Today's #ForteFemale is the beauty enthusiast, Vanessa Caputo. She was a management engineer and fashion journalist, before becoming a beauty journalist. Vanessa discovers, tries, and selects new independent beauty brands for retailers and international beauty exhibitions. Vanessa has recently also launched her new podcast Ti Racconto Un Profumo, where she discusses the relationship between perfumes and evoking memories.
What is the place you would travel to now, if you could?
I love nature trips; if I could I would like to go to Antarctica but also the Falkland Islands.
What's the first restaurant you're going to go to after the quarantine?
Trattoria Nicoletta in Valsesia, Piedmont. It's more than a restaurant, it's a trattoria which feels like eating at my grandmother's house. It's mostly visited by locals and fishermen. The dishes are those of the Piamontese tradition and the menu changes daily according to what they have available. The atmosphere is very intimate and relaxing, everyone gets to know each other.
What are your favourite beauty places or spa treatments?
I love both saunas and Turkish baths. My favourite beauty and spa places have got to be the Bagni Vecchi in Bormio and the Terme di Merano.
What are you doing/using to stay physically active and mentally well at the moment?
I've never been super keen on sports, so as far as the body is concerned I haven't been doing much, but I do love going on long walks. Also, due to my husband's brilliant cooking skills, I have gained weight! Mentally I'm taking advantage of the lockdown to do many interviews for my site and for my new Ti Racconto Un Profumo podcast. I also spend most of my free time either reading or outside in my new vegetable garden, which is giving me a lot of satisfaction.
What helps you get to sleep if you are wired but tired?
The first month of lockdown was a nightmare! I just couldn't fall asleep and I'd wake up constantly with hot flushes and joint pains due to menopause. I've started some hormone therapy which has made me fall asleep faster and has made me sleep through the night.
What is your skincare regime during the lock-down (morning and evening)?
My skincare routine has remained the same and thanks to the constant care I have reached my 50's with only a few wrinkles! In the morning, I apply hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C and niacinamide, followed by a light day cream. In the evening, I double cleanse with a cleansing oil and foam cleanser. After that, I'll use a toner followed by a lifting serum, retinol and a rich night cream with an added few drops of oil. I also take a lot of time for eye care. I apply hyaluronic acid and then the specific cream. Then, for the neck, I cleanse and apply some hyaluronic acid followed by a nourishing butter cream.
Do you have one evening or more a week where you spend time masking/pampering? What do you do?
I love applying face masks and cellulite oil. My favourite evenings are the ones where I shut myself in the bathroom and test different face masks; I do this about three to four times a week. At the moment my favourite is the Irene Forte Pistachio Face Mask. When you use it, it's like wearing a haute couture dress, and the others look like fast fashion garments!
What is the best beauty/skin advice you've ever been given?
My grandmother always told me that the neck must be treated like the face, otherwise, you can immediately see your age. My grandfather also always told me as a child, that when you wash your face the towel should never be used from the bottom up, but from the face down.
What's your favourite:
Book:
It's impossible to choose... I'm a real bookworm - my favourites are The Clever Guts Diet by Michael Mosley and The Grass Harp by Truman Capote
Documentary:
The National Geographic ones - when I was a girl I dreamed of becoming an ethologist or a National Geographic photographer
Podcast:
Fat Mascara with Jessica Matlin and Jennifer Goldstein and my podcast Ti Racconto Un Profumo
Skincare product:
Oils, in general, which you can use for the face and also the hair. But I love the Irene Forte Pistachio Face Mask... it's like a drug
