During winter, skin can become dry, sensitive and sometimes itchy. Our face and hands suffer the most, as they are frequently exposed to cold, wind and moisture-sapping central heating, so we've asked Adrienne Harsanyi - Head Therapist at our flagship Omorovicza Spa in Budapest - to share her top winter skincare tips here...

1) Drink up!
Hydrate your skin from the inside first, by drinking more water - it helps remove toxins and keeps skin cells functioning properly. If you don't like water, try herbal tea (but make sure it's caffeine-free).

2) Gold at night
Our skin cells regenerate faster at night, when they are more receptive to moisture. After nighttime cleansing, use our Gold Flash Firming Serum, followed by Gold Rescue Cream and retinol-rich Gold Eye Lift, and wake up to beautifully soft and radiant skin in the morning.

3) Boost your metabolism
Beat sluggish skin by exfoliating your face and body once a week to remove dead skin cells, improve circulation and brighten skin. Use our Gentle Buffing Cleanser for your face, and Body Buffing Balm for your body. If you can bear it, I recommend dry body brushing too.

4) Helping hands
During winter, help beat winter bugs by washing your hands more often, and always follow with a hand cream after washing to keep skin soft and hydrated. Once a week, apply a thick layer at bedtime and put a pair of cotton gloves on. Leave overnight to work its magic!

Knowing how busy we all are and how hard it can be to search for the perfect presents - thought we would share some of our favorite gift-ideas:


• For unusual and creative children's gifts: www.uncommongoods.com
• For gorgeous slippers, ties and anything else super luxe for the fellas: Charvet is our brand of choice (can be bought at Harrods in London or Bergdorf's in NYC or you can call their store in Paris).
• Visit www.gift-library.com for just about anything - a wonderful, all purpose gift resource.
• For something personalized, try the bijou soho diary and have something engraved www.smythson.com
• An old favorite, try Mrs John L Strong 'Le Petit Calendar' for the gal that has everything (make sure to get the bamboo base as well) www.mrsstrong.com
• For Omorovicza, the best holiday gift to give is a combination of the Gold Sugar Scrub and Gold Shimmer Oil.

Enjoy! xo M




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Preparing for a night out, by academy award winning make-up artist Trefor Proud:

The first and foremost thing to remember is to keep everything low maintenance but at the same time aim for high impact. I use Omorovicza skin care products for the reason that with regular use they rejuvenate and clarify the skin.

If I am preparing a celebrity client for a night out these are the basic steps that I follow:

1) A good thorough cleansing with Omorovicza Gentle Buffing Cleanser…this brightens the skin and prepares it as a base so the makeup will apply smoothly…I let the skin dry normally and apply a light coat of the Daily Moisturiser from Omorovicza... I also take this time to put pads saoked with witch hazel onto the clients eyes…this reduces puffiness and brightens the eyes

2) Then believe it or not I start with the eye makeup. The reason I do this is that any fall-out from the eye-shadows etc are easily cleaned away without damaging the finish of the foundation…I tend to use MAC eyeshadows always as they have great colours and they are really long lasting…(Ombertto is currently my favourite). I place the shadow as close to the eyelashes as possible and then blend it away... Keeping the colour as intense as possible as close to the lashes…remember everyone is supposed to think how lovely you look…not what great makeup you have on…after that a thin line of black eyeliner...I always use black no matter what the persons colouring as I feel everyong needs that extra punch when in front of the cameras… MAC smoulder pencil is great for this…

3) Foundation…this is something that needs to be applied as carefully as possible and at the same time keeping it as sheer as possible...MAC studio sculpt is great for this as you can apply it as thick or as thin as you want….when the face looks sheer and flawless I add a small amount of vibrant cream blusher to the apples of the cheeks…remember again less is more… I will then powder the face heavily in the t zone and nine times out of ten I don’t powder the cheeks… MAC fixier powder is great for this as it is sheer and doesn’t alter the colour.

4) Eyebrows…to me the eyebrows are the most important part of the face…they frame the eyes and depending on the shape etc can change a person’s persona completely. I tend to do them first with a cream gel and then with a powder... This makes them last and last through the evening… again I use MAC products for this for their longevity and their intense colour range…

5) When it comes to lips and lip colour I am going through a phase of making the lips as dark and strong and well defined as possible...this means great impact on the red carpet…my favourite colour of the moment…MAC heartless… it is perfect for all skintones and is dramatic enough to carry some serious punch

6) I will then add a final dusting of powder and also a final polish with some powder blush…the final touch for the face but one… then I spray the face very lightly with Queen of Hungary Mist from Omorovicza… this tamps in the final powder and sets the makeup giving the skin a real glow

7) I always say to my clients… put on as much mascara as you can… this frames the eyes and again adds major punch to the face…

8) The final touch: Omorovicza Gold Shimmer Oil on arms shoulders and any available flesh… I love this stuff, it smells like heaven and makes the skin smooth and slightly sparkly

Remember always less is more… go for impact rather than thick heavy makeup… and remember keep things simple…

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