Caudalie Vinoperfect enzymatic peel mask

Autumn has not quite kicked in yet but my skin is going through its usual "adjustin phase" when it starts to go all crazy and has oily days mixed with super oily days mixed with dry days in one word a mess, this year this phase has been going on for a bit longer than usual so I decided to add a new step to my skin care routine : a chemical exfoliator.

Liz Earle Healthy Glow Cream Blush

I've always been a huge fan of Liz Earle's skincare range and partucularly love with their Cleanse and Polish hot cloth cleanser so when I heard they were bringing out makeup I was full of excitement and expectations. Given the fact that I live in Italy and don't really love to spend a lot of money on shipping I waited until I had finished my stash of Liz earle products to place a new order and buy this blush I had spotted while checking out their "tv".

makeup wishlist

makeup wishlist by unnavamp featuring a shu uemura eyelash curler

Lately I've been lusting after a million things but given my finances status (being a student and an unpaid intern) I

haven't bout much... but never the less I've been falling in love with a few new things and a few well know all 

time favourites of a few beauty gurus out there!

August in pictures

This month I've been in full studying mode and when I'm studying I find cooking relaxing and I take every chance I have to experiment with it...

so... 1 is my super tasty pasta tomato sauce with basil and shrimps, 2 is a mushroom we found in the woods soo pretty yet soo poisonous 3 popsicle ! 4 my studying buddy... 5 I went to the opera and watched the Aida in the arena of verona, it was an amazing experience 6 Wing Paris bracelet, I've been wearing everyday this month 7 candles lit in the arena of Verona 8 scallops!! recipe here 9 pretty houses...

hope august was a fun month for al of you!!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

In and out

This month has been quite full and intense! Whenever the Semptember exam session approaces I find myself more more in need to switch back from summer mode into "student/social girl" mode, ditching flip flops for actual shoes and bikinis for actual underwear... so here is what has been in and out this month:

Outfit of the day

It's another outfit of the day! I love this outfit and I think it looks very laid back and casual but put together at the same time. I wore it to uni and then to dinner and thought I'd take a few pictures!

Shirt: Benetton
Shorts: Lazzari
Shoes: Secci Lottario Mantova, this shoe shop is a dream it has a ton of shoes and they even make them and every time I do there I always find something I like, and man shoes are their specialty so if you're in Mantova make sure to go check it out!
Clutch: Bugatti
Earrings: present from my mum but I know she got the in Florence

It's been a bit more rainy and cooler here on the Alps so I can actualy put proper shoes on and even wear something with sleeves!

good night everyone!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Chanel Chance

I can't believe I'm attempting to write a post about parfume! We'll see how it goes, I think describing fragrances is one of the most difficult tasks ever, but these perfumes are definitely worth a nice blog post!

Gratin Scallops

Oh yes...it's saturday and for the most of us that equals free time and a nice night out with friends, but for me since I'm studying for the september session of exams it's just like any other day... sadly!

WING Paris bracelet

Hi girls! today I'm writing about a brand that I've recently discovered and imeditely fallen in love with it: Wing Paris. The designer is a girl from Hong Kong: jenny Chang who moved to Paris to study fashion and then started her own jewellery line, and I think you can see she is a multi cultural designer from her collections so well! I bought this at Bianco (review here) which a concept store that has many nice different pieces mostly from France.

Bioderma Sebium Mat Moisturizer

Hi lovely people! As of recently europe has been hit by so many heat waves that I've lost track, and the weather has been nice and sunny but waaay too hot! So I was in desperate need of a new lightweight moisturiser that helped keep my skin looking nice and a bit more mat throughout the day.

sorry about the glue on the moisturizer but seriousely nothing took it off!

My skin is combination/oily and tends to get quite dry incertain areas like  my chin (go figure...) and more oily around my nose so I need something that provides moisture but that at the same time is very lightweight and absorbs quickly, without leaving any residuses sitting on top of the skin.

