Fashion and Beauty Resolutions 2014

                                                    HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 


With 2014 coming up everybody makes resolutions they usually don't keep for more that 2 months. And I don't blame them, life catches up with you and you forget to take care of yourself. I 've been a victim of this situation for many a year. But upon the 20th year of my life, I decided to make this year count in more ways than one. Personal aspirations are put forward, but since this is a fashion & beauty blog, I 'm gonna talk to you about my related goals.
To begin with, I guess I should state I am on the verge of obecity, which is something I 'm determined to change this year. I ve been on diets and I ve lost weight, but then I let loose and gained it all back. This year I 'm gonna rock those beaches with bikinis I feel comfortable in and in general I m gonna be a lot more careful. I m seing a professional and I joined the gym.




This information was necccessary because it affects my style. I want to start dressing more womanly and not like a school girl any more. I 'm conastantly with my Converse shoes, jeans and tops, which is a nice laid back look, but sometimes I just want a bit more. Especially for dressier occasions I want to be able to wear something that I really like and turn a few heads! (female vanity)
Once I feel more comfortable in my own skin, I'm planning on wearing more skirts and dresses, buy some high boots and a leather jacket and follow many of the trends I haven't been able to so far.



In addition I want to adopt a different make up style! I 'm all about the eyes when it comes to make up, with soft or strong smokey eyes and eyeliner, whereas I 've never really been a lipstick person cause I don't particularly like my lip shape and out of fear of going bald. But since for the past two winters it's been all about strong lips, I decided to buy a few bold lipsticks and work with them to see how I could make them work on me! Other times as a lip stain, other times really full on with lip liner and so on. With such lipsticks I want to  try out the pin-up look, with somple winged eyeliner and no shadow and a strong lip!


To many people it would seem that this post is so selfinvolved and silly but it actually is a plan I got  for myself this year and a promise I 'm making to  stay on top of it! When I feel comfortable enough I will make sure to take a photo for everyone to see the progress.
*Oh yeah, this year I'd like to take more photos to remember all the good times of 2014!
XOXO

Is It Worth It?

HAVING YOUR NAILS PROFESSIONALLY DONE....

Having "nice looking" nails is something every woman wants to have but is so hard to achieve and maintain! Well shaped and clean nails, without chipped nail polish or dry cuticles demands a lot of time and skill to achieve on your own, a lot of products as well and is so hard to keep for a long period of time! It takes a lot of work to give yourself a manicure and having a manicure kit at home and all the necessary "equipment" can be a bit pricy! Speaking from personal experience I find nail polishes dry off way too easily, I make a mess and it often takes me a lot of time to get it right! But the irony of it all is that even after I 'm done with my manicure and I am somewhat happy I always find a way to ruin at least one nail which is frustrating! In addition, having your nail polish chip is so easy, typically lasts a good 3 days tops for me! And that's just about painting my nails! The actual manicure process I 'm completely incompetent of doing, by which I mean I always end up with bleeding cuticles :(
Determined to make my nails look better and keep them that way I decided to go to the nail salon across the street from my school and get them done professionally! I had shellac done on me, which lasts up to two weeks if not longer and you typically need to take it out because your nails grow! It essentially is a type of polish that is "baked" under a LED lamp, which makes it durable! The process takes around twenty minutes as it consists of 4 coats - a base coat, two colour coats and a top coat, each of which is baked right after application. Your nails are completely dry once you 're done and you can do anything like opening cans or scratching without causing any damage! It costs me around 15€ to get a full treatment and when I need to take them out I have to go to the salon cause I can't do it on my own without damaging the nail! It looks natural as if you have regular nail polish on and not fake or thick like gel or fake nails! It has helped me grow my nails longer because they don't break off that easily and with the manicures the shape looks great even if I don't get another manicure done!

HOWEVER, seeing as not everyone is willing to spend that kind of money on t heir nails, or want to change up their manicure much more often, you can give yourself a manicure at home! And if you can't do it yourself you can invite a friend over and help each other out! Here's a great guide on how to give youself a manicure at home!

Fall Colours! Make up and Nails!

 This fall make up is all about colors! Dark reds, dark greens, blacks, mauves, extravagant eye liner looks and also, BOLD eyebrows! In addition, nude lips, nude nails and nude, no make up-make up have been seen on the runway a lot! Here are a few photos to draw inspiration from!





