Peachy Makeup Look

Summer holidays may be over for the majority of us and no matter how hard I refuse to see that summer is over, the cooler temperatures and the already shorter days show otherwise. In a bid to hold on to summer for a little bit longer, 5 of us local bloggers teamed up for an End-Of-Summer-Collaboration as I have announced on Facebook a few days ago. I happen to be the last one to post (links to all posts from other bloggers will be at the end of this post) and I chose to create a peachy makeup look.

Peachy makeup looks work all year round but especially during summer and the beginning of autumn. Peach and orange hues remind me of warm summer sunsets as well as the leaves turning brown as soon as the weather gets cooler. To achieve this look, I used some of my favourite products of the moment, as well as some eyeshadows from the new Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette (which you have a chance of winning if you take part in our Facebook giveaway!).

I wanted to go for a fresh, look with a hint of tan to complement the peachy eyeshadow look and I also used a peach coloured blush for a healthy looking glow. I started with MAC Mineralize Concealer NC15 followed by favourite light textured foundation, Pupa Extreme Bronze 001 and went on to set everything with La Roche Posay Toleriane Teint Mineral 11 Beige Clair by lightly buffing it over my skin. For contouring I used Max Factor Creme Bronzer 10 Bronze and for blush, I used 3INA The Blush 100.

For my eyes I used the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette exclusively. I started by packing on Lumbre all over my eyelids and then moved on to blend He Devil on the outer corners. Finally I used Sauced and Low Blow as transitional shades in the crease. I then applied MAC Fluidline Dipdown and finished off with several coats of Flormar Dramatic Volume Mascara from their Tropical Splash limited edition collection. I filled my brows with Freedom Makeup Eyebrow Pomade in Medium Brown and to complete the look, I used MAC Lipstick Ramblin' Rose.

I think this is a perfect look for transitioning between summer and autumn and the possibilities with the Naked Heat palette are endless!

Do check out the rest of the posts in the collaboration which are all linked down below and head over to each of our Facebook pages for a chance to bag yourself the Naked Heat palette!

Distorted Priorities - Maxi Dresses & Maxi Skirts
Pocalocca - Summer Beauty Favourites
Attaire - Full Drugstore Makeup Look
Kezzie's Corner - One Brand Makeup Look

Weather Transitions & Pink Flute Sleeves

Transitioning to the colder months is not something that makes me jump with joy - I live on a Mediterranean island and I love summer! There is a part of me that likes coats though and I still think that winter clothes are chicer. To further strengthen my belief, this year's fashion is right up my alley - pretty pinks, daring reds, flute sleeves...

One coat I really look forward to wearing a lot this year is this pink one from Zara. I had originally bought it to wear during Malta Fashion Week but since the weather in May was really hot here, the coat was no longer an option. I even had some pictures taken with the outfit I intended to wear a few weeks before but I never got to share them with you so here they are, on the first day of Autumn! Mind you, it's still a little hot but it's never to early to start looking for new outfit inspiration ;)

These pictures were taken at the Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucija. The garden was open to the public in 1997 and it is a very well preserved example of oriental architecture in Malta - something that is very different to the buildings and construction sites we are used to so much on this tiny island. Although located in a rather busy road, somehow, the garden still manages to evoke feelings of tranquility to everyone who visits - waterfalls, ponds housing Koi fish, Chinese Pagoda like structures... if you're looking for a little zen, this is the place to go! In fact, I love this place so much that we even took pictures for another post that's coming up in the next few days. Special thanks to my dad for taking the pictures :)

Coat, Joggers, Shoes, all Zara | Top, Mango | Earrings, Michael Kors at Sunlab
Bangle, Daniel Wellington at Sunlab | Sunglasses, Marks & Spencer
Bag, ALDO

Knowing that flute sleeves are here to stay and that pink is one of the in colours this season, I breathed a sigh of relief for I really want the make the most out of this pretty number. I paired the coat with a crochet top that I bought a couple of years ago from Mango, a pair of smart joggers from Zara and silver heels, also from Zara. I just love the detail at the back of the shoes - the gold tone and cut-out sides really add interest to it and it works very well with sever pieces in my wardrobe as does the bag; it happens to be one of my favourite purchases from Aldo and even though it's from last year's collection, it is still one I look forward to pairing with several outfits.

How do you feel about winter fashion and moving on to colder days?

New Max Factor Launches!

