Clara Ventura
Clara Ventura covers beauty, skincare and the slightly unhinged joy of finding a good top for under €15. Her picks are tested the way a best friend tests them — on a normal day, on normal skin, with a normal budget — and written up without the marketing gloss. This is an AI-assisted author profile; our editors review all content.
Articles by Clara Ventura
One Wine-Red Accessory: The Simplest Way to Make Autumn Tailoring Look Deliberate
A grey suit, a navy blazer, black trousers — all fine, all slightly flat by October. One deep burgundy piece changes the whole register, and it doesn't have to be expensive.
Is Hard Water Behind Your Dull Hair and Tight Skin? How to Tell, and What Actually Helps
You changed your shampoo, you changed your moisturiser, and nothing improved. Sometimes the variable isn't the product — it's what comes out of the tap. Here's how to recognise hard water and work around it.
Brown Suede Jacket Season: How to Wear It So It Looks Like Yours
Suede is everywhere again this October, from high-street rails to front rows. Here is how to buy one that suits your actual life — and three outfits that keep it looking modern rather than costumed.
What to Say at the Salon So You Leave With the Haircut You Pictured
Most disappointing haircuts are not bad haircuts — they are mistranslations. Here is how to describe what you want in language a stylist can actually work with.
How to Organise a Wardrobe You Can Actually Get Dressed From
A tidy wardrobe and a useful wardrobe are not the same thing. Here's how to reorganise yours around the way you really dress — so the mornings get easier, not just prettier.
How to Clean Suede Shoes at Home — and Rescue the Ones You Thought Were Ruined
Suede boots and loafers look expensive right up until the first rainy walk home. Here is how to lift marks, revive flattened nap and protect the pairs you want to keep for years.
The Bomber Jacket Grows Up: How to Wear the Shape Without Looking Like You Borrowed It
The bomber is everywhere again this autumn, and it is no longer a teenage shape. Here is how to pick a version that flatters, and four ways to style it so it reads polished rather than casual.
When Your Makeup Stops Sitting Right: The One Step to Change First
Same foundation, same brush, same hand — and yet by midday it looks patchy, powdery or simply not like you. The fix almost never starts with a new product.
Flat Boots and Straight-Leg Jeans: The Autumn Pairing That Beats a Heel
Straight-leg jeans don't need a heel to look long and deliberate — they need the right hem, the right boot shaft and one continuous colour line. Here's how to get it right.
Cashmere That Lasts More Than One Winter: What to Check Before You Buy, and How to Wash It
Every autumn the knitwear arrives and every spring half of it is bobbled, stretched and sulking in a drawer. A practical guide to choosing better cashmere at any price and looking after it properly.
Autumn's Quiet Colour Pairing: Rust and Grey, and Why It Works on Everyone
Every autumn the same warm shades come round, and most of us pair them with black by default. Rust with grey is the combination doing the heavy lifting this season — and it is far more forgiving than it sounds.
The Nail Shape Doing the Most for Short Nails This Autumn
You do not need length, extensions or nail art to make your hands look pulled together. Most of the time it comes down to the shape you file — and one shape is quietly flattering on almost everyone.
Teaching Your Skin to Repair Itself: The Autumn Barrier Routine That Isn't Just More Cream
Barrier care has moved on from slathering on the richest cream you can find. The smarter autumn approach is about what you take away, what you give back, and how long you leave your skin alone to do its own work.
How to Clean Birkenstocks Before You Put Them Away for Winter
Darkened footbeds, dusty cork, straps gone shiny at the buckle — the end of sandal season is the right moment to fix all of it. Here's the method that doesn't wreck the glue.
Buying Pre-Loved Designer: The Checks I Run Before I Hand Over Any Money
Second-hand designer is the best-value corner of fashion — and the easiest place to be quietly disappointed. Here is the unglamorous inspection routine that keeps me from buying someone else's mistake.
How to Organise a Closet So You Actually Wear What's In It
A full wardrobe and nothing to wear is rarely a shopping problem — it's a layout problem. Here's how to rearrange your clothes so the good ones stop hiding.
How to Clean Suede Shoes at Home — and Rescue the Ones You Gave Up On
Suede boots, loafers and bags don't need a professional every time they get wet or scuffed. Here's the gentle method that brings the nap back, plus the mistakes that ruin suede for good.
Why Your Autumn Perfume Disappears by Lunchtime — and How to Make It Stay
Cooler air changes how fragrance behaves on skin, and it isn't your nose playing tricks. Here's what actually extends wear, and which habits quietly shorten it.
Chocolate Brown Is Doing the Job Black Used to Do This Autumn
Deep brown is everywhere in the shops right now, from leather trenches to skinny jeans. Here is how to wear it so it looks intentional rather than like a black outfit that went wrong in the wash.
White Jeans in Autumn: How to Wear Them So They Look Deliberate
Packing white denim away in September is a habit, not a rule. Worn with the right textures and colours, a pale jean is one of the sharpest things in an autumn wardrobe.
The Waxed Jacket, Worn Like It's Actually Yours
Autumn has brought the waxed jacket back into every shop window. Here is how to buy one that fits your real life, three ways to style it beyond dog walks, and the care it genuinely needs.
When Dull Skin Doesn't Need More Actives — It Needs Water and Time
If your skin looks tired despite a shelf of acids, retinol and vitamin C, the problem may be that it's simply thirsty and slightly overworked. Here's the two-week reset that brings the light back.
Greying Hair: What Genuinely Helps, and What No Serum Can Promise
The beauty aisle is full of products aimed at greys. Here is what is actually going on with your hair, and the care that makes silver look deliberate rather than tired.
Taking Your Colour Deeper for Autumn — Without Ending Up Flat and Matte
Every September the same instinct arrives: go richer, go warmer, go darker. Here is how to do it so your hair looks like expensive velvet rather than a block of colour.