Friday 23 December 2016

Last Minute Personalised Christmas Wreath!















If for whatever reason you still have not had a chance to decorate your home yet, there is never such a thing as too late. Here is an idea of how to create a beautiful and unique wreath with your personal touch. And also on a plus side whichever wreaths are still available at the shops at this point they are likely to be discounted.

I have been given this faux wreath as a present and although I like the combination of pastel tones, snowy effect and the succulents accent it nonetheless was lacking that Christmasy je ne satis qui... So here is what I did to spruce it up and give it a warm decorative touch. 

Firstly this wreath comes from Sainsbury. I went and bought baubles different size and colour which adds a bit of interest. The slightly larger golden baubles also had different texture, some smooth and others covered with glitter. I randomly secured them all around the wreath but mostly keeping them more in the middle of the wreath as they are chunkier than the small baubles. 

The smaller rose gold baubles also had two textures, glossy and matte. Some of them I placed in clusters of three and some singular, this time taking them closer to the inner and outer edge of the wreath, which helped to brake up a structured look. 

And finally I had some old led lights form last Christmas and I decided to go for a clear cord and red led lights [I believe I got these at B&Q]. They are really neat and resemble little red winter berries when lighten up. The red lights also help to transform an otherwise chic wreath into a more festive Christmas decoration. It was a quick job and I know for sure no neighbour down the road has the same wreath hanging on their door! 

decorLOVE

Friday 9 December 2016

Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel in Awe

Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel in Awe

Shade: Awe





As a comparison, this is a brow powder product I used previously,
this product had a warm tone to it and therefore looked less natural and was more obvious when filling gaps.

Brow products are the hardest when it comes to finding a perfect match as it has to complement your complexion and still look natural. And even then blondes have the toughest time with their brows as most of the brow products pull either warm toned ginger or cool toned ash, neither are natural looking or flattering for that matter. So I am very happy to have discovered Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel, this shade is Awe and it's their lightest shade. 

It looks very pretty on and the colour looks very natural and somehow does not pull a warm tone neither a cool tone but is right in the middle, creating a super flattering eyebrow shade. I have used an angled brush to apply the gel and it was very easy to work with. Apply the product on the back of your hand first to avoid a too strong brow. This brow gel fills gaps very naturally without looking obvious. Once it sets it doesn't smudge or move after application as easily as some of the other brow products I have used before.

beautyLOVE

Thursday 8 December 2016

Smokey Eye: MAC Patina, Mystery, Brulé

Wearing: MAC Patina, Mystery, Brulé eyeshadows






This is a very quick smokey eye for all those gorgeous mamas out there or anyone who is very busy and has little time for make-up. To begin with I primed my eyelids with MAC Bare Study Paint Pot, it's a shimmery light base which helps to emphasise the sheen of MAC Patina eyeshadow. In the socket I have blended in MAC Mystery eyeshadow which is a satin finish and great to tone the sheen of the main eyeshadow slightly down as you don't want to go overboard with shimmers and sheens. A blend of both eyeshadows was also applied under the lower lash line as well as smoking out a black kohl eyeliner. I tend to wear matte or semi-matte highlighters on the eyebrow bone with shimmery eyeshadows and vice versa a shimmery highlighter with matte or satin eyeshadows, they lift/tone down each other in a complimenting way. MAC Brulé eyeshadow is my old time favourite satin highlight, it's almost matt but not in a flat way, it has a slight dimension to it which makes it a very credible and flattering brow bone highlighter.

beautyLOVE

Wednesday 7 December 2016

Topshop Fur Heart Bag

Topshop Fur Heart Bag

Necklace: also Topshop, Mood Stone Choker

Being a mama means your handbag is no longer your fashion item, it is a necessity that is filled with baby stuff, diapers, bottles, dummies, snacks, bibs the list goes on... So it is quite refreshing to have a teeny-tiny little thing that belongs just to you and has nothing but your lipstick in it. Quite literally this is about what you can fit in, I also manage to squeeze my house keys, car keys and banking cards. iPhone 6 does not fit in. But I absolutely adore this sexy little burgundy fluffy heart. It brings a nice accent and a bit of colour to a wintery outfit.

fashionLOVE

Tuesday 6 December 2016

John Frieda Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery Deep Conditioner



I am currently having a bit of a hair dilemma. After years of highlights I had to step down because having a one year old baby means I no longer can sit for three hours in a hair salon looking like a satellite dish. So a couple of months ago I decided to have my hair bleached and just get the roots quickly done every month, [I am now rethinking that decision]. 

Bleached hair needs a lot of regular deep conditioning. Although I have a few expensive favourites I also like to have an affordable option that I can easily pick up when doing the groceries shopping. This hair masque would be great for any hair colour that needs to be rehydrated. When I used this John Frieda Miraculous Recovery for the first time I was blown away with the result. My hair looked as if it had a professional blow-dry, incredibly sleek and shiny. I don't remember last time my hair looked that healthy. Thumbs up! 

beautyLOVE

Friday 2 December 2016

BaByliss Boutique Salon Ceramic Rollers

BaByliss Boutique Salon Ceramic Rollers









When it comes to hair, again mama doesn't have that much time. And when I am in the mood to dedicate a few minutes to hair styling then this is a trusty [new] friend that helps me out. If I have an extra 5-10 minutes before applying my make-up I quickly roll these ceramic rollers on and take them off when I finish with the make-up. I am not fond of a crispy curl, so the soft curls you get with these rollers are right up my alley. 

The rollers heat up really quickly as they are heated up from the centre as visible on the image above, this makes them the perfect temperature to work magic on those curls. What I also like about these rollers is that they are ceramic, which enables them to keep the heat for longer and the luxurious velvet coating makes the hair curl beautifully against the soft base of the roller. The velvet seems to help with making the hair shiny!

Another huge bonus is that the clips have a separate heat bar that gets them to the same temperature as the rollers and so the hair gets infused by the heat from both the inside and outside of the curl. The end result is a gorgeous soft curl/wave that looks modern and sophisticated. I have not used any hair products to achieve this look and kept the ceramic rollers on briefly, about 10-15 minutes. If you prefer more definition to the curl then keep the rollers on for longer and use adequate styling products to set the curls.

Also on a separate note. I ordered these BaByliss hot rollers from feelunique.com and along with a couple of free samples I also got a neat iPhone cover also for free! It was a great surprise as actually my old cover was all cracked up and needed urgent replacement. So thank you feelunique for being so generous, these little touches make ordering beauty products even more fun!


beautyLOVE

Tuesday 29 November 2016

Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Youth Boosting Perfect Skin Foundation SPF15



Shade: 5 Medium [pink tone]
                                                          
       Wearing Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in 5 Medium

As you may have discovered from reading my previous come-back post last year I became a mommy to my gorgeous son who has turned one year this month, time truly flies. Being a full-time mother has decreased my beauty indulgence time quite significantly and as I have only limited time to get ready these days this has been my go-to foundation in the past six months. So I decided what could be a better first beauty come-back blog than a luscious foundation.

First things first. Way before mommy days I have been a huge fan of Charlotte Tilbury beauty range. I particularly love her eyeshadow palette and the Rock'N'Kohl eyeliner. Charlotte Tilbury's beauty products are fail-proof to me and especially when I have very little time to get ready this Light Wonder foundation is the perfect option.


Texture-wise it's a light-weight foundation with a slight luminosity that creates a youthful glow on the skin. At the moment my skin is in desperate need of a good exfoliation routine, but even so you can see that the foundation sits very natural yet provides enough day-to-day coverage. A major plus point for me is that the foundation washes off very easily, which means washing the foundation brush takes hardly any time!

One thing I would advice on is that it seems the 5 Medium shade is the most popular hence it is actually sold out on the Charlotte Tilbury website, I might be wrong but I think that the sales people at the CT beauty counters seem to recommend this shade most to women with my complexion. When the CT beauty counter at Selfridges was first launched I went to check it out and was given the 7 Medium to try, and it was a perfect shade for me although I must say in the winter-days I do have to fake tan for it to look natural with the rest of the body. But the yellow-tone and the actual shade is incredibly flattering.

When I went to buy the foundation at Brent Cross CT beauty counter I was recommended 5 Medium by the salesgirl. I find that the Selfridges CT beauty counter has always the best salespeople that give you a great advice and a truly helpful, so if you need an advice this is the right place to get it! I explained that I need a yellow-tone and that this 5 Medium seems to have a pink base in it. She was convinced that 5 Medium is yellow-tone and that anything above would be way too dark for me. Having recently found those 7 Medium samples I actually regret listening to the salesgirl as the 7 Medium is a much better match for my complexion. Next time I will re-purchase this foundation it will definitely be the 7 Medium, it has that sexy St.Tropez tone which makes the rest of the make-up look even more beautiful.


beautyLOVE

Sunday 20 November 2016

New Blogging Beginnings!

My lovely readers,


it's been a very long time since I have written a blog about the subject I love so much. In fact looking at the date of my last blog it's been exactly one year and eight months since my fingertips touched the keyboard to produce a piece of writing... I took a long break to concentrate on my personal life and now I am not only a wife but foremost a mother of a beautiful boy! It is interesting that the last time I wrote on my blog it was to feature Mother's Day gift ideas and now I am coming back as a mommy myself! Becoming a mother has been an incredible experience, which I feel very fortunate for.



Beauty has changed for me in so many ways, during the last year it sort of almost vanished from my life as I had absolutely no time to do my make-up or paint my nails every other day. But now my boy is one year old and I am managing to have some me-time and indulge in the beauty world and be girly again. My beauty routine has changed somewhat, I now tend to use only products that are on the top of my list. 



In addition to all of that over a month ago we have also moved out of London to live in a gorgeous countryside close to Cambridge. I am still in the process of decorating the house, which is another one of my big passions and we are loving our new life in our new home. It's been an incredible journey and having now accomplished all three parts of my life I want to return to blogging and hopefully filming beauty tutorials soon too. Currently I am setting up my vanity room which will double as a studio. But first things first, back to blogging! 



I'd like to thank all of you who have supported me through my blogging years on different social media platforms! I have missed blogging dearly and today as I put my baby boy down for a nap, looking outside of the window covered by rainy mist and seeing beautiful landscape of fields I decided it is time to come back. So lets toast to new blogging beginnings! 

Much Love,
Alyona X