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Hello dear readers!

Today I will write to you about one of any girl’s favourite products – perfumes!

Some people have many different ones and choose which to wear according to the time of the day, their mood, where they’re going, etc (like me), others have their scent they fell in love with and would never ever change… Either way spraying a bit of our favourite fragrance makes us feel beautiful, sexy, fresh and why not, somewhat more powerful than before…

Perfume should be applied before all else: before getting dressed, putting on your make up and above all before putting on any jewelery – if you are wearing pearls beware not to let your perfume anywhere near them. This way the perfume will dry well and not stain your make up, clothes and accessories. I usually put perfume on the sides of my neck, close to the ears, and on my wrists. I think the scent becomes more uniform, delicate and pleasant if you apply a tiny bit on many parts of your body. Always remember that a delicate scent is always better than being heavily sprayed with perfume, you will smell and feel more sophisticated. It is also prohibitive to wear perfume to go to the gym, your pilates, yoga, ballet session etc – it can be very unpleasant for the people working out around you.

You should always try a perfume on your skin before buying it for each skin changes the final scent. Most stores will have coffee beans available to neutralize your smelling senses between attempts to find your scent so that the previous perfume you smelled won’t remain and influence the way you smell the next.

Here are my favourite perfumes that I always replace:

Mary Greenwell’s Plum – it is the most luxurious scent I ever came across! It is rich and sophisticated, classic and balanced – it makes me think of the MET Ball and what the fabulous people attending it must smell like, I don’t know why! But really, it smells of fabulousity. Not to speak of the packaging: I fell in love with the bottle’s lid! It’s heavy and feels like a full piece of gold, just amazing (and if you’ve being living under a rock Mary Greenwell is obviously one of the greatest make up artists of all time). This is definitely a party, dinner, amazing date or night out scent.

Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal – I’ve had it for many years and it is a very feminine, delicate and rich scent. When I put it on I feel like myself, it is a scent I am familiar with and love how reacts on my skin. It is one of those perfumes you can wear day and night, and is thus perfect for bringing along when travelling.

J’adore Dior – Again another feminine, floral perfume that I just keep replacing even if it’s not my favourite amongst these! It is easy to wear, it is not too strong, and on my skin becomes even more delicate so I feel it is very appropriate for day time, going to the movies or an easy night out. I really like its bottle and I love the travel sized ones my mom got me recently.

Chanel No. 5 – Classic, sophisticated and eternal. Every woman should invest in one at some point.

Here are mine:

Highlights from left to right: Miss Dior Cherie, J’adore Dior, Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal (without the lid which I lost somewhere in a distant past…), Hermès’ Un Jardin en Méditerranée and Un Jardin sur le Toit, Plum by Mary Greenwell, Chloè and Chanel N.5 and N.19

Also remember perfumes should be stored in dark, fresh places (not your bathroom!) otherwise they’ll go bad.

What are some of your favourite perfumes??

Hope you enjoyed this post and write to you again soon,

Maria

Here is my beauty wish list with some amazing products that provide fabulous results and come in beautiful packagings…!

Caudalie Divine Oil – said to be the ultimate dry oil moisturizer for hair and body, can’t wait to try it

Ren’s Keep Young and Beautiful SH2C Serum – it helps moisturize, renew skin cells, relax the muscles for a younger effect and help reverse superficial damages to the skin – what else do we need…

Shades of Nature eyeshadow palette by Sephora and Pantone – a limited edition palette with a variety of essential and amazing colours in this beautiful ultra thin packaging (and suddenly there is a new necessity in my life, on behalf of my kit)

Nars matte finish lipstick with the grape shade Vendanges – trendy, deep and luxurious colour, with a goth glam to it

Yves Saint Laurent Limited Edition Swarovski Union Jack Eye Palette – the Jubilee celebrations period is the perfect time for investing in all things Union Jack and here is my pick…

Cowshed’s Grumpy Cow Uplifting Bath and Shower Gel – because few things in life are better than an energising bath at the end of the day…

What are your latest beauty buys?!? What’s on your wish list!?

Write to you again soon,

Maria

Hello dear readers,

I wanted to share with you five quick and simple things I do during the day that change how I look and feel for the better – specially in busy, stressful ones…

1. Moisturize your lips: it will only take 3 seconds and your smile will glow, your lips will look fresh and juicy.

2. Moisturize your cuticles: your hands will look much more beautiful and you will love the long-term result: you’ll be able to extend the gap between your manicure sessions!

3. Add a splash of blush: in 6 seconds you will look healthier and energized.

4. Add a little mascara: even if you already have mascara on, add a little bit more to the roots of the lashes towards the end of the day; it will lift your eyes.

5. Change your earrings: preferably for bigger ones! I know it sounds silly, but it helps pick up your mood and will give you a new look…!

1. Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream lipstick; 2. Mavala’s Mavapen nutritive oil for cuticles; 3. M.A.C. Dainty mineralize blush and Chanel brush from travelling set; 4. Maybelline’s Colossal Volum’ Express mascara, 5. Lulu Frost earrings

What are your beauty tricks for making it through the day!?!

