Ellis Faas for War Child: the Make Up not War cause

 Yet, another fabulous news from Ellis Faas. You know just how much I love the brand, its concept, and how much I love art. One thing you don't know about me, though, is that I am deeply into causes that involve helping children, especially when we talk about their psychological well-being. 
Therefore, I was very proud I had the chance to collaborate with a brand that is embracing such a good cause as the War Child's one. 
If you are wondering what Ellis Faas (as a make-up artist and as the brand owner) is doing for children, then take one minute to read all this:


"Ever since the first ELLIS FAAS products were released, people have been telling us "It is such a shame to throw away your beautiful pens once they’re empty." Therefore, we have come up with a programme ‘Make Up Not War’ that gives a second life to our pens, unburdens the environment, and last but certainly not least, gives us a chance to raise money for a terribly good cause: War Child - Warchild.org."

"We have set up a system to get back as many used pens as possible. Visual artists (locally and internationally well-known sculptors, fashion designers, photographers, industrial designers…) will then be asked to create a unique work of art using the pens. These works will be exhibited and then auctioned off. The proceeds will go directly to War Child. So we are calling on everyone to help us to help War Child, by returning the used ELLIS FAAS pens. Details can be found on ELLISFAAS.com". WAR CHILD In the vision of War Child sound psychosocial conditions for children and youth are prerequisite to being able to create a peaceful society. When children grow up in a safe, stable environment where their rights are not violated, the chances are that they will grow into well-balanced grown-ups. As such they will be able to avoid or resolve conflict situations in the future. Therefore the aid of War Child is aimed at improving the psychosocial wellbeing of children, to bring together groups of children separated by war and to draw attention to problems, needs and rights of children in war-affected areas. War Child’s goal is the empowerment of children in and from war-affected areas, by means of: - Psychosocial programmes using creative arts and sports to strengthen the psychological and social development and wellbeing of children; - Creative arts and sports programmes aimed at uniting children driven apart by war, in order to contribute to a peaceful society; - Creating public awareness of and generating support for the plight of children in war zones. This sounds like a very fair cause, and we can finally do something just by recycling, so it's a double score cause. Just get on the Ellis Faas' official site and look for the nearest store to you, then take 30 minutes of your day to return your  empty pens and be proud of yourself.

Complexion Perfection: MADINA Milano Absolutely Ageless Foundation review

Months ago (and yes, this means I am super late behind this review) I received some foundations from Madina Milano to try out.
In the past months, almost every look that I sported and photographed for the blog has been done wearing one of their foundations, so whenever you were complimenting my skin, you were really complimenting their foundations, as you will see that my real skin is far from being perfect.

Mesi fa (e sì, questo significa che sono veramente indietro con le recensioni) ho ricevuto alcuni fondotinta Madina da provare.

Nei mesi scorsi, quasi ogni look che ho portato e fotografato per il blog è stato fatto indossando uno dei loro fondotinta, perciò ogni qual volta mi avete fatto i complimenti per la pelle, in realtà facevate dei complimenti ai loro fondontinta, perché vedrete...la mia pelle è lungi dall'essere perfetta. 

The foundation I will review today is called Absolutely Ageless Foundation, and it is one that has caught my attention upon its arrival on my mailbox.
This foundation is meant to smooth and lift your skin, so that you can always look fresh. It comes in a jar made of glass, which contains 25 ml of product. The consistency is that of a thick cream, although the foundation is really a liquid foundation, not a compact cream one.

Why do I like love this foundation?

• It does what it says: it makes you look fresh;
• It has a medium to full coverage (very buildable), and it blends well;
• It hide my pores;
• It hide my scars and zits well;
• It provides good coverage for dark circles as well;
• It feels light on the face
• The finish is matte, but it does not flatten the face, because it also has a slight luminousity. 

Il fondotinta che recensirò oggi è l'Absolutely Ageless Foundation, fondotinta che mi ha colpita fin dal suo arrivo nella mia cassetta delle lettere. 

Questo fondotinta dovrebbe lisciare e "liftare" la pelle, dimmodo che la pelle sembri sempre fresca, appunto "assolutamente senza età". E' venduto in una confezione di vetro contenente 25 ml e la consistenza è quella di una crema molto densa, nonostante sia un fondotinta liquido e non una crema compatta. 

Cosa mi piace amo di questo fondotinta?

• Fa quel che dice di dover fare: dona un aspetto fresco;
• Ha una coprenza (neologismo coniato da noi blogger) da media a totale (è modulabile) e si fonde molto bene con l'incarnato;
• Nasconde i pori;
• Nasconde anche le mie cicatrici ed i miei brufoli;
• E' abbastanza buono anche per coprire le occhiaie;
• E' leggero sulla pelle;
• Il finish è matte, ma non appiattisce il viso, perché ha una luminosità molto discreta. 

The only cons with this is that it comes in a rather heavy glass jar that can be dodgy (you don't want to let it slip off of your hands, trust me) and not a great solution for travels. The price is € 18,00 and it can be purchased online (with international shipping) on Madina's official site.
I will now leave you to a series of pictures that may serve as a proof for you to see if this foundation is suitable for you. It was for me, despite the shade is too pink, and I have neutral/yellow undertones.

L'unico difetto di questo fondo è che la confezione è di vetro e questo può essere pericoloso (vi assicuro che se vi cade a terra vi viene un coccolone!) e poi è anche abbastanza pesante e non va bene per i viaggi. Il prezzo è di € 18,00 e può essere acquistato online sul sito ufficiale Madina. 

Ora vi lascio alle prove fotografiche, così potete decidere se questo fondotinta fa per voi. Sicuramente per me va benissimo, nonostante il colore che ho è troppo rosa, mentre i miei sottotoni sono neutri/gialli. 

Bare skin, with hideous acne scars - La pelle struccata con queste orrende cicatrici dell'acne

Skin with Absolutely Ageless Foundation. It covered the redness perfectly, it is both matte and luminous// Viso truccato con Absolutely Ageless Foundation. Ha coperto i rossori perfettamente ed è sia matte che luminoso.

Consistency, if you are able to tell / La consistenza, se riuscite a capire.

How it smoothes and evens out the skin / Come alliscia e uniforma la pelle.

If you want your skin to be also Absolutely Flawless, you can pair it with Madina's Talc Free Powder, which I reviewed here. For more Madina reviews and hauls, click here.

Se volete che la vostra pelle diventi Assolutamente Perfetta, potete provarla con la cipria Talc Free Powder, che ho recensito in questo post. Per altri acquisti e altre recensioni Madina, cliccate qui.

*Disclaimer* Product provided by the company for reviewing consideration

New blog graphics

Hey everyone,
in the past two days I did some restyling to my blog. Unfortunately, my old background wasn't still available, so I had to change it.
I also have a new header, which I hope you like as well.

Next, I will be restyling my gadgets as well ;)
Let me know what you think, xx Lyd

The Body Shop Baked to Last FOTD - green smoke

Please don't pay attention to my skin. I'm still recovering from acne.

I just wanted to post an fotd where I used one of The Body Shop's Baked to Last eyeshadows. I absolutely love this one, it is a precious green&green black duo whose swatches I will post tomorrow.
Unfortunately the pictures does not do this eyeshadow justice, as the green is way more vivid and you can't see the shimmers in the black shadow. However, you will see how splendid that is tomorrow.

For this look I've just used

FACE
Bellapierre mineral compact foundation
Diego Dalla Palma mauve blusher
Madina Milano Sensual All Over

EYES
The Body Shop Baked to Last duo (green and green black)
Ellis Faas Mascara
The Body Shop black kajal

LIPS
MAC Creme d' Nude
Barry M Toffee Lip Wand

CONTEST CLOSED!

Hi darlings,
thank you all for entering the giveaway for the amazing Diego Dalla Palma set worth 148,00 euros!
I was out of town for work yesterday, so I could not close it. Hope you don't mind.

I had so many entries, this will take a little while to figure out a winner, especially when I have my first exam as a teacher next week, therefore I am super busy.

I promise I will pick a winner ASAP.

Thank you again!

