Milan Haul

As you can tell from the title of this post, I thought of sharing with you what I got from my weekend trip to Milan last week. I didn't buy that much stuff because quite frankly I was a little under the weather when the pair of Gianvito Rossi's I am after were not in stock at either of their boutiques so *shocker* I didn't really feel like shopping.

However, I still managed to score some gorgeous finds. First off, & Other Stories. I'm in love with this brand and whenever I visit a country where they have a store, I just have to visit their exquisitely decorated shops and possibly get a couple of items too. I had already seen their current collection in Munich where on my way out I spotted a gorgeous top which was only available in the larger sizes. I couldn't get this top out of my mind so I made it a point to try and find it in Milan, which I did :D It's a very minimal grey, boxy top with a round collar and it feels so warm! It cost €55. I also got a pair of gunmetal mirrored sunglasses for €25 and a pair of triangle rose gold and marble earrings for €15, both of which I had been wanting for ages.

After visiting the Manolo Blahnik exhibition, I purchased the book which contains pictures and illustrations of all the shoes on display. It only set me back €38 and my coffee table looks much more stylish now ;)

As for beauty, I bought a Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo in the shade 216 Lettre for €34 from Coin in Como where I also purchased two Essence nail polishes (44 On Air! and 68 Free Hugs) and a precise eyeliner brush which were €1.99 each.

Sephora were having some crazy sales where it took every ounce of energy for me to go all out and buy everything in sight. Somehow I managed to resist and only bought this Giorgio Armani lipstick in the shade 102 Essenza which was down to €26.90.

Lastly, from Victoria's Secret, another store that I like to visit when I'm abroad, I got 3 pairs of knickers of course (not shown) and I also managed to find a set of the Scandalous perfume, body wash and body lotion on sale for €24.50. I love the Scandalous perfume of which I had a small bottle but I just can't get myself to fork out €75 for the large bottle (though it's cute so I might give in one day) so this pack was perfect.

Stay tuned for outfit posts and a bonus restaurant experience post from my trip to Milan! Make sure to like my Facebook page to never miss a post and other updates.

Review | Pupa Milano Like a Doll Maxi Blush 301 Golden Brown

I'm slowly settling in a blogging routine again and while going through my stash of products to review, I came across, my new favourite blush from Pupa Milano, which has been on a roll lately with the new products being launched in the local market. Today, I'd like you to meet the Pupa Milano Like a Doll Maxi Blush in the shade 301 Golden Brown.

The blush is supplied in a red box and the actual product comes in a functional, mirrored, circular compact which houses a mirror on the inside lid, the blush on the top compartment and a blush brush in the bottom compartment.

The shade I have, 301 is a nude beige colour which doubles up as a bronzer as well. I'm very fond of this blush for apart from the pigmentation, staying power and functional packaging, the brush supplied with it is actually good. The size of it is just right for my cheeks and it makes application a breeze! Here I am wearing the blush just last weekend in Milan :)

The blush doesn't go on patchy and lasts me a whole day without the need for touch-ups. Moreover, the formula is paraben free and fragrance free and is dermatologically tested.

Pupa Milano Like A Doll Maxi Blush comes in 9 different shades and retails for €15.95 for 9.5g of product for authorized stockists. Follow Pupa Milano in Malta on Facebook for more information.

PR Sample

MANOLO BLAHNÍK THE ART OF SHOES | An Exhibition at Palazzo Morando, Milan

Hello my lovelies, last Monday I landed back in Malta after an amazing weekend getaway in the charming city of Milan, Italy. I must admit I fell in love with the Italian fashion capital - from the food to people watching and sight seeing and the designer shop windows, this city has it all! 

On our second day which we dedicated to sightseeing, upon leaving the beautiful church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (which also houses Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper), I spotted a poster advertising an exhibition by Manolo Blahnik. Being the shoe fanatic that I am, I checked the dates and place where the exhibition was being held and...bam! It had only opened two days before! I immediately turned a pair of puppy eyes toward my boyfriend who, with a hint of irritation in his voice, said yes to visiting it (I said many times that I have the best one and I still stand by it)! 

In this post I wanted to share with you snippets from the exhibition displaying 212 shoes and 80 drawings covering 45 years of Mr. Blahník's work. The exhibition is housed at Palazzo Morando, a very antique, artistic palace located right in the heart of the Quadrilatero della Moda (fashion district in Milan). Of course, many would agree with me that there couldn't be a more appropriate place to house such a prestigious exhibition from one of fashion's iconic coutouriers! 

The entrance to Palazzo Morando

Mr. Manolo Blahník

Manolo Blahník's works vary shoes that were inspired from his travels and nature to other more opulent collections and the more wearable styles. Unarguably, they are all the embodiment of artistic style, exploring different colours, fabrics and textures which have now become cult objects. Here are a few of my favourites:

As I stated before, 80 shoe drawings are also being exhibited. Mr. Blahník inherited his talent for drawing from his mother. One thing to note is that he never uses a computer to draw but he trusts his own hands and eyes to execute the masterpieces. Here is a selection of such drawings.

Of course, I am not including all of the exhibits in this post, otherwise it would take forever to read. Just in case you're in Milan anytime soon, the exhibition is open till the 9th of April 2017 and it is advisable to book in advance as queues are very long. Here is all the information regarding opening times and ticket prices.

I highly recommend this exhibition to lovers of fashion, beauty and art (my boyfriend spent the most part of the time at the exhibition gazing at the richly painted ceilings and lush crystal chandeliers dangling from them).  Finally, I would of course recommend you get the accompanying book which costs €38 from the palace bookshop as a memento of your visit :)

First Impressions | Urban Decay Full Spectrum Palette

Behold: Urban Decay's biggest and most colourful palette yet! Yes! The Urban Decay Full Spectrum palette has finally made its way to my eyeshadow palettes collection! And I don't think I am exaggerating when I say it's the brightest and the biggest one I own to date!

Let's have a closer look at what the latest lust-worthy palette from UD is all about. First things first, the packaging - it's very similar to other UD palettes in that there are the shades depicted on the outer box. However, it is much bigger than the other palettes - it contains 21 shades as opposed to the standard 12 shades that usually compose the brand's palette. You can compare the size of the palette here against the Naked Ultimate Basics.

The Full Spectrum palette comes in a black square layout palette with a magnetic closure. The ouside is just as beautiful as the inside (we'll get to that in a minute) with glossy parallel lines going all across the lid and down to the sides. The lid also features a multi-faceted rainbow coloured UD logo on the bottom right side underneath which is the name of the palette, also in rainbow colours.

On opening, there is a mirror as big as the lid and of course, there are the colours on the bottom compartment. The palette also comes with a small, double ended eyeshadow brush. The eyeshadows are arranged in a rainbow sequence of which there are three variations of the traditional rainbow colours. The last row is made up of grey, black and white - there really is a full spectrum of colours in there ;)

Urban Decay being Urban Decay, it is no surprise that most of the shades have a shimmer or frost finish. In fact, they only matte shade I can spot is Bump (white). Here are swatches and a description of all the shades:

Alchemy (deep fuchsia satin)
Gossip (bright metallic pink with subtle shimmer)
Paranoia (soft metallic blue-pink)
Warning (deep metallic copper)
Seize (bright metallic coral with subtle shimmer)
Jones (metallic orange with subtle shimmer)

Midnight Blaze (black matte with yellow-gold shimmer)
Calavera (bright yellow matte with subtle shimmer)
Goldmine (metallic yellow-gold)
Hundred (deep metallic forest green)
Hatter (vibrant green with tonal micro-sparkle)
Mean (bright metallic lime green)

Minx (deep navy matte with floating tonal pearl)
Blindsided (bright teal blue matte with floating pearl)
Metamorphosis (vibrant periwinkle blue with micro-sparkle)
Delirious (deep plum matte with subtle floating pearl)
Sketch (metallic medium purple)
Faded (lavender with gold shimmer)

Platonic (black matte with iridescent glitter)
Iced (oyster silver with shimmer)
Bump (white matte)

All shades are very pigmented and I find they last me all day (with the use of a primer of course) with no issues of creasing whatsoever and I only experienced fallout with the heavily shimmery shades. I have to point out though that the blue shades are a little patchy.

Would you give in to buying this palette? I got mine from feelunique.com for €49.54 with 10% off (usual price is €55.04).

Interviewing Claudia Faniello

I just parked my car opposite Costa Coffee in Balzan feeling nervous and excited all at the same time. Why all the fuss you ask? Well, in a few minutes I am to interview Claudia Faniello, a very well established name in the local music scene. One last look in my car's mirror and I'm out, walking towards the coffee shop. This was me last Wednesday afternoon.

I first met Gaetano, the designer in charge of Claudia's look for this year's Malta Eurovision Song Contest final which will be held on the 18th of February to choose the winner to represent Malta in the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest which will take place in Ukraine.

Gaetano is fast establishing himself as a household name when it comes to elegant dresses for women thanks to the 2015 edition of the Mercedes-Benz Malta Fashion Week and Awards which served as a springboard for him to launch his collections publicly. It was quite a chilly day so we ordered a cappuccino straight away to warm us up and for me to relax before Claudia shows up.

Designer Gaetano Busuttil and Claudia Faniello

A few minutes later, the singer waves at us from across the road and I immediately feel much more at ease once she greets us with her contagious smile. Turns out she is very down-to-earth, jolly individual and a pleasure to talk to! In fact, our interview quickly took the form of a chat between friends rather than an interview. We basically talked fashion and music of course as well as other random subjects as you do when you get to interview a very famous face in the local scene.

To start off with, I asked Claudia about her experience in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest and while she says it is time consuming, it gives her great pleasure in participating in such an event and this is her 9th year with the 10th song. This year, she is presenting a ballad entitled Breathlessly and she says ballads are her favourites when it comes to competitions as her singing abilities can really shine through - and I couldn't agree more!

Moving on to fashion, I was surprised to learn that shopping is not something Claudia enjoys doing yet she knows what she's comfortable in and her style changes from day to day depending on her mood. Skirts are her favourites as opposed to trousers for example. Claudia admits she is open to new ideas in terms of fashion and even though sometimes it may take quite a few tries for her to accept a new proposal, she usually complies. She immediately mentions fish-tail dresses as a case in point and Gaetano chimes in saying how much he likes such dresses and how it took him a little bit more effort to convince Claudia to wear one. Well, she succumbed to the charm of fish-tails and this is the result...

Claudia wearing one of Geatano's creations

...doesn't she look ravishing! 

When it comes to trends, Claudia isn't one to 'fall into the trap' as she prefers to sticking to what she knows will suit her physique and style and she doesn't really commit to one trend or another. Turning back to music, however, her idol is Madonna but not necessarily in a musical way - more in an artistic way.

Wearing more of Gaetano's creations on various occasions. The last one has to be my absolute favourite!

I wish Claudia the best of luck with her MESC entry and I am sure Gaetano will have her dressed to the nines in one of his exclusive, fabulous creations. Speaking of which, you can participate in a competition on Gaetano's Facebook page by guessing the colour of the dress Claudia is to wear on the finals' night!

Follow Claudia's journey on her Facebook page and be sure to vote for her entry on the 18th of February!