April 18, 2015

Outfit of the day in Brighton | OOTD

A few weeks ago I went to Brighton for the first time and, despite the weather being quite ugly, I decided to wear a skirt. I really like the outfit and, since I have this full lenght photo, I thought I would share with you what I wore.

Coat - Only (bought from ASOS)
Top - Primark
Skirt - Zara
Knee lenght socks - Boohoo
Rain boots - Hunter
Necklace - H&M
Bag - H&M

It's a very 'me' outfit in the sense that it's all black and grey. I love wearing those colors, but I hope I step a little bit into spring colors so I can bring you some colorful Outfits of the Day posts.

If you want to know more about my day in Brighton and see some of the crazy rides at the pier, you can check out my video on it:


Lucia.

March 26, 2015

High End Makeup Essentials and Must Haves

High End Makeup Essentials and Must Haves
I recently did a video on my favorite high end makeup products, which I consider to be my essentials and must haves, so I thought I would make a post to go along with it (the video is linked below).

These are in no way things you need to buy, but I find myself reaching for them and they're very good quality if you're looking for some new things to try out.

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation: I've repurchased this at least three times before, and it's the first high end foundation I ever tried. They have a very good color range, so it's worth giving it a look if you usually struggle finding a shade that matches. It's water based and it's great if you have oily but dehydrated skin (like me), which is why the sales assistant recommended it to me way before I even knew those two things could come together. I wear the shade 117, and for reference, I also use MAC NC15, Nars Sheer Glow in Gobi, Revlon Nearly Naked in 120.

Benefit Fake Up concealer: it has a light coverage, which is why I don't reach for it most of the time to cover my dark circles (and because of the price tag), but it makes for a great base under any other concealer if you struggle with creasing. It's not good for blemishes, though, so if that's what you're after, try something else. It's very hydrating, and that's one of the things that makes it different.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer: as someone with oily skin, I also have to deal with oily eyelids, and this is a life saver for me every time I wear eyeshadow. I couldn't do my makeup without it, and I prefer it to any other one in the market because it's not too greasy (like the Urban Decay one) and you only need the smallest amount.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette: the Naked 2 is my favorite one in the range because it has cooler tones, and that just work best for my complexion, but all their eyeshadows and palettes are amazing quality and I recommend investing in one if you don't have a go-to palette. The Naked Basics palettes are also amazing, especially for travelling since they're so compact.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface: I don't tend to wear pink blushes that much, but the quality of this range is amazing. I need to pick of more shades next time I'm somewhere where they're sold. They last a long time on your cheeks, maybe not 12 hours as it claims, but it is noticeable when you compare it to other blushes. 

Dior Lip Glow balm: not really an essential, but I am obsessed with it! It's basically a pink-toned lip balm that adapts its shade to your natural lip color, but the hydration it provides is beyond compare. I've never tried anything as good as this, which is why it is sooo expensive (and because it's Dior, of course).

What are some of your favorite high end products?

Lucia.

March 23, 2015

The Body Shop Lotions | Smoky Poppy and Fuji Green Tea

The Body Shop Lotion | Smoky Poppy and Fuji Green Tea

If you read my blog or you watch my videos on YouTube, you would know I've recently been using a lot of hydrating and moisturinzing products on my body. My most recent obsessions are the The Body Shop lotions in two very different scents: Smoky Poppy and Fuji Green Tea*.

Smoky Poppy was their most recently launched collection, and it has a very deep, musky scent. If you are a fan of scents that linger and are quite intense, you will love this one! I like using it before I leave the house if I'm not wearing perfume, and it leaves a very nice smell which people will think is perfume. The only down side is the color of the bottle. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that it's black, but since it's opaque, it's not as easy to know how much you've used up (although you can tell by the weight).

Fuji Green Tea* is not for sale yet, but it will be very soon! If you want to smell the range, they have testers in store for you to try out. It's lovely and I wish I could get every single item! The scent is completely opposite to Smoky Poppy. As it is green tea infused, it has a very fresh and light scent, therefore I like applying this one after I shower or before I go to sleep. I feel like everyone will love this one!

