I am obsessing over Taylor Swift Like You Have Never Seen Her Before. Anna Wintour, that whole Kanye and Kim cover fiasco is now redeemed and forgiven. She. Looks. Amazing.
Like crazy amazing. Photographed by Mert and Marcus for the May 2016 issue of Vogue Magazine, with fresh, vibrant hair that is sooo new and energized by Shay Ashual, and the greatest makeup ever by Aaron de Mey. I have never seen Swifty look better.
That makeup is killing me! In a time where over-contour, over-highlighting, over-browed, makeup overkill is just everywhere, the restraint de Mey has exercised is beyond gorgeous, and makes this entire story spectacular. This is my favorite editorial in forever.
If you have
been following this blog then you already know that I am obsessed with this
spectacular island.
If I could
spend every day for the rest of my life exploring Sicily I still wouldn’t get
to see it all.
People are
always asking me about things to do in Sicily, so I decided to do some posts
about random fascinating things to see and do when you are there.
One completely intriguing spot to visit away
from all the tourists is the incredible Villa Romana del Casale.
Piazza Armerina, Sicily
Located
about 5km from a picturesque little town in central Sicily called Piazza Armerina, the villa is not only one
of the very best preserved villas from anywhere in the Roman Empire, it also
has much of it’s decoration still intact, most famously the extensive mosaics.
aerial view of Villa Romana del Casale
The villa which
is assumed to have been a hunting lodge, was built in the early 4th Century
AD, at one time it was thought for the emperor Maximian, but now it is thought
to have been built for a senatorial aristocrat. (At that time marble was the flooring of choice for Roman emperors, and
Villa Romana del Casale only has marble for the floor of the basilica, which
suggests that the owner did not belong to imperial Roman society.)
It’s hard to
believe that the mosaics we value so highly now were at the time considered
second rate!
But back to
the mosaics. This is the single greatest collection of Roman era mosaics
anywhere in the world, and they are essentially completely intact. Covering 38 000 square feet, vibrant and
brilliant they depict mythological scenes, scenes of daily life, and the famous
“bikini girls”.
The famous Bikini Girls
The Bikini Girls are a group of 10 young women dressed in shorts and a bandeau, performing
various acts of athleticism such as discus throwing, long jump with weights in
their hands, running and playing some form of handball. And you thought the bikini was invented in the 20th century? Not quite - it was alive and well in the early 300's AD, and probably long before that.
There is a girl wearing
a transparent golden dress holding a crown over the head of an athlete,
presenting her with a victory palm. Creating a dress and making it look
transparent by using little stones and pieces of colored glass is nothing short
of miraculous. The Corridor Of The Hunt is a walkway that runs the width of the villa, and is a mosaic explosion of hunting scenes, featuring animals, fruit and flowers, fish and cupids, everyday scenes and mythology. It takes your breath away.
The floora were
probably created by North African craftsmen who were known for their incredible
skill with mosaics. The mosaics themselves are still incredibly vivid, especially when you consider the villa was inhabited or in use for 8 centuries (from the 4th century until the 12th century), by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs and the Normans.
A mosaic scene from the master bedroom
A landslide
in the 12th Century almost completely covered the villa, and it was
only partly discovered in the 19th Century, but it wasn’t until the
20th Century that excavations revealed the magnitude of what lay
beneath and the absolute magnificence of the villa.
Villa Romana
del Casale is approximately an hour and a half drive from Catania, 2 hours
drive from Siracusa, and 45 minutes drive from Enna. Check out these amazing videos of Villa Romana del Casale. Remember all 42 of these floors are made of mosaics, hand-laid by artisans somewhere between 310 and 340 AD, with no machines or modern technology to help them to perfection.
Sicily takes my breath away. Disclaimer: these images are not my own
I just read this on The Zoe Report and I am hoping it's not true!
Is Karl Lagerfeld Retiring?