Sister's Face of the night!

When I arrived home tonight I saw my sister's makeup and I just went wow! can I take a picture? I think this is such a nice summery makeup that just makes brown eyes pop! She's always been the more creative / over the top girl in the family and she likes makeup about as much as I do, and she loves experimenting with bright colours which I find so amazing. I think she does it quite well too!

Clinique superbalanced foundation

 Summer summer summer... I know it's basically everyone's favourite season but mine... and that's because I don't like the heat and humidity summer brings along. During these summery wonderful days my skin just goes crazy, it does not become too oily compared to its usual oiliness but it breakes out a lot lot lot more, and I think it's due to me wearing sunscreen everyday but no matter which one I use the resul doesn't change.. (so if you have any suggestion on good sunscreen for acne prone skin PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I'm in desperate need!) anyways... whenever I need to look nice and extra polished and put together my go to foundation is the Clinique Superbalanced! I own the shade Vanille which is quite dark but I only use this foundation during summer when I have a bit of a tan on.

I find Clinique foundatio  always a reassuring choice because over time I've come to know and love this brand, and I just find all of their product do what they claim to, or at least in my experience.
This particular foundation is 100% oil free and fragrance free which is always a good thig for all of us out there suffering from acne or breakouts in general. The idea behind this product is that it'll provide moisture where its needed and absorb excess oil from the t-zone keeping your skin "superbalanced". I think it needs still a bit of help with some powder but if your skin is mainly combination/normal rather than combination/oily I think this is not even going to need a powder. I like the fact that it's easily buildable and that I can either apply it with my hands for extra light coverage or appy it with a more dense brush (I actually use a kabuki) for a full but still natural looking skin. The lasting power is not the best in the world I'd say a max of 4 hours is what you get with it. Id you're looking for a good summer foundation definitely look into this one and try it out!

hope you're all having a freat day!

Anna
                                                     
                                                           bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Rainbow!

Because some things are just too pretty not to take a picture and share it!

It's very unusual to see a full rainbow here in the Alps and whenever I do see one it takes my breath away for a second (just like a little child)!
I hope you're all having a fantastic saturday! 

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Max Factor False Lash Effec

As I mentioned before mascara is my "can't live without" beauty product, I could go out with mothing on y face, nothing on my lips but mascara is the one thing that makes a world of difference, and when it comes to it I'm a bit of a shop around, always looking for the next great thing. Sometimes though is nice to go back to an old favourite, where I know what to expect.

A bit of history here for you... I first discovered this mascara back when I was iving in the USA and Covergirl first launched it and I fell in love with it (I was 17 then and I had only started using makeup a year before), when I moved back I had to word quite hard to discover that Max Factor is basically the european version of Covergirl and I repurchased it, and for a year after I had only ever used it. After a year I started a real mascara journey trying a few Lancome's a few L'Oral's but every time I come back to this I am just as pleasently surprised in rediscovering all of its greatness.

What's so good about this mascara then? First of all it doesn't budge or smudge ever! I wear it when I go clubbing and a lot of dancing and swetting (eww I know...) is involved and it never gives me a reason to complain. Second of all it is seriousely buildable and it will not go clumpy, in fact the formula is quite wet and it allows you to apply several coats befor drying. But the best thing about it is that gives seriouse volume and gives the illusion of a set of extra lashes (hens the false lash effect). I even preferre it to the Fushion mascara from Max Factor because I fint the False lasch effect to have a better applicator.

A few words about the applicator need to be said. It is one of those plastic wands with a lot of not too short bristles that apply quite a lot of product for each coat.

As you can tell I'm a big enthusiastof this mascara and I think for 10 euros is the best mascara on the market! And definitely worth a try!

hope you're all hanig a great friday night! 