A few weeks ago, I was delighted to receive the prettiest and most sophisticated of packages - this little gold box with a black ribbon bow from the Max Factor Malta team. Inside? Just the most exciting of newly launched products which I will be sharing more in-depth reviews and pictures of, with you all :)

Crème Bronzer - 10 Bronze (€9.95)

I'm going to start with the star product - the Crème Bronzer. It comes in this simple yet chic looking black, gold, and clear square packaging which is perfect to see the colour inside. The bronzer is a finely milled baked melange of bronzey hues to give our skin the perfect sunkissed glow. Don't let the name fool you though - the product is a powder alright but due to its texture and ultra blendable formula, it is easy to see why they named it crème bronzer. I got shade 10 Bronze which is the darker of the two available. I like to use this bronzer exclusively to contour because it is slightly darker than my skin tone and provides just the perfect hint of definition.

Colour Elixir Honey Lacquer - Blooming Berry (€12.60)

Next, we have the intensity of a lipstick, the shine of a gloss and the soft feel of a gloss united in one product - Colour Elixir Honey Lacquer. I have to say this is my favourite out of the three products I received. I love the colour, staying power and generally everything about this! It is versatile enough to be worn alone or applied over lipstick in the centre of the lips for a plumping effect. I would advise the use of a lip-liner with this product to avoid bleeding though but other than that, it gets 4.5/5 stars from me!

Here I am wearing Max Factor Crème Bronzer no.10 and Honey Lacquer Blooming Berry

Eyefinity Smokey Eye Pencil - 03 Royal Violet / 03 Crushed Gold (€9.90)  

Last but no means least is the Eyefinity Smokey Eye Pencil. I got the shade 03 which perfectly complements the Colour Elixir Honey Lacquer shade and it was easy to combine all three products to create the makeup look below. The purple side is more pigmented than the gold side, but, having said that, I still found it to be easy to apply and blend. I used the purple end as a base for my smokey eye and to line my eyes look while I used the gold side to highlight the inner corners. I love how the purple really brings out the colour of my eyes! The Eyefinity Smokey Eye Pencil 03 is pretty long-wearing I must say and it lasted all throughout the day.

Max Factor products used - Crème Bronzer 10 Bronze | Honey Lacquer Blooming Berry | Eyefinity Smokey Eye Pencil 03
Luminizer Foundation 50 Natural | False Lash Epic Mascara

So that's it from me on these exciting new products! If you're interested in any of them, you may check out your nearest stockist as of this month :)

PR Samples

Event | Purple Official Opening

Whenever I go shopping, I always end up in the locales of Valletta or Sliema and I tend to completely forget about other equally fabulous shopping districts such as Birkirkara so when I got an invite to attend the official opening of Purple, it was a little surprising. Nonetheless, I wanted to see what this new brand was all about so of course, I made my way to the shop last Friday evening.

photo by Andre Gialanze

So, Purple, what is it all about? It all started with Sergio and Alexandra moving to Malta from the UK and backed by Alexandra's experience in the fashion industry, they opened this little fashion gem in the very heart of Malta. Alexandra told me that they source the fabrics and design the clothes themselves which are in turn made in Italy. They stock a variety of sizes and their current collection really has something for everyone.

As I stepped foot inside the shop, the first thing that caught my eye is the purple(!) feature wall with a huge Audrey Hepburn decal celebrating what is perhaps her most famous moment - wearing that Givenchy black dress and tiara from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. I immediately asked my friend Marija to take a picture of me against this wall and later I learned Sergio admires Audrey Hepburn for her timelessly elegant style.

Of course I had a thorough look at the collection and I immediately started eyeing a lot of things I liked - pretty dresses, embroidered shirts, colourful skirts, all in most of my favourite colours. Overall, the collection boasts a neutral colour palette with occasional brights - in short, very up my alley! Needless to say, I didn't leave empty-handed and I can't wait to show you what I got in the very near future ;)

photo by Andre Gialanze

What's more? You can get everything at 50% off until the end of September so do hurry up! Purple is located in Valley Road Birkirkara and I invite you to like their Facebook page to keep updated with all the latest on their collections! Good luck again to Alexandra and Sergio, I look forward to visiting again very soon!

Bernard Polidano, myself and Marija - photo by Andre Gialanze

Event | People & Skin X Rosemarie Abela Fashion Studio

Last Wednesday, I had the utmost pleasure to attend a chic collaboration between one of the best med-aesthetic clinics in Malta, People & Skin, and a local fashion house, Rosemarie Abela Fashion Studio. The event marks the launch of the new Juvéderm Volite rejuventation treatments at the clinic, a showcase of the AW17/18 collection from RM Abela and the unveiling of the painting Skin Diptych by the late Isabelle Borg.

