MANIMONDAY + GIVEAWAY!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you feel like you just have to hold your breath, swim as fast as you can hoping for it to be over as soon as possible? Well, i am having one right now. I feared this January for months and i have to say it went even over my expectations, finals season seems to be never ending and the amount of stress i have accumulated could probably be compared to an asylum's patience in the 50's. Therefore, today i wanted to write about something happy and positive.

Lately i have been working really hard on my Youtube channel, filming and uploading videos is something that i really love doing and that makes me really happy. I have finally purchased a pair of studio lights, a good tripod and went back to my Nikon D3100, overall the quality of my videos is greatly improved.  In the spirit of things i am hosting a new series that will end on February the 14th, aka Valentine's day, called ManiMonday. Every monday you get to see a new manicure tutorial and you get to enter a giveaway for the chance of winning ALL the products i used in the series.

All you have to do is

1. subscribe to my channel
2. like the video
3. write a comment on it telling me anything you want

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO!

I really hope that you guys will support me and take part.

I will see you very very soon! 

2014 Travel bucket list (PART 1)

I got inspired to write this post when i found out earlier today that my region, if you didn't know Italy is divided in 20 regions, was nominated as "best value travel destination for 2014" by the National Geographic and Lonely Planet and that made me feel a little bit proud.
I always get so overwhelmed thinking about how big our world is and how many breathtaking places i am missing the chance to visit. I mean, when a foreigner thinks about visiting Italy the first places that pop into is mind are probably Firenze, Roma, Capri...he would never think about Puglia because he's probably unaware of the existence of such a place and i am afraid the same thing is going to happen to me.
There are so many places i have never been to but it's not just about going somewhere it's about having the time and the finances to be able to really explore and feel the place.
Since i'm still on my second year of university and i don't, yet, swim in gold; the only thing i can do is day dream about where i would like to go this year. So here it is, my very own bucket list for 2014.

Before i start with my bucket list, here's some pictures of my beautiful region. I have not taken these pictures myself but i wanted to share them with you nevertheless.

1) India. 
I am really fascinated by India, the colors, the culture and of course i am in love with the cuisine, even if i can't really said i ate the real thing yet. I've been fancying this trip for a very long time with a friend of mine but our adventurous spirit is not enough; to really be able to go we would need a solid plan and decide which part of the country we would like to visit. It's safe to say i haven't decided yet.

2) United States. East Cost.
I have been in the States only two times before, once for an incredible road trip with my sister and the second time i went to NYC with my brother and dad. We visited Charleston and Savannah, we saw a little bit of Virginia and the state of New York. I was so amazed by the beauty of those southern cities, when us european thing about USA we think about NYC, LA, Miami but never about the south. I am so happy i have been there first, i think Charleston is one of my favorite cities ever. Therefore i would really enjoy exploring the East Cost; i think this is a much more achievable trip for this year then India but you never know.

3) Japan 
I have an high school friend that very bravely moved to Osaka last year and i can't wait to visit him. Every picture he takes in his everyday life is fascinating. I grew up with Manga so the myth of Japan was just as big as the american one for me. I would like to visit Osaka but i would also love to go in the country, somewhere unusual.

4) Irland 
If there's is a country i have visited probably more than my own that England, i have been there every summer for the past 7 years. It where i learned english or at least i tried and i have some of my dearest memories there. But it's such a shame that i have only been to Ireland once and i have only visited Dublin and Belfast. Even if Dublin is a city very near and dear to my heart, i would like to see more and not only because one of my favorite chick flicks ever is the "Leap year" .  I would like to see the cliffs of Moher and Glendalough.

5) France
I know, i live so close to it and yet the only thing i have seen is Paris, shame on me. I would like to have a summer road trip and explore the beauty of France: la Normandie, Marseille and of course les chateaux de la Loire.

I have many more but i don't want to make this post incredibly long.
What are your top 5 destinations? Write them in the comments section down below, i would love to know.

RED LIPSTICK SHOWDOWN F/W 2013

The most iconic and basic makeup item to own is a red lipstick, Marilyn was known for her unforgettable matte fire red lips, Dita von Teese swears by her red lipstick with a blue undertone, Taylor Swift seems to be unable to live without her orange toned red lipstick.

A red lipstick is never just a red lipstick, there are endless possibilities to choose from: the kind of undertone, the finish, the formula and so on. 

I change the type of red lipstick i prefer depending by the rest of the makeup i'm wearing or the occasion; recently i became obsessed with really dark almost berry toned red lipsticks while usually in the warmer months i usually go for a more orange toned one or for a more sheer formula.

If i had to reduce my winter red lipstick selection to 7, these would be my personal favorites, i own and i have tested all of them.