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

July in pictures

1. Drinking a Pimms while watching the italy-germany game 2. house sitting for my anty 3.patriotic nails for the euro 2012 4. body scrub! I've been obsessed with it lately! (review here) 5. huge grapefruit but so sweet 6. melting off at a friend's graduation! congrats! 7.lovely roses decoration 8. bright nails 9. little turtles from Cyprus 10. lovely hike up the beautiful Alps 11. dragon fruit, tastes just like figues 12 beautiful summer sunset 13. plumaria, reminds me of Hawaii so much! 14. diving... oh yes! 15 road trip (with flat tire) 15. black pearls ankle bracelet, I'm channeling my inner hippie ;)

July went by soo fast! hope your month was really nice...

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Kiko Nail laquer

Oh yes I've finally found a minty/green/light blue nail polish! This trend has been around for quite some time and I've always wanted to try it, so when the Kiko store opened in my little town I jumped to the opportunity  of trying some new bits and pieces and here is the firts one!

I have to say I was very impressed with the price tag! In fact for only E2.50(£1.50) you get 11ml of product! Bargain I'd say... I'll be going back for more shades for sure!

On to the product itself... I ADORE IT! I've been wearing it for the past four days and it has only just startes chipping, which in my book in a major plus, the consistency is quite liquidy whach makes it really easy to apply but at the same time the colour payoff is actually pretty good, three coats were enugh.

This summer I've been loving making a bit of a statement with my nails! which colours are you loving at the monet?

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Karlie Kloss

Since today is the 20th birthday of one of my favourite favourite favourite model I decided to dedicate her today's post. I started following her back in 2009 when she walked the Valentino catwalk wearing a stunning grey gown, what strikes me the most about her is first and foremost her face. She is not the typical beauty, she has a real edge to her face and her brows are just amazing. Here are a few of my favourite pictures of her... enjoy!

have a nice friday everyone! Let me know who your favourite models are! I'd love to know!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

What I have brought on holiday - makeup -

Since my last post wasn't really upbeat and anything makeup related, and this after all is a beauty blog here is my holiday makeup! As i'm in Cyprus it's bloody hot and HUMID, therefor what i have with me are just a few essential bits...

face wise:

-Guerlain Terracotta 4 seasons review here, a must have in the summertime because I don't tan very quickly and this helps giving that "sun-kissed" look everyone loves (at least I do...)

-MUFE HD Blush shade 6, in the summertime I find cream blushers to be up my street much more than powders and this bright pink shade just lifts up my face and gives it a really nice and put together finish.

-Estèe Lauder DayWear Plus multi protection tinted moisturizer, has an spf 15 in which is always good, even though I only use it in the evening because I swim a lot and snorkle and dive during the day so I find it would be a waste to use it during the day.

-Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in the shade champagne flush which I like to use as an highlighter, I like to put it on the high point of my face to give it a bit of sheen, my favourite place to apply it are the bridge of the nose and above the brow bone the give it a bit of a lift!

On to the eyes:

As you can see I'm keeping it very simple on the eyes, as it's about 30° or more here I tend to get quite oily lids and normal eyeshadows would never last so I opted for this golden Shiseido hydro-powder shadow which is really sparkely and just gorgeous with a little bit of a tan, I mean gold simply sceams summer to me!
This product has been discontinued but I think they've re-launched them and they're now called shimmering cream eye color in the shade techno gold.

To define the lashline or to go for a full on cat-eyed look I brought along another Shiseido product, the accentuating cream eyliner, that I find to be the best out there! I've had it for three years and has not dried and it stays on like nothing else, this will always be my go to cream eyeliner ( I tried the maybelline lasting drama one but I find that it smudges and transfers ).

and now... LIPS!

I tend to keep it quite simple so I went for a pink toned (Revlon lip butter review here) and a more orange toned (Max Factor lipstic review here), and two glosses both by Chanel, one more red/berry colour which has no shimmer what so ever and is rather elegant and refined (too bad is discontinued) and the other Levres Scintillantes nude color for that extra bit of sparkle perfect for a summer night out!

here are some swatches...why does my arm always look so odd??

