Bada$$ Workouts in the City

Whilst reading and discussing about Interbrand’s 20 Words To Remember this 2020, the topic of working out and staying fit come to float. Millenials like myself don’t seem to be content by having a nice figure, now we also need to be fit. Going to the gym is no longer cool, now it’s all about specialised studios with all the amenities possible so that you only have to bring yourself to class, the rest is covered. And what can I say, I am a total sucker for it. Expensive? Yes. Triple convenient? Yes. Fabulous? Yes, yes, yes.

In a busy city like London, you need spots that deliver you everything that you need without a fuss. Here are our top picks for a good sweat and a good attention to detail.

For Yoga lovers: Fierce Grace

OK, I must admit, I’ve never been into yoga that much. Until I discovered Fierce Grace. An alternative to the more mono-theme Bikram, this Hot Yoga class is very hot and very good. With a variety of poses depending on which class you go, you’ll feel like a renewed person after leaving class (and having a shower, cause you’ll sweeeaaaat…!).

For Low Intensity, High Results: BarreCore and Disco Barre

Barrecore is precision at its best and cleanless/ poshness at its max. Cowshed products in the changing rooms and very dedicated teaches at class. Quite pricey but definitely worth it. Just make sure you don’t forget your socks or you won’t be allowed in class, though!
Discobarre is intense but also extremely good. A bit more chilled than Barrecore, located in a hip studio in Dalston, the girls running Disco Barre are beyond professional. Playing 80s and 90s tunes, your legs, ass and core will burn like never before.

For Ass & Abs lovers: Frame

This is the perfect quicky class you could do at lunchtime or afterwork. It will burn all you ever wanted and you’ll have (somewhat) fun while at it. Very convenient that the studio has many branches across London, so you can pop up wherever it’s needed.

Welcome To The Red Room

For Military Style workouts: Barry’s

Are you a fan of non-stop sweaty workouts for an hour? Do you like somebody shouting at you whilst pumping up your muscles? Then Barry’s is your place. Originated in the US, this studio is a bit of a cult following. Low lid red lights put you in alert for the workout of a lifetime. It’s hard, but if you persist, you’ll see great results.

Dance with DAN´S

For Latin Lovers: DAN´s

London really needed somewhere like DAN´s, a place where to lose yourself into all things latin. Reggaeton, Salsa, Kizomba, both in fitness and in choreography classes. Great teachers, a fabulous juice bar and banging music. What else could you ask for?

Sublime Pastels

I thought I saw it all, but I was clearly mistaken. Little did I know when I got to Naild’it in Marylebone I would be entering a princess-like heaven…Welcome to my definition of #BarbieLife heaven.

Pamper Day

We are busy bees, don’t deny it. Embrace it.

Any boss girl living in the city knows how hard it is to find time even to chill. Between work, time with your lover and your friends, workouts and brunches, who was time to relax and unwind these days? I barely have time to put make up on! And that’s where MAC has been helping me out.

If you are out and about in London and are in need of a quick make up fix, these peeps are certainly here to help. I love an afterwork quick shopping spree at Selfridges with my partner in crime (followed by some bubbles of course), and thankfully the beauty parlour has a stand there for make-up services. Within 30-min you can be #barbieready for your night out or a professional event.

30-min services (£20) will give you a focus on one of your face areas (base, eyes, lips), and a 1h service will provide you with a full face make-over. Personally, we think the full hour is worth it’s price (£40). In addition to the make up session you get a full explanation on all the products and how to apply them, so you could splash on doing it one time and then DIY at home.

The palette they used for my natural look

For today’s make-up look, the MAC experts used AND recommended:

Primer Prep+Prime to prep your skin for all the make up its gonna get, followed by your foundation colour. For that, we used the matchmaker (I believe no.2). Once all is rounded nicely we apply the concealer.

TIP: mix a bit of your concealer with your foundation to make a more consolidated look. Also, don’t be shy to apply loads of it under your eye bags, the results are amazing!

After our skin tone is consolidated throughout, the make-up specialist applied bronze in key areas, highlighting, for example.

For my eyes/ eye shadow we used a neutral colour/ browinish, which I feel this days is very on-trend. Hyper Glow Face Palette was the bomb, but obviously they were experts doing the job. I may need more practice. As for my eye essentials (I already use these at home) - Get the Haute & Naughty Waterproof mascara and the classic Eye Kohl

To finish, a little bit of lipstick (we used two in order to get a more natural colour), a make-up fixer and off you go!

I must admit, I may be going back. It was awesome!

Photography and Video by Roz Alcazar

Sublime Pastels

I thought I saw it all, but I was clearly mistaken. Little did I know when I got to Naild’it in Marylebone I would be entering a princess-like heaven…Welcome to my definition of #BarbieLife heaven.