According to reports by Page Six, Karl Lagerfeld may draw the curtain on his illustrious career after Chanel’s upcoming Cruise show in Cuba next month. Rumored to be 83 years old, the designer began his work at Chanel in 1983 and Fendi in 1965 and also found time to design for beloved French brand, Chloe. In today’s current climate of designer musical chairs, Lagerfeld remains somewhat of an anomaly, designing multiple collections a year for Chanel, Fendi and his namesake line, while also acting as photographer for all of his campaigns and additional editorials. Insiders claim the powerhouse is getting tired (who can blame him), but Lagerfeld has never hinted at a desire to retire and we wouldn’t be surprised if he followed in the footsteps of Coco Chanel, who remained at the helm of the company until she passed away in 1971. Regardless, all eyes will be on his Cuban fashion show on May 3rd.
Are you getting ready to go on a big trip? I hope it's a vacation for you, but maybe it's business travel or maybe there is some other reason that you are boarding that flight. Regardless of why you are traveling you need to have a plan with your makeup. What to bring, what to leave behind, and how to transport it so that it arrives undamaged. Today I'm going to tell you how I do it, with 5 Travel Makeup Tips, and 2 bonus travel beauty tips at the end.
1. Keep It Small Enough To Take Onboard With You
Although (touch wood) my bag has never gone missing, I pack my carry on bag assuming my suitcase and I are parting ways for a few days. If I arrived at my destination with no clothes and no makeup for the first three days it would seriously ruin my trip. Last year a friend of mine was not reunited with her suitcase until 3 weeks into her 3 1/2 week trip!
With that in mind your carry on bag has to be artfully packed with just enough to get you through and not enough to weigh you down, which means your makeup bag needs to be scaled down. It's actually quite refreshing to have just the basics with you, transferred into travel sized containers and packed into a see through makeup bag.
You need two lip games when you travel. One is a softer, juicier gloss. Choose a color base that works with your skin tone and the wardrobe you are bringing, for example a pinky based nude, or a soft praline nude.
Your other lip game when you travel needs to be a bright pop of color. Maybe you're a red girl, maybe you are a fuchsia (my favorite), maybe you rock a coral like no other - whatever looks the most gorgeous on you (and makes you feel like a million dollars), that's the one you want.
A bright lip infuses your complexion with luscious life, it sets your eyes alight, and it makes you look vibrant. And let's face it a vibrant, vivacious you is perfect for travel! Try Nars lipstick in Schiap
3. Keep Your Story Simple
Rather than traveling with several different makeup looks, choose one. Use a pretty base, love up your cheeks with one blush, take a brow product and one eye shadow story. You can change your look by changing your eyeliner, and you can modify everything by adding a bright lip or opting for a soft gloss.
Chanel eye shadow quad in Tisse Vendome
4. Keep Your Foundation Sheer.
Thick foundation looks awful anytime, but worse when you're traveling. Invest in a lightweight foundation or a BB Cream, that mimic fresh, beautiful skin and leave the heavy stuff behind.
Waterproof mascara is great for travelling, especially when you are going somewhere wet or where you will have beach/pool/water time. The problem with waterproof mascara is that it is murder to get off. Rather than rubbing and scrubbing at your eyes, damaging the skin around them and breaking off your lashes, travel with a waterproof eye makeup remover that will dissolve and clean away the most stubborn waterproof mascara.
2 Bonus Tips
6. Pack A Facial SPF
Always travel with a free standing facial SPF. The SPF that is in your moisturizer or your foundation doesn't actually give you much protection at all, so not only can those pesky UVB rays burn you but you can guarantee that the UVA (aging) rays are busily breaking down your skin's elastin and collagen and fast tracking the aging process. The SPF you use on your body is too heavy for your face and will give you breakouts. For years now I have sworn by Neutrogena Dry Touch with Helioplex. I get the highest SPF on the shelf be it SPF 70, 85 or 100
7. Add an oil.
Airplane air, a change of climate, different water, changes in your sleep pattern and a change in your environment can all contribute to dried out, dull looking skin. Breathe some life back into your skin and give it a gorgeous, healthy glow by adding a skin oil to your skin care regimen. My secret potion? I use Tatcha Camellia Oil when I travel. (You can even buy it in a travel size). It nourishes and hydrates my skin, but magically also has a dry finish, so it doesn't matter if I am somewhere humid - my skin doesn't look dehydrated. A dry oil is also fantastic because makeup goes on over it perfectly and because of the dry finish it doesn't slip away.