After this uber long post I shal wish you a good sunday and I hope I'll see you back soon!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Cyprus a little disappoinment

Here I am! As I  promised I 'm reporting back from Cyprus and I will say si far it's been a nice holiday with one big BUT... and that is that this island is full of trash... I generally don't like to write badly about places I travel to (and usually I have nothing to complain about) but this time it's different and I'll now explain why. In the north of Cyprus there are a few beaches that are turtle nesting sites and the little turtles are starting their journey called life as I'm typing. On these beaches come both green and loggerhea turtles to lay their eggs, and as you all know they're both listed as endengered species and are heavily protected.

Now I will show you s few pictures and I'm sure you'll be as surprised as me in discovering that some idiots like to go drifting between the turtles nests and that the beaches are basically dumping ground and really dirty! 

this is a structure used to signal and protect the turtle nests

little turtles rescued by the biologists! (they were very kind to show me!)

biologists working on the nests checking for everything to be all right...

idiot stuck in the sand after a drifiting session!(according to the biologists is not really uncommon)

See? are you just as shocked ad I was to see this? I know most of this trash comes from the sea and not from people that actually leave it on the beach but still, Why don't the locals keep them clean? why don't they organise groups of volounteers that once a month take tha time to clean it and keep it clean? These beaches are such a valuable treasure for not only the inhabitants of Cyprus, but the hole Planet! I spoke to the volounteers that were working there and some of them were Italian, sone Spanish other English and even they were really bitter about the whole situation. Another question is why are'nt these beaches closed for cars?Well, I think I've made my point... and if you want to spread the word feel free!

What I'm taking on holiday with me -skincare-

As you might now.. tomorrow I'm going on holiday and I'm so excited, so I decided to do a blog post all about hte skincare bits and pieces that I'm taking with me!

Starting at the top I have two of my favourite sunscreens both L'Oreal Solar Expertise anti wrincle and anti dark spots sunscreen SPF 30 to start off and than 15 for when I'll be a bit more tanned. I really like these sunscreen because they do their job really nicely, they don't feel greasey and most importantely they don't break me out, which is a huse deal for me because I have combination and acne prone skin and a couple of years ago I became a walking pimple thanks to an awful sunscreen and ended up taking antibiotis and all that jazz and it wasn't fun at all! Plus I hate the idea of having acne marks on my face for the rest of my life so using sonething that I know specificly addresses that issue is a big plus in my book.

Moving on we have Liz Earle little sample sizes of their Brightening treatment mask,  Gentle Face exfoliator, Enirgising body scrub, which I all equally love and I hope I'll use them up while away and I believe I will repuchase the full size bottles of the brightening tretment mask because it's really unique and fast acting and I don't think I would find somethig quite similar here.

After that we have Avenè soothing moisture mask, Triacneal and their basic moisturiser which I've already talked about a few times and I really love it! The only product I'm not too sure about is the triacneal, I don't think it does much but I still want to use it up because it's quite pricy and maybe I'll like it eventually. 

Further right we have the Bionike defence sun sun lotion, low protection which I'll use in the evening when I'll try to tan a bit more but still in a safe way (my muym has all the higher factors in her suitcase so I'll also have a factor 50 and 30 with me)

Under that we have the well known ( where would I go without it?) Liz Earle Clense and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser with the muslin cloth.

In the centre is a haircare product that I wanted to include because I bought it today for only 3.60€, and it's the Pantene 2 minutes intensive repair mask which I can't wait to try, I usually really like Pantene product therefor I have high hopes on this one.

I'm bringing along Caudalie beauty elixir and see if the smell will eventually grow on me.

