A Spring 2011 Outfit.....

Hello fashion lovers,

For those who love outfits of the day videos and blog posts here is one. Being allergic to cold (I am truly, as I suffer from primary raynauds whereby cold weather inhibits my circulation in hands and feet and results into chilblains causing me terrible burning and itching sensations) I never look forward to winter and I am always excited to say goodbye to cold weather and welcome back spring and summer. However, I must say that my favourite season is by far spring because the weather gets warmer but it is still not so hot. In terms of both makeup and clothing this is the ideal season as you can wear our makeup without having drying or oily problems due to cold and hot weather. And in terms of clothing we get to wear what we want without the need of covering up our outfits under thick coats and scarfs.

So after a long winter and now that I am finally feeling better (no more itching and burning) I am really enthusiast about wearing lighter clothes, layering short and three quarter sleeves pieces with cardigan and spring jackets and alternating boots with ballerina and pumps. Here is one of my first spring 2011 outfits of the day. Because I am so happy that spring has started I wanted to share this outfit with you hoping it gives someone an idea on how to put together items in their wardrobe.

This outfit is very simple and comfy. I am wearing a nice skinny jeans which has nicely patterned patches over the knees and the colour is neither too light not too dark. I paired it with a v neck burgundy plum shirt which had grey stripes. The shoes which are not visible in the outfit pictures are plum as you can see in the second image. They are pointed flat shoes (which I like to call ballerina shoes although I know the ballet ones are roundish) and have a mini kitten heel which is going to be very in this spring and summer. I then layered a beige long cardigan and finished the look with a colourful scarf which has grey and plum touches and a grey handbag. For accessories I just wore some stud pearls and my wedding band.
I kept my makeup very simple. I just concealed some redness and blemishes areas and applied a pink blush and a highlighter on my cheeks. On the eyes I applied black pencil eyeliner and smudged it on top whereas I applied brown shadow on the lower lash line. I coated my lashes with a little mascara and applied a light plum lip gloss.

AlessiaPearl.

Definitive Volume Mascara by Deborah Milano........A review.

Hello beauty lovers,

In this post I want to review a new mascara I am trying at the moment. Wearing mascara and glasses can prove to be annoying if the mascara elongates your lashes to the extent they start hitting against the lenses. It is also not ideal to wear a mascara which will then smudge against your lenses.  For this reason I have always skipped mascara. However, lately I have noticed that my eyes look dull and tired because the lashes are not black enough especially after applying eye shadows which tend to spill on lashes. I therefore decided to start looking for a mascara which could make my eyes pop without making it uncomfortable to wear it with glasses. Consequently, my ideal mascara should have the following attributes:

• It must define my lashes by separating and making them black enough to make my eyes pop
• One coat must give me the definition I want
• It must not get lumpy
• It must not smudge against my glasses
• It must have a relatively thin applicator

After a long research I came up with a list including the following mascaras:

1. Maybelline full and soft (for natural lashes)
2. L'oreal voluminous black
3. Rimmel volume flash mousse mascara

I then went shopping and brought along the above list which I however didn't use because I ended up buying the Definitive Volume mascara by Deborah Milano. The reasons for which I chose this mascara over the others are:

1. It gives you volume and definition while having a relatively thin applicator when compared to the others
2. It has a very nice packaging and shape which is important for me in everything I buy
3. It promises to give you zero lumps
4. I like the brand and I think it is slightly higher end than the 3 brands listed above although I do love both Rimmel and Maybelline brands.
5. It has a good price (less than 10 euros)

After trying this mascara I can say that:

1. It does give me some volume and the definition I want with just one coat
2. It elongates my lashes without making them too exagerated
3. If lightly applied and if left dry for few minutes it doesn't smudge
4. It is easily removable

With mascara

Without mascara

Hope you find this review useful.

AlessiaPearl.