I love New Year’s resolutions. How about this for a resolution? Looking your very own best in the 2012! I decided to start this year by re-evaluating my beauty routines and products that I use. Some things are better to leave in the 2011 and move on. So here are some of my new and improved manifestos for the new year:
1. Stay Natural. Watching youtube beauty vids is addictive: they both inspire me and make me want to put more makeup on my face. I decided to let go of that obsession and return back to looking natural. Goodbye to: tons of blush (one swipe is enough), bronzing and highlighting face daily, full on daily eyeshadow looks, lining my eyes with pencil, and sinister thoughts about foundation.
2. Be Yourself. I will stop wearing/buying clothes that suit me best according to colour charts, and will return to wearing my favourite colours. Whoever says that grey doesn’t match cool skinned girls with my eye colour can shush it. I love grey colour! So be yourself, wear the colours that you love, and makeup that you think suits you most. Your taste might change eventually anyways. And for now you can be yourself.
3. Go Hair Products! Now for the first time in 10 years I have shoulder length hair and it’s my natural hair colour. Man, do I feel weird having it. I discovered the fun of: flyaway hairs, grey hair (I have a few!), dry hair, oily hair, hair getting glued to your glossed lips, hair curling and misbehaving. I had none of this nonsense with my bobs and boy cuts. So what is the solution? Screw natural products! They just don’t help my hair stay in place. Trust me, I tried. This year I will stock up on John Frieda, Fructis and other wonderful brands, which will be a great aid in taming my hair.
4. Soap 4Life. I used makeup remover solution two times (it was a Christmas gift) and now I am fighting back the worse acne breakout of my life. FU gentle lotion makeup remover (they had the nerve to say that it is “gentle” on the cover)! I am now back to soap for the entire 2012 and the rest of my life.
5. Trust Your Mascara. Got a good mascara that you have been loving for the past year or two? Stick to it. In the 2011 I decide to experiment and bought a bunch of new mascaras and ended up hating 90% of what I bought. One of the mascaras was an absolute worse, I wore it for the second time after purchase and in a couple of hours after application it started feeling chalky and flaked. So in 2012 I’ll be sticking with what I know & trust.
Hope you enjoyed my NY’s resolutions. Let me know what are yours?
Diana ♥
I Looooooove Lush! Their products are both natural and delicious smelling. First time that I discovered Lush was about 3-4 years ago when an x boyfriend of mine gave me a small gift - Lush’s Honey Bee Bathbomb. He just could not believe that I did not know what a bathbomb is. Was I in for a surprise. Ever since I am a Lush-o-Holic. It is a controlled condition but 99% of time when I visit their store I end up buying something. So far I have tried everything that they have to offer besides the following products: toothpaste tablets, natural masks, and perfume. Having tried one too many things from Lush I wanted to share with you my Christmas favourites and all-time-dislikes. Scroll down for tips on how to save money when shopping at Lush.
1. Soap “Candycane”, unisex, despite the name it smells to me like very distinct scent of cinnamon with a hint of peppermint. It is my favourite bath soap right now. Characteristic: Cinnamon + Mint.
2. Bath melt “Ceridwen’s Cauldron”, perfect for guys & girls with a neutral smell of sandalwood, lavender and oats. Fill up your bath, get in, and add the entire or portion of your melt. Characteristic: Earthy
3. Bath bomb “Satsumo Santa” , smells like mandarin oil, bergamot oil and orange flower. One time use. Fill up your bath, get in, and drop in Santa to the mix. Characteristic: Citruce-y.
4. Bubble bar “Magic Wand”, girls only. Smells like cotton candy. Unlike other bubble bars do not crumble this one, instead just swirl it in the bathtub a couple of times. Characteristic: Bubble gum.
5. Body lotion “Vanilla Dee-lite”, girls only. Smells like vanilla. I adore this item and wear it everyday. I got it in a gift box and would never get it on its own as it costs $27. So I would recommend for you to search for this item in a gift box as well. It is such a great lotion though and the smell is simply wonderful. Characteristic: Vanilla.
6. Massage bar “Havanilli”. Smells like sweetened vanilla. Melts in your hands and great for massages or as overnight moisturizer for rough and dry skin. Characteristic: Vanilla.
7. Shower gel “Glogg”. Inspired by a festive Swedish mulled wine it smells like spices, mostly cinnamon with a hint of wine. Characteristic: Cinnamon.
Dislikes:
Solid shampoo bars. Great in theory. I adored my 1st shampoo bar which was “Seanik”. But when I started using them on a regular basic I got dandruff! Ew.
Solid deodorant. At first it smelled like heaven (very woody smell), and with a promise not to stain my underarms with white powder unlike their other solid deodorants I was really excited. The problem is that it was hard to apply and when it started wearing off it started scratching and irritating my skin as there were little bits of what seemed like twigs or seeds.
