Review | Pupa Milano Sporty Chic Limited Edition Spring 2015

If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook (if you don't go ahead and click the icons above), you would have seen my post about two new products I have received a few weeks ago from Pupa Milano, both of which are from their Spring 2015 Limited Edition collection, Sporty Chic which is made up of products in fresh, bright and sporty hues.

The collection is actually inspired by the sport-luxe garments seen all over the catwalks, which are effortlessly translated into the products - beautiful pastel shades with contrasting black graphic details with matte finishes that contrast the luminous finishes and a touch of silver. 

The Pupa Milano Sporty Chic Collection consists of:

4 Vamp! Cream Eyeshadow Velvet Matt (€11.70)

1 Vamp! Cream Eyeshadow (€11.70)

2 Graphic Eyeshadow Palettes (€14.20)

1 Vamp! Maxi Stylo Liner (€10.90)

3 Miss Pupa Color & Care Lipsticks (€13.50)

2 Like A Doll Cheeks & Hair (€11.60)

4 Gummy Matt Nail Polishes (€5.80)

Here I have the Vamp! Cream Eyeshadow 001 Shiny Silver and the Miss Pupa Color & Care Lipstick 003 Red Coral.

The Vamp! Cream Eyeshadow comes in a little glass jar with a pink lid and I really like when cream products come in such packaging because they seem to last longer than when they come in plastic jars. Now anything branded Vamp! by Pupa is bound to make a good impression especially when it comes to lasting power and this cream eyeshadow is no exception!

The pigmentation is amazing and if you're a fan of cream eye products you're in for a treat with this one as it doesn't budge, crease or fade for any length of time! I wore the eyeshadow for two Malta Fashion Week events and by the end of the night it still looked as if I applied it - even in the hot venues with all the spotlights!

I like that this eyeshadow is versatile enough to be worn alone or have powder eyeshadows layered over it. I give this a definite 10/10!

Next I have one of the Miss Pupa Colour & Care Lipsticks in the shade 003 Red Coral - a fantastic shade for the summer months. The colour & balm concept behind these lipsticks is quite cool and it is a much more sensible alternative to lip products that come with the colour and balm separate from each other. Moreover, this provides the richness of a lipstick and the protection of a balm without the latter hindering the pigmentation, thus I think it is better than a tinted balm.

I think this shade would be extremely flattering on just about any skin tone and I would say this lasts for 2 - 3 hours on the lips before it starts to fade away. However, I would like to point out that even though the colour fades, my lips still feel moisturised.

Here is me wearing both products in one look :)

I encourage you to go ahead and try the Sporty Chic Collection from Pupa Milano for a pop of colour to your look! A list of stockists for this limited edition collection can be found on their Faebook page and on the Pupa website you can find even more information and tutorials featuring all the products!

PR Samples

Here comes the sun...

...and with it melanoma awareness campaigns which bring forth the risks associated with sun exposure and the link with potential cancer development as well as how you can examine yourself better. The month of May is dedicated to Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness hence Persona Med-Aesthetic Centre, in collaboration with its team of dermatologists and SkinCeuticals, is offering a number of free consultations for mole assessment throughout May in the light of the importance of early detection and prevention of melanoma.

Melanoma is the most common skin cancer which arises from melanocytes, a type of cells located in the basal layer of the outer skin, which stimulate the tanning process when exposed to UV rays. Aggressive forms of this type of cancer can metastasize to any organ in the body, hence the importance of early detection.

The effects of sun exposure are cumulative, hence every exposure adds to damage caused to the skin which even though it may not be visible at a young age, it is still potentially harmful. A combination of factors such as depletion of the ozone layer, more skin revealing fashion and tanning beds gaining popularity have led to a significant rise in melanoma cases over the past years, even locally.

The following points to help protect your skin from the sun cannot be stressed enough:

• seek shade and avoid the sunniest hours of the day, roughly between 11.00 and 16.00. 
• when outdoors, try to protect your skin as much as possible, wearing a hat, sunglasses and clothing that covers you skin. 
• use a high factor broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF50+) throughout the year. In the summer months it is important to re-apply your sunscreen every 2-3 hours throughout the day when exposed to the sun. 

Lately, the incorporation of antioxidants plus sunscreen in our skin care regime is starting to get more importance as benefits include an increase in protection against UV and IRA rays. Recent studies show that IRA (infra red radiation) is also responsible for skin’s photo-damaging effects, hence modern sun protection should include filters, that provide IRA protection as well. Whereas sunscreens protect against UVA and UVB radiation from the outside, antioxidants work from the inside, protecting against free radicals formation and DNA damage to skin caused by UV & IRA rays. Studies show that even the best sunscreen, when applied, offers up to 55% protection against UV damage, but when combined with a powerful and well-formulated antioxidant, protection levels rise even up to 98%. For this reason, Persona Med-Aesthetic Centre is giving a free sunscreen with every purchase of one of the SkinCeuticals Anti-Oxidant products. You will also be helping a noble cause as 5% from all SkinCeuticals sales made during 2015, will be donated to Hospice Malta at the end of the year.

Self examination is also a very important factor in the early detection of melanoma that is not to be overlooked. A popular method is the ABCDE method where A stands for Asymmetry in shape, B is for Border irregularity, C is for Colour difference, D is for Diameter (large > 6mm) and E is for Evolution that marks a change over-time.

‘Dermatologists world-wide insist that there’s nothing healthy about a sun tan, therefore through this campaign, we hope more people will become aware of the dangers of unprotected or inadequately-protected sun exposure’, says Kate Demanuele, General Manager of Persona Med-Aesthetic Centre. ‘Prevention and early detection measurements of skin cancer, can save lives, therefore we hope this campaign will have its needed impact on people’s lifestyle and their skin health.’