Japanese luxury skin care line Tatcha is my go-to brand for travel. I always think your skin needs extra loving when you are on the move, and for several years now Tatcha has been giving my skin the boost it needs when I'm away. (I've blogged about it a million times, so you probably already know this!) Tatcha totally gets it, so they have made a huge line of travel sized products. Also keep an eye out for their Mother's Day gift sets - I buy them to travel with too!
This weekend I did makeup for 3 weddings, each of which had the entire wedding party flying in from the East Coast and the Mid West. For my non-American readers this means that they came to sunny Phoenix, where it has been spring since about January, from places that are still cold, some of which also still have snow. ( I would die. Cold weather is not for me!) All of them were battling the end of winter skin - you know, that dull, thick textured, rough skin we all end up with at the end of winter, and each of them wanted west coast, off-to-Coachella skin. I gave them 5 tips to transform their dull winter complexions into gorgeous, glowing spring skin.
How To Get Gorgeous, Glowing Spring Skin
1. Change up your cleanser. Often that dry, sensitive, stripped looking skin comes from using the wrong type of cleanser. Try a gentle cleansing milk or an oil cleanser instead. 2. Don't Exfoliate! Don't exfoliate with a scrub. I always think that scrubs keep scratching the baby skin underneath, perpetuating the cycle of rough skin.
You need to remove that dull, dead surface on the skin to let your glowy spring skin show through, so instead of a scrub try an enzyme mask. I buy mine but I have friends who mash up papaya and spread it on their faces for a homemade, organic enzyme treatment. Papaya has all kinds of wonderful skin benefits (it works wonders on sunburn!) and is also super soothing on irritated skin. 3. Give Your Skin A Boost Add in a serum, a facial oil, a vitamin c boost - something that addresses your skin's concerns. Facial oils are amazing for dry skins, dry finish facial oils are fabulous for all. Vitamin C is full of free radical fighting anti oxidants and is wonderful for all skin types. 4. Use A Facial SPF Even though it's not mid summer you still need to use a facial SPF every day. Don't just think about the UVB burning rays, you also need to stay ahead of the UVA aging rays! The SPF in your moisturizer or your foundation doesn't count because there is no way you'll put on enough to give you the sun protection coverage that you need. Use a dry finish SPF so that your complexion doesn't look greasy, and so that makeup will stay on and not slide away. More companies (even Dollar Shave Club!) are now getting on board with the concept of a free standing facial SPF. Dollar Shave Club even did a great article on 5 Ways The Sun Is Affecting You Even When You Think It Isn't 5. Fake It. Get the new season's glow by using a natural looking facial self tanner to slowly add in a little color, or by adding a gel bronzer. Just a little at a time, add in a little color to give yourself a spring glow.