And last but not least is my most exciting product: Clarins After sun moisturizer Self tanning. I bought this after reading and watching all the good things Vivianna from Vivianna does makeup had to say about it, and sice I tend to really like most of the things she likes I really hope this little product will make my tan come out more and last longer too (since my whole family gets really dark while when I come back home people ask me if i went on holiday with them or not...story of my life!)

and this is it!!! i'm sure I'll toss a few more things in my luggage before tomorrow but these are the main things! sorry if this post was a bit long (I was thinking about maybe filming a video on it??? we'll see..)

have a great weekend and holiday if you're going somewhere!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Prepping legs for holiday

This is my secret (well...not so sectren anymore..) weapon for getting my legs ready for a nice holiday where I'll be showing them all the time is the Sea Solt Coconut Body Polish from Malie.

As I mentioned in previouse posts I really like to prep my skin for spring and summer through body brushing and moisturizing but I think scrubbing is one extra special treat I give my legs before a nice holiday and this my friends is the best scrub that has crossed my path so far. The sea solt in it does a brilliant job at exfoliating while the coconut oil acts a treat for moisturizing the skin leaving a nice soft oily (but in a good way) residue on the skin that sinks in in a few minutes nourishing the skin.

Malie is an organic brand developed on Kauai, HI that works with nature to provide us with the best quality ingredients to help our body and soul. I love the whole concept behing this brand and I thank my friend Tom soo much for sending this body polish all the way to Italy! If you live in the US you can buy their products online here. If I'll ever be lucky enough to go back to Hawaii I'll definitely buy a few bits from their range.

I tried to be concised and streight to the point, let me know if you're familiar with this brand and which things from them are your favourites and if you have a favourite body polish or scrub you could not live without!!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

IN & OUT

I know I've been absent for a couple of weeks, but this july has been a nightmere and I needed time to get back to being my happy self and step away from all the sadness that has characterised this past few days, so thanks for still visiting my blog!

IN:

-summer storms, this month has been raining every single evening and every single night and I love to sllep with my window open listening to the sound of the rain and the thunders...

-eating my home grown cherry tomatoes and strawberries! thsi year my mum and I have organised the balcony so that we have tomatoes, strawberries, basil, mint and rosemary plants in the vases, I find it really satisfactory watching the little tomatoes I watered for quite some times turn from green to red and the little strawnerry flower evolve into tiny red fruits!

-getting ready to go on holyday! Hurray!! God knows how much I need it... I'll be in Cyprus for 10 days soaking up the sun and preparing for my september session of exams!! I can't wait to play pool, relax by the swimming pool, go snorkeling, eat plenty of fish and blog away ( aparently we'll have free wifi connection so I'll try to blog from there)

OUT:

-nothing lasts forever...maybe...

-breaking out due to humidity, it's not fun at all! let's just jope this phase doesn't last very long, I have graduation parties to attend! ;)

hope you're all ahving a fantastic monday!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

New Necklace

I recived this necklace as a gift from my mum, and I thought this was the best gift I had ever recived. This little roses are made with magazines pages by young girl in Mozambico who fight every day in order to recive an education. This association called "A scuola di solidarietà" focuses on preparing and forming a new class of highly qualified teacher who can provide these girls with a stong education that can make a huge difference in their lives.

This associacion was founded in 1993, and so far it has trained 34 teachers that now offer their services to 3700 kids. From 2009 this association has also offered scholarships to high achieving students. Unfortunately this association does not have a website but if you wish to know more or maybe even contribute here is and email adress you can contact : ramgia1@dnet.it

have a great day!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Outfit of the day!

In the past few weeks it's been boiling hot in Italy so I've been wearing a lot of little pretty dresses and skirts and last night I had the chance of taking a few pictures, thanks to my lovely boyfriend!!

Excuse the paleness but I'm currently studying for exams and the only sun I get is through a window + I don't like fake tanning so.... :)
The skirt and blouse are both from Zara and were very cheap since I got them on sale I believe a year ago, but they're perfect for hot days! Love them!

