Anastasia Brow Whizz

In a world where you can now be over-whelmed by brow products its hard to know what format to choose let alone what colour. Powder? Pencil? Pen? Gel? in the last year brow products seem to have exploded onto the market. Not only is this confusing for the individual but as a makeup artist I could have an entire bag just filled with brow products, most of which I would never really need. I know that as long as I've got some good tweezers, some matt shadows and an angle brush I should be able to deal with any brow disaster that comes my way but recently there has been one thing in my kit which seems to work on everyone and has made my life a hundred times easier - Anastasia Brow Whizz in Medium Ash.

Now, this isn't the only thing I take with me when I go to work. I have a personalised quad of matt shadows from MAC (including wedge and omega) and an HD Brows palette as well as the fabulous Illamasqua Brow and Lash gel which holds everything in place but as I've mostly being doing bridal makeup recently (much more pregnancy friendly) the brow whizz has been the only thing I've need and the Medium Ash colour is so versatile, buildable for darker hair colours and blendable for paler skin tones. The brush on the end is perfect for making brows look more natural - no bride wants to come down the aisle looking like The Count from Sesame Street - that it makes the rather steep £15.50 price tag worth it.

Now I'm not suggesting you run out and buy this colour - choose the one that is right for you, but these pencils are definitely worth trying out if you struggle with your brow shape, have over-plucked and need them filling out a little or just want a bit more definition. I don't think I would be without this now.
 
What You Need to Know - Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Whizz

• £15.50 
• 10 colours available
• Available in the UK from Cult Beauty,

Alex Box - Friday Video

I wasn't going to do one today... but I could watch this woman all day so I think it's definitely worthy of being the Friday video

MAC Matchmaster Foundations

MAC Matchmaster - 1.5, 4.0 and 9.0

I started using these on the recommendation of the lovely Stacey. I needed good products that would mix together well and work on most skin types - I had weddings coming up and a couple of photo shoots where I would need to be able to make-up different skin tones and have a medium coverage - good enough for photo shoots but not too thick for bridal.

The great thing about most MAC foundations (and a lot of other brands too) is they mix together well meaning you can get two or three colours and then mix them to match the skin tone you are working on therefore not breaking the bank and meaning you don't have something sitting in your kit that you've used once for one person and have never needed again. I got 1.5 (by mistake I meant to get 1.0 but so far so good) 4.0 and 9.0 and have yet to find a skin tone that I haven't been able to match. It also photographs well despite its SPF15.

The reason it is called Matchmaster is that it uses translucent pigments to match your skins undertone giving a demi-matte, line reducing finish and medium bendable coverage. Now I'm not sure if all that about translucent pigments is true but so far it has blended really well with all the skin tones I've tried it on which is impressive but I don't love the finish.

The colour blend is impressive but for me this is no competition for MAC's Face & Body.

What You Need to Know - MAC Matchmaster Foundation

• £28 or US$35
• 12 shades
• Matching concealers available
• Available in the UK from Debenhams and MAC
• Available in the US from MAC

Origins Make a Difference +

Although I like to rotate my moisturisers depending on what I'm trying out, what time of year it is and what my skin is doing, Origins Make a Difference Cream is one of my top 3 favourite moisturisers of all time. It was the first 'grown up' moisturiser I tried having seen an interview where Kylie Minogue raved about it and have been using it on and off ever since. Now Origins have released the Make a Difference + range - Make a Difference + rejuvenating moisturiser (normal skin), Ultra-rich cream (for dry skin) and rejuvenating treatment (for oily skin) something for every skin type. After just one application of Make a Difference + your skins moisture levels are clinically proven to surge 75%, it retains continuous moisture levels for 24 hours and it shows a clinical improvement in visible
radiance (not sure what that last one means really).

I've been trying out the Ultra-Rich Rejuvenating Cream (for dry to very dry skin) every morning for the last week and my skin does look better and I can still feel it working when I remove my makeup at the end of the day. I have to say that I think in terms of amount this cream is really good value - you don't need to use much and you get a really full pot that will last you some time. It also smells fantastic, not quite as good as the original Make a Difference cream but really lovely which is a great way to start the day. This is perfect for my skin at this time of year which almost seems more dry when the weather is changing from summer to autumn than in the proper cold of winter. I think it would also be a great night cream for those who like something really rich - it's thick but non-greasy so it works into the skin properly - although there is a Make a Difference Night cream available.

Halloween Green Eye Make-up - Friday Video

I always seem to be buying green eye makeup and then never wearing it because it's often a bit full on for me everyday. This year for Halloween, however, I will be wearing a bright green smokey eye instead of a proper costume... no one wants to arrive at the labour ward in full on fancy dress but a bit of bright eye makeup is probably fine. Right?

Bioderma Cleanser
Pro Makeup Shop Brush Cleaner
Origins Make a Difference +
Sleek Makeup Primer Palette
Collection Colour Intense Solo (in 15 Love and Money)
Barry M Fine Glitter Dust (in 2)
Benefit Shimmer Powder (in Pistachio)
Prestige Cosmetics Let Loose Shadow (in Show Off)
MAC eye shadow (in Green Smoke)
Barry M Super Soft Eye Crayon (in No 3)
L'Oreal Superliner (in black)
Smooch Mascara (in black lash)
MAC eye kohl (in Tarnish)
Sleek Makeup Contour Kit (in light)
Chanel Vitalumier Aqua (in 10 beige)
Benefit Sugarbomb
Cover FX Setting Powder (in light)
No 7 lip liner (in Nude)
Nuxe Lip Balm
Butter London Nail Varnish (in Snog)

Phyto 7 Hydrating Day Cream for Hair

Another product recommended in one of Lisa Eldridges videos that I've wanted to try out for a while and which I found (cheaper) in France on my last visit there in September is Phyto Phyto 7 Cream . As constant battle to find something that makes my hair look less frizzy I wanted to try this out as you can use it on damp or dry hair and it's incredibly lightweight.

The 7 stands for the 7 plants it contains - mallow, calendula, sage, burdock, willow, rosemary and soybean - and is formulated to absorb into the hair to maintain the optimum hydration. I've used it on both damp and dry hair and I do really like it - it's not a wonder-cure for dry hair but I'm not sure there actually is one - but it really does help the frizz and softens my hair especially when I smooth it on when it's dry and sad a day after washing and it genuinely feels like there's nothing on there but make sure you only use a pea-sized amount.

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Frosting

There is something rather frivolous about this product but I am still completely in love with it. I have to confess that I had completely forgotten about Jelly Pong Pong until their Lip Frosting arrived in my July GlossyBox and after just one use I was reminded how I loved their other products I had tried quite a while a go. Not only is the colour beautiful and unusual, but the packaging and reasonable price make this the perfect package. The reason I say it's slightly frivolous is that it tastes so good ( Irish cream pavlova flavour) that really, you are going to chew this off within the first 10 minutes of wearing it. But I don't care - the residual colour still looks lovely and that's good enough for me.

This swatch does not do it justice

The colour is gorgeous, really unusual I think and although initially quite scary to imagine using on your cheeks as well does give a lovely glowing bit of colour even if it is a bit sticky. You have to apply this with your finger which is great because I often hate the applicators that lip glosses come with but does make the whole thing a bit messy (which is why its worth trying it out on your cheeks... use them as portable hand wipes!). I'm not the only one who loves it - it has been sold out on their website for the last couple of times I've had a look. If you manage not to chew it all off it soaks into the lips a bit and feels wonderfully moisturising and smooth and all Jelly Pong Pong products are guaranteed to not contain anything bad - no ammonia, sulphates, pthalates, or alcohol and they are against animal testing.

Not only am I going to buy a tube of this Lip Frosting to keep in my kit (if a model is chewing it off I can dash in and reapply) but I'm going to buy a whole load of their other products to try out. I hope the colours are as gorgeous as this.

Friday Video

Have been in the country all week looking after my mum's dogs so I haven't had a chance to edit a video so here is this amazing cover of Gotye instead...