 

Your face! (make up for summer) vol.II

So, we talked about morning make-up and beach make-up, which means that this post will be all about afternoon make-up! By this term, I mean make up you can wear on a relaxed afternoon shopping, or over a cup of coffee near the beach or even in the city! Normally I would jump straight ahead to evening make up, but I find that afternoons are a tricky time of the day, make up wise, as you want to be a bit made up but not too much! Also afternoons are a transitional  "stage" to evenings, where you usually need to be a lot more made up and polished, so you need to already have the basics covered!

STEP 1. - FOUNDATION!

In the afternoon, you might want to have a bit more coverage, but still look natural and glowy, yet flawless! You could use a lightweight make up, like Loreal's True Match and True Match Lumi, which are great for the summer as they offer coverage without looking or feeling heavy! However you could use a foundation you feel suits you best, your skin type and skin problems! This is when you want to apply your concealer to the problem areas of your face (as long as it matches your skin tone) and under your eyes! I personally like to use it in a triangle shape underneath my eyes to mimic Kim Kardashian's look! You set everything with powder, optionally and you're done!

STEP 2. - COLOR!

Especially now in the summer you need to add some color to your face by which I mean bronzer blush and optionally again highlighter! You can use the bronzer to either contour or just add some colour to your face by dusting it on the places the sun would naturally hit you (nose, temples). For blush you could use any shade you'd like, but peach and bronze once again are always great for summer. You could however use a hot pink colour or any shade you want, for that matter! Finally you can add some highlighter to really bring out that summer glow!

STEP 3. - EYES AND LIPS!

There are soo many eye looks you can try out this summer, that I could rumble on for ages! Since the make up looks for evening are always a lot more work, I picked out my favourite Youtube videos with night out summer looks to take your pick! In the videos there are also lipstick options that fit each eye look!

Thank you for your time!

Your face! (make up for summer)

In the midst of summer I thought it would be a good idea to talk about your face! And by that I mean the kind of make up you could wear while on vacation from the beach to your night out!


In this post we 'll be talking about the morning routine!



In the morning, and especially during summer, you don't need to wear much make up! You need to be able to accentuate your features in the most natural way possible, so that you look fresh and beautiful but not overly made up! Yes! we 're talking about the "No make-up, make-up". The clean look of beauty and health! I personally use what some would say is a lot of products but i can assure you that the outcome is quite natural yet flawless!
To begin with, I use a base, Garnier BB cream for combination to oily skin! This is to me a quite thick BB cream that offers a lot of coverage, that still looks like nothing on your face! I use that Real Techniques buffing brush and I prime my skin using Nivea aqua effect day cream, for mat skin! I do not powder my face even though I get oily throughout the day because this lets the foundation blend in with my skin and gives off a healthy glow, rather than an oily mess!
On top of that I use my powder blush in a bright pink shade and I also do a bit of contouring on my cheekbones, but nothing excessive!

On my eyes I use a  lot of black mascara and  a brown pencil to line all around the eye, which i blend out for a natural look! Sometimes I wear a shimmery champagne shadow all over the lid, or my Two Faced Shadow Insurance primer in Candlelight, which has a shimmery tint to it!

Finally for the lips, you can use a lip gloss with spf or a tinted lip balm for juicy lips! Corals, hot pink and berry colour are really trendy right now! I personally use nothing though cause I find lipstick tends to smudge all over me!


If you were going to the beach however, you would have to make a few changes to your routine. It's generally acknowledged that wearing make up while on the beach is not a good thing for your skin! It can cause premature aging, wrinkles and dark spots! But if you must wear something you need to be very picky about it!
If you need coverage you must choose a very light BB cream with SPF, like Maybeline's perhaps to even out your skin tone and do some spot concealing with a concealer that matches your skin tone! Do not opt for powder cause it's gonna look cakey and muddy after you come out of the water! And  to add a bit of color to your face choose a cream blush that offers radiance and pigment without looking like you've got too much on! Also I would avoid contouring as it 's bound to look like you've got a streak on your face after you get out of the water. As far as mascara goes, you can use (nothing!) a clear one just to make your lashes Be there or a waterproof one to avoid smudging! On your lips you need to wear a lip balm with SPF cause believe it or not you can get a lip-burn, plus the sun dries out your lips really bad!



Wish I could be here this summer!
http://www.visitgreece.gr/deployedFiles/StaticFiles/Photos/Chania_500_2.jp

How to prep your skin for night time!

