beauty

Week 29: NYFW Recap. Invites, Perfect Hair, Survival

Today I am going to tell you some of the Behind-the-Stage Fashion Weeks Secrets. How to get invited to NYFW, how to have perfect hair a few days in the row, and HOW to survive the lack of sleep during the fashion madness!

HOW TO GET FASHION WEEK INVITES?

 

When I just started blogging, I thought getting invited to fashion shows is extremely hard. And it is if you do nothing! Luckily, I had blogger friends who have been leading their blogs for years and who kindly shared some advices, and I made my own research to discover other useful steps you can take in order to get invited to New York Fashion Week shows.

1. Start at least one month in advance

I had to miss out on some great shows because I was travelling almost the whole January, and didn't communicate fast enough with representatives. Don't repeat this mistake and start emailing brands 1-2 month prior to Fashion Week.

2. Fashion GPS Radar App

Get the most useful app Fashion GPS Radar. It not only gives you a list of shows, emails of PR people, but after some time automatically adds show invitations to your schedule that you can accept (or ignore).

3. Email YOUR people

Like anything in the world, fashion world is about knowing the right people. Think of the brands you already collaborated with, shoot an email to one of your old friends who is working in Fashion PR, or simply ask your trusted blogging friends to share some contacts, or take you as their +1. Yes, sometimes they let you take +1. I sneaked my husband to all my shows :)

4. NYFW Schedule

Find websites with the NYFW schedule. Many of these schedules contain contact information. For example, I used Fashion Week Online to get some emails.


How to look good during NYFW?

Depending on how busy your schedule is during Fashion Weeks, you might not be able to style or even wash your hair every day. Running from an event to showroom and then to runways shows, and doing it all over again back and forth, can be extremely exhausting!

Luckily, I have found a salon, Julien Farel, that creates KILLER blowouts and hairstyles that last perfectly for a few days in a row. I have partnered with Julien Farel before for Valentine's Day, and was so impressed that my hair, usually so flat and not that fresh only after 1-2 days, stayed absolutely flawless for 5(!) days. And honestly they still looked good after almost a week, and I just had to force myself to wash my hair because I felt it was too long.

That is why I chose Julien Farel salon to style my hair for NYFW. I highly recommend their stylist Aizhan.
Check out the salon: 540 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065. You will love it!


 

And last, but not least is my energy secret. Of course, you have to drink a lot of water, and can consume tons of coffee, but I have found out that I feel better just drinking one Berocca vitamin mineral supplement from time to time. Usually I take one when I wake up super sleepy, and it gives me an instant energy boost! Plus it tastes like a lemonade :)

I hope you liked my little NYFW secrets, and they will prove to be useful to you in the future. Let me know if you have any special tips? I would like to hear!


Week 17: Rita Hayworth is a Babe. My Femme Fatale Look.

Inspired by Rita Hayworth's style (see here) and bold 40s makeup, I have created this modern look with a very glamorous Old Hollywood feel. I am wearing a Walter Baker beaded dress with an extremely sexy open back, and put on my ALL TIME FAVOURITE Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid matte lipstick in Sad Girl. This lipstick stays on the whole day and the colour is just pure burgundy perfection.

P.S. If you don't own a pair of Slithur heels by Steve Madden, get it now! It is the most comfortable pair of heels I ever had. I walked 6(!) hours on them that day. I give up on my Pigalles after just 30 minutes :)

Shop my look and similar:


Week 13: Grace Kelly. 5 Summer Beauty Weapons

Summer is in full reign and it’s about time I share some of  Grace Kelly's and my own beauty secrets as well as some hot-weather essentials.

1. Must Have Box

Firstly, I would like to start with subscription boxes. I have been curious about beauty and fashion surprise boxes since I was living in London. One of my best friends, Ania Pawlak, who now has her own blog, Beauty Obsessed, had been getting some of the boxes when we were living together and it was always fun opening them with her.

Special Edition Resort Box by Popsugar

Subscription boxes are so popular because they give you a sense of excitement every time you open a freshly delivered package filled with surprise goodies. There is always some great product by some brand you have never heard of, cute things you would never try otherwise, or something that you didn't even know you needed.

