Staying fabulous for the festivities…

Hi Ladies,

So its the last day of november- I have no clue how as it seems like just last week was my 30th birthday (which was in march!!!!) This year has gone INSANELY fast, but I’m not sure thats a bad thing given the craziness of 2016, both personally and worldwide- good and bad!

Today I am thinking about- CHRISTMAS!!! I am not one to have santa claus nail art etc but I LOVE christmas and like to do something a little different and more ‘wow’ during the season, especially when there are lots of social events and gatherings. In my nail blog  you will see that I go for a classic red or glitter nails (white last year, maybe gold this time?!?!) and once I get over to the wonderful Leo’s Holistic day spa (search for @lhbtdayspa on facebook)  I will let you know what I choose.

For makeup I like to add a little something extra, so if I am going all out I like a gold smokey eye- instead of my usual dark colours -and a statement red lip. Cliché but it is classic for a reason! I LOVE the idea of burgundy lips, but you need super white teeth to pull this off in my opinion or your mouth can get all the attention for the wrong reasons!!

There are various shades of red you can go for and it will depend on your skin tone, teeth and eye makeup. If you are light skinned,I found a great article-from one of my favourite high end makeup brands- which will help you determine your skin tone and the type of red you should be wearing- click here to see it in full! If you have dark skin, you can see a similar article by clicking here.

Getting glitter-and any makeup- to stay on is all about what you do before and after applying it, make sure you prime your skin properly and let it set before applying anything on top.I usually moisturise my skin after coming out the shower, so my pores are open and leave it for 20 mins or so to sink in. I start my hair and pick out my outfit while I wait.It’s also a good time to prime your lips.Use an exfoliating lip balm or even better add some to a soft headed toothrush and rub your lips in a circular motion to remove any dry, flaky skin. Sometimes you can’t see it until it comes off so ALWAYS do this before lipstick. I then prime my skin-either with LA girl pro prep or ELF mineral face primer- and whilst that sinks in (for around 15 minutes) I finish my hair/ plan my makeup look.then its onto the face and once I am all done a setting spray. Usually LA girl but I want to try some new ones as options if anyone has ideas locally! I used to have Model in a Bottle which you can get from amazon but I ran out and want to get something I can find locally if possible!

Don’t forget to brush your teeth before you start makeup to avoid all that hard work being ruined straight away! Make sure you practice a few times also, if you’re doing something new with your makeup, so you don’t run into a pre party disaster and end up missing the good food trying to rectify your wonky eyeliner! Even if it’s whilst watching TV in the evening, test out the colours you like on your skin, and practice your technique so its perfect by the time your christmas parties come around.

Now onto hair… I prefer my hair down but now I don’t wear hair extensions the humidity doesn’t give me much chance to keep it loose and looking good! I tend to go for loose curls, as even if they drop through the night I’m left with a nice wave instead of the frizzy mess that is too often the consequence of a straight doo!  I am known more for having my hair up, thats the mama in me since I usually spend my ‘getting ready time’ being chased by my toddler son or at the party chasing him around! Its more practical and quicker to do!

I lost a lot of my hair after I had him (take your post-pregnancy vitamins ladies!!!) which was very upsetting since I had miraculously grown a horselike mane during pregnancy! I now have small, whispy hairs around my face and a lot of hair growing back in! I am always tempted to put my extensions back in but as it seems to be growing back looking healthy I have been able to resist for now!

Here are some holiday styles I love for all sorts of hair….

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – FEBRUARY 12: Model Eva Marcille attends the after party for 40th NAACP Image Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 12, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for NAACP)

If you want to book a makeup artist for that big, super special event I have a few girls I can recommend so feel free to DM me @rockchicstlucia (instagram)

So thats all for today, hope this has helped in planning your festive look!

Lots of Christmas Love,

Charlie xxx

 

 

 

 

Picks of the week…

Hi all,

It’s PAYDAY and almost time for the kids to go back to school so now have some ‘you’ time, go to the mall,get your nails and/or hair done and take a little time to relax when possible. Here are the products and places we LOVE this week:

NEW STORE ALERT!!! (and it’s great!!)
‘Shana’ in Baywalk Mall (on the mezzanine above the courtyard area)

This is a new shop I have been waiting (impatiently) for and I was so excited this morning to see it open. Firstly decor-  black, white and grey, industrial, modern and classy-LOVE!
There are a lot of products but the layout is clean and uncluttered and the shop is split into 3 ‘zones’: teens/early 20’s, men and- the largest area- Shana ladies wear. The stock is very Zara/Mango/H&M which are some of my favourite city shops and it will definitely be my new ‘go to’ shop for staple items and affordable, good quality items. I suspect that I’ll be finding top picks in here a LOT from now on! The 2 items that caught my eye today are:

1- Linen clutch
The nautical trend has been a huge for the past couple of years,both for fashion and weddings. Stylecaster.com recently named it one of the 12 top trends for 2016 (click here for full article)  and this clutch would not be out of place on the Heidi Klein catwalk! I would use this in my beach bag to hold lotions & cosmetics or as a travel pouch for my essentials such as passport, wallet, phone and camera.

2- Boyfriend jeans
I always wear plain,skinny jeans in a darker wash denim but I have been looking for a pair of loose boyfriend jeans for a while. Shana may be the place!!! I didn’t get to try any on today (I was heading to a meeting) but will go Wednesday and report back to Instagram (@rockchicstlucia). I would wear these with a fitted, light coloured bodysuit (white, nude or grey) and some espadrilles or even wedges to balance the bagginess of the jeans & keep it from looking too tomboyish.

Beauty Haul
This week I camped out in Beauty Max (Baywalk Mall,2nd Floor) for almost an hour testing various products, shades and new brands of makeup. Nowadays I never buy things then test them at home, I end up wasting so much money for things to sit in drawers!

I managed to control myself and only purchased 2 new products:

1- NYX Primer Spray
An alternative to cream/gel primers and works just as well. Give it time to sink into your skin and dry before applying concealer/foundation on top

2-  NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
Colour-Istanbul which is a clean pink shade and super pigmented. I also loved Monte Carlo which is a cranberry red but they were out of stock. Obviously a popular choice!! It goes on smoothly and stays on well.Use a toothbrush to remove any dead skin from your lips and moisturise before using it. Matte lipsticks show every crevice there is to see!  The best moisturiser for me is the cocoa butter stick (also from Beauty Max) which also has SPF 15 protection.

 

Staple Item
I was devastated a while ago when my favourite white shirt got ruined in the wash. Unless you wear shirts  you won’t understand-it was the perfect fit, length, sleeve length and shape for me.Since then I have been looking for a new one and finally found it today! It is from H&H (also 2nd floor in Baywalk Mall) which is another of my favourite stores and currently has a 25-30% off sale!! Open a couple of buttons, add a statement necklace and wear loose with skinny jeans, tucked into shorts or even unbuttoned over a bikini. A well fitted white shirt is a staple wardrobe piece and will always come in useful.

Homeware find of the week…
I am trying not to purchase much at the moment since we are moving house in a few weeks and want to furnish it when we get there but am finding it harder and harder to resist these 2 items from GL Supermarket (aka Massy) which would fit perfectly with our industrial feel furnishings. I think the copper mugs would be so fun to serve cocktails in and these wine glasses keep your drink chilled… enough said!!

 

This week we will be posting the exhibitors for our launch event- ladies night (click here for details) and our Dollrectory is well on its’ way to being ready so be patient with us.

Happy Monday Beautiful Ladies,

Charlie xxx