Saturdays are for beautifying

Ok, let's admit that I'm not the kind of gal who spends their Saturdays in a beauty salon. I generally dislike spending time in beautyfying procedures. For example, I cut my hair about once a year and really hate doing my own nails.

Taking care of my face though, that's a whole other story. As someone who has been troubled by acne more than half my life, religiously cleansing and moisturizing is something of a given in my daily routine. I have it down to the basics and just do it. Still, the day comes when you wake up, it's Saturday and you just have a strong sense that there's something a professional could do a lot better. That's when Eleanna comes along.

Eleanna Ploumidou is a lovely girl, who means business.



Her spacious studio is located just opposite the Cholargos metro station and offers all the beauty & wellness services you might crave, and then some more. Even though she is magical with face treatments (I had a 1,5 hours facial, that made me change my mind on what facials are supposed to be - no redness, no blotchy skin, no pain whatsoever) but her real love is reflexology. She treats professionals and athletes with specific injuries, so I guess you can stay assured she will know what to do with your sore neck.


Plus, she also has a pet turtle you can meet and greet in the courtyard.


And she let me bring along my Hello Kitty mug and take sips of coffee throughout the process.

Last but not least, did I mention that her pricing is beyond competitive?


Why am I telling you all this now?

Two reasons:

1. If you are anything like me, you need a good push or excuse to indulge in such services. Hello, holiday period? Girls, just take a couple of hours off your schedule and pamper yourselves. Trust me, you won't regret it.

2. I'm actually planning on going back for some more action, e.g. serious hair removal, in preparation for summer. Girls, consider yourselves warned: if you want to do therapies involving lasers or intrusive peels, this is a friendly reminder that we live in Greece and the sun shines almost all of the time anyway. Don't wait until it's spring, when the sunlight is already strong - start now, in the dead of winter. 

Oh and always wear sunscreen at all times. But Eleanna will talk you into that anyway.

Calvin Klein, in your face

There are some brands that never pop up first in your mind when you think "make up". 

I guess Kalvin Klein is one of them. Too bad, as their quality shouldn't be ignored, especially around this season, when we are all out there looking for new war paint to get through the holidays.  It was about this time last year that I received this set of toys, and it only seems appropriate to post them right about now.

A red lipstick is always welcome in my beauty case. This one has a tiny amount of shimmer in it, which I haven't decided yet if I like or not. Actually, I am thinking of doing a mega red lipstick testing post this holiday season, so I'll be back with a more precise review on this.

I usually reach for my beige/brown/taupe eyeshadows blind-folded. However, if there is one season in the year that I am willing to experiment with eyeshadow colour, this is it! Like I mentioned on this other post, I usually apply loud eyeshadow colours sparingly, drawing a simple line and occasionaly blending it for a smokey effect. Full blue eyelids is something I'm not prepared to do just yet.

Green eyeliner, oh yes. For a person (read: me) who has been drawing cat-eye flicks on their eyelids for the past 5 years, any change that will save me from my boredom is welcome. This colour looks way less harsh that black - perfect for when you are going for a daytime look - and really compliments dull brown eyes like mine. A surprise winner!

Playing matchy-matchy with Korres

New season releases by Korres are always exciting. The beloved greek company not only strives to renew their basic product collection with new cool hues, but there's always a brand new product (or two) launched, that's so good it makes you wonder how you managed all this time without it.

Rasberry Twist Lipstick is the new addition for A/W 2013-14. It's a buttery soft moisturizing lipstick in the form of a pen, meaning it is seriously easy to use and very comfortable to wear. The 6 limited edition colours are a perfect capsule collection of every lipstick shade a woman is ever going to need. The 3 pinkish hues are great for everyday use (the formula is actually so moisturizing, I'm planning to ditch the lip balm and use those instead) while the 3 more dramatic ones will add colour to all those cold and gloomy nights to come.

Instead of only photographing the goodies sent to me, I thought I'd just play matchy-matchy with some of the prints I'm planning to wear a lot this season. Think of it as practicing for when the time comes to choose what nails and lips go with that outfit. Ready? Go!

MYRRH & OLIGOELEMENTS NAIL COLOUR IN 52 PASSION RED

RASBERRY TWIST LIPSTICK IN DESIRE

NÜMPH DRESS (worn here)

MYRRH & OLIGOELEMENTS NAIL COLOUR IN 58 DESIRE RED

RASBERRY TWIST LIPSTICK IN LUST

VINTAGE DRESS (worn here)

MYRRH & OLIGOELEMENTS NAIL COLOUR IN 80 CLOUDED PURPLE

RASBERRY TWIST LIPSTICK IN ELEGANCE

ASOS DRESS (worn here)

MYRRH & OLIGOELEMENTS NAIL COLOUR IN 63 STONE BROWN

RASBERRY TWIST LIPSTICK IN ROMANCE

ASOS SKIRT (worn here, available here)

MYRRH & OLIGOELEMENTS NAIL COLOUR IN ROMANCE PINK

RASBERRY TWIST LIPSTICK IN INNOCENCE

ZARA TOP

MYRRH & OLIGOELEMENTS NAIL COLOUR IN 31 NUDE

RASBERRY TWIST LIPSTICK IN PASSION

ASOS DRESS (worn here, available here)

Season's colour by Shiseido

Yup, it's still like summer here in Greece. I was way to eager to put away all my sunscreen potions and lotions that go hand-in-hand with my beach stuff, and now I'm kinda regretting it.

Good thing is Shiseido sent over a care package.