One of the most beloved subscription boxes in the US is Popsugar Must Have. They  not only have makeup and beauty products, but lifestyle and decor items as well. I was thrilled when Popsugar selected me to be one of the bloggers to review their June box. To be honest, I completely forgot about it until this morning when I woke up to a package. It felt like Christmas!

The June Box has 7 items, including a card game, a very sparkly nail polish, deodorant wipes (I didn’t know such a thing even existed!), a sarong, and a very cute bottle opener. Here are the pictures of the surprise items that arrived in my Popsugar Must Have Box.

Check their website to see "inside" previous boxes. Each one is so different and has a great curated collection of items. It is great that you can get a box of fabulous goodies for a fixed monthly price and get items triple the value or even more. So you don't have to worry if there is something you don't actually need.

Let me know if you have ever used a subscription box service. I would love to hear about your experience.

2. Hand cream

Grace Kelly was obsessed with keeping her hands moisturised and always had a little hand cream in her purse. She revealed that it was one of her most important beauty secrets and that "a woman's age shows on her hand much quicker than anywhere else."

Following her advice, I do actually keep a tiny pack of hand cream in my purse and a big one on my bedside table. My favourite small one is Magic Food Banana Hand Milk by Korean brand Tony Moly. It not only has the cutest packaging but smells absolutely delicious and is quite cheap. I get my Korean beauty supplies in a Tony Moly shop in NYC, 35 W 32nd St, Korea Town.

3. Self-tanning

Princess Grace of Monaco is famous for her beautiful fair skin, but not a lot of people know she loved spending time on the beach and swam a lot to keep her figure slim. Grace knew the importance of keeping her skin hydrated and protected from the sun with lotions with higher SPF.

I naturally have very pale skin as well, but I don't think it suits me. I just simply prefer to be tanned. It was easy to get a beautiful bronze glow when I was living in Miami, but now in New York I have to use self-tanners.

Here are my favourite self-tanners I currently use:

4. Fabulous Floaties

Ok, not really a beauty secret, but a fun, bright float is a serious summer 2016 essential if you have a pool or a beach nearby. It adds fun to your tanning process and also looks great in pictures.

5. Lipstick

I am wearing Anastasia Beverly Hills in Dusty Rose.

Grace Kelly didn't wear much makeup, especially on hot summer days, but she almost never forgot to put on lipstick. She preferred bright red and dark rosy hues.

I, on the other hand, have never been a huge lipstick fan, but during one of my visits to Sephora, I tried Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid matte lipstick and fell in love. So many beautiful colours to choose from and, most importantly, it stays on for hours without feeling gross on my lips like most lipsticks tend to.

 

So there are my 5 summer 2016 beauty weapons inspired by my latest purchases and Grace Kelly's own beauty secrets. Do you enjoy reading beauty posts? Let me know in the comments!

Week 7: Breakfast at Tiffany's. Audrey Hepburn's Pink Look

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Today I am sharing another pastiche of Audrey Hepburn's look in Breakfast at Tiffany's. You can see my first look inspired by the film here.

What do you think about this all-pink look? What other film inspired outfits would you like to see?

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Photography: Lisa Pillmore

SHOP MY LOOK:

Week 3: Cleopatra. Iconic Makeup

Cleopatra Make Up, Cleopatra cat eye Look

The last post of the extended Cleopatra Week is, of course, dedicated to her beauty look. You can dress up in the most luxurious Greek-style dress, wear heavy gold jewellery and even buy the black wig with bangs, but even then you won't pass as Cleopatra if you do not wear her iconic makeup!

Cleopatra's Makeup is as legendary as her story. Of course the most iconic feature in her look is the eye makeup with a gorgeous Egyptian cateye. You can go heavy and bold for the Halloween or a costume party look, or just add an extra dark winged eyeliner if you are going for something more subtle.

I am also a big cat-eye lover and always apply my black eyeliner whenever I want to look my best.  Just a little "Cleopatra detail" makes me feel 10x prettier.

I have selected the best YouTube tutorials on how to apply Cleopatra's Makeup for you. Share your Cleopatra Looks with me via email or tag me on Twitter or Instagram: @uliaali 

 

Bonus: Check my Pinterest Board for more Cleopatra inspiration: