An afternoon with Romina

After my eyebrows were complete, I really tried to hold onto the sound of the music, continue the conversation and follow her voice -- but, the facial, it took me in.  I don't know how long I slept for, maybe a few minutes, but it was the first time I really and truly relaxed all week.

During a recent visit with Romina, I rambled on about my skin and its unpredictability around Rosacea flare-ups; this is when Romina tasked herself with the challenge of getting my skin in fighting shape. To be honest I was hesitant, because the dermatologist I sought help from last year claimed facials (amongst many other potential triggers) would become a thing of my past.

Once my skin calmed down a few weeks ago, Romina and I felt it was time to let her work her magic. Armed with Dermaviduals (the skin range she sells and believes in) and a lot of research, Romina set my nerves at ease and brought me to a happy place -- blissful sleep.

From what I can remember from last Thursday, Romina first washed my skin with a citrus-y scented cleanser. Then she used a gentle fruit enzyme peel to help exfoliate my dry skin; I've been too scared to use toners or even fathom bringing my DDF brush to my face as of late. Once my skin was properly exfoliated, Romina applied a mask and let it sit for about 30 minutes (I think) :) While the mask worked hard, Romina did the same; I was treated to a shoulder, arm and hand massage -- this was the moment where I fell asleep. After an indeterminable amount of time had passed, Romina peeled off the mask in one fell swoop and massaged moisturiser into my skin.

In the end I was left with baby soft skin that was creamy in colour and not a single red spot was able to be found. Three days have passed since I received my facial and my skin is still soft and going through a bit of detox. A few small spots have bubbled up, but I'm chalking that up to the lack of elapsed time since my skin healed. For me, this facial was just what I needed during a hellish work week.

If facials aren't your thing and you're after an impeccable eyebrow specialist, here's a glimpse of Romina's handiwork.

Get to know Romina...

Romina De Corso is an eyebrow and skin specialist who hails from South Australia. In her late teens, Romina attended beauty therapy school and learned the art of creating the perfect full brow. A few years ago Romina then moved to Melbourne (yay) and worked as one of three national MAC Eyebrow Specialists. From there, Romina decided to move on and set up her very own shop in order to practise and hone her skills as a skincare specialist. Thanks to Carly, a colleague of mine and Romina's best friend, passed along a business card and the rest is history.

Romina's salon is located on 72 Toorak Road, South Yarra. For more information, please visit Facebook.

*I've been a faithful brow customer of Romina's for almost a year -- however, this facial was provided as a complimentary service in preparation for this review. Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

What to do with longish hair?

For a very long time I had long hair and then in 2001 I decided to give it the chop. For me, short hair hit just below my shoulders and that's about where my hair stayed through most of my 20's. There were a few occasions where I cut it even shorter, dyed it and even had it chemically straightened (stupid, I know). I'm on the verge of turning 30-years-old and am longing for the hair I once had 15 years ago! My hair is in a state of limbo while I wait for it to grow out.

The sun has been highlighting a lot of things lately, a concealer match gone wrong and spider plant-like split ends. I get my hair trimmed fairly regularly, but I fear daily hot styling and hair washing has taken it's toll on my naturally wavy/frizzy hair. So, I've decided to cut back on the frequency in which I wash my hair and style it in ways I've never imagined.

Those lovely girls over at the Beauty Department have given me an idea or two. However, with a bit more googling around for longer hairstyles, I happened upon AskSash88 via Youtube and fell in love with all of the random permutations she successfully attempted.

[jwplayer mediaid="3230"]

If you want to try something like this, make sure your hair is slightly dirty (day old hair) and have the following items at the ready:

• A comb or brush
• Dry shampoo to help sop up excess oil at your roots before styling
• One clear hair elastic
• A clip, if necessary
• At least four bobby pins; this amount will vary based on the length and thickness of your hair
• Hairspray to set your style

All told, it took me approximately ten minutes to do my hair and trust me when I tell you I'm not the best at braiding and such.

