City Geisha

What does an intelligent woman like me want to spend my Xmas money on? Ooh I don’t know,  apart from Sigmund Freud’s Collected Works and a teach yourself meditation kit, I don’t want much. A fellow gym buddy of mine (male) recently said to me “Julie,  you… being the tomboy that you are, probably don’t bother with trivial things like perfumes, expensive makeup and all that girly stuff…” Now this guy only sees me at the gym, usually sweaty, in my gym gear, hair scrapped back and looking..well downright unladylike as I throw uppercuts and perfect my left and right hooks on the punching bag.  So it’s perfectly natural for him to think that I am a dyke. LOL.

This is utter BS. I am a girl. As much as I love to get down and dirty with some DIY and get rolling on the gym floor, grappling a 6ft guy in my Krav Maga class to perfect a self defence move, I still like dress up my face and look like a lady. True beauty indeed comes from the inside but what harm is there in harnessing your outer beauty to its full potential? =D

On the recent cover of Vogue magazine, Rachel Weisz is pure GORGEOUSNESS and is the epitome of intelligent beauty.  Made up to the nines and looking damn right beautiful, it is clear that she is wearing a  shedload of top end makeup and if she realises she looks better that way, who are we to argue with that sort of self-knowledge. We also shouldn’t kid ourselves that we can get away with much less.  So as homage to the sickengly stunning Rachel, here are my top 7 intelligent beauty buys:

1. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Metal Compact: flatterring a range of complexion, it works as a highlighter but is super versatile in that you can use the individual shades as eye shadow or buff over the body with a large brush for sexy highlights.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Metal Compact

2. Dr Sebagh High Maintenance Hand Made- with a following packed full of all the who’s who in the Celebville, this handcream was one of my favourite gifts ever received. A bit of on the pricey side, but totally worth it. It absorbs quickly and keeps active hands moisturised, firm and youthful looking.

Dr Sebagh High Maintenance Hand Made

3. Anne Semonin Eye Express Radiance Eye Cubes: A late night? A long flight? An early start? An eye cream often isn’t enough. Blitz wrinkles, dark circles and under-eye baggage with these cubes. Keep them in the freezer and rub them over tired eyes.

Anne Semonin Eye Express Radiance Eye Cubes

4. Ole Henriksen Africa Red Tea Body Cocktail Kit- I discovered Ole Henriksen earlier this year and LOVE their African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser so would highly recommend the rest of their product line. Their distinctive pure products have a refreshing quality. This cocktail kit is an at-home spa treatment: scrub, body mask and self-heating body souffle. Sounds just about edible….yummm.

Ole Henriksen Africa Red Tea Body Cocktail Kit

5. MAC lipstick in Russian Red: Nothing screams VIXEN and GLAMOUR more than murder red lips. This is THE lipstick I turn to when I want to feel my sexiest. A powerful statement lip that will never go out of fashion.

MAC lipstick in Russian Red

6. John Masters Organics Hair Reconstructor: Honey & hibiscus extracts and 14 other certified-organic extracts and plant oils bring life back to very dry or damaged hair. I use a good sized amount on my ends and leave it on for 4 minutes before rinsing clean.

John Masters Organics Hair Reconstructor

7. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex: One of the best selling products from Estee Lauder and it’s not hard to see why. This age-defying serum helps to continuously repair the appearance of past damage caused by every major environmental assault. Slather this on every day and reap the benefits.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex

Happy Monday people! xoxo