What I wore to the event - Photo by Dyna YT
Top, Fashion Union at ASOS | Skirt, Zara | Shoes, Gianvito Rossi | Clutch, Diane von Furstenberg | Earrings, Yana's Jewellery

Of course the event kicked off with some prosecco and an address by Dr. Joanna Delia and Ms. Michelle Degiorgio from People & Skin before we saw a presentation about Juvéderm Volite fillers and how they can restore the skin's youthful appearance. Juvéderm Volite aims at restoring skin quality; i.e. texture, elasticity and colour. It is a minimally invasive injectable which delivers Hyaluronic Acid directly into the skin, combining with water in the skin to hydrate, improve elasticity and help remove fine lines. Hyaluronic Acid fillers are known to stimulate collagen production, thus improving skin quality. Juvéderm Volite requires only one treatment session and results are meant to last for up to 9 months. It can be used for the hands, face, neck and décolletage.

Dr. Joanna Delia (left) and Ms. Michelle Degiorgio addressing guests

Image courtesy of Allergan

Next, it was time to get a glimpse from the La Cupola collection by Rosemarie Abela. I had already seen the full collection way back in May during Fashion Week (you can read about it here) but since it was so rich and well executed, I absolutely didn't mind gushing over it again. I just love the re-interpretation of knitwear and the incorporation of different materials and fabrics to produce such a lush collection. Well done Rosemarie! Rosemarie has also designed the uniforms for People & Skin's staff which I have to say are the ultimate in class and sophistication as can be seen on Michelle in the photo above.

Then we moved on to see the unveiling of the painting Skin Diptych at the clinic's reception area by Dr. Joanna Delia. She confesses that the late local acclaimed modernist artist Isabelle Borg is one of her favourites and she couldn't not buy this painting and have it at the clinic as it ties in so well with the décor and concept of the clinic, plus, it is a nice tribute to such a prominent name in the local art scene. Isabelle Borg passed away seven years ago and the void she left in the local art scene is still very palpable. In fact, a retrospective exhibition of some of her most prominent works was set up last July at the Pop Up Gallery in Valletta. The curator of the exhibition, Marie Galea says that Skin Diptych is her favourite painting and describes it as a 'feminine, simple yet bold piece' in an interview on the Sunday Circle magazine (you can read all about the exhibition here on pages 45 & 46) - I couldn't agree more! The painting is an oil and mixed media on canvas and was painted in the year 2001.

Skin Diptych by Isabelle Borg

The late Isabelle Borg with her paiting 'Lovers on the Bull' (1983)
photo courtesy of Times of Malta

I think the event is another successful feat under the People & Skin's team belt and I look forward to returning to the clinic and have one of their treatments done. Watch this space!

Review | Plumper Lips with Teoxane RHA Lip'sculpt

Hello everyone :) I've got another review post for you today and it's all about a revolutionary new product from Teoxane, the RHA Lip'sculpt.

The brand Teoxane is not new on this blog for I had the pleasure and opportunity to try other products from them before. Apart from dermo-cosmetic products, the brand also has a successful line of dermal fillers and I am not going to lie, I thought Lip'sculpt was actually a lip filler. I was relieved to know it wasn't (yes I am scared of needles!) and so I agreed to give it a test run.

As far as signs of aging on our faces go, the lip contour is the first to give in. Most notably, the area is prone to a significant loss of fat mass which in turn causes superficial dehydration and a decrease in barrier function as we age. The lips will consequently appear finer and vertical wrinkles start to appear. 

I am still young for wrinkles to appear on my skin but my lips have always been on the thinner side. On the other hand, like I said before, I am scared of needles so lip fillers will be the very last thing I consider to do. Thankfully, Teoxane has come up with RHA Lip'sculpt that claims to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as augmenting lip size after 28 days of use.

Teoxane RHA Lip'sculpt comes in a box complete with an information booklet while it comes in the sleekest of tubes with a metal applicator to up the application experience. Basically, Lip'sculpt is a serum that contains a concentrate of Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid, Resilient Hyaluronic Acid (RHA) and Glycerine to achieve volume, lifting and hydration respectively. It also contains Ivy and ginseng extracts and Konjac to further help achieve the afore mentioned effects.

There is a recommended, simple mode of application as explained in the booklet that comes with the product and I have been applying the product morning and evening for the past two months or so.

While fortunately, I don't have any wrinkles at the moment, I can definitely comment on the size of my lips. First things first, this is just a serum meant to give you a temporary plumped lips appearance so don't expect the results to last as long as with fillers; however, I still like to apply this serum before my lip products to have plumper looking lips. When the effect wears off though, my lips return to their usual size (they don't go from XS to XXL but there is slightly more volume). Also, there is no tingling involved so yay! However, my lips do feel a little numb (not completely, just a wee bit) for a couple of minutes immediately after application but they go back to normal in no time. I haven't really seen a drastic change in my lips' volume but I would recommend the product for anyone wanting a temporary solution. The product can also be used to complement a lip filler treatment.

What do you think? Would you consider using such a product over fillers? Leave a comment below!

Teoxane products can be bought from authorized stockists and clinics. 

PR Sample