So this is my every-night routine which goes from taking off my makeup- to cleansing- treating my skin! So I follow a few simple steps religiously every night in a desperate effort to keep my skin above "presentable"!

1. Take off your make up!                                                        
It doesn't matter whether you wear really light or heavy make up, or if you are wearing only eye make up, nor if you are really really tired. Removing your make up as best as you can is a must, if you want to protect your skin! In my routine I leave the house in the morning and return after the sun has set! Therefore I have make up on for a long period of time! When I do return home, however I wash my fave with Johnson's baby shampoo, which is really delicate and does not irritate the skin, in order to take away most of the make up, but if I am in a hurry I use make up removing wipes (any brand will do depending on your skin). I have tried using baby wipes as a cheap alternative, but they are much drier and thinner, therefore I fell they don't do as good a job and I find myself rubbing my face, which ain't good!         

HALLOWEEN!

So with Halloween coming up, YouTube has been overwhelmed by make up tutorials and costume ideas for the season!
Now when it comes to dressing up for Halloween there are 2 types of people, I recon. Those who want to look pretty and sexy, usually women and go for costumes of super-heroins such as Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Xena or even fairies, Barbie,  witches, sexy nurse, sexy nun and many many other things!(like the Doctor Who Companions!)
On the other hand there are those who find Halloween a time to go crazy, creative and buy, rent or even make a costume unique, not necessarily flattering, but something they'd really enjoy! Those who fit into this category, usually men dress up like their favourite fictional character such as Superman, Batman, my personal favourite Doctor Who, Frankenstein, The Hulk, Bloody Vampire or anything they find inspiring for the season!

HOW TO WEAR MAXI DRESSES!

Maxi dresses are concidered to be must haves in every girl's and/or woman's fashion closet!

However, it's really hard to pull off the maxi dress look as there are many "traps"! Every time I would think about wearing a maxi dress I would instantly have second thoughts and whenever I would actually wear it, I would regret it halfway through the night!

There are some frequently asked questions regarding the matter that I m sure all of us have had from time to time!

For instance: Is it the right length? Or is it too long? Or is it too "short" (unflattering to the foot!- obviously it's not short!) Does it fit me right? Is it baggy or is it too tight? Is it flattering on my curves or is it accentuating the wrong parts? Does it make me look tall or short? What does it do for my cleavage? Is the drapping too much or is the finishing too simple? Does it work with these shoes? And what kind of shoes should I wear anyway- flats or heels? And is it too much? Would I look too conservative and covered up or like a gipsy? (Not the shakira kind and no offence btw)

If you think I m crazy you re propably right, however since I 've found ot silly to bother myself so much about sich trivia matters I 've beesteadily avoiding maxi dresses! Which by the way was a mistake come to think of it since long flowy dresses are very flattering to any body type regardless of weight or height! And there are obviously dresses for any occasion!

For the beach, for everyday, for an evening out and for an event! All you have to do is look for it!

Well look no more cause I did some serious research and found the four types of long dresses that would look good on anyone! I ve also added some accessories appropriate for the time and place the dresses are ment for!

 

Untitled #5 by maria-maniataki featuring beach dresses

The first look represents the beachy flowly casual long dress! Since I had the sea in mind I chose a vivid blue-green colour with black zebra stripes which are very in this season! This can obviously be worn on other everyday occasions, but the plane design with the the playful print screamed summer to me! Therefore I paired it with an sheer but fun nail polish with gold flecks and two pairs of shoes! An everyday flat sandal and also a high heel sandal for those of you who choose to wear it for a moreput together look or just prefer high heels! For those of you of average or shorter height I would definitely suggest wearing high heels woth long dresses because those type of dresses tent to make you look even smaller! I also paired it with a small black leather back wich is usually a stable piece and works with numerous outfits!

The second look is more of an everyday outfit for perhaps a more mature woman or someone who can pull of the heavy drapping! This type of dress accentuates the  cleavage but also adds volume to the main body! Therefore it can create curves to a skinny woman or even out fuller body types! Since the design again is playful but in a monotone colour I chose flats and and statement black leather statement  bag (or any other bag like the one in look No 1) and also a tan bag-clutch for a more summery effortless look! If you go for the tan bag I d suggest also tan flats which I forgot to showcase above! For nail polish I chose I pastel candy pink but any pastel colour to match the colour of the dress will do!

