How would you describe your style and who are your style icons?
I love the 1950s! Some of my favorite style icons lived at that era, including Audrey Hepburn, as well as the spectacular Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren. I also have to mention such genius designers as Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and Christobal Balenciaga who worked at the time. Talking about specific ‘50s styles, I love the silhouette that came into the style lexicon as the New Look. Cinched waist, rounded shoulders, and full skirt -- that’s what I am looking for even today when I am picking my own clothes. It’s beautiful, it’s feminine, and it’s timeless!
What's in your everyday make-up bag?
I am wearing red lipstick every day, so you will definitely find in my makeup bag a few tubes of my favorite lip products: Chanel Rouge Allure #104 and YSL Rouge Volupte #12. I am also one of those gals who can’t leave the house without a mascara. My current favorites are Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes, YSL Effet Faux Cils, and super affordable Maybelline New York The Colossal Volum' Express. In addition, I always fill in my eyebrows with a soft eyeliner (Almay Intense i-Color Eyeliner is the best!) that I apply using angled eyeliner brush by Eco Tools. Finally, I always keep concealer on me, in case I need to camouflage breakouts or highlight the under eye area. YSL Touche Eclat and Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation are my high-end choices, L’Oréal Studio Secrets Magic Lumi Highlighter is an affordable alternative. In my opinion, if your eyes and lips are in check, you don’t really need to use a foundation on a regular basis. In fact, I try avoiding it as much as I can and instead just remove excess oil with a Starbucks napkin every time I am heading there to pick up a drink.
What is your beauty routine like?
As I am blogging primarily about beauty and fashion, there are many beauty products that I am testing on a regular basis so this routine is constantly changing depending on what I am loving or feeling to use right now. No matter what I am testing now, I am always using the below products.
Morning:
My skin is very dry and it’s getting worse in fall and winter. In order to prevent that, I am trying to wash my face less often. I skip a cleanser in the morning and just spritz my face with water, followed by Vichy Thermal Water. After that, I apply Clarins Double Serum which is designed for older women, but it happened to work great on my dry skin. I wait about two minutes to give the product a chance to absorb and apply Clarins Multi-Active Day Cream. The latest is a bit thick (but still very good!) so I wait about five minutes and then remove the excess of the product with a tissue.
I usually take a little break after finishing with my skincare routine prior to applying makeup. When I am ready, first thing I do is apply Make Up For Ever Skin Equalizer Primer #4 Nourishing which makes my skin super smooth. Then, I camouflage some of the imperfections (not the entire face) with Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation. I also make sure to take this cute little thing with me so I can fix my makeup during the day. When it comes to makeup, a mascara and a red lipstick is a must for me. I also like applying a tiny amount of neutral eyeshadow so my makeup looks a bit more finished. I am currently using Tarte Light, Camera, Lashes, YSL Effet Faux Cils for lashes and Marc Jacobs Le Mark Lipstick in #200 Oh Miley for lips.
Currently, my favorite eyeshadow palette is Urban Decay Naked 2. I usually don’t have time to apply blush, but if I do, it’s either Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Peach or Chanel Joues Contraste in Pink Explosion.
Evening:
I do take my face cleaning seriously and never go to bed with makeup. The first thing I do while getting ready for bed is remove makeup using Bioderma Miscellar Water. Then, while I am taking shower, I clean leftovers of my makeup with Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser followed by Burt’s Bees Natural Acne Solutions Purifying Gel Cleanser that I apply exclusively on problem areas.
After shower, I wipe my skin with Clinique 3 Steps Clarifying Toner For Dry To Mixed Skin and apply Clarins Multi-Active Night Recovery Cream Dry Skin that I’ve been using for many years. When it comes to body, I also make sure to moisturize my skin right after I am getting out of shower. My current favorite moisturizer is Dove Extra Dry Cream Oil Body Lotion - it smells delicious and doesn’t feel too heavy.
If you could makeover a celebrity, who would it be and what look would you give them?
Anne Hathaway! She looks gorgeous whatever hairstyle she picks, but I really miss her long hair look.
Any tips for someone wanting to mix up their look?
Give a try to a red lipstick! In my opinion, this is one of the most universal products around that work for literally everyone.
Do you do any other crafts and what are your hobbies?
I love knitting and start working on warm scarves and hats closer to the end of the fall. I also enjoy working on all sorts of DIY decorating projects. For instance, this year I’ve been painting all of my miniature pumpkins in gold. It’s a super easy project, but the result is spectacular!
Make-Up Techniques
Special FX Make-Up