What do you think? Are you feeling brave enough to give this look a go?

Burberry's The Orchard in Suede Stripes

What's blackcurrant and plum with golden hardware? That would be Burberry's Orchard bag.

On me, the Orchard bag is pretty hefty, but Blake Lively makes it look ten times better on the set of Gossip Girl. I might not reach Amazonian heights, but I can rock it just as well.

Armani's Maestro Concealer hits all the right notes for me

My eyes are hazel in colour and my skin is fairly light with the subtlest olive-y undertone. As for my under eye area, well, it's greyish blue. Always has been, always will be for the rest of my days. And how should a girl combat this oft-shared strife? With concealer my friend! The sort which blends well, dries down with a nice finish and one that doesn't find fine lines or wrinkles. Seriously, who wants pockets of concealer?

I, for one, do not.

Swatch

For every day wear, I look for makeup that's easy and quick to apply; I just want to do and not have to think. Plus, I'm lucky if I even catch a glimpse of my own mug mid-day in order to reassess the sitch of things. My war paint needs to last until dinnertime and look good to boot.

Maestro has conducted a beautiful symphony, it just took me a few days to compose a beautiful song. You see, I hit Armani's counter on a Wednesday to purchase Maestro and by Friday I knew something wasn't right. And that's when I had my "a-ha" moment; coincidentally I caught my face in the mirror whilst being hit by direct sunlight. The shade I originally purchased, shade no. 4, appeared orange on me.

That very Saturday I returned to my local Armani counter in order to exchange the incorrectly prescribed hue for a better match. The salesperson (we'll call her "Red Lips", because that's what she was wearing on her smacker) I first encountered was nice about the whole thing, but the manager got super-pissy; he demanded to know who helped me and asked if I was ever colour matched. First, he could've checked the receipt instead of putting me on the spot and second, I wasn't colour matched because the original salesperson claimed shade no. 4 would be perfect for me. Boy, was she wrong.

Super-Puss walked away after agreeing to sign off on the exchange; but before that he muttered something about the formula being different and how it must be tried on every client before each potential purchase. Finally, after finishing his awkward tirade, he allowed Red Lips to finish the transaction. As I walked away, Red Lips told me to check out the Maestro foundation, so I did.

That's when it all came tumbling down, as I reached for a sample of what I purchased, Super-Puss turned to me and said "you can't return that." Ultimately, it was the look he gave me, the fact that he purposefully turned away from a customer he was helping and the tone he took with me.  I felt so small, so stupid and so over the customer service, or lack thereof, in both David Jones and Myer.

Super-Puss: you undid the great customer service I received a few weeks before. By the way, you never colour matched me and said "oh, you're definitely a five!"

And now I digress.

In terms of consistency, Maestro has a tendency to be on the runny side; I suggest you gently shake the tube before each application. Surprisingly you don't need much either -- one full drop should suffice for each eye. I like to place a drop on my right ring finger and blend the product out. If I find that I need a bit more coverage, I'll squeeze out the tiniest amount and tap until blended.

Armani's new formula claims the following:

"A new hybrid concealer category combining skincare and makeup, with an incomparably fine texture. A therapeutic and illuminating concealer that instantly brightens the eye area, gradually fades away the blue tone of dark circles, and moisturizes eyelids to enhance the eyes and radiance of the face. The eye area glows, and the complexion's natural radiance is revived."

I haven't noticed any fading in my under eye area, but it's still early days. At least I get budge-proof coverage!

Maestro is available in six shades, just make sure you get colour matched ;)

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Giorgio Armani’s Maestro Eraser Dark Circle Concealer:

• $59.00 AUS / $40.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 7 out of 10 bags – It's not earth-shattering, but it'll suffice :)

Likelihood to purchase:

• I guess I'll take the good with the bad. Armani has a good product on his hands, he just needs to find better in-store representatives to sell his brand.