Handbags over shoes any day for me. One of my favourite handbag brands at the moment is UK based, Meli Melo. You know a Meli Melo bag when you spot one, yet they always look different and unique. For this edition of Beauty routine, Melissa shares her favourite beauty products, juice mix to her beauty black book
www.melimelo.com

– My Beauty Routine
Morning and Night I swear by Eve Lom cleansers that leave your skin glowing. I also love the Santa Maria Novella Natural Rose Water for my face. The ritual is every morning my 4 year old puts it on me and I on her. It’s totally natural so it won’t harm her delicate skin. I also use the CAILYN Cleansing Pad from victoriahealth.com, it’s a silicone brush that gently removes the dirt from your skin whilst massaging it to give a deep cleanse.



-Beauty products you swear by
For me  Chantecaille does the best foundation ever. Being Italian I have an olive skin  tone and I like to have a good colour without feeling like the foundation looks too heavy…this one I brush on in the morning and it always lasts till night. I also love Studio 10 make up; their new range of concealers help me achieve the best under eye colour and coverage to match my skin tone as you can mix the colours to make it totally unique and tailored to you. I love the STUDIO 10 GLOW pump that that it gives too; you can put it on the apple of your cheeks as well as your cheek bones to give that dewy look! When the light catches it, it really makes your face look radiant and alive.



-What’s in your make up bag 
I always carry new Terry lip glosses; they smell like roses, anything with roses makes me happy and feel feminine. The texture is gorgeous and they come in beautiful shades.



-Vitamin supplements
I take the Dr Junger’s L-Glutamine tablets daily as well as the always making sure to have more than my 5 a day. His tablets keep the lining of your stomach healthy. I have to start the day with some purple fruit to feel energised, it’s become a bit of an obsession!

-Perfect detox juice mix
I’ve always loved fresh lemon and Ginger, but it has to be fresh! I also love the Plenish Cleanse, at Liberty Beauty Hall they are my go to if I feel a cold setting in. I’ve invested in a nutribullet to make my own juices, I can’t wait to get started.



-Favourite healthy dish
I love checking out the latest independent cafes and restaurants for the latest food trends. At the moment Iddu in Chelsea is my new favourite. It’s the beautiful Sicilian inspired café attached to the exclusive South Kensington Club. The Kamut pasta and the all-white omelette with asparagus and ricotta on the menu there are amazing and totally fresh and healthy…All of the food is sourced from Italy. It couldn’t be more delicious and the interior is so chic, it’s the most instagrammable place I’ve come across for a long time, you want to capture everything from the food to the painted plates it is served on!

-Facialist/Dermatologist
I recently went to the PHI clinic which transformed my skin! I have never had a facial as good, it made my skin feel amazing and made me feel and look younger than I should! I chose the hydra facial where they suck all of the toxins out of your skin to bring the moisture back and induce a glow like no other! The next thing I’ve booked with them is the laser treatment with microdermabrasion which will get rid of the sun damage I feel I have on my skin. Growing up on the Island (Melissa grew up on the Aeolian Island of Lipari) I was such a sun worshipper throughout my teens, now I make it a routine to wear sun screen under my foundation every day regardless of the sun! Skinceuticals is my favourite.

-Fitness routine
I have just invested in the most gorgeous vintage bike that I am riding everywhere! It’s a little bit of fitness throughout my day that keeps the heart rate going.  I also love pilates and yoga for relaxing my body as well as toning and stretching it. When I’m feeling up to it I will go to a spin class, I’m loving Psycle on Mortimer Street at the moment for a real high energy workout! With a fun soundtrack

-Skin/Body treatments you love
I adore Bamford products for my bath, their range so luxurious and it realy helps me unwind after a long day! It gives you that bit of ‘you’ time and allows for a bit of mindfulness throughout the week, which I think is really important. After a bath I use elemental herbology moisturiser and the Cell Food serum for my face. Day in and day out, it leaves my skin feeling luminous and so moisturised. It’s the first time I’ve found a product that doesn’t stop working after a couple of months. I often find that after using a cream for a couple of months it stops doing what it says it should as your skin gets used to it.

-Hair Miracle
I swear by regular blow dry’s at Kel Schott in Westbourne Grove it keeps my hair silky smooth and means I can leave it without having to over wash or style it. I always wash it with tepid water so not to burn it and use a natural bristle brush from Mason Pearson. When I have the time I leave a rich coconut oil on my hair as a mask and wash off after an hour or more, the longer the better! It always saves my hair and rejuvenates its natural shine.

-Signature fragrance
Always something unique, I love checking out Liberty’s perfume hall for really individual fragrances. At the moment I am wearing diptyque DoSon which is such a beautiful fresh scent of jasmine flowers… For me it has to be light and fresh! And Distinctive!