill, can be put on immediately and entirely transform your tired face. And, unlike foundation, it can be done in any old light as long as you’ve got a small mirror.
But, there is some forward planning which will make this 10 second application a whole lot easier, and that involves having the right mascara and the right application technique.

Technique
1.) Always apply mascara in a zig-zag fashion from the roots upwards
2.) Apply from the inner eye to the outer eye in order to draw the eyelashes up and outwards making your eyes look bigger.
3.) If you’ve got a few more seconds, first coat the eyelashes with mascara in a downwards direction in order to coat all the lashes. The proceed with step 1 applying mascara from the roots upwards. This will create a thicker and more wide eyed effect.
4.)Always remember to put mascara on the bottom lashes in order to open up your eyes.

Mascara

1.) When applying mascara in a rush, don’t use waterproof. It’s Sods Law that when your in a rush you’ll smudge it, and if it’s waterproof it’ll be more of a hassle to get off.
2.) Go for a mascara which is black and volumising. Both are fool-proof when in a rush. Colours are for careful planning and coordination with clothes and accompanied make up. Blue mascara on its own will just look frightening.
3.) Fail-safe mascaras include Benefit’s Bad Gal and Maybelline’s the falsies . Both cover lashes from corner to corner in seconds whilst simultaneously adding length and volume instantly.
4.) Opt for a brush rather than comb wand, as comb wands add length but little volume.

Natural Work Makeup

Morning people

Just a quick post about the makeup I put on this morning for work.  It is fairly typical of what I wear most days.  I work on the corporate side of a cosmetic comany so I have to come in having made a bit of effort, yet not so much I look like I'm off for a night on the town!

Makeup: Benefit Playstick foundation,  Bobbi Brown creamy concealer kit,  Mac prep and Prime loose finishing powder, Bobbi Brown shimmer brick in Pink Quartz, Benefit Badgal lash mascara



I usually choose to wear a long wearing foundation.  Benefit's Play Stick is my usual choice (in Tea Party) for work foundation as it has great staying power even without primer.  I also love its consistency.  It makes a great change to liquid foundation which I first get all over my hands before applying as it just goes straight on. I then just finish it off with some mac loose powder.

For the eyes, I just used the Bobbi Brown shimmer brick as a shimmery eyeshadow.  I like how smoothly it goes on and the effect it has for brightening up the eyes.

I know my hair leaves a lot to be desired but long hair is pretty high maintainance so I usually just put it in a side plait!

What's your work makeup routine?

Funked up nails

Hi there my little beauties!

Today I painted my nails a summery coral colour by OPI called "I mainely eat lobster". It's a great colour for summer, especially today as then sun tried to peak its way through here in London.

 I'm a diehard OPI fan, I love how it dries quickly and doesn't go streaky when you apply it.  But I've worn this colour so much recently that I decided it needed a revamp! I painted a coat of Maybelline's polka dot collection from the Color Show range on top which completely transformed them!

Because it's a clear varnish it looks best painted on a coloured base coat rather than on its own.  I convinced my friend to try it on one of her white talons and the results are completely different!

Have you guys ever tried a nail polish like thìs, what do you think of it!?




It's a clear varnish filled with thousands of little polkadot pieces which can be built up to increase the coverage.  I love what it did to my coral nails, what do you guys think?

Polkadot underwear set by UO

Just a quick post about a little shopping I did on my lunch break today on the oh so tempting Oxford Street!

I popped into one of my favorite shops, Urban Outfitters. I had already been in during the week and got some gorgeous leather leggings (see post Monochrome) which is when I first spotted my new purchase.  Somehow it becomes justifiable to me to buy something if I think about it for a while before I actually buy it!

I treated myself to this gorgeous new polkadot underwear set in a dark grey with black.  It is so delicately made yet such a good fit. Even better I found it in the sale with the whole set costing just 18.00GBP.  UO always create just a few, but great designs which keeps me coming back for more every season.









h is why I keep on coming back to them to get more. 

To Venice with Love

I recently went away to Venice for a day trip.  Though I used to live in Italy, and have travelled around most of it, this was my first time there.  I think it has also become my favorite city in the world. There is so much history in the walls, and it looks like nobody had touched it for hundreds of years.

To get to Venice from mainland Italy you have to get the ferry as there are no direct roads into the city.  Going on it made me feel like I was in the film The Tourist with Johnny Depp!  It was a beautiful day but still a bit windy on the ferry so I made sure I took with me my favorite fitted biker jacket by Muubaa. This seasons version can be found here.

Cream Jacket: Muubaa

Blue top with bow detailing: Urban Outfitters

Jeans: Topshop

When I left in the early evening there was a beautiful sunset bathing the city in a gorgeous blue and purple light. Have you guys ever been, what did you think of it!?