Beauty By Katria

Nothing says the New Year like a tornado of glitz, glam and endless bottles of champagne. We wanted to show you, how you can dress classically elegant, with investment pieces that can be transformed into work wear, date night attire, or casual brunch outfits. Celebrate in style with our top fashion picks below, to get you popping those bottles into 2019. Check out our previous post for our New Year's Beauty Edit - with must have products that you need, to create the perfect look for celebrating the arrival of the new year.

The iconic Dionysus. The bag that has been seen, absolutely everywhere. BUT WAIT, this one is different. Okay... it's slightly different. It's smaller which means more compact, and honestly so perfect for a night out. It's roomy enough for just the essentials, such as your phone, card holder and a lipstick. The crossbody style means that you can wear it close to your body, so there'll be no need to worry whilst you're on the dance floor.

Laid-back approach with a chic Parisian attitude. This L'Agence plush black velvet camisole, can be easily dressed up or down. Pair with the featured Naeem Khan Embellished Pants, or ripped style skinny jeans, slip on some of you favourite heels, or sneakers, throw on some layered jewellery and a blazer - you'll be good to go!

Whether you favour the fresh face, dramatic smokey eye, or the bold lip, New Year is the ideal time for a sophisticated glam look. We're thinking; dramatic false lashes, shimmer, sparkle, and a pop of statement colour. We've created a New Year's beauty kit, with cult classic products that are a must have in your collection, and are perfect to use, however you may be celebrating! Take a peak below at our top beauty picks.

Embellishing the complexion with fresh glowing radiance. Made with white rose and cotton flower plant cells to soothe and protect the skin, as well as SPF 15. Sculpt the face by sweeping over the top of the forehead, chin and bridge of the nose. For a sun-kissed effect chose a shade darker than your natural skin tone, and create an alluring natural glow.

To help keep your make-up in place for the night, sheer out foundation, or moisturise and soothe tired skin, opt for MAC's lightweight mist. Packed with vitamins and minerals, infused with a blend of green tea, chamomile and cucumber to gently soothe and refresh. Comes in 3 delicious scents from rose, coconut and lavender. Spritz before or after makeup application for an instant boost of hydration, and add the finishing touch to a look.

Bette is a gorgeously rich, burnished amber-gold shade. An easy to apply, water-infused cream eyeshadow, containing Vitamin E for hydration. Glides effortlessly along the lids, without dragging along the delicate eye area. Apply with either a brush or finger tips on the entire lid, or highlight the face with a splash of colour, in the inner corner of the eye. Would match perfectly with the featured NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment. 

Ready to bat your eyelashes with the Delilah Definitive Volumising and Defining Mascara? Made with olive waxes, and comes with a distinctive Y-shaped mascara wand to ensure that application is easy, and that instant drama and volume are added to the eyelashes. Formulated with a stretchable film that lengthens each individual lash, while the olive waxes create a flawless finish that is free of clumps. Create a soft brown smokey eye, and swoop over the eyelashes to finish.

Soft gold with pinky peach undertones - what better way to celebrate the New Year than with BECCA's Champagne Pop Highlighter, the bestselling shade in the Shimmering Skin Perfector collection. The creamy formula is velvety soft on the skin, creating an ambient, dazzling glow and boosting the complexion even on your dullest days. Enriched with ultra-fine, multi-toned luminescent pearls, replicating sunlight on the face without appearing glittery. Light up the room, and apply onto cheekbones, cupid's bow, and underneath the brow bone.

Comfortable to wear on the lips, with a lightweight feel, and providing a smudge-resistant finish with a long wearing hold. The NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment is a long-wearing liquid lipstick, so whether you're dining out, or drinking into the early hours of the morning, this beauty product should have your back. There are a wide range of matte shades to choose from, but we've selected 'Don't Stop' - an intense red shade suitable for all skin tones, plus you can never go wrong with a red lip, especially on New Year.

Did we really just use a Drake reference as our title? Pfft, no.. of course we didn't. Although, what better way to talk about the benefits of Tea Tree oil, whilst bringing Drake into the equation. Tea Tree oil, also known as Melaleuca Oil comes from the leaves of the Tea Tree plant, Melaleuca Alternifolia, which is native to south east Queensland, and the north east coast of New South Wales, Australia. Tea Tree oil can be found in many skincare and haircare products, and has been believed to have many healing benefits, medically. Uncover some of the amazing uses that Tea Tree oil has, below.

Anti-Inflammatory + Anti-Bacterial

Due to the oil's well-known property of being an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial saviour, Tea Tree oil can be used on a variety of infections, as well as being found in hand sanitizers and natural deodorants. It's an excellent addition to incorporate into your daily skincare routine to combat acne and blackheads. It's always better to consult a Doctor before using natural alternatives, especially on wounds and cuts. If you're using Tea Tree oil on the skin, its always advised to dilute the oil, with a carrier oil such as almond or coconut.

