B as Beauty

In winter the beauty and makeup routine is totally different, I live in a cold weather that is very humid and dirty, our skin here is quite always dry and makeup last for very few hours so you need to touch it up and remosturize the skin few times (face hands legs..).
I use for my face so many different "potions" it depends on my face in the morning , my mood and weather, on my eyes I love the Organic Surge range, light and comfy under makeup. I adore the new KIKO (it's now available for wordwide shopping) skin range, the textures are very very light and not greasy but the moisturize result is great. I mix my daily cream with Eyeko 3 in 1 cream, it gives a shimmer touch and my skin looks healty and fresh (try it it's worth it!) .During the day sometimes I feel my skin oily so I use blotting paper from Muji very cheap and great quality, or if you don't have any and you need to fresh up your face pour some loose powder into your hands and slighly apply it on your face,your make up will last more and ther face will look fresh, or if you don't have any make up just use one kleenex and gently dab on your face to absorb the oil, don't rub just press gently then if ou want a dewy fresh look. I always carry with me pressed powder I need to control my make up but I don't apply it with sponge but with a large soft brush it gives the same result that you have with loose powder. Powder is great to boost your eyelashes too, before applying your mascara put some loose powder on your eyelashes then apply your mascara, your eyelashes will look fuller and longer, just a little tip, use your old mascara brush to do it.
Brushes are essensial in make up routine to blend , define etc, invest in few good ones, I’ve since I '98 or '99 MAC and Shu Emura brushes that are still good, I always buy cheap applicator for my purse makeup bag you aways need few good brushhes to make a good make up! ELF has great ones and the price is amazing and cruelty free!!

(latest obsession Chanel Noirs Obscures)

Don’t fake your tan in winter too much (unless you live in a sunny place!) winter is a season were you can wear all your dark shades and your natural skin tone, it’s awful when I see red/orangy faces with tons of bronzer and white hands and neck, they looks like an humpaloompa or a melted cheesecake!! I’m very pale and I love it, in a “white” sheet you can use all the colors you like!
here's my 5 minutes make up if you’re in a hurry and you need a glowing look, mix your tint mosturizer (normal one is ok too) with a shimmer cream or powder (not too much..) work it well on your face; if you like mat finish with a large soft brush mix some loose powder and a tiny tiny tiny bronzer (very tiny!) , brush face neck ears , apply a cream shadow or primer ( I love Lemon Aid by Benefit) in a tone that is a little bit lighter than yours, again not too much then if you like shimmer add in the inner corner and under the high bridge of your eyebrow a “dot” of a shimmering white/ivory shadow or pencil it’s ok ( I use Cargo reverse lipliner or loose shimmering powder) , curl your lashes and add your fav mascara (Rimmel Sexy Curves is my fav when I’m in hurry!) , don’t wear it on the lower lashes. I use in the waterline Cargo reversal lip liner or a ivory/beige (not white) liner to bright up my eyes in a second.
The “secret” to have a glowy look is the blush, it depends on your skin tone but a warm coral/peach (again Cargo has awesome colors, BarryM Benefit Coralista and ELF too) works great on everyone, so apply it very lightly and gently to contour your jaws then on the apple of your cheeks apply it with little round movement , again if you want to shine add some shimmering powder to your brush before applying blusher, use your fav natural lipgloss (natural tones) et violà! It really takes 5 minutes, it’s weareable for many occasions and looks great on everyone, you can look great without too much makeup and you need few products to realize it. My must have is a multi wear pencil like the Cargo ones or Benefit , an instant volume mascara (Rimmel or HR Feline All Blacks) , shimmering multipurpose powder an extra good mosturizer and a glowy blush, you can make it without using brushed but just with your finger by using creamy textures.
Less is more when it comes to make up, even if you want to make a “drag queen” make up start with less products then if you need more apply it, don’t over do it, I think that there’s nothing less feminine and sexy that “mask make ups” , makeup should be wereable and pull off your natural beauty, it’s ok sometimes to wear strong looks but always with a goob balance.
And most important always remove your make up!!!!!!!! It could sound silly but belive me I still know girls that don’t remove their makeup or wash face…people that use wipes and nothing else, ok that less is more but nothing is a mess!!!! I always remove my make up , even if it’s 4 am and I’m very tired I must do it, all those chemical stuff on my face plus city dirt plus greasy hands…disgusting! So it’s almost done, just few tips that you try for free, for hard and longer nails , soft hands and cuticoles try extra virgin olive oil, pour few drops on your nails/hands and massage it for a while (10-15 minutes) do it for 2 weeks and see the amazing result (you can even sleep with it on your hards it’s better) . I always carry with me an old coral/pinky lipstick to retouch my blush, it’s quite hard to use classic blush with brush everywhere but a lipstick will do the same without mess and will last more and you can use it on your lips too; if you don’t have your fav scrub use sugar, if you have sensitive skin mix it to your cleanser or a plain yogurt and work on your face then wash it with warm water, don’t use salt, it will burn and irritate your skin, and it's a great lip scrub too.
So what’re your beauty must haves? Tips? Obsessions? Multi purpose products that save your life? Share with us!

Winter Inspiration

(tfs - weheartit)


Can't live without

Tom Ford White Patchouli
Makeup Forver Aqua Creamliner
Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara
Cargo Lip Liner
Kiko nail polishes and lipglosses
Barry M blushes
ELF mineral Booster Powder
Elf Sage eyeshadow
MAC Carbon
Sephora Glitters


PS if you like makeup tutorials check Pixiwoo on youtube they're the best!!