Illamasqua Throb inspired make-up (much softer version)

The Illamasqua Throb collection, which I have talked about this post, has an astonishing imagery that we've all fell in love with.
Granted, I cannot wear the same look if not for Carnival, but I can do a much softer version to even wear at work (if you have a job where you can pull off a bit of red lippie).
So here is my much much much softer version. I deliberatly chose not to line my lips and do the full on lips that were in the promo image because it is just too much for work.

PRODUCTS USED:

FACE
Bellapierre Compact Mineral Foundation in Latte
Madina Milano Sensual Beauty All Over to contour
PIXI coral blush from the Natural Mineral Kit in Santa Barbara (although the flash has bleached that one completely)

EYES
Bellapierre Make-up Base as a primer
KIKO vanilla and reddish brown Ombretti ad Alta Pigmentazione on the lid and crease, and upper lashline
Collection 2000 liquid eyeliner
Ellis Faas Mascara

LIPS
Ellis Faas Creamy Lipstick L101


Accessories: feathers earrings from ISI, Vintage brooch from Primark/Penneys

blog sale haul

At the end of last year I purchased something from Emma's blog sale (follow her blog, BIRDS DECORATE BRANCHES) at very barganeous prices. Also everything is unavailable where I live, so I am super happy with my purchase.
As you can see I have got the Benefit Boiing concealer, which I truly love (I will review it and the rest of "The Realness of Concealness" kit soon), the Stila Smudge Pot in Starry Night, and the OPI Pink of Hearts nail polish (my first OPI polish). Emma was kind enough to offer the nail polish for free :D Thank you so much honey!
If you want me to review anything from this purchase, just leave a comment below. In the meantime, here is a swatch (photo taken with artificial light) of the Stila Smudge Pot:

OOTD Posts: yay or nay?

I'm having a poll on my side bar for OOTD posts. Do you think I should do them or not? Please, let me know by voting ;)

Illamasqua Throb Collection for Saint Valentine

Illamasqua is kicking off 2011 with a gorgeous mini collection that will give St. Valentine's their peculiar twist.
Designed and created by genius Alex Box, the promo image looks like this:

"Cult British beauty brand Illamasqua invites you to step into a world where your heart will race and your pulse quicken. Inspired by your Alter Ego’s inner depths of desire, and in celebration of Saint Valentine, the new Throb Collection consists of three new Nail Varnish shades, an Intense Lipgloss and a blood red Lipstick."

 

Nail Varnish - £13.50

Leave your mark with Illamasqua’s bold, rich, vibrant colours. ‘Throb’ is a powerful red Nail Varnish, the colour of blood spilled by desperate, rejected lovers. ‘Load’ is a rich, cream coating for the nails and the midnight matt finish of ‘Scorn’ is a deep statement of obsession.

Intense Lipgloss - £13.00

Come out of the shadows with Illamasqua’s high-shine, colour-rich Intense Lipgloss. Sure to be a cult classic, awaken your mouth’s erotic sensuality with the seductive red of the new ‘Succubus’.

Lipstick - £15.50 

Let your lips speak volumes. Indulge in Illamasqua’s colour-intense Lipstick with a highly pigmented formula. Assume the role of a femme fatale with ‘Sangers’, Illamasqua’s new blood red Lipstick.

The Throb collection is available from January 17^th 2011 in Illamasqua’s Flagship Store, Selfridges London, Manchester, Birmingham, Fenwick Newcastle, Debenhams Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff and online at www.illamasqua.com

And if you want to know what products have been used for the WONDERFUL promo image, here is a list of them:

Cream Foundation 100

Rich Liquid Foundation 115

Powder Foundation 105

Powder Blusher in ‘Disobey’

Powder Blusher in ‘Intrigue’

Pure Pigment in ‘Furore’

Powder Eye Shadow in ‘Heroine’ [on cheeks and eyes

Powder Eye Shadow in ‘Sex’

Cream Pigment in ‘Emerge’   ** NEW for SS11 collection! **

Eye Liner Cake in ‘Mislead’

Sealing Gel [for eyebrows]

PI in ‘Abyss’

 

Remember that with the launch of this mysteriously sexy collection, Illamasqua will end their online sales. Therefore, make sure you make your make-up shopping within tonight ;) There are some great offers!