The famous Sun Protection Compact Foundation was one of the products inside. I was was eager as hell to try it, as I've heard so much about it from girlfriends over the years. As someone who must always wear compact powder on top of foundation, in order to avoid looking like a greasy mess, a powder-like product that also offers the coverage of make-up will save tons of my time.

The shade on the box said SP60, which I found a bit confusing, given that the product also offers SPF 30. Unfortunately the it was also way too dark for my skintone (SP60 is the second-to-last darker shade according to the product page). I'll most probably never get tan enough to actually wear it, even in summer. Bummer.

Also in the package, the Eye Color Bar eyeshadow palette. By the way,  the only time you'll see me spelling "colour" the american way is when it's part of a product's official name

Once again, I did my homework over at Shiseido's site. The palette "includes 7 distinct colors and 2 transformative shades with polarized pearls that allow you to create customized colors and textures through layering" and it's limited edition, so be aware it won't be restocked after this season.

Personally, I love palettes. So many choices right there, in front of you, easy to find and choose. For days I want a natural look, I wear the brown and beige colours on my whole eyelid, and for when I feel like experimenting more, I use the more eye-catching shades along the bottom lash line only, just to add a small pop of colour.

That's all for now. In the meanwhile, I'm also giving Shiseido's Ibuki range a test this week, in order to pop out a proper product review. Coming right up!

Getting the Inglot treatment

The feeling of a kid in a candy store? 

That's exactly what happened when I entered the Inglot store in Glyfada a couple of weeks ago.

First things first.

For those of you who are not familiar with Inglot cosmetics, here are some basic facts: The company was established 25 years ago in Poland and right from the start, their objective was to produce high quality products at fair and reasonable prices. My personal opinion is they have totally nailed that. Plus, all Inglot cosmetics are produced within the European Union and you can find them in over 400 retail locations worldwide, including Glyfada, Halandri and Athens Metro Mall.

Back to our dreamy day. We were greeted by the Creative Director of Inglot Greece, Elena Chatzinikolidou.

We sure needed her. Why? Take a look below:

So...

...many

...choices!

Seriously, I'm all for variety, but Inglot's array of colours, textures and formulas is simply beyond me. Good thing Elena was there to help us and answer all our questions.

For example, here I am asking if it's wrong that like to wear blush right where I, erhhm, blush, and not on the cheekbones, like most professional make-up aritists show.

And she obliged all my silly questions, while making me fabulous of course.

And then Elena made the other Elena fabulous too! You can read her post of the day here.

Other than having an amazing girlie time, I made sure to note these two interesting details:

The freedom system is amazing.

Inglot offers magnetic palettes in a variety of sizes, so you can create your own eyeshadow, lipgloss, blush and pressed powder palettes, while keeping them all organized and neat. And you know how I feel about neatness, right? 

Plus, by magnetic, I mean everything is magnetic! Even the lids, that can slide, rotate, or clip on the bottom of the palette while you are using them. No more broken or lost eyeshadow lids, yay!

Inglot also offers free beautifying sessions & make-up lessons along with buying products of a certain value. It doesn't have to be much either. For example, with products worth 10€ you get a free brow reshape and 30€ will get you a free morning make-up by a trained Inglot artist.

And, get this: You don't have to buy the exact products used, you buy whatever you want! That means you can get 30€ worth of nail polish and still get your face done professionally. Amazing? 

You can click on the image above to zoom in and read all the offers in greek.

And if you're a make-up junkie (to be this far along this mammoth post, you must be) don't forget to like/follow/stalk them all over the place, so you can learn all the new make-up looks Elena Chatzinikolidou creates throughout the year.

Now, if I can remember all I learned to do at home too...

Hey, honey!

Yesterday was the launch of the latest bath & body line by The Body Shop, named Honeymania.

The honey used in the products comes from Ethiopia and it is sourced as a part of The Body Shop's Community Fair Trade programme. 

You can see more about honey harvesting and the beekeepers' communities here:

I'll just say I'm really happy we were sent home with this:

The Body Shop's body butters have recently become a star product of mine. They are really luxurious-feeling and moisturizing, but without being too heavy, as they literally melt into skin like butter. As I've almost run out of my favourite Shea Body Butter, this will come rather handy.

Purple and lilac reverse french

What do you do when you have some much-awaited time in your hands? You add colour to them as well!

Meet KORRES nail colour in Blueberry and Spring Lilac, both from the Lilac Cool pack available now at pharmacies.

Let me get something straight here - this ain't no nail tutorial. Still here? So, here's my two cents on doing a reverse french mani:

1. Chose two colours of the same hue, it sorta looks more put together this way.
2. Do two coats of the light one. Lights always need two.
3. Don't drink coffee before doing the dark line.

What? Did you expect round stickers and shit? Nope, those fuckers were done freehand baby.

That's why you'll only see my left hand in this post. Cause I'm right-handed and, well, you know...

And if Spyros doesn't mind, why should you?

Hair goodness from Moroccanoil

Hair goodies from Moroccanoil arrived and obviously the word is out on how overly attached I am to my hair.


So here's what the bag contained:

Oily Scalp Treatment. I also received the Dry Scalp Treatment, but that's not the case here... Watch how to use it here.

Frizz control. My hair is not frizzy per se, but who I am to say no to a little extra definition and smoothness, right? Watch how to use it here.

Curl control mousse. Now that went straight to my curly-haired friend Angela, so you'll be waiting to hear from her in the comments on how good it is. Watch how to use it here.

Big thanks to the cool girls over at V&O for sending this care pack over!