The Body Shop make the best moisturizers, I find myself reaching a lot for their lotions, body butter and body sorbets. These two are no exception, they're amazing! They both contain 250 ml of product, which will last you a while, and retail for £8.

Do you have a favorite scent from The Body Shop?

Lucia.
*products marked have been gifted to me.

March 11, 2015

Essie Urban Jungle + Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low


I have been loving my nails since I painted them with these colors!

Urban Jungle by Essie is a muted pink, which reminds me a lot of Fiji (also by Essie) but, like I said, more muted.   I love that shade, so when I received this one in my London Fashion Weekend goodie bag, I was very happy!

I wore it on its own for a week, and then decided to re paint them with it and add something else. I had been wanting to wear Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low since Christmas (it came in a mini set from Boots), and this was my chance. Both colors look beautiful together and the shades compliment each other really well.

As Urban Jungle it is a light shade, I was worried it might be sheer, but it isn't. I am wearing two coats of it in the photo. I don't think you can get away with just one, but two is 100% opaque. I'm also weating two coats of Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low, although I also have one coat of the first nail polish on that nail cause I got distracted while painting them and forgot I wanted to do that a different color! Oops!

What are your favorite nail polish combinations?

Lucia.

March 04, 2015

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette vs Naked Basics 1 | Review

I have been using both palettes for a while now. I don't think I've made a post about the Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette yet, but I thought comparing both would be a nice way to do so.

Before the second instalment in the Naked Basics series came out, I thought the original one was all I needed (but then again, I also thought that when the first Naked palette was launched and I own them all now). I used it all the time, more so than my bigger palettes. The size is very compact and not only great for travel, but also easier for every day makeup.

When the second one was released, I was very excited and decided to buy it right away. I am not a big fan on eyeshadow (ironic since I have so many palettes and single eyeshadows), but when I do wear it, I love my neutrals! It's amazing that I can create my everyday look with just one palette because it saves me a lot of time.

The Naked Basics 2 palette has cooler shades than the Naked Basics, which I personally prefer (the Naked 2 palette is my favorite from the all). If I had to say something bad about it, it would be the lack of a highlight shade; you could do with 'Skimp', but I don't like my brow highlight to be shimmery. That's the only thing why it might not be perfect. 

The Naked Basics (1) does have a beautiful highlight color, 'Foxy' (also available in the Naked 2 palette), but I personally never use the black shadow and I wish they would have put something else instead.

The Naked Basics 2 is the winner for me! Do you own any of them? Which one do you like more?

Lucia.

February 24, 2015

NARS Digital Worl Lip Coffret | Review and swatches

I'm probably the last person on Earth (maybe just the blogging world) to post about the NARS Digital World Lip Coffret, but I really like it and wanted to share it with all of you.
I bought it back in November/December when I went to the Amelia Liana meet up at Space NK. I knew I wanted to buy it and got my hands on it as soon as I got there, and I'm so happy I did it!
 Although most of the colors are not every day material, I love wearing them when I get the chance to. I had never tried NARS lip pencils before then (or maybe I had just gotten my first one, not quite sure) but I was very impressed with them.

They're all creamy but stay on your lips for a while. 'Cruella' is a matte shade and, although it dries my lips a little, I've gotten compliments on it every time I've worn it. It's a winner shade!
My second favorite is 'Descanso', which is a perfect nude for my lips! I wear it to work all the time and it's a very easy shade to wear if you're going to be eating/drinking and are going to have to re touch and might not have a propper mirror. 

I have tried the other shades but haven't worn them out yet, I'm just waiting for the perfect time to do so, I guess! 'Yu' is a bright fuchsia, which will be nice when spring/summer comes around; and the same goes for 'Iberico', I don't think I could pull it off this time of the year.

I'm not totally convinced about 'Torres del Paine' yet: it looks a bit weird on my lips, maybe because I have such a fair skintone and it washes them out quite a lot. I will try again with different makeup looks until I find something that works, because the color itself is beautiful. 

I don't know if you can still get the set as is (which was £32), but I know some of the shades are sold individually, so it's worth checking it out.

Did you buy the set? If so, which is your favorite shade?

Lucia.