April Favourites | 2015

And here I am, writing another 'favourites'...

BEAUTY/SKINCARE

Vichy Normaderm Purifying Astringent Lotion - I've talked about this green lotion in my 4 Products I Can't Live Without post. I loved it then, and I still do (I also bought a new one - that says a lot!)

Nuxe Comforting Cleansing Milk for Face, Eyes and Lips - I LOVE LOVE LOVE Nuxe. I discovered this brand last summer and there's no product that I've tried from them that I didn't enjoy. I use this cleansing milk when I have to take make-up off - it really works well for eye make-up: I'm currently using the L'Oréal Miss Manga Punky mascara and it is quite challenging to take off. The micellar water does absolutely nothing, instead, this cleansing milk removes everything from my eyes/eyelashes! 

Avène Hydrance Optimale UV Légère - I have never thought that I would ever like/use a moisturizer with SPF, but here I am, loving this one from Avène. The thing that I like the most about it, is that within 10 seconds, it's completely absorbed. 10 points to Avène.

Korres Lip Butter in Pomegranate - I gave this to my mom for her birthday and I couldn't not try it. We both love it, it's super creamy and moisturizing. 
I also gave her the Mango one, but we didn't try it yet.

Dior Hypnotic Poison Eau de Parfum - the sample is almost over, now I need the 50ml in my life. 

Last but not least, there are the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (click), which I am loving way too much, and the Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer, that kindly covers up my dark circles.

JEWELRY

The necklace is from Accessorize, and let's have a big round of applause for me that for the first time, I didn't buy a long necklace.

MUSIC

Broken // Elisa

Hold Back the River // James Bay

Let it Go // James Bay

See You Again // Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

Me Minus You // The Kolors

Lay Me Down // Sam Smith

Up in the Hills

My family and I went to a trattoria up in the hills, yesterday, and it was such a lovely day - except for the rain. Taking photographs when it's cloudy is one of my favourite things: bad weather = good photography, but when the rain starts pouring I am the opposite of happy.

Benefit - The POREfessional

I know, I'm always late, but I did it: I finally bought the Benefit POREfessional. Woop-woop!

I join the mass saying that it does what it promises to do: it minimizes pores, makes your skin silky smooth and helps the foundation to last longer. My only complaint, except for the price (this one was 10.90€ for 7.5ml - the 22ml was 34€ and the 44ml was 57€), is the fact that, on my nose, it really emphasizes my dry skin. I do apply moisturizer before it, but the problem stays. I don't understand why, because in other areas of my face I don't have this problem. 
Other than that, it is a really good product!

Back to... Vans

I bought my first pair of Vans back in 2011: Vans Era Navy Blue. I loved them and I destroyed them (I mean, there's a hole right where the right big toe is). Then, in 2012 I bought these Vans Authentic and I still don't know what color they are. Some say 'chaussures bordeaux' and some 'biking red'. And now, here's to my third pair! White, so you can not see the dirt. 

The Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer

I've always read positive reviews about this concealer, so I decided to give it a try. This is the Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer (Light), famous for its sponge applicator at the top... I believe. 

I really do like this concealer, it's really easy to blend (I tried both with fingers and the RT Expert Face Brush, and I prefer the brush) and it covers up my dark circles very well. The only two things about it that I don't particularly love are: one, when you apply it, it's yellow, and you really have to blend it well if you don't want yellow patches under your eyes. Two, a lot of product remains trapped into the sponge and it is a waste.

Always Listen to the Art.

Well, say hello to Always Listen to the Art. I never thought that I would change the name of my blog after only 6 months, but here it is. 

I read a quote, a couple of weeks ago, and I instantly fell in love with it: "The whole culture is telling you to hurry, while the art tells you to take your time. Always listen to the art". When you think about art what first comes into your mind are paintings and sculptures. When I think about art, I think about creativity. I think about the whole idea of creating something, from nothing. 

Photography is what I love the most and the only way I know to express myself: it's my art - that's why I went for this new name. 

My content is not gonna change, maybe I'll share with you more photography things, but, for the rest, it is what it is. I changed all my social media links and you can find them below. What do you think about the new url?

Nature in 1:1 Snaps.

I'm really enjoying these sunny days - I love when the temperature is around 17-20 degrees, because it's warm enough for short sleeves but not, erm, sweating.

♦

Pink Gold.

After a really busy week, which has severely tested my patience, I'm back, with a sore knee, but I'm alive.

I love cream-gel eyeshadows, and I love Maybelline's Color Tattoo 24hr eyeshadows. I recently bought this shade, Pink Gold, and I think that it is the most gorgeous warm pink with a hint of gold in it. It's very bright and I also like to use it as a highlighter. 

♦

Yes, They're Here! (Real Techniques brushes)

I still can't believe I finally have these brushes: Real Techniques doesn't sell here in Italy, so I've never had the chance to try them. There are a few Italian sites which sell them, but let's not talk about the prices.

Two weeks ago I bumped into the Real Techniques site (and, until that moment, I didn't know of its existence). The first thing I noticed was: 'Real Techniques ships worldwide!' - and I thought, well, cool, they're from Europe (they ship from Belgium), I'm from Europe, it shouldn't be a big deal the shipping thing and all. 

So, I did some research on the internet and I found some Italian girls' opinions about the site, the condition of the package at its arrival and... if the package actually arrives. Everything they said was positive, so I decided to give it a try, and I went for the Expert Face Brush and the Blush Brush.

I ordered the brushes on 21st March and after a few minutes I received a mail saying that the order was confirmed, and that orders are shipped within 2 business days. Also, there's no tracking for the package, unless you select an expedited shipping option. Oh, and the shipping price varies depending on the weight of the package.

On 25th March, the package was shipped and, to be honest, I had no idea of when it'd see it. The Italian girls that I mentioned before, said that their orders took around 10 days to arrive, so I thought the package would be here on 8th/9th April, but it arrived yesterday - earlier than I thought!

In the photos up here you can see how the package was - it was SO hard to open it! Inside, the brushes were protected by the bubblewrap, glued to the black bag, and wrapped into the pink paper. 

I'm really happy with the site, I love how they take care of the products and actually I'm really impressed with these brushes. I hope I'll see them soon, in Italian shops. 

♦