Vikky Anna

My 5-minutes Makeup Routine

March 9, 2017 Leave a Comment

Lately I’ve been having many early mornings, when I literally have next to no time to get ready. So the usual luxury of standing around pondering which foundation to wear, which eye shadow palette to use has, under the circumstance, been thrown out the window. Replacing it is a very quick and super simple routine that requires the least amount of faffing and blending effort. The key to a quick yet effective makeup routine as I’ve discovered, is to choose your products wisely. Despite spending less than the average time it would normally take to do my makeup, I can look just as put together and polished as I would when I have more time to spare.

Step 1 Concealer: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

I hate the packaging of this; it comes in a pump bottle (concealer in a pump bottle? mind boggling), but the result is amazing so I accept this as being a small price to pay. It gives ‘incredible’ coverage and sometimes I even consider this to be a hybrid between concealer and foundation. If you are short of time, just use one pump and blend under your eyes and on any blemishes and imperfections, and that is enough to give you an even, flawless canvas ready for the next step.

Step 2 Powder Foundation: MAC Studio Fix

This is practically my life saver and what really saves me the most time. When you have next to no time to get ready in the morning powder foundation is your best friend. You don’t want to be faffing with liquid foundation, what with the blending and the messiness that come with it. Mac Studio Fix Powder foundation is my ultimate favourite, and it’s just a matter of pressing your brush in the powder compact, swirl it around to gather the product, and then just blend all over your face. Fuss free, mess free, done in seconds, and you get the same flawless coverage as you would with a liquid foundation.

Step 3 Eyebrows Gel: Blink Brow Build

One of my biggest pet peeves, when it comes to a makeup routine, is doing my eyebrows. It’s my least, least favourite thing to do, and what I waste the most time faffing with. So a brush-on eyebrows gel is a very quick, easy, and foolproof alternative to create a natural-looking fullness and definition without the need to be precise. My current favourite is the Brow Build from Blink, which contains miniscule fibres that mimic the appearance of thicker fuller brows with just a few brush strokes, perfect for a 5-minutes makeup.

Step 4 Mascara: Maybelline Falsie

This is an old school, cult classic mascara that I’ve fallen back in love with. Rightly called the Falsie for the reason that it really gives your lashes that va-va-voom effect akin to wearing false eyelashes. And when you have no time for eyeshadows, having a full and luscious lashes and let your eyes do the talking really does compensate a great deal.

Step 5 Lash Line: Stila Smudge Stick waterproof eye liner

A step that you can skip altogether, but spending extra few seconds on this can make such a huge difference. Lining your upper inner waterline makes your upper lashes appear thicker and more voluminous. And as mentioned if you have no time for eyeshadows, this quick and simple step is all it takes to oomph up the definition on your eyes, making you look more polished and sophisticated.

Step 6 Blusher: NARS Orgasm

A universal blush colour that looks good on just about everybody and will suit anything and everything you wear. It’s a gorgeous peachy-pink shade that also has a golden shimmer so it can be doubled up as a highlighter, for those of us who can’t go a day without that extra boost of glow.

My Holy Grail Concealers

March 6, 2017 Leave a Comment

If there’s one makeup product that I truly cannot live without, my so-called desert island product, it will have to be a concealer. Concealer to me is like a magic eraser, the answer to all my beauty woes, something that can transform your face from fail to fabulous within a matter of seconds. On days that I don’t want to wear too much makeup, or want to skip foundation altogether, a good concealer is a quick and easy passage to a beautiful flawless skin. Today I’m giving you my top picks, my ultimate holy grail concealers that are definitely worthwhile checking out.

