This summer, my family and I went to Madrid during a heatwave. The blistering temperatures didn’t spoil my fondness for the city. I’d love to visit again, most definitely in the cooler months. I had a serious browse in Antigua Farmacia de la Reina Madre, the oldest pharmacy in Madrid, created in 1578 by a Venetian alchemist. The carved wood interior, tiles, and old apothecary jars were beautiful. How lucky for
One of the quickest and easiest ways to wake up the face and pull a look together, regardless of what you’re wearing, is to put on a red lip. That and the fact that red lipstick never goes out of style. These are my Top 6 favorite red lipsticks in no particular order. All of them have a few things in common. All have a satin finish, none are matte.
My favorite budget makeup picks. All have a list price of below $20 but can be purchased for much less when bought on offer or with a drugstore coupon. I rarely pay full price for drugstore makeup because there are always sales to be found. Loyalty programs can result in big discounts by using points or coupons. I’m partial to CVS, Walgreens, and Ulta. This is where I get the biggest
When I’m perusing pharmacies in foreign countries, I try to stay focused on skincare and treatments loved by locals and unavailable in the USA. No reason to spend money on things I can buy at home. I didn’t see too many brands unique to Vienna in the two pharmacies I popped into but they are well stocked in wonderful French skincare lines. I picked up a few things such
My makeup routine of the past month including some new discoveries and old favorites. Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation – A favorite drugstore foundation of mine. It’s light to medium coverage. I use the shade, Soft Ivory. Available at Ulta. Tarte Undereye Corrector – I love peachy cream corrector concealers. I’m on my second pot of this one. It’s not too heavy under the eyes, counters my undereye darkness and
Micellar water is a decades-old French creation supposedly due to the days of poor plumbing and awful tap water. No one wanted to wash their face in it. Most skincare brands have jumped onto the trend by now with their own version. Don’t confuse micellar water with toner. Micellar water is a cleansing water that removes makeup and hydrates the skin. Some have instructions not to rinse off. I
I am long overdue for an edit and declutter of my eyeshadow palettes. I’m a huge fan of palettes because you almost always get more for your money considering a single eyeshadow can average $6.00 at the drugstore, MAC eyeshadows are $17.00 each, and more for single luxury eyeshadows. Armani single eyeshadows are a whopping $32.00 a piece. Having said that, I’ve vowed not to buy any new palettes
My current morning skincare routine. Step 1 – Cleanse/Exfoliate Dr. Lancer The Method Polish – I still love an invigorating scrub in the morning to get the blood flowing and slough off any dead skin when I’ve got Retin A in my rotation. Dr. Lancer is for exfoliation warriors. If you’ve got the skin of a rhinoceros (not really), this is for you. Available at Sephora. Step 2 – Toner/Hydrate
This has been my makeup routine as of late. It may seem burdensome but I can do it in ten minutes if I need to. NEUTROGENA Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint – An excellent light coverage foundation that leaves my skin looking hydrated. This is supposed to be a dupe for La Mer’s Soft Fluid foundation that costs $120. I tested it and they are very similar. Both are light
None of these moisturizers contain SPF as I prefer to use a separate high-factor SPF. Therefore, many of these options can be used at night but for the sake of this list, these are my favorite daytime moisturizers that work great under make-up or on their own for my normal-dry skin. My Hall of Fame.. Charlotte’s Magic Cream – I love this luxurious and hydrating cream. Created by make-up artist,