SAVING $$$:
Tip #1 Instead of buying separate products, buy their gift boxes. This will save you $15-30 each time. Make sure to smell all the items before buying the box. This is the best practice to follow, especially if you (like myself) are nuts for their extremely expensive soaps.
Tip #2 Shop after Christmas. After Christmas Lush stores have this amazing deal - buy one holiday gift box get second one free. So you get 2 boxes for the value of 1.
Diana ♥
There are so many choices of bags and purses out there. Which one is right for you? Right now the most fashionable shapes are envelope clutches fig. 2 & 7, box shaped purses fig. 4 & 5, and over the shoulder mini briefcase purses such as fig. 1,4 & 8. Also a modern take on the classic Channel is never a miss (fig. 3), it is always better to wear a “modern take” versus a fake. If we are talking about colour and texture great choices are: black, brown, creme, orange, oxblood, navy blue, snake/lizard texture and last-but-not-least feathers.
In picture: a selection of trendy bags for this fall & winter. All bags are from Asos.com ranging in price from $24-40
Diana ♥
Want to know the trends in beauty for this November and coming month of December? Read on…
1. Navy blue nail polish is the hottest thing this fall. Though November is almost over, you still have a couple weeks time to rock it. In the picture: Glossy Nail Polish America, La Ric.
2. Cream blushes are in. Not just for November but for the entire winter time. Why? Because they will add a beautiful natural glow with a moist feel, instead of a matte finish. In the picture: Posey by MAC.
3. Any fragrance you like really. But as a winter and fall pick my vote goes to Aromatics Elixir Perfumer’s Reserve by Clinique - lovely fragrance released for its 40th birthday as a modern interpretation of Chant’s original. It has simple and elegant notes: tuberose, jasmine sambac oil, verbena, patchouli oil and oak moss.
4. High ponytail is the highlight hair style of this fall, though it is almost over I dare you to continue this trend into the winter. In the picture: a girl from Marc Jacob’s fall show, backstage.
5. Get your sparkle on this festive season! Use body shimmers, sparkly creamers, highlight products and glitter - all means will do ;) In the picture: Tarina Tarantino Shimmer Dust in silver and gold.
6. Go red or go home. Red & orange lips are a big trend. I love them both equally. Right now I am rocking my Revlon’s red lipstick or an orange lip tint by Lush.
7. Daphne Guiness. Who is she? Look her up online or read a book. You’d better know who she is as by the end of December MAC is going to launch LE product line by her, a woman who inspired Alexander McQueen.
8. Prepare your skin for this winter by stocking up on skin nourishing cremes, shower gels (soaps actually dry up your skin), body butter etc. In the picture: “Winter Skin Care Boost” by Yes To Carrots, a natural product company.
Diana ♥
XMAS DIY ideas
1. Make your own wrapping paper / fabric - a. Buy cheap fabric and dye it with tea or ink b. Buy sketch pad paper in an art store, the cost is about $1-2 dollars for a pad. The undid natural colour paper is the cheapest one and has a beautiful organic look to it. *Instead of lace & ribbon use thread - the heavy duty one which is usually used for moving and old style parcels
Click here for a tutorial.
2. Christmas Banner - DIY banner. Click here for a tutorial.
3. Stamps - You can use these stamps for cards, tags, wrapping paper, and any paper related decor that comes to mind. Go to a craft store, buy a piece of lino and a carving tool. Or use cardboard, scissors and a needle. Remember that your stamp image is supposed to be an inverse “Negative” version of what you want.
Click here for a tutorial.
4. Wreaths - Either a huge wreath for your door or a mini wrath as a centrepiece or a christmas tree toy they are easy and fun to make with plenty of material to keep in mind - drained empty egg shells, fake plants, paper, discarded wood, felt, cardboard etc.
Click here for a tutorial.
Diana ♥
Here are some amazing low budget gifts for this Christmas that would warm up any girl’s heart - perfect as independent gifts and stocking stuffers.To purchase these items please look online or in stores. These items can be found at Sephora.
1. SEPHORA FAVORITES Glitz & glam $40
2. Front Row Collection by Nails Inc. $18 *Limited edition colours
3. Take Me There™ Blood Orange by Pacifica $18
4. Christmas Soaps & Bath sets $18
5. Petite Manicure Set by Tweezerman $20 *Best brand fro tweezers
6. Tokidoki mini rollerball set $18 for 6
7. Urban Decay, Sparkling Lickable Body Powder in Marshmallow $20
8. Josie Maran Argan Oil $12-30 *This product is going to change your hair forever
Diana ♥
Here is a how-to guide for basic mascara application with useful tips:
1. Wear it before buying - When buying mascara make sure to test it first. Come to a store such as Sears, the Bay, Mac or Sephora without any mascara on. Test their mascara directly on your eyes using disposable spool. Wear it for the rest of the day, see if it crumbles or irritates your eye. If you liked it, get it.
2. Wand - Mascara brushes that come with your tube can be in million different looks. Choose the one that most resembles the wands fro your previous buys that you’ve liked. My personal favourite is Pur MInerals wand - it looks pretty much like any disposable spool.
3. Clumpy is not sexy - Unless you are doing a Halloween look never do the “clumpy look”. When you put on mascara it needs to look as natural as possible, all lashes separated, thin layer of mascara on top. Don’t do layers of mascara, and make sure to get the excess product off the wand before applying it to your eyelashes.
4. The unclumping - If your eyelashes got ‘stuck’ together use a metal eyelash comb or a clean disposable spool to separate your lashes. You can always wash off the product and re-apply anew.
5. Curling before not after - You can curl your eyelashes only before mascara application not after. Why? Because with dry product on you can break and damage your eyelashes. The type of curler that you use is completely up to you; it can be old school, revamped Urban Decay’s version, or one of the modern heated curlers.
6. Lower lash - Foolproof method to applying impeccable mascara to your lower eyelashes is to make sure that there is tissue paper between your skin and eyelashes. i,e, Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towel
7. Upper lash - How to apply mascara to your upper lashes.
How I’ve seen MUAs do it: Start from the inner lower part of your eyelashes. Then moving the wand back and forth (right to left) movement brush it from the roots of your lashes to the ends.
How I do it: With your one eye semi closed (the one that you are about to apply mascara to) start at the roots of your eyelashes and at one sweeping stroke upwards apply mascara. For me it is a 3 step application a. centre of the eye, b. inner corner eyelashes and c. outer corner eyelashes.
8. Eyeshadow first - It is a simple rule eyeshadow goes on first, mascara after.
9. Flyways - If after applying mascara you have some lashes which are sticking out you can ‘glue’ them to the rest of the lashes using a transparent mascara or an eyebrow gel.
Diana ♥
Preppy, preppie, or prep (all abbreviations of the word preparatory) refers to a modern, widespread fashion style. Preppy fashion started in the 1950’s as the Ivy League style of dress. Although preppy styles have their roots in Ivy League fashion, various preppy styles take cues from New England and Tri-State Area nautical attire from the twentieth century. My favourite fiction character known to rock this style is Blaire Waldorf from Gossip Girl series.
Accessories: headband, bracelet watch, brooch or pin with greek letters, silk scarf, Tiffany’s bracelets and Pandora charms.
Hair: long hair is a must, in a bun, in a pony tail, fringe in a french braid with your hair down, loose hair with a hairband.
Fabric & pattern: avoid chiffon and silk, your fabrics should be wool, cotton, linen and anything that resembles these fabrics, solid and non shiny, avoid glitter and see through, patterns such as argyle, sabre tooth, and pleats are ideal. Also remember to wear mostly solid colours, with throughout matching colors (i,e, same colour headband, shoes and purse).
Make up: Rosy year round or mauve for fall cheeks, natural eyes, mascara in brown or black, pink lips, keep an array or shiny lipgloss.
Nails: Red, navy, black, pink, nude, beige, brown, white, and grey. Solid matt colours are preferred.
Diana ♥
I am 24 right now, and I am already weary of the wrinkles. I don’t have many, but a few is just enough to start me on the aging paranoia. So I have researched all the fighting methods and this is how you can fight your wrinkles too:
1) Almond oil - Apply a bit of almond oil underneath your eyes. Almond oil is great for fighting wrinkles around your eyes.
2) Anti aging products - Only work if they have these ingredients: hydrolyzed collagen, hydrolyzed elastin (bioelastin), and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid.
3) Natural ingredients - Anti aging cremes and serums must have one or a few of these ingredients: royal jelly, sea buckthorn, ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair tree), centella asiatica, ivy, green tea catechins, and red grape. Please note that these ingredients must be listed as one of the first 7 ingredients on the list; this will ensure that there are potent quantities of the ingredient in the product.
4) SPF 15 / 30 - Use sunscreen regularly as the sun damages and dries up your skin. Make sure that your sunscreen contains - Zinc oxide and Titanium dioxide. Avoid sunscreen that contains - methyl benzoate, benzyl, anything ending with -benzoate, camphor, and cinnamate. These are synthetic filters which are linked to cancer.
5) Botox - I would recommend botox injections only to those past the age of 40. Make sure that you get it done in a clinic by a certified and lisensed doctor, not a nurse. Nurses cannot perform such procedure. After you are done with botox you cannot: exercise, do yoga, bend down, go to sauna, tanning salon, gym - botox can relocate to other places or evaporate.
Diana ♥
1. ASOS Faux Fur Pointed Collar $21.92
2. Sephora for OPI “Keep Me On My Mistletoes” $12.50 (in store only)
3. Lip tints by Lush in “Snow Fairy” (*available winter only) and in Chili Tingle $9 each
4. Mistletoe charm $20
5. Starbucks Snow day mug $6.50
6. Dani embroidered hobo by Club Monaco *saw it in store today, forgot to check the price
7. Gold plated hair comb $11
Diana ♥
