Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser

This is one of those products where I feel like maybe I've got a duff tube, or was given the wrong colour, or I must have the worst skin ever. Skincare goddess Caroline Hirons swears by it, the Space NK girls who sold it to me raved about it and promised me I would love it, it has 5* reviews everywhere I look but I find Just Skin totally frustrating.

Why did I buy it? Well I wanted an every day tinted moisturiser that was going to make me look and feel great but natural and glowing with minimal effort. I don't have bad skin though I do have a bit of redness so I thought I could get away with a light coverage. I'd heard so many good thing about the Chantecalle Just Skin that I thought I would take the risk and splurge the rather eye-watering £58 required and was really pleased when there was a Chantecalle make-up artist in Space NK to colour match me.

In the Kit - MAC Face and Body Foundation

Every make-up artist is different, yes there are few things that the majority carry but everyone finds things that they use and use over and over again and never like to run out of. So one of the new things I'll be doing on Monday's is looking at something from my kit that I wouldn't be without be it make-up, skincare, the tools themselves or the weird little things that I carry around just in case (clear nail varnish, medical tape, Gaviscon to name but a few).

Foundations may come and go but MAC Face and Body is a kit staple for a lot of make-up artists. But why? Well, so many reasons. Foundation is expensive, it doesn't last forever and obviously you need more than one shade and Face and Body is still the most versatile foundation out there. And, as the name implies this works well not only on the face but all over the body should you need it to. If you need to tan up legs and arms on a shoot, then this is the foundation to go for.

April 2015 Favourites - Friday Video

Only four this month but a classy four...



Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser 
Colour Wow Root Cover
Clarins Instant Concealer 
Louise Young Blusher in Room 43

Colour Wow Root Cover Up

I was bleached blonde for so long that my hair started to snap off. This will happen no matter how nice you are to your hair - unless you are Gwen Stefani who must have a permanent hair attendant on duty. I am not Gwen Stefani so thought I would bow out of blonde gracefully, get balayage and see what my natural colour was.

It turns out my natural colour is redish brown with big thick spiders legs of gray throughout that seem to multiply rapidly. Great. Fine whatever I'll dye it again I thought. But I've very pregnant and sort of reluctant to get damaging my hair again one year after I vowed to give it a break. But the greys are depressing. Not chic and sophisticated like I assumed they would be. But thick and giving me an air of one who has given up on appearance altogether. I bought root touch-up dye but then surely I should just go to a hairdresser and get something drastic done. I should probably mention that I have a phobia or having boring hair. By boring I mean just all one colour. No, if you have all one colour hair or have never dyed it I don't think you have boring hair. But I think I look boring with nothing done to mine (I have the remnants of blonde at the ends of mine at the moment).

What I think I'll do is, give birth, lie around for a couple of weeks and then heave myself to the hairdressers and get something a bit more exciting, and grey covering done. But what have I been doing since then? Using Colour Wow Root Cover Up and it's been great.

Available in 7 colours this specially formulated powder compound sticks to the hair without being greasy, let it set for a minute and then you are ready to go and it stays there til you wash it out. Now this product is probably best suited to grey hair dyed dark but works very well on my odd bits of grey though it's a bit more time consuming to get on. And works on dark roots for blondes as well though I haven't tried this.

What's so nice about this is that most days when I'm out and about with Ned or hanging round the house working I don't bother using it. Then if I need to go out to dinner or to a wedding I can cancel out the greys in my bathroom in under 10 minutes (I'm slavishly doing individual strands - if you are doing roots it will be really fast). No mess. No panic that I haven't got any dye and no unnecessary dying of non-grey hairs. Just apply, leave to set for a minute (you won't notice the need to set it feels like powder) and then you are ready to go. This won't drip if it rains the only things that can break it down are the cleansers found in shampoos and it doesn't look dull and fake as it's made up of mineral pigments which give a natural looking finish.

For those with allergies to hair dye or who want something to see them through between colour appointments I really recommend giving this a try. It's not cheap but a little goes a long way so this should last you a while.

What You Need to Know - Colour Wow Root Cover Up

•  £28.50
• 7 colours - platinum light blonde, blonde, light brown, medium brown, red, dark brown, black
• Suits all hair types 
• Available in the UK from Colour Wow, Space NK, Feel Unique,

  

  Colour Wow in Dark Brown

Friday Video - UMA Expo 2015 Vlog

It's a bit wobbly and I'm panting the whole time but I thought it would be nice to get a feel for this for those who were thinking of attending and didn't for whatever reason. I really love it and highly recommend it...

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser

I've been trying a lot of products recently that I've been really excited about and then have been a bit 'meh' (I'm looking at you disappointing Malin + Goetz Detox Face Mask). So, having requested the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser as childcare payment from my husband on his recent trip to New York I was so in love with the beautiful packaging I was terrified this would be another yet another disappointment.

It was not. From first use I have loved this cleanser and can see why it has been raved about by so many 'in the know'. I can see the difference it has made to my skin and it combines beautifully into my routine as an alternative to the Body Shop Nutriganics Gel Oil Cleanser in the mornings. If I need soothing and calming I use the Nutriganics if I need something with a little exfoliating and glowing oomph then I use the Tata Harper. Perfect.

This cleanser seems to have it all - Apricot Seed kernels gently exfoliate the skin, Willow bark, a natural source of Salicylic acid reduces redness, and helps refine overall texture, Aloe Vera soothes irritation and French pink clay detoxifies. Use to gently resurface, refresh and clarify the skin - remove dead skin cells, reduce redness and do it without stripping the skin of it's moisture and natural oils. Very good for helping with blackheads too apparently.

United Makeup Artist Expo 2015

This weekend I spent as much time as possible at the 2015 United Makeup Artist Expo in the Business Design Centre, Angel, London. I've always raved about this event and this year will be no exception. It wasn't all good news - though I felt the event itself had been really stepped up a notch in terms of exhibitors, classes, talks and demonstrations I felt it was incredibly under publicised. As a previous attendee, a blogger who is a big fan of the event, and a make-up artist I have never been sent a scrap of info about the UMA Expo. No email, no annoying mail in the post, nothing. I am constantly sent details of an event in Birmingham I have never been to and can't see myself being able to go to and yet they somehow manage to get all the bumf to me every year. I can't understand why the PR for the UMA Expo isn't better - the event itself is fantastic and a favourite amongst a lot of pro artists so why not make more of it?

Friday Video - Pregnancy and Make-up Shopping Vlog

I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself...

Phytaoil and Phytalotion

I find it very difficult to review stretch mark creams even though I am now 7.5 months into my second pregnancy and have used a lot of them in my time. Why? because how do you know that the product you are using is preventing stretchmarks at all, maybe you just aren't going to get them in that area anyway, maybe you're not prone to them at all and if I have got a stretch mark then is it because I wasn't using the cream/oil often enough or was actually nothing going to prevent it from appearing. I've always thought the latter. Keep your skin moisturised and that will help but I'm not sure you can actually prevent stretchmarks if they are going to happen.

Monday's Make-up Muse - Jane Russell

from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

God I love Jane Russell. Everything about her. I'm even willing to overlook some of her beliefs that I don't necessarily agree with (she was a pro-life born-again Christian) because in a way they kind of emphasise her awesomeness. A great actress who spent her career living in the shadow of her more famous assets she was always the right side of tasteful and classy whilst having enough nous and sass to do what she needed to do to forge a successful career in the 1950s. The best example of this is the secret binning of the famous bra Howard Hughes had made for her to wear during the filming of The Outlaw and instead yanking her bra straps up for a little elevation. She knew what needed to be done, but she was going to do it her way.

with Marilyn Monroe

She was also not a classic 1950s movie star. At 5'7" she was taller than most of her contemporaries and never compromising on being a beautiful brunette (with occasional forays into red). As Dorthory Shaw she is the reason that Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is one of my favourite films - the outfits, the sass, the make-up. I love Marilyn too of course, but I feel I'm more Dorothy than Lorelei - and she's an unusually feisty lady to see in films of that time.

The fabulous thing about Jane Russell's beautiful brunette colouring is she could carry off a strong red lip, minimal eye make-up and her defined brows held the whole look together and was a style she carried through to old age. Her whole look is the classic pin-up, which is what she was for many US soldiers during the Second World War

Jane Russell Make-up Must Haves

Brows - Always defined, I suspect her of having pretty good, strong brows naturally but for those of you who need to cheat it then Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow is fantastic as are the Brow Whizz pencils.

©Luke Ford

Eyes - usually a nude shadow with a black liner flick. She actually had quite hooded lids so a classic feline liner is perfect for her eye shape - if you like to use a gel then I love Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel.  To create a cats eye effect then corner lashes will elongate any eye - I love the Betty False Strip Lashes from The Vintage Cosmetics Company. The Tanya Burr Everyday Flutter lashes and the Ardell Accent Lashes (301) would also work.

Skin - not too heavy, with a natural finish but pretty perfect. I think Dior Star Fluid Foundation would be great for this. She has some light, cream contouring so either use a foundation in a slightly darker shade than your usual or try out the House of Glam Dolls Glam Base Wheel. Slight blush on the cheeks - I'd go for MAC powder blush in Harmony or Gingerly, but again, you need to suit your skin tone.

Lips - Jane Russell was able to carry off blue and orange reds but you'll know best what suits you. For more orange shades then NARS Satin Lip pencil in Timanfaya or Topshop's Lipstick in Headrush. For bluer reds, her more usual shade, then Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy in Envious or Chanel Rouge Allure in Pirate is a classic. My favourite liners that work with most reds are MAC lip liner in Redd and Half-Red.

Maybelline Brow Drama Quick Review - Friday Video

I don't use a lot of brow products on myself but this is a goodie...

Balmi

It's rare that I get sent something to try out that I absolutely love. I know that sounds ungrateful, I don't mean to, I still find it a great privilege to be sent anything at all, even nine years in it's a nice thing to happen, but I don't often get really passionate about something I'm sent. This is an exception.

If you watched my March favourites video you will see me waving my raspberry Balmi around on my house keys. I have been raving about it to anyone who will listen since I've received it about a month ago and I am seeing how to go about becoming it's official biggest fan.

The packaging is gorgeous and easy to use, the balm itself takes actual seconds to apply thanks to the cool pyramid shape it comes in, the raspberry flavour tastes great and the balm itself is so incredibly moisturising that it actually does make your lips feel better. That sounds weird but how many times have you used a moisturiser only to find that actually once it's worn out your lips feel dryer and more likely to crack? Not this time.

Fantastic for those of you who are always losing your lip balms in the bottom of handbags as you can attach it to your keys or your handbag. Would be a great gift for someone going travelling though I'm not sure how much heat it could withstand though that is the same for all lip balms. I just love, love, love this product.