'My name is Luciana Caramia [@luciana _elle] and I'm the online beauty editor for Elle Italia. I'm also mother to a beautiful 3-year-old girl named Arianna, with another baby on the way in March! I was born in Apulia, in the south of Italy, between fields of olive trees and beautiful little towns. But for the last five years, I've lived in Milan, which I love, especially during Fashion Week! My work often takes me away from home, for travel or appointments, so I dedicate all my free time to my family and especially to my Arianna. Together we enjoy going to the park, little parties with other moms and daughters, and going to cooking classes for children. We're all just waiting on this little brother!
I love my job because I love the world of cosmetics—I started my career writing about travel wellness and spas, and it's taken off from there. Now I get to write about the entire beauty world. I'm especially fond of fragrances—my beauty 'madeleine' is the scent of Apulian citrus, fields of flowers, the saltiness of the sea, all from my childhood. I enjoyed picking flowers, to mix with water and create magical potions. Then, when I was about 15, I started playing with makeup. I remember that I would get up hours early just to go to school with impeccable eyeliner and a perfect bouffant every day. It was terrific. I didn't start devoting much time to skincare until I moved to Milan. Living in a city with so much smog makes a cleansing ritual more important.
People always ask me what are the best products and I'm convinced that there isn't an ideal cream, or anything like that—there's only what's right for your skin at any given point in your life. I used to test more new products, but right now, I clean my skin with Clarisonic system and a gentle cleanser. Then I apply One Essential Serum by Dior, La Mer Regenerating Serum, and Estée Lauder's Enlighten Cream. At night, I prefer another serum—I love layering—so I'll use Estée Lauder Dark Spot Correcting Night Serum and finally, La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask because my skin is very dry and with this, I don't wake up the next morning with the signs of the pillow on my face. My essential for the body is Bio Oil, which I apply after the shower to avoid stretch marks.
For makeup, I adore primer so I apply Le Blanc de Chanel first no matter what and it makes everything else last through appointments and evenings out. I prefer Dior foundation—at the moment, I think that Dioskin Star is fantastic—but MAC Foundation and Powder are also great. For the eyes, I use Naked Palette from Urban Decay but also Eye & Brow Maestro from Giorgio Armani with YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils. I prefer nude shades or gloss on my lips, like Walk of Shame Ultra Nourishing Gloss or Rouge Coco Shine in Boy. But for a special night, I love a red lipstick like Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Pandore. And finally, nails! Lately, I can not do without a Shellac manicure—it's the only way to have perfect hands for a long time even with my lifestyle.
I get a lot of questions about my hair, actually. I love Kérastase for haircare—I use Elixir Ultime Huile and the magic Spray à Porter before drying. To create my waves, I don't use an iron...I just twist with my hands when it's wet and let them dry on their own. I never go to sleep with perfectly dry hair, either—so the next morning I just shake them and they are perfect!”
–as told to ITG
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