1) MAC in RUBY WOO is probably the most well known lipstick of the brand, it's a neural toned fire red, it looks good on all skin types and it's the perfect classic red. The finish creamy but it doesn't move around especially if you use a lip pencil before applying it. 18€

MAC Retro Matte Lipstick ~Ruby Woo

2) RIMMEL SHOW OFF in ATOMIC RED looks like the cheaper cousin of the YSL lip stain, it's a brilliant product. It looks like a lipgloss and it even has that kind of applicator but once it's on is very pigmented and has that wet finish that is so popular this season. It's extremely pigmented and it doesn't dry out the lips if i had to point out one thing is that you need a ferme hand to apply it properly, due to the lipgloss like applicator. 10€

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer, Stellar, 0.18 Fluid Ounce

3) YSL LIP  STAIN is a very controversial product, even if the formula is the same not all the stains of the line are the same; some of the colors are absolutely amazing, incredibly pigmented, they last for so long but some others are just rubbish and i mean when it comes to a 32€ lipstick not many people are willing to take the risk.  For example i own N6 and N5, the first one is a stunning fire red and it works brilliantly, the other one is a dark pink and it's rubbish with capital R. 

If you are lucky enough to get a good one you will absolutely love it, i would recommend   trying it if your beauty store has a return policy. 

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain 11 Rouge Gouache

4) GIORGIO ARMANI in 408 is such a stunning berry toned red, it has a matte finish and it's very very pigmented. The Armani's lipstick are pretty pricy but they are really good quality, the selection of reds they have produced is really great any lipstick of their line is really great. 25€

5) MAKE UP FOREVER in N48. If i was aloud to write a poem about this lipstick i would, that's how much i love it! I am literally obsessed with this baby and if you follow me on Youtube you will be already well aware of that. I went to Sephora to buy another lipstick but the sales girl talked me into buying this one and i am so glad she did; it's the most stunning dark violet red but due to his creamy formula the coverage is very build-able, if applied with a bush it can go from very sheer to full on coverage, like i wear it. For honesty sake i have to point out that this lipstick moves around like crazy; one of the down sides of his creaminess, if you don't want to end up looking like a clown, i would not recommend eating while wearing it, but it's worth the starvation , i promise. 20€

MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist Intense 48 0.12 oz

6) MAC in VIVA GLAM N1 is the first lipstick ever created for the Viva Glam line, a limited edition collection that devolves all the profits to the research for AID. It's completely matte and quite dark but not like the Make up Forever one. It's one of my top favorites. It dries out the lips a little bit but it doesn't move around at all; if you don't like the matte finish you can always put a lipgloss on top. 18€

MAC Viva Glam III lipstick

7) RIMMEL by KATE MOSS in 107 is a cheaper dupe for the Mac Viva glam n1, it looks pretty much the same, the only difference is that the Mac one is a tiny little bit darker. It completely matte, just like his high-end cousin and it had a very pleasant smell. I really really like it. 7€

Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate # 107

DARK LIPS SOFT EYES MAKEUP TUTORIAL

hey everyone, this week's video is a makeup tutorial that i love wearing in the colder months, it features my favorite dark lipstick: n.48 by Make up Forever. It's a really easy tutorial and it doesn't require a lot of tools. I would really appreciate if you guys could take the time to give it a thumb up or comment on the video if you enjoyed it, it would mean a lot to me. Thank you.
As always, the link is down below.

Ciao a tutti, il video di questa settimana è un tutorial che include il mio rossetto preferito in assoluto: n.48 di makeup forever. E' un tutorial molto semplice e non richiede molti pennelli o ombretti. Spero vi piaccia; apprezzerei moltissimo se poteste commentare o mettere mi piace sul video. Grazie :)
Come sempre, il link è qui sotto.

CLICK HERE!

LUSH WINTER SALE

Lush sales is like Santa, it only comes once a year and to me is almost as exciting as Christmas itself. As the lush-aholic i am being able to buy products with a 50% discount it's just nuts to me.
I went kind of crazy and got a bunch of goodies i wanted to try for a while and with shock i realized i only spent 23€ for 6 products, kind of awesome i believe.

The first thing i got is a 100g shower gel and it is "Rose Jam" Lush describes it as a "rosy shower gel made with vanilla pod infusion, goji berry juice and nourishing argan oil, Rose Jam leaves your skin soft, hydrated and sweetly-scented." and i totally agree. It smells divine and so decadent, i can't wait to use it. 

Il primo prodotto che ho acquistato è "Regina di rose", Lush lo descrive come un bagnoschiuma profumato alla rosa, con infuso di baccelli di vaniglia, bacche di goji e olio di argan nutriente, lascia la pelle morbita, idratata e profumatissima. Non potrei essere più d'accordo, ha una fragranza divina e non vedo l'ora di usarlo. 

The second goodie is a hair mist, it's infused with sea water, lemon and grapefruit; it's supposed to make your hair look fashionably messy and voluminous, just like after a beach day.

Il secondo acquisto è stato "Brezza di mare" uno spray infuso con acqua di mare, limone ed olio essenziale di pompelmo che dovrebbe dare ai capelli quell'aspetto spettinato ma con stile che va tanto di moda, dando l'illusione di essere appena tornati da una vacanza ai tropici.

