Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara

I haven't tried a Bobbi Brown mascara before - though I've heard a lot of good things about them there are a lot of mascaras out there to try, Bobbi Brown's always seem quite pricey and this is the most expensive of the lot. The Smokey Eye Mascara is the one I've wanted to try the most and I actually remembered to ask for it for Christmas (get me). It took a little while for me to get used to the formula but out of all the mascara's I'm using at the moment this is definitely my favourite. Possibly my new favourite mascara full stop!

Neutrogena Norweigian Formula Deep Moisture Body Lotion for Dry Skin - Quick Review Friday Video

This has shot to the top my list of favourite body moisturisers. Helps the horrible itchy dry skin I get at this time of year and I feel moisturised for 24 hours. There is no need to spend all your money on a good moisturiser - this is £4-5 for 400ml

Maybelline Colourdrama

I picked this up on a whim, Boots is pretty lethal like that. They've put all the baby stuff at the back of the shop and then the make-up in a long corridor by the tills so you have to look at all the lovely things. Yes I know it's deliberate and I should have more will power. But I don't and this is a prime example of my weakness.

I love the trend at the moment for pencils, spurred on I suppose by the Clinique Chubby Sticks, you can now literally draw all over your face and I'm always on the look out for something new to scribble with, they make your daily routine so incredibly quick. When I'm into something I will very quickly check out every available one in whichever shop I happen to be in, it doesn't mean I'll buy anything but when I pulled the Maybelline Colourdrama lip pencil in 140 Minimalist out I didn't even think twice about getting it - for me it is the perfect colour. It was £4.99 so I was willing to risk it not being very good.

Some of my Favourite Make-up Artist Instagram Accounts

I am a big fan of Instagram, admittedly nowadays my pictures are mostly dog and baby-related (I always forget to take pictures when I'm doing make-up) but as a make-up artist there are some really beautiful and inspiring accounts to follow so I thought I'd list a few of my favourites. Some are more well known than others, all are incredible. I'm going to do five now and five next month...

• Pat McGrath (@patmcgrathreal) - I may as well start of with one of the biggest names in make-up artistry. A woman everyone wants to work with and everyone who has worked with her, loves. She's self taught and has made-up the faces of anyone worth making-up - if you love glitter, liner and beautiful skin this is an account to follow. For me Pat McGrath is queen.

• Andrew Gallimore (@andrewgallimakeup) - If McGrath is queen then Gallimore is king and the book of his work photographed by Rankin (Andrew Gallimore by Rankin) was the make-up book of the past couple of years. The first UK Ambassador for Dior he is the master of colour and texture and he doesn't limit himself to creative shoots, he has done the make-up for a long list of celebrities including Jessie J, Annie Lennox and Beth Ditto to name but three. 

•  Kenneth Soh (@kennethsohmakeup) - combining two of my favourite things make-up and food (though not usually at the same time) Kenneth Soh is the creator of flawless, beautiful shoots by day whilst cooking mouth-watering feasts in his time off. The perfect blend of make-up shoots, products and life, I love seeing his latest work, what's inspiring him and what he's eating!

• Laura Louise (@lauraloumakeup) - combining sass, humour and an awe-inspiring trainer collection this talented make-up artist is completely on the button with everything cool that's going on in the industry from latest products, trends and styles she creates gorgeous looks not only for her work but also on herself most days.

• Lottie (@lotstar) - it's not surprising this US make-up artist has over 53 thousand followers, if I'm flicking through Instagram in a hurry and something makes me stop and go back to have another look nine times out of ten it'll be Lottie's work. An impressive list of print work and assisting credits she not only creates beautiful wearable looks but my god she's amazing with glitter!

 

Friday Video - Face of the Day 14th January 2015

This is a quick (despite my chatting) easy way to do polished make-up without feeling, well, too made up so great everyday make-up or for the office. Full a full list of product see below...

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13 Warm Beige
Liz Earle Signature Eye Colour in 05 Bronze
L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim
Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara
Estee Lauder EE Cream in Light
Maybelline Better Skin Concealer
Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow
Kiko Blusher in Sound Coral
Sleek Makeup Luminous Pressed Powder in 01
MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge
Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara
Maybelline Colour Drama in Minimalist
Paul & Joe Beaute Lipgloss in 05

Butter London Nail Foundation Flawless Finish

Since using this base coat I have not bought or used another one, even when I go for a manicure or pedicure I take this with me - it is my absolute number one nail base and I can't see that changing.

I originally bought it when I was first pregnant with Ned and was worried about the amount of toxic things I was no doubt pumping into my body without realising - I got my hair coloured throughout my pregnancy, wear make-up everyday and have nails painted most of the time. Butter London is a fantastic company which not only does the most stunning range of colours and finishes (and has recently branched out into make-up as well) but does a 3-Free range meaning no Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, and Formaldehyde. I supposed there was no point buying 3-Free lacquer's if I wasn't careful about what was in my base coat which led me to trying the Nail Foundation. 