I can’t live without…

(flickr)

Goodmorning and Good Week!! Here we’re still melting, somebody up there needs to switch the heat off..today is not sunny but it’s so humid that we can barely breath. Anyway I’ve started the week with a lovely present by my colleague Mariacristina, she gave me a silver beach bag!! I can’t think about a better way to start the mondays :)

Ok let’s go back to post topic, the I can’t live without beauty list!! I’m one of those girls that need to try new products every time that read a good review somewhere but I have my fav beauty “potions” that are my life savers and really can’t live without.

I try to use only products that are cruelty free and eco friendly, but unfortunatly it’s not easy to find all eco or vegan products, so sometimes I need to buy online or use alternative stuff. I shower with LUSH soaps, they’re the best, amazing smells long lasting, eco & animal friendly. My fav in the summer morning is ICE BLUE SOAP it’s blue like the ocean , peppermint smells , leave my skin soft and gives the right amount of freshness I need to wake up!!

The other one I use all year long is KARMA soap and sometimes solid shampoo too, gorgeous smells and that orange color that makes me so happy.

For my face I use the Fresh Farmacy soap, it’s great to leave your skin clean and soft and sometimes I use the Garnier Pure Deep Scrub , it’s not vegan or eco but it’s a great products that leaves my skin very clean smells very good (cucumber) and the fine scrub clean and exfoliate but not too much.

For my very fine (baby hair!!) quite dry hair I use mostly Lush solid shampoo, they last ages and are easy to use and no plastic bottles at all. I love them all but for my hair I use Karma and Lady Godiva , if I don’t use the conditioner my hair looks so clean and fresh smell, but because I wash my hair every day I use tons of conditioner, I’ve tried so many different and I’ve recently discovered Joico Moisture Recovery and I’m in love with it!! Finally a deep conditioner that helps my hair to look and feel moisturizedand healty. It smells divine and I don’t need to style too much my hair , they look like after a professional blow dry. When I need to add volume or I want to wear headbands or wild style I use Bumble & Bumble surf spray it’s amazing I can’t belive how much I love this spray. It leaves my hair crisp and with lots of volume and they don’t fly everywhere, I can style my hair in many ways and they looks great for hours , it’s really like a swim in the ocean, try it it’s great!!

For my body I just use Body Shop butters, my fav is coconut , but I’ve tried many and they’re all amazing, great smell and deep moisture. I also use to keep my body fresh during summer Body Shop Peppermint Spray for my legs and Oceanus Body Spray that really smells like deep sea and it’s very fresh and cooling.

For my face I’ve always used Clinique but few months ago I’ve started using different products, for my eyes now I use Benefit Depuffing Eye Gel , it’s great in the morning to really “de-puff” your eye and gives a cool sensation, or I use Organic Surge 'Pure Extracts' Eye Gel and I love it!! It’s very very cool and fresh, your eye looks younger and the makeup last longer , a great eye serum. For my face I’ve used this winter Clarins Crème Riche Desalterante it’s a very light texture but leaves my skin very soft and hydratated and it’s a 15 SPF too; now I’m using Organic Surge 'Pure Extracts' Blissful Moisturiser” , and it’s perfect for summer days, very very light , leave my skin fresh and not sticky . I also use Clinuque toner N.2 , I used it since ages and I still love it, and during the day I’ve made my own face mist by puring Roberts Rose Water in a spray bottle, it’s a great way to keep your face fresh and hydratated.

To add a hint of color to my face I adore Benefit “Talk to the Tan” , light texture not greasy at all and you can decide your own bronze color. I love Benefit it’s a great makeup cruelty free brand and luckly I can find all the range at Sephora. I use Lemon Aid on my lids & Posie Tint for my cheeks ( lips too!!) . I also use CARGO and Too Faced , always cruelty free and eco.

Cargo The Reverse LipLiner it’s a gloss lipliner that works very well on my lips and in the inner of my eyes to bright up a natural make up. I adore the CARGO LIPGLOSS DUO and PLANTLOVE Liptick (EVANGELINE) , the gloss is a natural duo in a tin, very easy to apply non-sticky and last ages, the lipstick it’s the perfect coral red, very very bright and with tanned skin gives a luminous touch to your makeup. For my eyes I use lots of TooFaced eyeshadows and Cargo too, I’ve tried so many different mascaras but I’ve never found the perfect eco and cruelty free ones, I still use HELENA RUBISTEIN FELINE BLACKS MASCARA , I really can’t live without it!! It’s rich thick extra black and it takes me a minute to have gorgeous lashes..I love it!! Do you have any tips for a vegan mascara?? For the rest of my makeup I use lots of products from KIKO Cosmetics , an italian low-cost and semiprofessional brand, it has an huge selection of colors and the prices are great.I always carry with me my beauty products , I’ve a beauty bag in my desk here in office and in my car, of course I can have all my beauty obsessions but I always have balms ( I love Yes to carrots in Lemon and BadgerBalms) hand sanitizer, nail files , miniparfume, 3000 lipglosses ( am I the only one that carries so many??) mirrors..everything!! As for my parfume I’m very obsessed, I adore YSL Opium, but only in winter and for dates or night outs, for day I use Narciso Rodriguez for her and now in the summer months I can’t live without Hermes Le Jardin Sur Le Nil, that smells like a summer garden. What about your beauty obsessions?