Are you taking off on a big trip this summer? Part of getting prepared to travel is planning and prepping the gadgets you need for your trip. And in a gadget driven world, you do need them. Kindle Oasis
This looks super cool. The thinnest and lightest Kindle ever, the Kindle Oasis has a high res 300ppi display with crisp, laser quality text that reads like paper, without glare, even in direct sunlight. It has a new ergonomic design with dedicated buttons to effortlessly turn the page, and the longest battery life of any Kindle. It is pretty much perfect to travel with because it is so thin and so lightweight. At the time of writing this the Kindle Oasis is available for pre-order, and is being bundled with a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, which gives you unlimited free books every month for $9.99 iPad Mini
I have been traveling with my regular iPad for ages, but love the idea of sizing down to the more handbag friendly iPad Mini. Powercube 4 Outlet USB Power Strip
Make friends at the airport with this easy to pack charger that takes USBs and regular plugs. Super handy to travel with, the Powercube is your perfect travel mate. At only $24.95 its super affordable too. Insignia Global Travel Adapter Kit
If you are traveling overseas you need to pack an international power adapter. All of your electronics, your phone chargers, laptops, curling irons - all of it needs to be plugged into an international power adapter. Different countries have different plugs for electronics as well as different power strengths, so without an adapter you can't plug in. Lstn Wood Noise Isolating Headphones
These are incredibly cool and super chic. I got mine from my Zoe Report Box Of Style. Each pair is made from reclaimed wood from high end furniture manufactures and wood floor manufacturers, and each pair sold helps restore the hearing of a child in need through The Starkey Foundation. They also offer free worldwide shipping with no minimum purchase. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones
I love these. They make all the difference in the world when you are on an international flight (or just a long flight). They completely delete the buzz of the plane's engines, as well as the snoring from the guy seated next to you, and the screaming baby in front of you. You can just chill and listen to your music or the movie you are watching. They have an added benefit that once they're on no one bothers you or tries to talk to you. External Cell Phone Battery
I learned the hard way last year that you need to get a small, lightweight external battery charger for your phone. I had a larger version of the Anker Battery Charger with a huge number of mAh, but it was really a lot of extra weight in my bag each day, so this year I am traveling with the Anker Power Core Lipstick Sized Portable Charger. Anker makes a great product, and the size and weight of this one is much better for travel. I ordered a rose gold one to match my iPhone, and got it through Amazon for $9.95
If you have curly hair, wavy hair, kinky hair or tight curls, then this post is for you.
In my mind my curly hair looks like Ciara's. Unfortunately in real life it doesn't.
In my mind I have luscious, beautiful, bouncy curls, but in reality I have that nasty curly hair that looks like a really bad home perm, gone terribly wrong. Although my kind of hair holds a blow out like no other, it can be brutal in the summer when you're going to the beach, pool parties, dealing with humid weather, traveling - basically anything that falls under the headings of "fun" and "summer". Unless of course, I want to spend the time blowing it out. Which especially when I'm on vacation, I don't.
Shakira's beach curls - I wish mine looked like this!
So I have been looking for something to help me both for everyday life and also for dealing with summer, and found these fabulous products courtesy of Ouidad, world renowned hairstylist and pioneer of the curly hair industry, and her fabulous line of products designed specifically for curly girls. (A.K.A. lifesavers!)
One of the things I love about Ouidad products is that I can buy them in travel sizes. If you have curly hair then you already know that you absolutely must have products with you when you go on vacation or you will look like a frizzy, unkempt mess.
Curl Essentials Travel Set
I just got the Ouidad Curl Essentials Trial Set which includes what I call travel sizes, of their famous essential core products: The Waterworks Clarifying Shampoo, to cleanse the hair without stripping away essential nutrients and moisture. The Moisture Lock Leave In Conditioner, a lightweight leave in product that gives a breathable moisture foundation that keeps your hair hydrated without weighing your curls down. Botanical Boost Curl Energizing Refreshing Spray energizes and reawakens curls, both the day you wash your hair, and the following days when you need to liven it back up. (Especially good for those of us who can't shampoo our hair every day without looking like a brillo pad) Climate Control Heat And Humidity Gel fills each strand of hair with the optimal level of moisture and then seals it in, preventing expansion in even the most humid conditions (stops you getting frizzy), but doesn't leave a greasy or heavy residue.
Another Ouidad product that is totally amazing for curly girls is the Ultra Nourishing Cleansing Oil. Curly hair can get really dry, which makes it brittle, causing breakage. When curls dry out they look dull and lifeless and to make it worse they get frizzy. Sometimes the answer is in the way we cleanse our hair. Ultra Nourishing Cleansing Oil turns even the driest, lackluster curls into bouncy, gorgeous curls, adding moisture from the inside out, and then coating them in CR4 Repair, binding the moisture in and making your hair glossy and shiny. I'm ordering this next! There is a BOGO on The Ultra Nourishing Cleansing Oil at the moment, so you can buy one and get a second one half off. Read about Ouidad and her lifesaving line of curly girl hair products here.