 My beloved Chloè Paraty bag, what can I say about it, I love it, and I would want to wear only this bag for the rest of my life!! Ballerina flats are Fendi and I find the little bow detail just adorable! The quality of the leather of these flats is incredible, soo soft!

no acccessories for this look, I kept it really simple and casual! As far as makeup goes is also kept it to the minimun, I'm wearing a touch of Nars deep throat blush and Gierlain terracotta four season brunette bronzer to warm up the face, on the eyes I have a bit of Chanel le crayon yeux smudged on the upper and lower lash line, and Max Factor false lash effect mascara, my all time favourite!

What are your must have for summer hot weather?

have a great week!!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook

Home made hair mask for shinier straighter healthier hair!

The only good thing about being secluded in my apartment studying fro finals is that I have the time to experiment with hair masks and face masks and all those things that require quite a long posing time!

So this week I'm been researcing and studying the different properties of different oils and how they help in case of dry hair that tends to go frizzy and has a lot of split ends (me me and me).

First of all I thought all oils were the same they would norish the hair and let it feeling softer and shinier, well I was wrong! There are many different oils that do very different things but my aim and goal was to find something that would live my hair feeling softer less dry and more sleek so I opted for two things I already ha home: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Castor Oil.

-Extra virgin oilve oil: this oil has conditioning properties that make it the best oil for dry and damaged hair
-Castor oil : is ideal if you're looking for stronger and healthier hair with, its nourishing properties are well known and make it a really good choice even for weakened lashes or eyebrows. It's also very good for preventing the hair to breake easily and slit ends. On top of this all it also had balancing properties for the scalp

After estabilishing that these two were my oils I got started, first of all I wet my hair and towel dried it after that I mixed a table spoon of olive oil and a tea spoon of castor oil in a bow. As you'll se if you try this treatment castor oil is much thicker than olive oil and very dense so I popped the whole thing in the microwave at the lowed heat setting ad heated it up for 30s so that the ricin oil would become a bit more liquid and make the application easier and smoother.

I litterally dipped the ends of my hair in the little bowl and destributed the rest of the oil mix on the lenghts as evenly as possible, I let it on for 2/2.30 hours and than showered.

I will say it was quite a challenge to remove all the oils from my hair, I needed to shampoo twice, but soo worth it! I let my hair air dry and the difference was defiitely notable! my hai was a million thime less frizzy and all the split ends could not be spotted anymore! I'd give this little oils combo a 10! I'm planning on doing it once every two weeks (no more than that because otherwise you might get the opposite effect).

I highly recommend trying this hair mask and plese let me know if you do!!

Anna

ps: if you liked this little article don't forget to follow me with bloglovin! :)

Caudaliè Eau de Beautè / Beauty Elixir

In the past couple of months this product has been receiving a lot of attention from the blogging community, and a load of good reviews so I decided to give it a try since I heard it even had some beneficial ingredients that are supposed to help with acne. 

After a good month of testing here is what I think about it: first of all  I like the fact that there are some oils in this water that you can distinctly see floating on top, which reassures me that I'm not paying an awful lot of money (10euros for 30ml) for just some water...it has grape, orange blossom, organic balm mint and rosemary in. It's supposed to refresh the make up throughout the day and should tighten pores as well. It's supposed to tighten pores but I felt like it make my oily skin a bit too oily. I don't like the smell, I really wanted to like it but there's something just odd about it. Luckily it does not linger on the skin too long. I think the best way to use this is before moisturizing in the evening, because used on makeup it makes me look really shiny and I can't understand why because everyone else seems to love it!

Bottom line is, I don't particularly like it but don't hate it either, I think this will be fantastic for anyone with drier skin that wants something fresh and light to refresh the make up with during the day or is looking for a good toner. I think I might like it more on holiday for refreshing on the beach... we'll see so far I'd say definitely buy the small bottle and test it out before investing in the big one! :)

hope this was helpful!

Anna

bloglovin | twitter | facebook