The third look is a dressier kind of maxi dress! It is sort of heavy in the cleavage with the sequin-design( which makes it unnecessary to wear a necklace) but it has thin stripes that balance out the outfit! The rest is a plain deep romantic blue colour, fitted at the waist and slightly flarring out towards the finish to flatter any body shape! This would be the kind of  dress you 'd wear to a summer clut or a night out with friends! Therefore I paired with black killer high heels ( for the club or even an event) and with the nude pumps for a more toned down look that is still wuite fancy! I paired this outfit  with a typical dressy black clutch and also silver or gold nail polish that match the sequins!

The fourth look is a beautiful plain black maxi dress! This is a romantic piece perfect in it's simplicity with clear feminine lines that works on every bodytype. hair and skin colour! It does actually remind of the dress Kim Kardashian wore some time ago (only she wore it in white) for which she claimed the paparazzi title Greek Goddess)

This is a classic look that can be turned into soft and romantic by adding nude or pink pumps and bronze-soft make up, or go the other way turned into ultra sexy paired with the classic eyeliner-red lip, or even turned into edgy with a smokey eye-nude lip make up statement accessories such as the spikey clutch and eccentric shoes such as deep electric blue! For such a look I chose the safe look of black nail polish with a very interesting and unique techique of the Chaviar manicure!

Links to where you can get the dresses directly from the sites (despite the ones under the photo article)  will be provided when I find them, I will look for discount prices!

I would love for you to try some of this out and comment below telling me what your thoughts are on this post and what more you 'd like to see!

Get Adele's make up for less!

Untitled #4 by maria-maniataki featuring benefit makeup 

 

                                          AND NOW THE DUPES!

 

The way I see it Adele is wearing a pretty heavy duty foundation and has done some concealing with powder as well! Normally, I on't wear  that much foundation,!.My favourite foundation is L'oreal True Match Foundation! In the summer(if I want to wear foudation) I wear the original version as it's less oily and givess off a more full conerage effect! However the've come up with a new one named True Match Lumi magic which is setted with a luminous primer and gives a more radiant finish! Personally I think that for the summer it's a bit too much therefore I ve kept to use in the winter when my skin gets drier and definitely needs a boost of extra glow!I apply my foundation with my hands and then I use the matching concealer and powder (they came in a discount set) and I m done with the face! When I go for massive face reconstruction I substitute concealer for a lighter shade foundation (2 shades lighter) and I apply that from the tip of the nose to the outside corner of my eye in a sharp line which I then fill in! This way I brighten up my under eye area and I play with the lighting somewhat changing the shape of my face! I let that set and move on to bronzer (contouring)!

Adele definitely has some major contouring underneeth her cheekbones and arround t he jawline in order to make the face look thinner! I use an angled blush brush (from H&M) make the fish-face by sucking in my cheeks and apply the bronzer from the top of the ear (sideburns) up to the middle of my cheek (Imagine a vertical line from the iris of your eye down to your cheek-that's where you wanna stop) The bronzer I use is by seventeen and is dark brown with a little bit of shimmer, however that does not seem to fit Adele's look. The best thing I can come up with is the bronzing powders by The Body Shop! In the picture Adele doesn't seem to be wearing any blush so I'd say skip it! She doesn't seem to be wearing any highlighter either but perhaps you'd like to add some light-shade powder where you 've applied the lighter shade foundation! Now it's time to powder the skin and move on to the eyes!

For the eyes Adele wears very thick eyeliner that starts thinner from the inner corner and gets innediately thicker and wings out at the outside corner! There are numerous vids on youtube on how to do this but my favourite is this one by pixiwoo! The eyeliner I use for my inner corner is H&M liquid pen eyeliner wich has a very fine tip but I know wet 'n wild do a great one as well! Then for the rest of the eyeliner I'd use Maybeline's Gel Eyeliner  with an angled eyeliner/brow brush which makes it easier to do the flick! For eyeshadow I would use Sahara or Nude by NYX that have a very slight but noticable tint which is perdect for this look. For the crease you want to take your bronzer and use that as your crease colour so that it looks darkened but in a natural tone that already exists in your face-canvas! You can take a fluffy brush and work the colour in your crease! Adele in the photo seems to have that crease colour all the way to the inner corner of the eye to her nose and down the sides making her nose look slimmer! Adele also wears false eyelashes that are really dramatic towards the outter corner. I prefer to use Ardel lashes and Duo waterproof eyelash glue which is tinted so as to blend in nicely with the black eyeliner! Last but not least Adele always wears white pencil eyeliner in her lower lashline to make her eyes even bigger! Since I have nery sensitive eyes that get easily watery I use the NYX Jumbo Eyeliner pencil in Milk   which stays on all day!

