If you’d asked me who would be the biggest beauty junkie out of my friends, I would say: definitely Julia Jung. She used to be my boss at the beauty department at Cosmopolitan, she is the brain behind many stories you are reading in Instyle and co. and she is simply 100% a beauty girl. I think these are enough reasons for an “All Eyes On” feature.
Hi Beauties,
my name is Julia, 33 years old
and a beauty addict through and through.
I have been dealing with a lot of beautiful things for 13 years now – it all started during my time at uni when I was working as a shop assistant for Chanel at a Douglas dug store (yep, I was one of those girls who would try to stop you to buy the latest perfume). Very quickly it became obvious that I felt quite at home among all these vials, jars and tiny boxes. And so I began to work at the beauty editorial of Cosmopolitan over 10 years ago. After a shot excursion into marketing and PR at of Clinique (I did study BWL at some point…) I was the Beauty-Director at Cosmopolitan until two years ago. And I can say nothing else but: I had an awesome time.
Today I am a freelancer, writing for several magazines and working as a consultant for cosmetic firms. Why is this my absolute dream job? Because I can travel as much as I like, as long as I am online it is completely irrelevant whether I am in Munich, Paris or L.A. … and of course, I am still dealing with the coolest products, the most beautiful colours and most exciting textures. What am I using? That’s what I am about to tell you here.
Normally my skin is deeply relaxed but that’s certainly because I am not plastering it with new stuff all the time.
I love testing new creams, seren & co., but I am very careful with my selection. In the morning I cleanse my face with my all-time favourite “Sensibio H2O” by Bioderma (about 14 €). Then, depending on the previous night…, I decide which eye cream I am using: if I look tired, I use the “Eye Sorbet Mask” by Darphin (about 24 €) – it is THE thing. It feels great and I look much more awake straight away. On other days I use “Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Protector SPF 30” by Kiehl (about 35 € – I love this brand ever since I had the best skin analysis at their flag store in 2011). This eye cream is slightly tinted and has a high SPF which is the top combination in my opinion against dark circles and wrinkles. For my face I swear on the French classic “Embryolisse” (about 25 €– in France it is available at any chemist for about 10 €). My skin loves it and it makes me think of Paris every morning. By the way, my absolute favourite is Clinique’s “Take-the-Day-Off” eye make-up remover (about 20 €). I always have this in stock. It’s the best thing for me: it doesn’t burn and easily removes even waterproof make-up. Before I go to bed I go for very active ingredients: “Flawless Future Night Cream” from Elisabeth Arden (about 52 €) is pampering my eyes and “Metacell Renewal B3” by SkinCeuticals (about 100 €) nourishes my face overnight.
Next to my daily routine there are a couple of more products which I don’t want to miss anymore but which I am only using infrequently. Among them is “Liquid Gold” by Alpha H (about 40 €), a glycolic acid solution which you apply in the evening to raise in the morning with a fresh glow – my personal hit before important appointments. The “Glycolic Peel Mask” by Caudalie (about 19 €) falls into the same category. It has a similar effect but you wash it off after it’s been applied – loving it when I am having a bath and a little more time. During the weekend (and generally on all hangover-days) “Scrub & Mask” by Filorga (about 39 €) is obligatory. Every time when you use it the peeling turns into a mask providing your skin with oxygen. Even when I don’t get up from my couch, my complexion looks like after a long walk outside in fresh air. When my skin is very dry (especially after flights) I am glad for the “Boosting Mask” by Doctor Dove (about 80 €). Intensive moisture, intensive care, intensive wellbeing – I like a lot. And then there is my skincare-buddy who is always there for me every time I hit rock bottom: the classic “Crème de La Mer” (about 150 €) comes into action when I am not feeling great and it is therefore my personal beauty-psychiatrist. An investment that pays off – you only need a little bit and it takes you a long way.
I dedicate a whole paragraph to sun protection because it is very important to me. When friends ask me” what you really need for the skin and what you can really do against wrinkles” I always reply: moisture and sunlight protection. My absolute dream couple for beauty 365 days a year. A great dermatologist told me one day:
When you don’t need a torch
you need sun protection.
Meaning: whenever there is light outside, no matter whether in summer of in winter, in Munich or California. And of course, I love an Ibiza tan but I prefer a healthy skin with less wrinkles. My actual favourites are the following: “Cicabio 50+” by Bioderma (ca. 12 €) because it protects highly stressed skin. “Ultra Light Daily UV Defense” by Kiehls (about 30 €) because it is great underlying make-up. And “Anti-Aging Sun Protection” by Ultrasun (about 19 €) because it protects and nourishes my face.
For a top foundation I have three favourites (they all have a SPF 30) – depending on the occasion. The “Forever” foundation by Dior (about 49 €) lets my complexion look harmonious whether it’s day or night (and it smells delicious …). On days when I barely leave the home office and only to walk to the supermarket, I love the “Enlighten EE Cream” by Estée Lauder (about 38 €) because it combines intensive care with a bit of colour. Very light and therefore perfect for the gym or warmer temperatures is “Complexion Rescue” by Bare Minerals (about 30 €): this ultra-light tinted cream you barely notice and it gives you a fresher look in an instant.
Since I tend to dark eye circles I do sometimes need a concealer. I have probably tested all brands in the beauty-universe just stay forever faithful to my superhero: the “Line Smoothing Concealer” by Clinique (about 17 €). Top texture, top coverage, top hold.
After the prime coating, I have a massive arsenal of bronzers, highlighters and others in my bathroom which come into play. My favourite is the “Diorskin Nude Air Sun Powder” by Dior (about 50 €) – because it is so soft that you can actually create a bit of sunshine on your face without looking made up. At the Nars store in San Francisco last summer I bought the “Dual-Intensity” in the shade “Craving” (about 39 €). A cool duo of bronzer and highlighter. There I also found the “The Multiple” stick from “G-Spot” (about 36 €) which I think is a really cool product because it is all in one: a blush, a lipstick, eye shadow and highlight. I also got the “Illuminator” in “Orgasm” (about 30 €), a tinted gel which I love to apply on the cheeks in the evenings before going out. I only look really fresh if I put on “Illuminating Bronzer Powder” in “Antigua” by Bobbi Brown (ca. 38 €) and apply a highlighter to my cheeks, under the brows, inside the orbits and over the lip gap – for this strongly recommend “Whatt’s up!” by Benefit (ca. 35 €). This is a total new discovery but went straight up into my Olympus of beauty: the “Rose Golden Blush Palette” by Zoeva (ca. 15 €) because it combines everything I like: a matte bronzer, a shiny highlighter and a fresh blush.
Here it is important to me that eyelids and co. won’t stick in the eye fold an hour after the application. That’s why I use daily the “Aqua Seal” by Make Up For Ever (ca. 20 €) – a transparent, liquid base which renders every eyeshadows waterproof (even if you don’t remove it you still look freshly made up in the morning, no joke!). In terms of eyeshadow colour I am fairly relaxed:
My technique is ALWAYs the same,
I ONLY wear shimmering textures and the colours vary SLIGHTLY!
That means: I begin with a light cool nude at the inside of the orbit and fill the outer third with another, darker colour. My everyday-favourite is the new “Nacre-Ecru Eye Colour Palette” by Other Stories (ca. 15 €). If I am on the road for a whole weekend, I take “Naked2 Palette” by Urban Decay (ca. 30 €) because it also has darker tones for the evenings. The only colours I wear next to nude and grey are rose and violet-tones. Fantastic is “Ombre Iridescente Nr 5” by Clarins (ca. 25 €) and it gets a little more intense with “Luster Eye Colour” in African Violet by Laura Mercier (ca. 28 € – has a changing effect) and “Dual Intensity Eyeshadow” in Phoebe by Nars (ca. 30 € and great for purple smokey eyes!).
Whatever eyeshadow I use, my make-up never lacks a black eyeliner. Recently I like the best “Crayon Khol” by Clarins (ca. 18€). At least just as important to me is black mascara. Thanks to the lash-grow-serum “M2 Lashes” (ca. 127 €) my lashes are quite long now (it really works!). Together with “They’re Real” by Benefit (ca. 27 €) I can bring them into the perfect form.
With the lips I am uncomplicated. Which means: I am either wearing transparent lip-balm (I love these adorable balls from eos! (ca. 6 €) or a lipstick in red, rose or pink. My favourite is from MAC, with the finish “Amplified” (ca. 27 €). Its texture is super-creamy and lasts long enough so you don’t have to run to the mirror every two seconds. My favourite colours (from left to right) are: “Chatterbox”, a soft rose pink and great for every day. “Lustering”, some little more intensive rose, “Girls About Town”, a flashing pink, “Impassioned”, a bright neon-red and the classic one “Ruby Woo” – a deep red (but with a matte finish).
Ok, I’ll admit it:
I don’t have a hair plan.
I don’t particularly like my hair, most of the time I wear it meshed into in a top bun. What’s my problem? No idea… I think they are too thin, too rough and I am too lazy, too, to blow them up every day. But what I always do is to wash them with my favourite shampoo: I love the scent of Aveda and for years no hairdresser has told me my hair is broken. But that’s certainly also due to the totally indulgent colour which Rosa from the PONYCLUB in Munich uses to conjure sensational highlights in a perfect dark-blonde. My latest discovery is Olaplex (that’s this professional treatment for hair after extreme colour changes) because with it my hair definitely look fuller and have a stronger longer hold when I style them myself. For that case I have my own daytime team: the heat protector is “Brilliant Damage Control” (about 22 €) before blow drying. The “Thickening Tonic” (ca. 20 €) to make the lengths look fuller and the “Voluminizing Tonic” (ca. 11 €) to push the flat hair lines. I am styling it by the way only with the “Eclipse Styler” by GHD (ca. 245 €) – it takes only ten minutes and I am done. My favourite hairspray is “Elnett”, the classic from L’Oréal Paris ( ca. 2 €). And even when I hair my hair down, I never leave the house without a hairband (Invisibobble, ca. 14€ ). With it I reduce the risk of ugly waves and I raise the chance they will still look great after wearing them in a bun for hours!
I LOVE taking a bath! In the morning, during the day, in the evening, on weekdays, on the weekend – never mind. It is my quality-time, add a book, my favourite Spotify-playlist (“Acoustic Covers”!!!) and I don’t need a Spa anymore. The bath products from Tetesept are sensational: no matter what’s on the cover, I am a marketing victim and “Recreation&Regeneration” will just as well end up in my shopping basket as “Deep Relaxation”. After bathing I take time for lotion. A totally delicious smell has “Body Cream English Pear & Fresia” by Jo Malone (ca. 65 €). Under the shower I like fresh smells – “Douche Bienfaits” by Roger & Gallet (ca. 10 €) smells of bergamot and tangerine, “Japanese Orange” from Molton Brown (ca. 32 €) smells of orange and fresh herbs. Every second day I do a peeling. The “Morroccan Tea Body Scrub” by & Other Stories (ca. 9 €) refreshes the skin with cooling mint, “1000 Frain Body Exfoliator” by Decléor (ca. 24 €) is very effective and smells of grapefruit. After the peeling I like to treat my skin with oils: “Omnia Indian Garnet Beauty Oil” by Bulgari (ca. 43€) nourishes and smells deliciously fresh all day long. My must-have for extra-smooth skin (bye-bye cellulite!) is from Caudalie: “Concentre Minceur” (ca. 27 €). It’s a dry oil with which to massage the (sorry… cough…) problem zones. And not only does it smell deliciously, it also really works!
I love scents that are so subtle that they won’t take over the whole room as soon as you enter. Therefore it is no wonder that my favourite aromas are rather fresh. At the very top are therefore the British cult-perfumes from o Malone. I get the most compliments for “Mimosa & Cardamon” (ca. 50 €), a light, floral scent which smells to me like fresh laundry and which accompanies me every day. I similarly like “French Lime Blossom” (ca. 50 €) which smell of a delicious soap and fresh air in South Italy. A little harsher is “Assam & Grapefruit” (ca. 50 €) that smells of a tea-time with black tea and lemon sorbet. “Florabellio” by Diptyque (ca. 90 €) has a similar touch. It is not only a real stunner in my bathroom with its beautiful flacon, it also sweet (apple-blossom & osmanthus) and herby aromas (sea fennel & coffee) and is not only my partner in crime for important meetings – because when you have to make deals a too feminine scent can very easily make you appear unprofessional. Totally different is my choice of scents for my nightlife. Here it may well be a little girly: “Love Chloé” (about 89 €) smells both floral and powdery without being sweet. And last but not least I tell you my favourite Gym-fragrance: with “L’Eau” by Biotherm (ca. 30 €) I feel fresh even after the 4th round of squats (and still motivated! And still fit!).
Thank you, Julia, for your beauty-secrets (#shoppingbasketisfull)!
Credit: Julia Jung