I had my eyes on "Buffy" for such a long time but i never got myself to buy it, now for only 7,75€ i scored the 250g version.Lush says" Massage our Buffy body butter all over your wet skin in the bath or shower to make you softer and smooth to the touch, paying special attention to your backside. We add ground rice, almonds and beans to Buffy to act as exfoliants; the rough textures eliminate lumps and bumps and sloughs away dry skin cells to reveal brighter, fresher looking skin"

Avevo adocchiato "Copacabana" da mesi ma non ero mai riuscita a comprarlo e per fortuna, considerando che ai saldi sono riuscita a trovare la versione da 250g a soli 7,75€. Questo blocco è uno scrub idratante da usare sotto la doccia su pelle bagnata. Contiene riso macinato, mandorle e fagioli che agiscono da esfolianti rendendo la pelle elastica ed idratata.

Of course i could not avoid getting some bath bombs, they are just such a nice treat after a long day.
I purchased 3, two from the holidays collection and one from the permanent one.
Ovviamente non potevo evitare di comprare alcune bath bombs, sono una delizia dopo una lunga gionata. Ne ho acquistate 3, di cui due della collezione natalizia e una di quella permanente.

"Think Pink" belongs to the permanent collection, it makes your bath pink and it releases flowers and petals while it melts. To me, it just smells like bubblegum and unicorns. 

"Think Pink" appartiene alla collezione permanente, trasforma l'acqua in un lago rosa e mentre si scioglie rilascia petali di fiori; per me profuma di gomma da masticare e unicorni.

"Shoot for the stars" smells like sweet toffee and caramel and that says it all, i mean i don't even have to waste words describing how deliriously delicious it smells.

"Palla spaziale" profuma di toffee e caramello e tanto basta a lasciarvi immaginare quanto meravigliosamente deliziosa sia. 

Ultimo ma non ultimo, "Guarda che luna" uno spumante da bagno che profuma di pulito, sgretolandolo sotto l'acqua corrente crea una marea di bolle. Il mio consiglio è di non usarlo tutto in una volta, io l'ho fatto anni fa ed ho sommerso il bagno di schiuma, ho dovuto usare secchio e pala per pulire tutto, continuava a straboccare dalla vasca, è stato un divertentissimo incidente. 

 As always they send me lot's of cool samples like the dry shampoo, one of their most recent hand creams and two pieces of "Honey i washed the kids" and "Sea vegetable".

Come sempre mi hanno mandato tantissimi campioncini, tra cui la crema mani, lo shampoo secco, un pezzo di "non si mangia" ed uno di "sapore di mare".

Beauty 101: Pencils

I now, i now, i've been neglecting the blog a lot and i'm sorry but i have been working a lot on the Youtube channel. But don't worry, today i have a good old Beauty 101 post, where you can learn all the basics about makeup.
This time, the topic is pencils. When we think i about pencils the first thing that comes into my mind are the colorful crayons that i used when i was a kid (who am i kidding, i still use them) but we are not talking about that kind of pencils, today i'll show you the wonderful world of eyes, brows and lip pencils.
The main difference between them is the hardness: brows pencils have usually the hardest lead because they have to simulate brow's hair; eyes pencils are in between, you can find harder ones and more creamy ones depending on the brand; lips pencils are usually the softest because the finish has to be similar to lipsticks.
Brows pencils are usually used to fill in brows and they should be purchased two shades darker for light brows and two shades lighter for dark brows.
My favorite ones are Bobby Brown and Mac.

Eyes pencils have a endless number of uses; they can be applied in the water-line, in the crease, or close to the lash line. Usually the ones for the water-line are white or champaign toned and they are very useful to brighten the makeup and make the eyes look bigger. The finish to these pencils is usually waterproof.
I like my pencils to be soft enough not to hurt my eyes while applying it but too soft otherwise it might end up smudging.
Very important is to make sure that the pencil is very pigmented but also that it doesn't contain harsh chemicals, especially if you are planning to apply it in the waterline. If you guys want i can write a specific post on how to read makeup labels.
If i had to pick an italian brand it would probably be Neve Makeup, their pencils are incredibly pigmented, cruelty free and almost all natural.

Finally, let's talk about lips pencils; they are usually used to line the lips before applying lipstick in order to achieve a neater finish. I like to fill them in too using the pencil, that way the lipstick will stay on longer. There is also another kind of lips pencil that is usually white or transparent, is packed with silicones or in the best case wax and it's used to draw outside the lip-line creating a barrier to prevent the lipstick or lipgloss from smudging.

Now that you a little bit more about pencils, here's some tips:
1- make sure to sharpen the pencil every time some else uses it, this way the lead will be clean. Eyes infections are not a joke!

2-Splurge in a good quality pencil because keeping your eyes and lips safe is the most important thing; read the label or blogs before buying

3- keep the lid on, for hygienic reasons. 

4- if a pencil that you used to love is giving you an hard time, rub it between your hands to warm the lead, that might solve the problem

5- have fun!