MAC Pro-longwear concealer is my ultimate makeup saviour on days that I don’t want to be bothered with foundation. To me it’s a hybrid between a full coverage foundation and a concealer. The coverage is full but it has a really nice creamy texture, and does not leave the skin looking dry or cakey. It can be used everywhere you need, under eyes and any areas on your face. I often double this up as a light foundation, either when I travel and don’t want to carry big foundation bottle with, or over the weekends when I want a fuss free makeup.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer is a concealer that trumps all ‘good concealers’, in my honest opinion. Imagine all the amazing concealers that you’ve heard about or been using and loving for quite some time all combined together in one single product. Urban Decay naked skin concealer has a great coverage akin to my all time favourites; Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, but the texture is not as thick nor as drying. It has a beautiful, creamy moisturising consistency compatible to my beloved Origins Plantscription Anti-Ageing concealer, but it offers more coverage. This is an amazing all-round concealer that will beat any of your favourite concealers out there.

Bobbi Brown Corrector is an under-eye concealer that all panda-eyes girls (me included) ‘need’. It really ‘corrects’ the dull, tired-looking, dark circles under your eyes and immediately waken and brighten them. On mornings that I need an extra help, when I didn’t get enough sleep the night before, I would pad the corrector under my eyes, apply concealer on top and I’m literally restored to a well-rested, bright eyed human being once again.

Have you tried any of these concealers? Or do you have any other favourites?

Nudestix Lip and Cheek Pencil Review

January 20, 2017 Leave a Comment

{photocredit: alittlepopofcoral.com}

Nudestix is the kind of effortless, no-nonsense beauty product that is just right up my street. The brand ethos is to promote natural, effortless beauty, and that natural is the way to go for the modern woman. Nudestix is a pencil/crayon format cosmetics, which are easy to carry around and cater for all your makeup needs; from concealer to eyeshadow stick to lip pencil to cheek stain.

Being generally obsessed with nude lipsticks, it comes as no surprise that Nudestix Lip and Cheek pencils immediately caught my attention. Nudestix pencils come packaged in a black metal box with a mirror on the inside of the lid, handy for application on the go. Inside the box, there’s also a pencil sharpener, which is another bonus point to always have it ready whenever you need to sharpen your pencil, and not having to always search endlessly for one.

In terms of formula, these Nudestix Lip and Cheek pencils are just a dream to use. They come in regular and intense matte formulas, both are equally comfortable to wear, which is not a surprise as the products are filled with antioxidant ingredients and enriched with vitamins and moisturisers . The pencils are very pigmented and long-wearing, the quality equal to most high-end lipsticks out there. And they work just as well for your cheeks, very easy to blend and gives a pretty and long-lasting flush of colour to your complexion. I picked up four shades in Purity, Belle, Mystic and Sin.

Purity is an intense matte formula in a tawny brown nude, which is your quintessential 90’s shade. Despite being a matte formula, it’s incredibly easy to apply and not at all drying. This is a very wearable shade for everyday, or when you want to feel a bit more put together and slightly formal.

Belle is another intense matte formula, in a light coral pink nude. This is your typical nude shade, which is a shade lighter than my lips colour, so it’s very brightening and very flattering for everyday wear. I love wearing this just on it own on casual days, or sometimes mix with Purity to deepen the colour a little.

Mystic is a regular formula, which is super creamy and moisturising. The shade is taupey-pink, which almost matches my natural lips colour and perfect to whack on at anytime during the day, as it goes with everything. Because the formula is so creamy and moisturising, it can even double up as a lip balm. This has been a staple item to carry around with in my makeup bag.

Sin is probably the most colourful one out of the bunch. It’s a muted berry pink shade, in the regular formula. I love wearing this if I’m going out in the evening, it’s a softer variation of your usual red lips. Sin is also great to mix with other more neutral shades, just to give you a little extra something something.

Overall I’m definitely a big fan of Nudestix. I love that it is a multipurpose product that actually ‘works’. There are many similar products out there that claim to be multipurpose but actually only work well as one product and pretty wishy-washy as another. Nudestix also gain another brownie point from me for being so convenient to use, to carry around, an all round good egg in my opinion.

Have you tried Nudestix?

My current skin care routine

December 5, 2016 Leave a Comment

As a beauty enthusiast, when it comes to skincare, I am constantly chopping and changing, and trying out new products. Rarely would I stick to one product for so long, because there will always be some new launches, which are too exciting to resist, beckoning me to try. But for the past 6 months, I found myself quite ‘committed’ to a routine with the same products, and haven’t been swayed much by anything else.

I think when it comes to skincare, you know you have found the right routine that works for you when you can see a noticeable and dramatic change to your skin (in a good way of course!), as simple as that. As someone with normal to dry skin, hydration is key when choosing skincare products for myself. Whatever it is that’s going to help boost and maintain my skin hydration, I will happily take on board.

I start my morning routine with a spritz of Liz Earle’s Instant Boost Skin Tonic all over my face. This contains all the refreshing and soothing ingredients, such as aloe vera, calendula and chamomile, to really calm and perk up my skin, prepping it for other skincare products. Then I’ll follow with Antipodes’ Apostle Skin-Brightening Serum, which is a water-based serum that not only helps brighten up my complexion by reducing the effects of overproduction of melanin, but also helps to restore essential moisture while delivering anti-oxidant benefits.

As it is currently winter, which is the worst season for anyone with dry skin, I’ve really up my game when it comes to moisturiser. I usually swear by Lancer Intensive Night Treatment (which can be used both morning and night if you skin is very dry), but at the moment I’m currently loving Rodial’s Stem Cell Magic Gel, which is such a champion multitasking product. It acts as a hydrator and repairer and can be used in multitude of ways; from intensive moisturiser to a night mask or as a makeup primer. It also has anti-ageing benefits, helps boost epidermal regeneration, which means tighter and firmer skin with less wrinkles. I absolutely adore both the texture and scent of this moisturiser. Although it is an intensive moisturiser, it has a very lightweight texture with a pleasant cooling sensation that melts into the skin very quickly. The Stem Cell Magic Gel, as with all Rodial’s products, has a gorgeous, feel-good, spa scent, which makes you feel really refreshed and revitalised.

Then as a final step to my morning routine, I like to add a few drops of Rodial’s Stem Cell Super-Food Facial Oil and pad it all over my face. Sometimes, if I want to save time, I will just mix a few drops with the moisturiser, and they go perfectly great together. The Stem Cell Super-Food Facial Oil is a powerful cocktail of super-food actives and anti-oxidant ingredients, which targets dehydration to restore your skin’s natural glow. It also contains Rosehip Seed Oil, which promotes elasticity and firmness.

For my nighttime routine, after toning, I’ll go in with Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Nourishing Milk, a two-in-one product combining face oil with treatment serum. It is designed to be used alongside your moisturiser, and specifically catered for normal to extra dry skin, which is perfect for me. It gives your skin an extra boost of nourishing moisture for instant radiance, and work over time to rejuvenate the skin for a healthier complexion in the long run. As the name suggests, it has a white milky, runny consistency, and a lightweight texture to be expected from a hybrid of oil and serum. It absorbs into my skin in no time and has the most gorgeous calming scent that reminds me of Sisley skincare.

I use Rodial’s Stem Cell Magic Gel also as a night time moisturiser, but then add a few drops of Rodial Snake Booster Oil either after the moisturiser or mix in with the moisturiser. The Snake Booster Oil contains a special dipeptide ingredient that gives a mild freeze like effect to the skin to reduce expression lines as well as dramatically tighten and firm the skin in the long run. It also helps boost collagen production, which is always a plus in my book.

I swear this blog post isn’t sponsored by Rodial, but I’ve just been very impressed with their products of late. I’m also quite surprised that the brand has not been hyped about as much as its peers in the market. If I have to point to the products that have given me the most noticeable results, I would have to say all three of the Rodial‘s products combined, without a doubt.

Have you tried any of the products mentioned in this blog? What’s your current holy grail skincare product?