BEAUTY | CURRENT FAVOURITES FOR AN EPIC PAMPERING SESSION

April 3, 2018

When I was little, there were some Saturdays when I would get to spend the day at my aunt and uncle’s and they were literally the coolest Saturdays ever. My aunt would come and pick me up and we would spend the morning baking and eating together. One of the things I remember the most, though, is how we would go the whole afternoon trying all kind of pampering creams and masks and makeup and nail varnishes. I was only nine or ten and of course I didn’t need anything of that but the sole fact of getting my hands on such beauty dainties really felt super cool! Can you imagine entering a beauty shop and being able to test anything for hours? Yep. That was the feeling.

Years on now, I still can’t get enough of such treats and my beauty collection is a never-ending love affair. Even when I have no time at all and I drag myself to bed skipping all common-sense skincare steps like during the last few weeks (shame on me!). In fact, it’s been a pretty busy time here at Lily’s Colours and beside this, my skin has been kinda getting all over the places and breaking out a lot for no apparent reason (I’m wondering if it’s something I’m eating, such as milk or gluten). This two combined with the lack of sun after the winter months, really come down as the sign that I might have not taken care of myself nearly as much as I should have done – reason why my face has called for a couple of in-depth pampering sessions.

I thought I’d share what I’m loving right now and whether you are on the hunt for the next member of your beauty cabinet or you’re just curious to find out some pretty good products, I’VE GOT YOU COVERED.

FOR WHEN I WANT SOME ADDITIONAL JUICE

Combination skin usually calls for light and shine-control products, however there are moments when I’m not as generous with my moisturiser as I should be and my face starts feeling dry and chapped. When this happens, I first prepare the ground helped by Clarisonic Mia 2 (Radiance brush head) and the Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser. I quite like this step as it gets my skin cleaned in depth, pores feel free from any residue and, still, the overall result is very gentle. If you are looking for a good cleansing system and you haven’t entered the Clarisonic addiction yet, I’d definitely recommend you do so, ‘cause it’s life changing: it only takes 60 seconds of your time and you can bring it in the shower which is quite a motivation boost against potential laziness!

So once this is done I’ll treat myself with the Hydra Pro Mask from Kiko and what’s cool about it is the fact that you can either apply a thick layer and leave it for 10-15 minutes and then rinse it, or you can use it as a night mask, smearing it on after the moisturiser and getting a whole 8-hour effect. In fact, while it has a good nourishing power, I find it gets easily absorbed by the skin without leaving oily residues, which really makes it the perfect overnight treat. I am currently keeping it on my bedside table and using it at least twice a week if not more. Love!

PRO TIP: When the situation gets to the yellow light of critical, I also find really helpful to pre-treat my complexion with lavender essential oil (I’m now using the one from Nasoterapia). It is well known that this has a soothing and calming effect as well as detox properties and as long as it is 100% pure and it isn’t applied directly onto the skin, it can be a true bliss. I normally just use a mist spray bottle and mix it with water (90-100 ml water VS 20 lavender drops) and then spritz my face profusely. Perfect for the morning ritual too.

Other products I’d like to try:

Garnier Skin Active Honey Mask
GlamGlow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment (In Italy available at Douglas)
Yves Rocher Intense Soothing Concentrate (Concentrato Alta Tollerabilità
Too Cool for School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack

IF I’M AIMING FOR THE SUMMER FEELING

You know how, during summer months, your complexion looks perfect? And I’m not talking about the golden glamour of being tanned but rather about how the skin feels beautiful and consistent, no blemishes, no matter what. Yes, THAT feeling. When I find myself striving for it I go for the Dior Hydra Life Lotion to Foam Fresh Cleanser + the Colour Correcting Mask from Herborist and I don’t go wrong. This little combo right here really helps me achieving what during the colder months can get as close to the summer feeling as possible and I wouldn’t go without.

I have already rambled about the Dior cleanser here as well as on Instagram, so no surprise at all I’m in love with it for its illuminating and refreshing effect – one of the best picks of the last months really. While coming to the mask, I personally didn’t think that a single product could get such a result alone but after applying it I’ve seen my skin more becoming more glowy and the little flaws typical of winter (dull colour and minor blotches) reduced. Now, I’ve noticed that if you want a longer lasting effect you need to repeat the treatment regularly – I’d say once or twice a week if possible – but you won’t regret the effort. I know, as a medium-to-high end product it might be quite expensive (€39.00 at Sephora in Italy) but believe me when I say it is well worth the expense and you also don’t need to apply a lot to get the work done, so it will last forever.

Currently on my wishlist:

Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Mask
Pupa Brightening Mask / Maschera Illuminante
Diego Dalla Palma Be Pure – Silver Mask – Detoxifying Brightening Mask (Maschera Detossinante Illuminante)
Diego Dalla Palma Regeneration Anti Age Cream (Crema Anti Età Rigenerante – Astaxantina

WHEN I STRIVE FOR SHINE-FREE COMPLEXION

I often find myself reaching out for treatments that will help me control excess sebum production and I probably have invested more energies and time in finding this kind of products more than anything else since adolescence. What I’m using right now is the Boscia Charcoal Deep-Pore Cleansing Stick Treatment. It comes as a black jellish stick that once massaged into the skin turns into a soft foam absorbing all the impurities and toxins of the day but its effect is still really sensitive. It helps with hyperpigmentation too, which actually makes it a good combo for the Herborist treatment above too.

Together with this I tend to use the Sephora Green Tea Face Mask, which is meant for reducing blemishes and mattifying the complexion (although I’m not the number one fan of sheet masks as I tend to find them not very practical) or the Soap and Glory Fab Pore 2-in-1 Facial Pore Purifying Mask & Peel, which doubles up with exfoliating properties.

I still haven’t used the Tony Moly mask sheets I bought in the States (see the big list here!) butthey are totally on my list and I’ll probably take advantage of them as soon as the first hot days hit in: Cactus for purifying, Wine for pore care, and Rice for clear skin.

I’ll give a try to: