1. Fight aging. One of the reasons why we age is that old skin cells pile up creating a firm layer of old skin. To fight this natural process you can exfoliate weekly or use deep peeling. March is the last month when deep peeling is recommended because in April sun can be too damaging for such procedures. For an at home deep peel you can use mud masks, deep peeling creme, or a chemical peel. Some of these peels are DIY and can be made from scratch.
2. Creme with vitamin A. Use of creme with vitamin A (retinol) will speed up the separation of old skin cells from your skin and will fight blemishes. So, to have young and pigment free skin use such creme daily. Important tip, when checking the ingredient list of your creme, vitamin A should be within the first 7 of ingredients listed.
3. Three flaws of beauty. Bangs, eyeliner and lipliner.
Bangs. Bangs change the proportions of your face, by making your face appear shorter than it is. By adding bags you visually eliminate 1/3 of your face thus making your face appear disproportionate. Avoid bangs if you can.
Thick eyeliner (lining upper and lower lash). When you line your eyes with a thick application of the liner, instead of looking beautiful you end up looking like a racoon. Make sure that towards inner eye corners the line gets thin, and towards outer corners the liner line gets thicker. Tip, when applying eyeliner line upper lash line only.
Lipliner. Avoid lipliner if you are starting to see wrinkles around your lips, as liner will attract more attention to your age. When picking a lipliner make sure that it matches the shade of your lipstick - not a darker or lighter shade. Quick tip, to make your lipstick last longer, instead of lining your lips, fill in the entire lip area with the lip liner, then apply lipstick.
Stay beautiful!
Diana ♥
Spring is here! And it is all about pastels. Spring is always all about pastels. Why? Probably has a lot to do with pastels being Easter colours. So let’s stay within the canon and enjoy these beautiful subtle colours.
Holland. OPI came out with Holland collection for this spring. The colours are wonderful and break away from pastels by having grey undertones and in some cases shimmer. My favourite colours are: Did you ‘ear about Van Gogh?, Kiss Me on My Tulips, Dutch ‘Ya Just Love OPI?, and Thanks A WindMillion.
Natural. All-natural looks are always in and with pastels you can only look natural. Create a wonderful natural look with subtle pastel/beige eyeshadow, pinky blush, nude lipstick and your favourite mascara. My suggestions: lipstick Please Me by MAC, marble mineral powder in Pink by Pur Minerals, and two eyeshadows by Urban Decay, for brow bone Virgin and Sin for full lid. For a bit of spice line your eyes with pastel shades of green, lavender, silver or soft baby blues.
Refresh. Refresh your skin with a weekly gentle face mask and a body scrub. My current loves are Chocomania body scrub by Body Shop, and Fresh mask with lemon zest by Yves Rocher.
Corals. Add some coral into your life with coral lips, cheeks or nail polish. Personally I will be rocking corals with Chilli Tingle lip stain by Lush.
Gold. Dragging on from fall and winter gold trend shifts from clothes to makeup. If you love gold, wear it, this time as your eyeshadow. Try Sephora Collection eyeshadows ($15), MAC’s pigments, or if you own a Naked Palette look no further.
Classics. Classics stay with us this spring: the red lip, cat eye and smokey eye. Sigh, how boring. I would recommend adding some life to these looks by trying out different colour combinations. For example: replace black eyeliner with green or light blue. No need to buy a new eyeliner. Just use an angled brush and dampen existing eyeshadow colour with water.
Hairstyle. Based on NYC’s fashion week this spring we are into some hair! Reported hair styles are: slicked back, hair wraps, centre part, side part, top knots and retro. I’d love to try the top knots once my hair grows out a bit more.
Well here goes my post about all the Vday gifts *drags and drops a photoshop file to the trash bin*. I’ve been extremely busy with my work lately so I haven’t had the time to blog as much, for which I am deeply sorry. Wishing everyone an amazing and heart warming Vday. If you are not celebrating with a lover, you can still celebrate with with a loved one, a friend or a relative. Instead of having a fancy dinner and a drink, spread the love to the animal and homeless shelters. Here is a great youtube video on that *Click Here*.
You are loved!
Diana ♥
For me February is all about love and Ventine’s. For some Valentine’s is lonesome holiday. Remember, you are never alone! Celebrate the month of February with colour and passion. And on the 14th go out with your single girlfriend or guy friends. Buy a new dress or that new red lipstick. Put on those fake lashes or 50’s bold wing tips. Go to a party, bar or restaurant. And say “Goodbye!” to that nagging feeling of loneliness. Remember, don’t rush into a relationship, keep an eye out for that perfect one and weed out all the “Mr. Right Now” guys.
The colour palette for February and Valentine’s does not have to be all red, look for beautiful cremes, blushes, black&gold combinations and even mint colours.
1. Wing tip. Retro is in this season, and what says retro better than a wing tip eye look. Merlin Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and many more gorgeous women rocked this look. You can do it too ;) Wear this makeup icon daily, experiment with liquid liner, pencil, smudge eyeshadows or eyeliner markers.
2. A red lip. Everyone knows that a red lip is a classic. Also many women are fearful of the red lips and I fully understand their fear. Until recently I believed that red lips are impossible to apply evenly. That is when I discovered the art of staining. Instead of smudging the lip colour on, stain your lips with red. Apply a lip balm before hand to provide a rich moisture foundation. This way the colour will last longer.
3. Blush colours. Blush is a beautiful colour, a light touch of pink that makes me think of tea roses and Paris. And when thinking about Paris and makeup Chanel comes to mind. Oh… Chanel. I love their oh-so-classy makeup and packaging. I just saw their spring 2012 LE items and was glad to see wonderful fresh light pinks. My favourite products so far are blush in glowing harmony, nail polish in May, or a hydrating lip colour in Chalys. Also, I found their MUA tutorials elegant, inspiring and a great idea for V-day looks.
4. Artsy Appliques. I have been using these for years now in my photo shoots (I was so glad to see that this technique is getting lots of attention this winter). A fancy name of appliqués is just any cut out shape or glitter which is applied to your face, lips, eyebrows or an eyeshadow substitute. I would suggest going to your local dollar store, buy glitter shaped as stars, hearts or flakes and apply those to your face using an eyelash glue. Any evening and party look can be spiced up using an appliques, the most important part is not to overdo it.
5. Retro hairstyles. Retro is the theme and hairstyles are not to be neglected. Especially if you are looking go get inspiration for unique hairstyles. Need help? Look at the cast of PanAm TV series, the actresses are diverse and have amazing hair in each episode. Take these look ideas and turn them into your reality.
Stay beautiful!
Diana ♥
Hot trends of winter 2012: Style
1. Seductive lace. Lace has a rich history tracing back to Europe in the 1500’s and China. 19th century women’s fashion boosted demand for lace. So why not now? Get yourself a dress, skirt or a blouse executed in lace. Go for neutral colours, making this one piece a classic addition to your wardrobe. In the picture: Body suite by Antonio Berardi executed in French lace.
2. Gold accessories. Gold accessories carry on their spotlight from fall to this winter. Enjoy wearing these accessories while you can! In the picture: Necklace by Roberto Cavalli.
3. Black + Gold. Why not wear Coco Chanel’s favourite colour in combination to all time representation of wealth and riches - gold? The simplicity of black combined with the richness of gold helps to create a look that will make people turn their heads. In the picture: Earrings by Dolce & Gabanna.
4. Nude. Nude clothes are super hot and are a classic item which is sure to reignite or start a fire. Need a date for Valentine’s? Stroll down the street in a dress executed in nude, and that perfect date will come running after you. In the picture: Dress Marc by Marc Jacob.
5. Decorated flats. Decorate your flats with statement jewels, feathers, bow or a buckle. Check your local shoe store for these fancy decorations. Spotted at Aldo & Town Shoes. In the picture: Roger vizier (black) and Nina Ricci (forest green).
6. Floppy hats. Hats are a great way to accessorize during winter by adding a touch of colour to an outfit or just to keep those flying hairs under control! For a touch of warmth try cherry red or burnt orange. Or go cool with forest green or deep blue. In the picture: Turquoise hat by Gucci.
Huge trend!!! I have been dying to get this nail look for ages now! And here is a step-by-step insanely easy way how to pull it off. I would suggest doing the second “dark” layer when the 1st layer of colour is 100% dry. Great tip: Reversing the light and dark colours will add that extra oomph to the look ;)
Diana ♥
(via makeup-creations)
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 ♥