Nailing Art

Nailing Art

There’s nothing like a bit of pampering to make you feel better, or like a princess, even.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I am pretty bad at keeping a routine with my beauty lifestyle (I tend to forget!). However, if there is something I love doing is NAILS!

Whether that is a night in at home watching SATC while choosing between the gazillion of colours I’ve got in store or a visit to my local beauty salon, either way, I love it. And as I love colours, I also kickass nails, so I thought I’d share with you my fave London spots for it!

ACROSS LONDON

London Grace: This was one of the first nail bars to provide “a beauty experience” rather than just removing & adding nail polish and off you go. If you book a spot at London Grace, Nails, coffee and cocktails you’ll get! The chain provides offers for party bookings and has a great selection of beauticians doing a marvelous job. They do regular mani pedi and also shellac, but no nail art!

CENTRAL LONDON

WAH London: A lot of women power going on at this Soho beauty bar! They claim to have brought the nail art scene to London and I don’t blame them. They do amazing stuff. A little bit on the pricer side (more than the Chinatown options below) but worth the price for a little treat!

Le Nail Salon: Located in the heart of Chinatown (19, Gerrard St), this underground venue provides both great nail art as well as regular mani pedi (with or without gel). For being in Chinatown it is rather on the pricier side (~£40 for a gel mani) but it is open everyday of the week from 10.30 to 8.30pm, you can’t beat it!

Rosy Beauty Salon: Currently located in opposite of W hotel; however a bit difficult to find on your own! You may need to contact them through their whatsapp phone number to book or to exactly locate their venue but these beauticians are kicking ass with their nail art, and at a very decent price.

FITZROVIA

Coco Rachel Nails & Coffee: Pretty self explanatory! The owner loves attention to detail, which we particularly loved, and everybody here is very friendly. Location is also hard to beat, only “drawback” as such is they don’t do much of nail art, if that’s what you are after! Regular and gel mani & pedis are fabby! And the whole venue is super instagram-worthy ;)

SHOREDITCH

Girls Nail Den: Another instagram-worthy nail salon, this time in the eart of East London. Everything is pink, girls!! They also offer other services such as waxing and tanning.

DALSTON/ STOKE NEWINGTON

Sheer Bliss: This is definitely my staple in London. You may be put off from its looks on the outside but this beauty emporium couldn’t be any better. The cleanest place I’ve ever been and service is top notch for a very affordable price. Don’t miss it! They also have waxing, hairdressers, tanning and massage!

Elysium Nail & Beauty: as I am moving to Stokey, I thought it was about time to find a new beauty salon to call home. I think I found it! Elysium is once again extra clean and their service is as good as Sheer Bliss, if not better. They do outstanding nail art for only an extra fiver. BANG!

Of course, these are only a few options, but really, a seriously good few.

Now go #treatyourself!

TCB xx

EveryDay Essentials

Ok, maybe I am being a bit of a hypocrite saying I can't spend hundred quid on make up and then mention my favourite concealer and make-up base are Chanel. I GET IT! I am a spoiled brat. It is also true that my everyday beauty fix range varies a lot in terms of cost. I may wear Chanel for some bits, but also Tony Moly for other, which is inexpensive. 

Now cutting to the chase. I've you've watched my #barbielife youtube video (where even my voice is annoying) and have seen something you liked, have a look at what's below, as I've listed the details of most of the products I talked about, plus others that are truly core in my day to day life and may have forgotten mentioning.

Stay lush babies!

Sexy Look

With very little details.

Tony Moly Panda Eye So Cool EyeStick to get rid of my ever existing eye bags as well as some Chanel Long Lasting Concealer No. 20 to cover them, if it's been a long night

For better results, always use the YSL Foundation brush // Literally changed my life

Also, MAC's Extreme Dimension Mascara and Marc Jacobs Eyeliner will make your eyes FIERCE

Baby Face

Like No Other.

Chanel Vitalumiere No. 40 Foundation to get rid of all the little imperfections

Guerlain Terracotta Bronze No.3 to get the natural tan you were looking for

Sealed Lips.

YSL for creamy kisses and Tom Ford for matte and dry ones

Lancome L'Absolu Rouge Cafe Parisien for everyday desires and NARS for rebellious nights

Nailed It.

And you can, too, if you get Rimmel Super Gel Kate New Romantic or Rock And Sparkle {don't forget to get your Top Coat with it to get that Shellac look we all want!}

Use Nail Polish Remover Pads for a fuzz-free removal

Lush Life

Hello Barbies!

How are you feeling today? Cause I am certainly feeling fresh as I write this, and so is Sarah, the pretty blondie sitting next to me. We just visited the new flagship of Duck & Dry in the West End and we are feeling like princesses!

It is Thursday night, we just finished work, and really needed an up-do before heading to a gallery opening in Soho. So we thought, why not try this out? I am so glad we did. This was #TREATYOSELF paradise, in capital letters.

First of all, the customer service could not have been better. We had the beauty salon for ourselves and were greeted with a refreshing bottle of prosecco, which after such a tough week, was much needed.

Secondly, we had great hair advise on what to get done for the night, depending on our style, and their products worked fabulously for what we wanted. Finally, their quality-price is excellent.

Having said that, the venue itself is fabulous and immaculate. We were sat on the beautifully egg-shaped mirrors and while gossiping about what happened during the week with Sarah, we got our hair sorted.

Final touch? An insta-corner with a swing where to take a picture of your pretty results. I mean, do you need anything else?

If I were you, I’d book myself in for a session, cause what’s best than having a relaxing time after a shopping day in Oxford St?

TCB xx

Red Lips For Days

Tease the season ladies. It is Christmas now, but ANY occasion should be good to wear a vibrant lipstick.

I am particularly into dark colors lately, but a good selection of passion red in your beauty box is always a must; hence the following list providing you with some of my favourites lip picks! After all, it is always shopping time, right...

Now, I could give you lots of different options, but at the end of the day there are only certain sticks that I use on my everyday life, so I would probably start there!

GLOSSY LIPS

If creamy lipsticks are your thing, then Dior or Charlotte Tilbury are probably your kinda lipstick. They tend to stick with you for a long period of time, though be prepared to leave a mark on everything you touch (or kiss ;))

Favourite color palette would be Rebellious for Dior and Bombshell for CT. The latter does an amazing kit at the moment which includes a lip pencil (perfect for providing a bigger effect on your lips) and a lipgloss to finish with even a more shiny touch. 

MATTE LIPS

Tom Ford Velvet Cherry is definitely my all time goer 

If you are more into something ever-lasting and less of a mess, then I would definitely suggest you getting a Tom Ford lipstick. They feel very luxurious and they are really good quality:price. 

Also, I haven't tried it but apparently the new collection by Dior, Diorific, is meant to be pretty damn good

EVERYDAY LIFE

If you are one of those girls who do not care about wearing red any time of the day, then you should go for something comfortable. For that reason, I think in this occasion Lancôme is your best pick. My fave is Indecise from L'absolu Rouge collection.

 

THE DARK SIDE

I must admit, Nars is my all time favorite when it comes to this color sticks. It is always the right color on me and no matter what I drink or eat, the color stays with me. 

I am particularly into the Liv tone lately, but the variety here is vast, so make sure you browse around! 

But be careful, once you trespass to the dark side, is difficult to come back to safety...

TCB xx

Hello Sexy

The peeps from Estée Lauder were so kind to let us try their #HelloSexy GlamGlow mud masks on their re-vamp in the UK and here is what we thought of it!

Lots of bubbles, great company and new beauty products to try. My evening started pretty well!

I am not particularly a face mask person, I must admit. They usually take a lot of commitment, you have to remember to apply them every other day (if not daily) and wait for months until you see the results. DUH!

Glamglow masks? NAY. These are masks for instant results, which was what really attracted me at first glance. I mean, party ready and fully flawless? Who wouldn't want that.

Then, we got to actually try them. And I must say I was impressed! Applied for 10-15min and I already felt a bit different. I must say that if you have a sensitive skin though you need to be aware that these are 'chemical-peel' kind of masks, and therefore your face may burn a bit at first, but do not freak! Is just part of the process and will definitely make you feel like a barbie-doll afterwards.

Now, GlamGlow has a huge variety of mud masks, each one of them with a different objective. I am not going to bore you with all the details, just what got stuck in my heath and thought would be useful if you are thinking on trying one:

GlamGlow SuperMud (White) - Quick Fix Rescue

GlamGlow YouthMud (Black) - Pre-selfie

GlamGlow ThirstyMud (Blue) - Heart Pounding Hydration

GlamGlow GravityMud (Purple) -
Pre-make up contouring (plus you'll feel like in space with this on!)

GlamGlow FlasMud (Orange) - After flights

GlamGlow PowerMud (Green) - Power Detox

Now the question is which one should you go for if you had to choose only 1-2...TOUGH! Their White & Black muds are a classic, a must for exfoliating all that dirtiness from the urban city we leave in. But every exfoliation requires a good moisturizer and therefore I would also choose ThirstyMud. There, you have it!

Nevertheless, whatever your pick is, these peel-off face masks will make you feel powerful, gorgeous and SEXY, so don't miss out on them.

TCB xx

Photography By Rosalind Alcazar