For more information about Persona's melanoma awareness campaign check out their website, Facebook page or contact them on 21340366 or info@persona.com.mt. Products can also be purchased via the website.

MFWA 2015 | Ritienne Zammit presents 'L-Omm li tatna ismha!' A/W 2015

Date: Thursday 14th May 2015

Time: 19:30hrs

Location: Grand Master's Palace, Republic Street, Valletta

promo picture courtesy of Ritienne Zammit

'The aim of this collection is to arouse the gratitude of our identity, language and beliefs' - this verse opened Ritienne Zammit's superb fashion show after a short promo video with a modern interpretation of the Maltese National Anthem by world-renowned Maltese DJ duo Tenishia. The same verse was read in Maltese, English and Italian, the three languages involved in the 'Language Question' during the 1920's and 1930's, the two decades around which the collection revolved. The mane of the collection is actually part of our national anthem which translates to 'This Motherland so dear whose name we bear!'

While Italian (at the time the language used by professionals such as doctors, lawyers and the clergy) and English (the language of the foreign rulers at the time) were 'fighting' to be the official language of Malta, Maltese patriots, mostly Manwel Dimech, fought with fervour to elevate Maltese from it's 'working class' and the 'language of the kitchen' status to that of the official language of the Maltese Islands.

Patriots' portraits such as that of the afore mentioned Manwel Dimech, Dun Karm Psaila (our national poet), Dun Mikiel Xerri and Mikiel Anton Vassalli were cleverly incorporated into the designs with a modern twist. 

The colour palette consisted of monochrome black and white featuring excerpts from Mikiel Anton Vassalli's Lexicon (first Maltese dictionary) in the style of 1920's newspapers, salmon, teal and a hint of oxblood, which my friend and fellow blogger Mariel pointed out, that at the time, it was very fashionable to have furniture painted in those colours.

Moreover, the finger-curled hair and the cut-out moustaches added to the vibe the designer was after. The stark white lips, eyeliner and cut-out brows further accentuated the graphic edge to the collection making it more appealing to the public. 

The location for this show, the magnificent Grand Master's Palace couldn't have more adapted, for it was the seat of the first Maltese Self-Government in 1921.

This was definitely a winning collection and one that has a lot of background research. I am looking forward to owning a piece from it asap! Brava Ritienne! Ghamiltna kburin! (Well done Ritienne! You  made us proud!).

Sadly, this was the last show for me this year and I can definitely say that my fashion week closed with a bang! I would like to wish all nominees a big good luck for Saturday's awards and I would like to thank the team behind Fashion Week for scouting interesting locations for all the shows and I would like to show my appreciation for all the hard work put into the most fashionable week of the year :) I look forward to next year! Cheers!

All photos are courtesy of Mark Soler. Check out his website msfotography.net for more :)

MFWA 2015 | Un/Burnished - A Contemporary Jewellery Exhibition by Nadege Renee Cassar

Date: Tuesday 12th May 2015

Time: 19:00hrs

Location: Malta Society of Arts, Palazzo de La Salle, Republic Street, Valletta

Palazzo de La Salle is once again hosting a fashion event this year following the MFWA Press Conference and the myme pop-up concept store last week. And what better event is there to be hosted at the seat of the Malta Society of Arts other than an artistic jewellery exhibition by the very creative Nadege Renee Cassar?

Ms. Cassar is a design graduate and has been making jewellery since 2005 in her own workshop, hence this exhibition marks the 10 year anniversary from when Nadege Renee started her jewellery making venture. Her creations are mostly sterling silver combined with precious or non-precious materials where the designs are mostly contemporary and they are unique, limited edition pieces. The designer also creates bespoke jewellery by recycling her clients' own precious metals and stones.

The exhibition is hosting 34 hand-fabricated jewellery items of an exclusive, one-off nature; all of which explore and question the notion of preciousness. In her own words, Nadege Renee Cassar says of the exhibition that "nowadays the intrinsic value of jewellery is often marked by human intervention on gemstones, which have been categorised by humans since the mid-1800s as “precious stones” and “semiprecious stones” on the basis of various factors such as beauty, size, rarity and popularity. However, shouldn’t nature’s design on its own beautiful material formations be considered the most precious factor of all, regardless of all other factors imposed by us?

Un / Burnished makes use of stones in their raw natural form as well as fine cut stones. Their textures are contrasted with highly polished metal finishes or metal interventions."

my favourite piece from the collection

The exhibits were displayed on painted tree logs in clear showcases - a setting that is as creative as the pieces themselves!

photo by Dorianne Mamo of ask dorianne

The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr. Leonie Baldacchino from the Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking. Her brief but very heart-warming speech was followed by a few words from Nadege herself and guests were then able to continue admiring the pieces on display.

Ms. Nadege Renee Cassar (far left) delivering her address

I really suggest you pay this exhibition a visit to admire the creative work and craftsmanship involved.

Un/Burnished will be open to the public from the 13th of May will the 9th of June at the following times:

13 - 27 May: Monday - Wednesday 08:00hrs to 20:00hrs

Thursday - Friday 08:00hrs to 15:00hrs

Saturday - Sunday closed

28 May - 9 June: Monday - Friday 08:00hrs to 15:00hrs

Saturday - Sunday closed

The exhibition is held in collaboration with the Mercedes-Benz Malta Fashion Week & Awards and the MSA and is supported by Eva Garden, Deco Manufacturing, NM Arrigo Ltd., Cleland & Souchet and Heritage Malta.