Is anybody as excited and curious for the launch of the Spring/Summer collection as I am?

sales haul part 2: pimkie and accessories

I went to Sassari because I had a class to teach at university yesterday, and I stopped at Pimkie first, to get hold of some more of their warm sweaters on sale. I will also show you the first ones I got last month in a separate post.
In case you don't know, I hate the cold weather and I always look for thick, warm sweaters to wear. Unfortunately, nowadays fashion does not help me with that. All sweaters in most stores are very thin and not warm at all, forcing me to wear 2 shirts, a sweater and a cardigan each day. I really hate wearing so many layers, I feel like I can't move properly.
French clothing chain Pimkie has recently opened a store in Sassari and that's been the answer to my prayers. Two thumbs up for the only store that can provide decently priced warm sweater (that also contain a percentage of wool!!!).
Now, enough with the jibber jabber, let's get straight to the point. Here's what I've got:

Tartan skirt - Pimkie (looks great with jeggings)

Batwing sweater - Pimkie

70's styled pink sweater - Pimkie

Obsessed with feathers much? Jewelry - Coin

Woolen layers skirt - Pimkie

Tallulah-Tu wishlist

In case you don't know, I am a total jewelry junkie! I usually find very nice bargains for it, but I have been lusting over Tallulah Tu (which is not on the cheap site, nor too expensive, I think) for a while.
Just wanted to show you my favorites, and wanted to ask what are yours?

And just so you know, Tallulah Tu is currently having some items on sale ;) check them out!!!

Birthday Giveaway: win Diego Dalla Palma make- up worth over €100,00!

It was my birthday yesterday, and I have also noticed I have now reached 620 subscribers via Google Reader, so I really wanted to thank you.
What a better way to do it than having a giveaway?
I am giving you the opportunity to get your mitts on a Diego Dalla Palma lot of make-up worth exactly € 148,00!!!

In case you don't know, Diego Dalla Palma is a very famous make-up artist here in Italy who has launched his own make-up line. A very expensive and luxurious one.

The set includes:

• Anti aging foundation in 81 (fair with yellow undertones) 
• Black Cake Eyeliner
• Matte Navy Eyeshadow
• Eyeliner pencil (very long and top quality) in navy
• 2 natural bristles brushes: a flat shader and a blender

Rules are very simple:

1. you must be a subscriber of this blog via google reader, and have an active profile so that I can retrace you. Sorry, but with the value of this set, I'm not going to allow any anonymous or inactive profile. I want this to be a giveaway by a blogger for a blogger. 
2. you must leave a comment telling me what would you like to see on my blog next, or if you have any improvement suggestions for it. 
3. you must make a blog post about the giveaway (alternatively, post it on your sidebar) and include the referral link in your comment. 
4. for one more entry you can tweet about my giveaway, and leave me an extra comment
5. You must be 18 years old, or have a parental permission. I will check.

Please include your email address in the comment.
This giveaway is opened internationally, and it will close on 21st January 2011 at 0:00 GMT+1 (Italian time)
Please beware than any entry that does not fullfil all requirements will be discarded.
I wish you all good luck, and a big thank you again!


ITALIAN VERSION:

Visto che ieri era il mio compleanno ed ho raggiunto 620 iscritti al blog via Google Reader, ho pensato di festeggiare facendo un concorsino. Semplice semplice, a commenti.
Metterò in palio un set di trucchi Diego Dalla Palma che vale ben 148,00 €!!!!
Il set comprende:

• Fondotinta anti età e anti macchia SPF 30 nella tonalità 81 (chiaro, con sottotoni gialli)
• Matita occhi 01 - un blu molto scuro
• Polvere compatta per occhi 31 - color navy
• Delineatore compatto per occhi nero (cake eyeliner) 
• Pennello occhi 12 e 15 (uno a lingua di gatto ed uno sfumino)

 Le regole sono semplicissime:

1. Dovete essere iscritte/i al blog via google reader. Non sono ammessi finti profili o profili vuoti. Devo avere la possibilità di rintracciarvi e poi voglio che questo sia un giveaway da una blogger per le blogger.
2. Dovete lasciare un commento sotto questo post dicendomi cosa vorreste vedere qui prossimamente oppure suggerimenti di ogni tipo se credete possa essere migliorato
3. Dovete fare un post "passaparola" su questo giveaway (in alternativa potete metterlo nella sidebar) e scrivermi il link nello stesso commento
4. Per avere una partecipazione in più potete twittare il giveaway e scrivermi un altro commento con  il link di riferimento. 
5. Dovete avere compiuto 18 anni oppure avere l'autorizzazione genitoriale. E credetemi, controllerò l'età.

Ricordatevi di includere la vostra email nel commento.
Il giveaway è aperto internazionalmente e finirà il 21 Gennaio 2011 a mezzanotte, ora italiana.
Per favore, tenete conto che i commenti che non rispettano le regole non verranno presi in considerazione, perciò leggete bene il regolamento!
Vi auguro buona fortuna e di nuovo...Grazie!!!!

*Disclaimer: prize was kindly sponsored by Diego Dalla Palma make-up*

Illamasqua sales, Layla and DiegoDallaPalma online store openings and a giveaway

Hi girls,
just thought it might be useful to know that Illamasqua is having an up to 50% off sales here: http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/catalogue/last-chance-to-buy-up-to-50-off/

I do recommend their Powdered Metals, Powder Blushers, Powder Eyeshadows, eyelashes, lipsticks and their wonderful pencils!
Some other interesting sales things are foundations, undereye concealers a foundation brush, and their lipglosses.

What's more, two Italian brands have launched their online shops:
Layla (who I highly recommends for wonderful nail polishes) http://shop.laylacosmetics.it/
Diego Dalla Palma has revamped his site at http://www.diegodallapalma.com/store/

I have a Diego Dalla Palma giveaway coming, to celebrate my 600 subscribers. i will post about it tomorrow, rules will be very simple and the prizes will be astonishing!!! Stay tuned and browse their site to anticipate what's coming ;)

sales haul part 1

Jersey Dress - Intimissimi

Thermic Stockings - Calzedonia and Tezenis; Jeggings - Intimissimi; Red Clutch - Oviesse (please click to zoom in, it's super cute)

Woolen Dress - Intimissimi

Bird and Rose bracelet - Bershka

Front

Back

As you can see I am a total dress-junkie! Give me a skirt or a dress and I'm the happiest woman on Earth.
I will have to venture into some other stores when I am in Sassari next Friday for work. :D So stay tuned for a sales haul part 2 :)))

Oh, and just for the record, the first dress is really cute when you wear it, however I couldn't get a decent picture of it. I am currently evaluating the possibility of buying a tripod to post OOTD's, do you girls think it will be a good idea?

PS: you can find Intimissimi in the UK, I think. I remember seeing some Intimissimi stores in Oxford Street in London. If your city has Intimissimi, I highly encourage you to visit one as you will find some very cute and quality gems there. I have also bought some very cute underwear, but of course, I'm not going to post it. :)

FOTD: back-to-work-mood make-up

PRODUCTS USED

FACE
Madina Milano Light Foundation
Diego Dalla Palma Lifting Concealer
Cargo One Base
Madina Milano Talc Free Powder
Powder Blusher from the Pixi Mineral Kit in Stockholm

EYES
MAC Shale (lid)
Dark Purple e/s from the Pixi Natural Mineral Kit in Stockholm (crease)
KIKO Mineral Khol in White Rose (highlighter)
Eyeko Graffiti eyeliner
Ellis Faas Mascara

LIPS
Sheer red lipgloss from the Pixi Mineral Kit in Stockholm

EOTD: Pixi Natural Mineral Kit in Santa Barbara

(all of these pictures were taken at 10 pm so the make-up wasn't really fresh - and as usual colors were more vivid in real life)

PRODUCTS USED

Pixi Natural Mineral Kit in 01 Santa Barbara - all of the eyeshadows
Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner - used with a BDellium Tools 710 brush (FANTASTIC FOR LIQUID EYELINER!!)
Ellis Faas Mascara