For lips the only nude lipstic I own is Korres Guava Lipstick in 13- natural pink which makes me pale but is perfect with this look! However since it's summer I would go for a lipgloss in a peachy shade to perk things up a bit because the look it's self is all about the eyes and the rest is kind of...blurry! I love Bourjois Effet 3D High Shine Lip Gloss in #1 Beige Elatic as it's an amazing nudish colour! My all time favourite which I am afraid is discontinued isthe Effet 3D Les Nudes #36 which I can find nowhere, but that's life for you!

I shold mention that wearing so much eyeliner in this heat is kind of risky in this heat and especially for me because I have really oily eyelids! Now, even though I try to not spent lots of money on cosmetics I was planning on splurging for a good eye primer and ended up buying the Two Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight, which is a shimmery primer. It does the job perfectly but I wish I had bought the Clear one. Well good news is I got it on sale and didn't have to splurge after all!

 by maria-maniataki featuring nyx cosmetics

MAC Eyeshadow Dupes

 and where to get them in shops and online stores!

 

So, as we all know, MAC is a very beloved make.up company with products featured in almost every YouTube video, or style magazine or blog! The quality of the products is for the most part undeniable, the range of different products, colours and textures is amazing and the brushes seem to be a must-have in every make-up artist's kit! In fact many of the MAC products are considered themselves to be dupes for higher-end cosmetics such as YLS, CHANNEL and many more! However during this recession it's almost unbearable to pay the retail price for a MAC product, let alone a higher end one! Especially here in Greece the retail prices for MAC products are almost double than the prices in other countries such as the UK and especially the US! But who can deny a woman the right to pamper herself and feel pretty? 

In this post I will show you the dupes I ve found for MAC products and the places to get them regardless where you live!

 

MAC Wedge      

 a. L'oreal HIP duo in Shady. 

          b. M Professionals Taupe (second stripe on the left)        

         

         c. Natual Collection Milk Chocolate

         d. Korres No 31 Bronze Brown (light hand application-   

            more shimmer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAC All That Glitters

   

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

a. Revlon Satin Single Eyeshadow in Nude Slip

   

        

  b. Cover Girl Mink

  

 c. NYX Champagne 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAC Black Tied   

    

            

   

    

a. Covergirl Shimmering Onyx

             

 

            

                  

            

  

 b. Milani Storm

      

        

   

    

    c. Jane Clubbing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAC Mulch

(dark chocolate brown with golden flecks actually)

             

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

a. Maybelline Stylish Smokes Quad in Natural Smokes

     (though you can't really tell from the photo the brown shade     labeled as a "crease" colour is THE dupe)   

    

 b. Milani Java Bean                                                  

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 c. Covergirl Swiss Chocolate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 MAC Handwritten 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  a. Revlon Colorstay Quad in Coffee Bean

               (last shade)

          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      b.Wet 'n Wild Vanity Palette(bottom colour on the left side)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAC Naked Lunch    

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

    a. Physician's Formula Baked Eyeshadow Trio in Baked Sugar

        (left shade)

  

    b. No7 Wheatsheaf                                                                                                         














 

   c. Victorias Secret Single Eyeshadow in Champagne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mac Satin Taupe

a. NYX Root Beer

    b. L'oreal HIP Duo in Sassy (taupe shade)

     

c. Korres No 31 Bronze Brown (need to build up as it's very sheer)

 

 d. Wet n Wild Nutty

 

 

 

                                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                       

 

MAC Cork 

 

 

a. NYX Dark Brown

b. Wet 'n Wild Vanity Palette (middle left shade)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAC Woodwinked (top left)

a. Korres No 31 Bronze Brown

b. Milani Golden Bronze     

c. L'oreal HIP duo in Wicked (brown side)

 d. Flirt Golden Lady eyeshadow (second on the left)

MAC Stars 'n Rockets

a. Wet 'n' Wild Trio in I'm Feeling Retro (bottom shade)

 b. NYX Luxor

c.Korres Eyeshadow in Plum

PART TWO COMING UP!