An (almost) entire year of... empties!

Plus a couple that were finished early this year.
This is going to be a photographs only type of post, because there would be hundreds of review to do in one swipe but honestly...

The lovely lady Sweet Brown really got the point.

I'm really proud of having finished so much stuff! So, here they are in all their "glory" and many different photos that were taken at different times:
  

My skincare routine

Even though my skin is far from being perfect, it has got a lot better with time. And with experience: I’ve humbly shared this “knowledge” in the previous post.

One thing that I didn’t mention is that I only use organic and/or natural products. I find they’re the ones that work better with my skin and get me results.

I’ve got blemish prone, oily skin that has a tendency to become dull, liveless and also develop scars from spots if I don’t handle them correctly. During the winter time, it gets drier and I have some occasional flakiness. In the summer, I tend to have a lot more blemishes, especially on the areas where I sweat mostly, like on my forehead. Also consider I’m almost in my thirties, so I need to start catering the “fine lines problem”.

Here are my routines.

11 skincare tips I've learnt throughout the years

1.       Be consistent: wash and apply cream, especially at nighttime. You need to remove all that daytime grime.

2.       Be gentle: be careful with your hands: use your fingertips to wash and to apply products and don’t put too much pressure nor tug and pull your preciousss skin. Take the time to massage the skin whenever you can.

3.       Hair away from your face: as obvious as it sounds, my skincare regimen is a lot faster and easier since I use a headband.

4.       Steam: using the steam to open up the pores before weekly treatments really makes a difference; I find my skin is lot clearer, smoother, glowy-er (is that even a word!?) and more receptive to following products.

5.       Be a clean freak: change your face towel (and towels in general) and the pillowcase frequently, maybe twice a week. If you’re a real freak you’re gonna do this three times a week. OCD.

6.       Double cleanse: usually I remove makeup with a cleansing oil and then wash with a cleanser. And I can see a noticeable difference.

7.       Chemical peelings and acid toners: chemical exfoliation has been a huge game changer for me, it so much more effective than the mechanical one. Even though I still enjoy feeling the scrubbing particles slough off dead skin.

8.       Take it all off: always, always take your slay face off. It is very important that your skin breathes throughout your sleep and gets all those treatments you’ve invested on because it’s the best time it regenerate itself.

9.       Confession: I shave. Yes, you read that correctly. I’ve tried this method out of “desperation” because I was tired of getting irritation on my “moustache” area after waxing or tweezing. I ended up using it everywhere on my face to remove peach fuzz as well and if you do it carefully, you get amazing results. Ok, the hair grow back fast but the skin is exfoliated and so smooth!

10.   Be happy: this is not an easy one, I get it, but when you’re happy it reflects on the outside as well! Of course, following an healthy lifestyle also helps.

11.   Get to know your skin: don’t overload it with a s—ton of products but listen to it and learn which ingredients it loves. In my case it would be avocado oil, jojoba oil, aloe, zync, glycolic and lactic acid and I suspect the list could be longer.

Pink nail polishes comparison part 1 - Smalti rosa a confronto parte 1

Direct sunlight (outdoor) - Luce del sole diretta (esterno)

Index - Indice: Anny Naked Venus

Middle - Medio: Zoya Erika

Ring - Anulare: Essie Marabou

Pinky - Mignolo: Color Club Vintage Couture

#latergram: Miscellaneous makeup looks, 3

Eyes
bareMinerals Prime Time
Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar - Peanut Butter
- Coconut Créme
Nabla Tribeca (inner, outer third)
MAC Amber Light (center)
MAC Retrospeck (inner corner)
ELF Plum gel eyeliner
Korres brown eyepencil
Lower lashline:
Nabla Tribeca

Kiko Building mascara + Pupa Vamp
Maybelline Big Eyes (lower lashes)
MAC Prolongwear concealer NW35

Brows
MAC Brun

Face
MAC Prep + Prime Peach Lustre
Nars Sheer Glow Cadiz
Too Faced Primed & Poreless loose powder
Collistar Corallo blush
bareMinerals Ready Bronzer in The Deep End

Lips 
MAC Double Shot

#latergram: Miscellaneous makeup looks, 2

Eyes
Kiko Color-Up 24
MAC Satin Taupe
The Balm Schwing eyeliner
Maybelline Colossal Volum' Feline Look
MAC Studio concealer

Face
MAC Studio Fix Fluid
Too Faced Primed & Poreless loose powder (T-zone)
Hourglass Dim Light (rest of face)
Benefit High Beam
MAC Burnt Pepper

Lips
Biofficina Toscana Elisir Labbra goloso
Bobbi Brown Crimson lipstick

Coral nail polishes comparison - Smalti corallo a confronto

Flash

Thumb - Pollice: butter LONDON Macbeth

Index - Indice: Essie Olè Caliente

Middle - Medio: Zoya Kylie#2

Ring - Anulare: China Glaze High Hopes

Pinky - Mignolo: Kiko 281

#latergram: Miscellaneous makeup looks, 1

Eyes 
Lid:

bareMinerals Prime Time
Urban Decay Naked 1 palette – Buck

Kiko Water e/s 218, 200

FM Group black eyepencil

Urban Decay Naked 1 palette – Creep over pencil

Urban Decay Naked 1 palette – Virgin

Lower lashline:

Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyepencil in Perfect Peacock

Kiko Water e/s 218

Nabla Bombay Black Velvetline Long-wear Matte eye-pencil

Maybelline Colossal Volum’ Feline Look

MAC Prolongwear Concealer NW35

Brows:

MAC Brun eyeshadow 

Face

MAC Prep + Prime Brightening Serum

MAC Matchmaster foundation 7.0

Hourglass Dim Light
Sleek Contour Kit Medium

Kiko eyeshadow n. 10 (apricot) used as blush

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer 

Lips

Biofficina Toscana Balsamo riparatore

MAC Jubilee lipstick

The A to Z of brands in my collection: American Apparel - Lipstick

Flash

 

About the brand

American Apparel is an all-American (from ownership to production) clothing brand with precise work ethics and ideas: safe working environment, fair salaries and work conditions, American products from start to finish, caring for the workers, the consumers and the planet.
From what I've seen on the official website, they don't make nail polish anymore. The line of varnishes they used to carry wasn't huge, but included nice colours with mostly California-referring names, because that's where the headquartes and factories are based.

The A to Z of brands in my collection: a-england - Tristam

Direct sunlight (outdoor) - Luce del sole diretta (esterno)

About the brand

a-england is the creation of Adina Bodana, an Italian designer who has worked in fashion, ballet and opera.
Here's the brand's manifesto (taken from the official website):

"a-england loves

nail varnish and stories
dreams and being real
being human and heroic in the common daily life
to face challenges and receive rewards
to treasure the secret corner in everyone where lays the spirit of creativity
the touch of regal and beauty in everyone
self esteem and to be kind to the others

a-england celebrates

glamour on nails and the creation of new classics
beautiful, unique shades as the ultimate personal accessory
nail polish as alluring and rewarding: you can watch it on yourself all the time and enjoy it!
a passion for england: its light, utterly romantic weather, somehow gothic charm and glory"

The colours, the names, the formulas are always spot on. The distinctive characteristic of a-england is the historical inspiration of the collections, whether it is from art, literature or legends of the past.

Brand fondato da Adina Bodana, designer milanese traferitasi in Inghilterra negli anni '80, che ha lavorato nel campo della moda e del teatro.
I suoi smalti, dai colori ai nomi alle formule, sono sempre perfetti. L'ispirazione è spesso storica, dall'arte alla danza alle leggende.

Swatches of a-england Tristam

Direct sunlight (outdoor) - Luce del sole diretta (esterno)

Marca: a-england

Colore: Tristam

Collezione: The Mythicals

Passate: 2

Formula: molto coprente, giusta consistenza.

Brand: a-england

Colour: Tristam

Collection: The Mythicals

Coats: 2

Formula: opaque, right consistency