The colours are not the longest lasting I've tried (though this is more due to my lousy application - it was their colour Snog that lasted months when I had the best pedicure I've ever had) but this base coat is so good that, if you are a fan of nude nails, you could wear it on it's own. It is like a make-up primer for the nails, creating a smooth surface covering all ridges and leaving a lovely silky matte finish. Fast drying it creates the perfect base on which to paint the colour of your choice and prevents staining even from the most treacherous colours and keeps nails in great condition.

What you need to know - Butter London Nail Foundation

• £13 but prices vary widely
• Free from Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, and Formaldehyde
• Available from Butter London, Look Fantastic, Boots,  Selfridges, Bath & Unwind

Babyliss Boutique Salon Soft Waves

If the long bob is the 'trend' hair cut of the moment the soft wave long bob is the ultimate and now it is really easy to create this look at home and it won't take five hours to do it. If you have longer hair and struggle to find a curling product that suits the length then the Babyliss Boutique Soft Salon Waves may well be for you.

I have terrible hair at the moment. I haven't had anything done to it for a year, it's dry, it's damaged, it needs a good cut and it's not at all the full, glossy mane you are supposed to have when you are pregnant. I am at a loss to know what to do with it so I jumped at the chance to try out the Babyliss Boutique Salon Soft Waves curling wand. I have actually wanted to try this out for some time but my hair will never successfully curl when I try to do it myself so I was reluctant to spend the money on something that may not work.

Friday Video - Quick Review - Embryolisse Rich Balm

I love this cream but only really need it when my skin is dehydrated and needing some full-on TLC...

Monday's Make-up Muse - Gwen Stefani

Ok so a new feature I've been thinking of for a while. How many times do you see a picture of someone or watch TV and think 'next time I do my make-up I'm going to try and do that'? Well I do it all the time and for so many different kinds of women purely depending on my mood. So I thought I'd have a look at each of my 'make-up muses' and pick out the bits of their look, style and make-up that I love. Now this may seem done to death but this is my blog and these are my make-up muses so some of them may be unexpected and Audrey Hepburn will not feature. It will be the first Monday of the month and you can search for them by clicking 'Muse' in the tag cloud in the right sidebar.

Thought I'd start this off with Gwen Stefani because, apart from the classic icons she has been one of my make-up muses since school and is still doing it! Whenever I see a picture of her even if I don't particularly love the outfit it is guaranteed that there will be a fab item of jewelry or a new lip colour that I covet. She is a modern version of the classic 50s icon - the blonde hair, the red lips and nails, even her eyebrows but she is so up-to-date it hurts.

I suppose with Gwen we should start at the top with the hair. When I fist went blonde a billion years ago it was party because I wanted to look like all the fantastically cool 80s metal bands that I loved (yes they were men, what?) and then along came No Doubt and Tragic Kingdom and she looked so cool and I wanted her hair. How the hell does she maintain it? How? I need her hairdressers number. I'm having to have a break from dying mine because it was so damaged and she never even has a root visible. There's a secret I know there is... I need to find it out.
 
Her make-up (what I think of as being classic Gwen Stefani though she actually changes it up quite a lot) usually involves a flick of varying degrees of drama, a red lip, and flawless skin with not a whole lot of blusher and bronzer going on... just enough. She always hits the right note of made-up but not overdone, again a real classic look that's hard to do. What makes the eyes work is the use of pale shadows and slight contour to make the shape perfect and the ideal backing for the black liner and lashes. Even when she goes for more dramatic eye make-up and a nuder look she still seems to ooze classic style.

What I always feel when looking at Gwen Stefani is that if there were no stylists and make-up artists in the world she would probably look pretty similar to what we see. If you remove the bindi in the Don't Speak video you'll see she's already got her signature make-up look going on. Love, love, love her.

Gwen Stefani Make-up Must Haves:

Eye Shadows - neutral tones and slightly darker matte shades for contouring are the best backing for a classic looking flick liner. For neutrals try Brulee or Blanc by MAC and for the darker shades Wedge and Omega are great. Or you can get a palette with similar colours in - Sleek Make-up I-Divine Palettes in Au Naturel or Oh So Special are my picks. My top pick is the Essential Eye Palette by Louise Young.

Eye Liner - choose a gel liner like my favourite 77 from Inglot or Blacktrack from MAC with either an angled brush (266 from MAC is my preference) or a Real Techniques Fine Liner brush or a pen liner if you find that easier. I prefer the ones from Eyeko or Collection. 

Lips - the most important thing is to get a red that suits your skin tone. My favourite red pencil is Redd from MAC but in terms of an actual lipstick there are so many out there to choose from. MAC Ruby Woo is a bestselling favourite but my go-to MAC colour is All Fired Up which is more flattering, as is Lady Danger. YSL, Chanel (Pirate for my preference) and Charlotte Tilbury (I love Lost Cherry) are also worth checking out. For more affordable brands Barry M's Lip Paint in 121 would work and my most recommended red lipstick is the mighty Revlon Fire & Ice.

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