Confessions of a Beauty Freak

If you've been following me for a while, you know that beauty products are my weakness. I splurge on products that are organic and ensure long-term goodness to my skin. People probably don't see the difference whether I am using a $10 moisturizer or a $40 one, but it makes me happy. Also, as a friend once said - people don't need to know how much you're wearing on your skin.

Okay, enough justification - here are my latest finds!

NARS SPF 30 Toner

REN Radiance Perfecting Serum

A LAB ON FIRE - Sweet Dreams 2003 perfume

Product #1 by NARS is the primer with the highest SPF in the market. Also, you only need to apply a dab half the size of a pea and the product will last a couple months if applied every day. 

Product #2 by REN is a fluid serum that will even out the tone of your skin and make it brighter. Also, its subtle orange blossom smell is the best thing in the morning!

Product #3 by A LAB ON FIRE is my new statement perfume - sweet dreams 2003 - I love a citrus scent and always seek a unique perfume that I can call my own. The packaging got me on that one and I loved the fact that it is produced in Brooklyn and difficult to find. 

If you are actually interested in beauty routines and how to apply products - here are some tips (I spend a lot of time talking with salespeople in case you didn't already figure that one out...)

- There is a specific order in which to apply products for the best results:

1. Toner (morning) on a washed face and neck

2. Serum (morning and night)

3. Moisturizer (morning and night)

4. Primer (morning)

5. Tinted moisturizer or foundation (morning)

6. Make-up and finally

7. Finish off with powder/blush (morning)

- When applying a cream of any kind, it is best to apply a dab directly on fingertips instead of the palm of your hands before putting it on your face (palms absorb more product than fingertips so your face won't benefit from the product as much)

- Never rub perfume when applying it. Doing it changes the smell as it destroys the molecules.

I'll post about my latest hair salon find soon. In the meantime, feel free to share any beauty tips or products you've tried and like!

Brooklyn: Sheik n' Beik

My “hipster“ night out in Williamsburg actually turned out to be filled with more models and artists than I envisioned and, somehow, a bunch of people I randomly knew and had no idea lived in NYC. I love it when that happens.. worlds colliding!

This venue, famously known amongst electro-music lovers, is called Sheik n' Beik. Yep, with this exact spelling.. if you type Shake and Bake on the internet, you won't understand why you keep landing on a fried chicken brand you never heard of.. Just sayin' ;-)

The concept of Sheik n' Beik is to deliver exceptional underground/electro music in a location that is only revealed a couple hours before the doors open. You purchase your ticket online and register beforehand. Once you're registered, you get notified whenever a Sheik n' Beik party is coming up! NB: They usually take place every 6 weeks in a warehouse in Brooklyn and last till the break of dawn.

The DJ's who performed on Friday were Out-ER with Simone Gatto & Santorini.

Check out their sound in the video below!

The Affordable Art Fair

I finally made it to the Affordable Art Fair today and would like to share a list of artists whose work stood out to me the most.

- People were fascinated by Chris Wood's three-dimensional glass works.  Refracting the light around them, the glass cut-outs installed onto the canvas give out an optical play that won't hurt your eyes!
- Next door, Elisabeth Lecourt's geographic dresses, where the artist folds copies of old maps to make three-dimensional little girl dresses, were just as popular. A cute way to decorate a child's room.

Besides 3D, I appreciated how creatively some artists depicted animals in their work. I immediately fell in love with Elephant Trick, by Rob Tarbell, in which the artist uses smoke as his medium.

Nikki Stevens' large size canvases put the beauty of savannah predators at the forefront, contrasting their reality with a paper and pencil background. See the story behind her sets here and the entire collection here.

Needless to say that I love art associated with Africa. John Kenny's stunning portraits of women, men and children from a variety of African tribes, say so much through societal ornaments and piercing eyes - all in dark sepia.

If you can't wait to go, the last day is tomorrow. Tickets can be purchased online for $15 only. The AAF takes place every year, so be sure not to miss it next time!

New York Bucket List

It's the end of an era. I'm leaving New York; the city I dreamed of living in for so long and that brought me the most happiness I experienced in just a year. A year that flew by with no warning. So unfair. I have two months left before I go back to Europe and full intention to live them up!

... Okay, don't get me wrong, the reason I haven't been very present on the blogosphere lately pertains to the fact that I have been too busy figuring out my life to immortalize the amazing moments. That's what New York is all about though, having a non-stop life and no time to stop and realize it.

So, this Bucket List serves as bullet points till the end of my stay.

1. Go to an Art Auction (I keep missing those 10 a.m ones at Sotheby's)
2. Go to a Broadway show (and not as a tourist)
3. Go to Smorgasburg (to taste the specialties of Brooklyn foodies)
4. Go Bargain hunting at Woodbury
5. Do a Karaoke night in Korea Town (and getting drunk off sake beforehand)
6. Go to the Neue Galerie and have lunch at the Café Sabarsky
7. Party like a Hipster in Brooklyn
8. Go to the MAD Museum

However, next on the calendar is the Affordable Art Fair - which I will be going to this week - and maybe maybe... Miami or Vegas (yeah yeah, I may be ditching NY for a sunny week-end).

Almost forgot.... 9. Share it all with you!

So stay tuned, more coming!