Face Lace - Friday Video

I was invited to the pro day at the London IMATS by Phyllis Cohen of Face Lace and lots of people were asking me what exactly Face Lace is and how to use it... well here's my demo

Pied Peepers - £11.63
Burlesque - £13.29

Darphin Intral Toner - Product of the Week

I'm always hot and cold on toners because I'm never sure if they are actually doing anything. I've just started using Darphin Intral Toner and I'm sure it's to become a regular in my morning and evening routines - not harsh but reviving and my skin is looking great so it must be doing something. I will look into the technical side of toners to find out more as this has definitely converted me. Post to come soon.

Make-up Courses

Yet another post that's been a long time in the making*. I didn't want to write a flat boring review of the courses I've done just after I'd done them - you can see what the course contains from the website. But I was amazed by the complete contrast in the two make-up courses I've taken so I thought I should say something about them.

When I was looking at university and what to study it never crossed my mind to do make-up. I'm about to be 30 and I think maybe mine is the last generation where the more creative jobs like this just didn't seem to be an option. Unless you showed natural flair in that direction non-academic options weren't really looked into - as a mother I like to think that this has changed somewhat. At a school in Wiltshire my sister was a trailblazer for only applying to London art schools.

Waterproof Make-up Tutorial - Friday Video

As promised here's a tutorial on waterproof make-up - well this is how I do it for baby swim!

Products used:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13 Fuschia Pink
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in 5
Real techniques brushes
Clinque High Impact waterproof mascara
Blistex Lip Brilliance
Avon Supershock gel liner in black
Nails are Tart Deco by Essie

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel - Product of the Week

My mum got me some L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel as a treat on a recent visit to Sherborne and although I've been using it in my bath rather than as a shower gel I absolutely adore it.

My husband has been away a lot over the last couple of weeks with work and I've been solely in charge of the baby and trying to get stuff done in the evenings so a really hot bath with this Verbena shower gel at the end of the day has been a real treat and one of the few times I can relax without feeling that I should be doing something else - I mean we all need to wash! So for that reason it's my product of the week.

LiveTwice

The 11th June saw the launch of a new second chance charity founded by Liz Earle, broadcaster, entrepreneur and founder of the Liz Earle Beauty Co. LiveTwice works with disadvantaged people of all ages, giving funding to community centers in areas of social need as well as respite home-from-home for children with disabilities in a rural Dorset community. The main aim of LiveTwice is offer practical skills training and support to those who need it, giving real and practical help to those who've taken a wrong turn in life. 100% of the supporters donations go directly to these projects with the admin and running costs coming directly from the founders funding.

Donors can contribute to a specific project or place that interests them so they know where and how their money is being used. Liz says ‘LiveTwice already does a lot and there is a lot to do!  Over the years, my research and filming travels have taken me to people and places far and wide who are in desperate need of a helping hand.  LiveTwice provides just that-with a hand-up, not just a hand out.’ 

Liz Earle at the launch of Liz Earle’s charity, LiveTwice at the Light Gallery, Mayfair. For more information please visit http://www.livetwice.org/

Clinique Chubby Sticks for Lips

Can you tell which is Ned's favourite? Two Ton Tomato

I really like Clinique Chubby Sticks - the look, the colours, the ease of use, the texture, the whole idea of them but the colour doesn't last at all. I have Whoppin' Watermelon and Two Ton Tomato both beautiful colours but I have to re-apply all day long - not a problem as they are so easy to use and carry around but I would expect the colour to last a bit longer than it did. I am a bit of a lip chewer but these wore off quickly, even for me.

Now this is a moisturising lip colour - more of a balm than a stain or a gloss. It moisturises beautifully and the colour wears off evenly so you are not left with any unfortunate lines or marks but for £16 I would expect better especially with cheaper alternatives available from Revlon. There are mixed reviews about it on the Clinique website - I'd definitely recommend for those who hate to wear anything on their lips but need a bit of colour as it's great for moisturising and ease of use but if you want long-lasting intense colour in a balm then this isn't it.

7 Days Worth of Make-up - Friday Video

I thought having a baby would make me a more concise packer... it didn't. This is everything I took home to my mum's for a six day stay. OK I was going to be doing some videos and trying out some products but even I think this may be a little excessive.

Nail varnish - Tart Deco by Essie
Dior Gel Top Coat
Peter Thomas Roth Ultra-lite Oil free SPF 30
Bioderma
Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm
Avon Quick Dry Spray
Revlon One Perfect Coral nail varnish
Tangle Teezer Brush Original Professional Detangling Hairbrush Pink
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser
MyFace MyMix Foundation
Nars Sheer Glow
Chanel Vita Lumier Aqua
Real Techniques Brushes
Clinique Chubby Stick Eye Shadow
Urban Decay Naked
Liz Earle Signature Eye Colour
Jemma Kidd Face Highlighter
Clinique Chubby Sticks for Lips
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Bobbi Brown Corrector
Clinique Colour Surge Duo
Cover FX Bronzer in Pink Topaz
Clinique Blusher in Innocent Peach
Collection Cream Puff

Love My Vouchers Widget

OK so I'm trying out a new vouchers widget - it's in the right hand column at the bottom - for lovemyvouchers.co.uk. It offers you discounts on lots of top health and beauty brands and I get commission if you click. Please feel free to ignore but you never know you might see a great offer from one of your favourite brands so it's probably worth keeping an eye on.

Peter Thomas Roth - Product of the Week

Hurrah - there has been actual sun in the UK over the past week (it seems to have mostly gone now) but that means I have been up-ing my SPF usage. For use under make-up I love Peter Thomas Roth Ultra-lite Oil Free Sunblock SPF30. It's not great if you have oily skin, even though it's oil free, but if you have normal to dry/dehydrated skin this will not only give you great sun protection but a lovely base for your make-up.

Kandee Johnson - Friday Video

I love Kandee Johnson. Everytime I go to buy another item of clothing in black, or another red nail polish I think 'What would Kandee buy... ' and try and get something a bit brighter...

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream - Product of the Week

So this week, with my husband away in Barcelona, I have been single parenting and sweating so I have worn Make Up For Ever's Aqua Cream in 13 Fuchsia Pink every day. Fuchsia Pink sounds a bit brighter than it actually is - in reality its more peachy pink and blends beautifully onto my eyelids and whether I've worn it on it's own or as a base for other products it has stuck it out through sweat, heat and baby swimming... twice. It's waterproof, long-lasting, easy to apply with a finger
and even though it's £18.25 it will last you a long time (as long as you keep the lid on tightly). Loads of colours available - I love 15 Taupe too. Well worth investing in.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13

Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara

Wow a waterproof mascara that actually works and doesn't take all your eyelashes off when you try to remove it. Another necessary purchase for baby swimming (see Make Up For Ever Full Cover review). Smudge proof mascaras such as Eyeko, didn't last, Lash Genius by Anastasia Beverly Hills didn't completely work and although I usually hate them I felt a full-on waterproof mascara was the way to go and all the recommendations pointed to Clinique High Impact Waterproof mascara.


I wasn't too fussed about the 'High Impact' part, I wanted waterproof definition but I was seriously impressed. Now I'd say for high impact you need a good couple of layers really working the mascara up from the root of the lashes but it did not budge at all and was true black and gave beautiful definition to the lashes. It didn't flake and wasn't that tricky to remove but that may be down to soaking the lashes with a bit of Bioderma before using my fantastic new Emma Hardie cleanser.