Aromatherapy

Known to reduce anxiety and improve sleep, fill the air with the refreshing scent of Tea Tree using a diffuser. Aromatherapy as a whole, is a wonderful way to boost or relax the mood of a room. Diffusing Tea Tree oil can also help cleanse and clarify the air, as well as helping with your sinuses, and awakening your senses. If you don't like the smell of Tea Tree on it's own, you can use a blend of Eucalyptus and Lemon.

Cleaning Product

Going back to the anti-bacterial properties, Tea Tree oil can work wonders as a natural cleaning product. If you're not fond of using the traditional, chemically filled cleaning products that you find in your local supermarkets, using Tea Tree oil to create your own multi-purpose cleaner at home, might just be the best natural alternative for you. Add 10 drops of Tea Tree oil, to 2 cups of hot water, and half a cup of vinegar to create a general disinfectant.

Hair Growth

By unclogging hair follicles and nourishing your roots, Tea Tree oil is a wonderful treatment to use on your scalp and in your hair. When diluted, Tea Tree oil is an excellent natural alternative to common haircare options. Using Tea Tree alongside Coconut oil, can help reduce dandruff, and stimulate hair growth. Mix a tablespoon of coconut oil, and a couple of drops of tea tree oil, massage onto the scalp, and leave for 10 mins, before thoroughly washing away with normal shampoo and conditioner.

i ended up buying a majority ( if not everything ) from the moroccan souks. i mainly bought gifts to bring home, which included spices and tea, solid perfume and argan oil. i wanted to share with you, 3 of the main items that i purchased, which you can tell from the picture, are fashion and beauty related.

who would've thought that i'd be basking in the heat, sipping french martinis next a rooftop pool, and riding a camel through the desert during sundown? not me. but i'm hella grateful that i was, and able to. marrakech was a place that i dreamed of visiting for quite sometime. i would always come across amazing photos on tumblr and pinterest, and had set aside morocco on my travel bucket list. to finally visit was bewildering, and the 3 hour flight from london to menara airport was an easy breeze, as i was asleep for the entire journey. the taxi drove us from the airport to hotel, and we had passed sunbathing camels along the way. we stayed for 6 days, and i'll be sharing pics from my travels in upcoming posts.

pretty chandelier from the hotel.

*Pictures featured above are mine. 

♥

I've gone makeup free for almost 2 whole months now (other than pops of lipstick) and this entire process had me questioning a lot. Thinking to myself that, 'isn't it weird that not wearing makeup can been seen more unusual than actually wearing makeup?' How we're encouraged by marketing schemes that by using certain products we develop into more desirable and beautiful individuals. That by following whatever beauty trends that are current you become.. more attractive? The dependence that we have on makeup to make us feel better, more structured within our day to day lives, or a form of escapism from our true selves. All very deep things to think about, but as an individual who has been wearing makeup from her early teens, I suppose this was a wake up that was needed. 

I'm so so sad to write this post but due to recent events, I've been left to throw away 98% of my makeup and skincare. Welp. Last Sunday morning, I had woken to find the right side of my face almost entirely covered in cuts, scabbing and blisters, which left ya girl shook. It was later on, that I had found out that my skin had most likely reacted to the products that I had used the night before, which had caused an inconvenient and not very pretty skin infection.

L'Oréal had kindly sent me the Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation quite some time ago, and I had never gotten around to reviewing it because it hadn't been a product that I had reached for until now. Foundation is not something I ever wear, full stop. In general I prefer a good tinted moisturiser, BB or CC cream, because I find the formulas a lot lighter and the coverage natural. I also find that I only ever want to apply foundation when I feel as if I'm having an awful skin day. The Vichy Dermablend Foundation comes in 11 shades and is a high coverage, long-hold foundation suitable for minor to moderate skin concerns including acne and blemishes, dark circles, rosacea, tattoos and scars. It claims to have 24-hour hydration, lasts up to 16 hours, has SPF 35 and is paraben free and hypoallergenic. 

I was beyond over the moon when Photowall got in contact with me. I've been on the search for wall art for such a long time now, and I've never known exactly what I've wanted. I'm obsessed with Scandinavian interiors, and I thoroughly enjoy mixing minimalism with texture and warmth. My bedroom is very much my hiding space, my own little place filled with collected treasures and wonder. It wasn't until the end of last year that I began to make a few changes to my room, and I definitely wanted to invest in some gorgeous wall art, a mix of whimsical pieces to give my space a little something extra. 

For me, personally, I would choose skincare over make-up any day. A good base creates a good canvas, and therefore a better piece of art. I'm really into skincare products as there are so many out there to try, and it can always be a hit and miss situation. It really helps if you know your skin type because you can then search for products that suit you and your needs, but whatever I've been doing to my skin right now has been working like a charm. ( I could do with that extra glow, but maybe I just need more sleep! )