Thanks for stopping by and write to you again soon,

Maria

Hello dear readers,

Today I’m starting a new column called “Keep It Simple”!

I tend to search for the perfect way to do everything to the point it all becomes so complex and nearly deconstructed that I either let it be, and give up, or take a long time to solve an issue or just go crazy to do things the way I think they must be done… (Do you know what I mean!?)

And then the problem is that the result isn’t always the best I could get – not even after spending so much time on something… So I have learnt to keep it as simple, logical and practical as possible, after all we don’t have to be Superwomen in EVERY aspect of our lives – who has the time!?!? And who says that to do our best we have to suffer and go nuts rushing after everything!?

I’m going to start by telling you what I believe is one of the most important parts of doing your make up – and that’s the lighting. The lighting has to be even and you must try to avoid any settings that will create shadows where none exist and in consequence over illuminate other parts of your face. One example is that when light comes only from above it creates shadows under your eyes and you’ll probably end up exaggerating on the concealer and highlighting pen on that area.

The ideal light for making yourself up is natural daylight. But it is not possible to do our make up outside on a daily basis and definitely not possible to do it during the winter! So the main aspects to take care of when setting up artificial lighting is that it has to shine on you directly, from in front of you, evenly from both sides, for example by installing a column of lights on both sides of the mirror:

This portable solution has a triple mirror with side lighting (sold on Screenface – we’ll talk about this amazing store soon…), the downside is that it is heavy and very expensive.

But you don’t need to have a professional theatre, television, make up artists’ setting like the ones shown above as most are not only expensive but impractical – they take up a lot of space, minimum amount of planning and people to install, execute, punch holes on your walls, etc, etc.

How to keep it simple:

My favourite solution is the round magnifying mirror with lights.

The one I use has 3 different types of artificial light – warm, cold and neutral, the ideal being a mixture of cold and warm light in order to mimic to the best natural daylight (aka the neutral one). I always do my makeup using the magnifying side – the difference it makes when doing the finishing touches and fixing foundation marks from the brush or finger application is really amazing. The resulting make up is that much better and more natural looking because you can see very well all you are applying so you have less room for making mistakes or overdoing it. The mirror is also evenly lit which prevents any undesired or misleading shadows on your face.

Babyliss’ Halo Lighted Round Mirror:

There are obviously many other brands, with many other models and sizes to pick from…!

Hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful!

Write to you again soon,

Maria

Hello dear readers,

I understand this is not a new subject and much has been said about Kate Middleton’s make up. From the eyeliner controversy – many thought she over did it, to the blusher and eye make up there were criticisms flying everywhere as soon as she started appearing on official and royal duties (not to say on her wedding day!).

I simply cannot see the problem with any of her looks. Kate is one of the most politically correct public figures around. And I mean politically literally. She never wears or does anything that doesn’t have a meaning to it, from her clothes and accessories to her choices of hair, make up and attitude, it is all about behaving in an adequate and appropriate way and making statements – but not fashion ones. She is the queen of symbolism. She is discreet and contained in all of her actions – you can seldom hear her voice except for her one public speech and the official engagement interview, demonstrating to be delicate and polite.

So how does her make up  fit into it: her make up is essential and necessary only to perfect her skin and her overall image. She has to look glowing, discreet and above all polished. She doesn’t wear trendy colours or cares for the new smoky eye technique. She follows every protocol through and through. And if we take a look at some of her looks compared to other royals we can easily identify some of their main characteristics:

The Duchess of Cambridge:

Queen Rania of Jordan:

Princess Letizia of Spain:

Princess Madeleine of Sweden:

Princess Mary of Denmark:

The main features of their make up are:

- Liner do define the shape of the eyes, but never a cat eye or a fashion statement shape, in black or dark brown, usually around top and bottom lashes

- Socket of the eyes defined with eyeshadow in natural and soft variations of brown, grey, plum or purplish colours (with the exception of Madeleine who often wears blue to match her eye colour)

- Contouring to enhance the shape of the face

- Pink and soft shades of blusher to add glow and contribute to a healthy looking complexion

- Mascara to define the lashes

- Soft gloss on the lips

- Minimal concealing: they never have a white shining area underneath the eye (as none of us should!)

- Natural looking foundation to perfect the skin

The make up among royals is thus clearly a tool to add definition and polish their image. They must look trimmed, trustworthy, constant and stable (as most politicians and business people should). It is a form of communicating and presenting yourself in this specific way. I consequently don’t think Kate Middleton cares at all what fashionistas think about her looks, and although I would tell her to blend the blusher and contouring powder a little better if I could, I think we can take inspiration in the clean-cut effect of this type of make up above all in work and formal occasions.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post, and talk to you again soon!

Maria

My overall feelings about the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday May 3rd were… meh…

We did, however, get a chance to see some of the good and bad makeup. Here’s the thing: we don’t like to trash talk, but in all honesty, I wish I could have said something before they walked the red carpet, like a good friend, but since I’m merely mortal I must feel contented with giving constructive criticism.

First the ones we love:

Nikki Reed did her thing, and you know, she was smart about it. The smoky black on the outer corners makes her eyes more pronounced and black calls attention to brown eyes more than any other color. What I love is that its not just the black smoky eyeliner but mostly the lashes that do the job of filling up the effect. It suits her skin, her hair and eyebrow colors. I love it.

Yes she’s gorgeous. So much so who cares about her makeup? But you only not-care because she has quite a weapon: her eyebrows are so perfectly straight and obviously her facial structure flawless – there’s no makeup for that. Miss Watson, however, is smarter than we think: she has small lids, so any color she adds will always be just a touch. The makeup artist, however, didn’t miss the opportunity to accentuate the eyebrows. See the dark pinkish/peach/rosy color under her brows? It allows the brows to pop out and the little color on the lid to be more discrete. But yeah, she’s still flawless.

Victoria Justice is a reaaaally pretty girl. Her eyes are deep set, so her eye makeup pretty much focuses on eyeliner and lashes to make her eyes pop, since there isn’t much lid to do the job. But the best part of her makeup isn’t in the eyes, but rather on the contour of her cheek and the lips. The makeup artist also put a bit of pink under her brows to tie it all together. Really pretty combination, perfectly balanced, so flawless with her brown eyes and hair. Understated yet sparkling. Just the way we love it.

I tend to hate pink lipstick, but something about her makeup just – works. Maybe it’s because the eyes aren’t competing with the lips, but mostly it looks like the makeup artist spent quite a while putting on layers and layers of lipstick and lipgloss to make it so flawless. I loooooved it. Also, notice how the eyeliner in the small lid can help increase the eye, especially with black eyes. She really does look perfect.

We’ve seen this look before remember? Sparkling pink has a way of giving the skin a young glow, and don’t murder me, I’m by no means calling Charlize Theron old, but it does help lighten her lines up. LINES ARE NOT THE SAME THING AS WRINKLES OK? Also, speaking of maintaining the look tied together, notice the color of the lips and cheeks. It’s perfect. Really really perfectly balanced.

Emma Stone, thank you for teaching us the ways of the Force, including how to warm up your look only with lipstick just a few tones up from your actual skin undertone. Let me explain; some people have dark, olive undertones. Others have pale, either yellow or pink undertone. When you bring that undertone out it simply matches your skin, compliments your look and just never fails.

Now its the time we hate to admit; these are the makeups we hate:

Before anyone says anything, we’re not persecuting K-Stew. But her makeup just doesn’t make sense. It’s intricate, detailed and really works with her eyes. But why is it… all over? It seems like someone just tried out all the different tones of olive-brown in her eyes. There’s also no need to pull it to the outer corner so much, her eyes are already pretty much perfect for her face. It doesn’t match her dress or look at all. We can see that makeup working in the Met Gala ball,  with a nice beautiful long dress, and the makeup stepping up the glamour. This… it’s just not working.

NO. No. No. No. Eyes and lips sucking out the colors of the face, lips fighting the eye shadow, fighting the earrings. It’s so unflattering. Can we call the orange lipstick season to a close? Thank you.

Well, folks, that’s all for today. Enjoy your lovely Tuesdays

For the last part of this Cult Beauty extravaganza I decided to show you some anti ageing serums.

I am young and when I apply different anti ageing creams people (aka my husband) wonder where the wrinkles are… But I strongly believe in prevention and that starting early on to be used to applying beauty products that help you take care of your skin will make for a disciplined beauty routine in the future. Thankfully many of the products available today contribute to reversing some of the damage our skin may have suffered from the sun, bad habits, stress, lack of sleep, or simply thanks to the natural ageing process, however the earlier you start the better for your skin.

These are my picks from Cult Beauty and all belong to Ling Skin Care, but I will soon show you other amazing anti ageing products from different brands and that can be more easily found.

Freeze and Uncrease Serum slows down muscle contraction on the face and thus acts like a mild botox, without being toxic or invasive. It helps prevent wrinkles from our facial expressions and soothes the overall appearance of the face.

Oxygen Plasma Potion is a serum that transports oxygen to the tissues, helping with cell renewal and the formation of collagen which makes for firm and young looking skin. It also penetrates the skin battling infection and killing acne bacteria. It is one of my all time favorite products.

Moisture Plenish Cell Repair is a serum that helps moisturize the skin and make it look fresh and young through the regeneration of cells without being heavy or greasy. It is thus a great product to apply as a primer or on oily and delicate skin.

I hope you enjoyed the last posts about this deliciously temptating site, full of amazing products and I hope that my product picks helped you find new brands and beauty solutions… I know it is difficult finding new products we love, because there are just so many to choose from and often we just want to get it done and go home (or shut down the computer, in this case)!! But if once in a while you can allow yourself to spare some extra minutes, it is rewarding to find a product that works (which most of them do with all new technologies and advancements in research) and suits your particular needs.

Write to you again soon,

Maria