November Favourites - Friday Video

This was supposed to be October...



Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder
Coconut Oil
Sofianni Jewellery
Louise Young Lip Trio 
Blue Bowl

NYX The Curve Liner

Yet another great product from the one of my favourite affordable brands of the moment. Getting the right eyeliner for you can be a time consuming and frustrating experience. It all depends on the finish you want, what kind of applicator and product you find easiest to use and your budget. If you are a massive fan of liner it can get even more technical. I have favourite pencils, gel pencils, gel liner, felt tip liner, kohls and liquid liners. All of which I love and which I use for different occasions. Black eyeliner is one of the reasons I'm a make-up artist and make-up obsessive.


Originally I wasn't even going to try The Curve Liner - it just felt a bit gimicky. It arrived in a huge bag of goodies I was given to try in March at the UK relaunch of NYX.* But I gave it ago and although it took a little while to get used to it, it is now my go-to liner when I need something quick and reliable. Also the colour is properly black - which may sound obvious but some liners, and mascaras for that matter, are just not black enough.

Some Christmas Beauty Picks 2015

Laura Mercier Glam to Go

So because I really don't like reviewing things without testing them out I took myself to the Selfridges beauty hall and had a good old swatch-up and a chat with the lovely people on the counters there. I not only saw what they had out for Christmas but I got the insider opinion on what was actually the pick of the bunch. There are plenty of blogs out there I'm sure, raving about full collections but if you can only get a few pieces or are looking for presents well, these are the ones to get.

Now I think the general rule is that you aren't allowed to photograph the products in Selfridges but I got some at the Charlotte Tilbury counter. I had such a lovely time at the Laura Mercier counter I completely forgot camera's existed... so there.

The Sunday Spend

You can pretend you are being organised about Christmas shopping if it makes you feel better...

• Feel Unique have 3 for 2 on lots of stocking fillers - my three picks would be the invisibobble, Wild About Beauty creme shadow and Elegant touch professional cuticle pusher and nail cleaner. 
• Cocktail Cosmetics have some special offers. My choices are the Viseart Longwear Black Gel Liner, Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and the OCC Lip Tars (Harlott is a particular favourite of mine) 
• Escentual are giving 10% off purchases over £70 and 15% off any over £120. They also have a lot of perfumes on sale so it's worth checking those out.

Post-baby Skin Problems - Friday Video

I've been mentioning it for a bit but here's what's going on. Can you help?

Hourglass Amient Lighting Powder

I was given Diffused Light from the Hourglass Ambient Lighting collection, on request, for my birthday and the first couple of times I used it I was a bit underwhelmed. That was August. Skip forward to November and I am using it daily and, on leaving my entire make-up bag behind on a recent weekend away, it was the one thing I couldn't recreate from my mothers make-up stash and it is, I think, the one thing that can really make any make-up look good.

I think partly what I didn't like was the slightly up-itself press packs - 'recreate the most exquisitely flattering light'. How? surely it would just look like shimmery powder. And I have to stay I stand by that. I don't feel like the one I use (Diffused Light, more on that in a minute) is recreating light but actually that is the closest way of describing it. The shimmer and glow to this is so delicate and fine that it really isn't like it is a product doing the work - it makes you look like you have got very good skin, in very good lighting. And that's just what I need.

Laura Mercier Velour Lovers Lip Colour

Coquette

I'm a fan of a matte lipstick, always have been but man they can be hard to wear. Often drying with a tendency to flatness they are a rather high-maintenance lip look but as usual Laura Mercier have seen the trend and come out with something just a little bit better than all the rest. Except the name. I get what you mean, but Velour Lovers sounds a little... 70s sexy loungewear.

Which is kind of right in a way, this is by far the most comfortable matte lip colour I have worn, including matte lip creams. It is the loungewear of matte lipstick. Yes they aren't as matte as some (hence the velour name tag) but that's because they have mango butter and jojoba in them to stop your lips feeling like dry worms stuck to your face. They also contain hylaronic acid to plump and smooth the lips - love to have a lipstick that's not just making me ingest a ton of things my body can't process. In fact, as with a lot of Laura Mercier products they are free from parabans, silicone, sulphates and are suitable for sensitive skin.

5 Minute Waterproof Make-up - Friday Video

I do this every Thursday before I take Ned swimming. Yes sometimes if I've slept badly I will just put the mascara on or maybe nothing at all and if you are not swimming you might want to add eyeliner and lipstick to this but this is the quick, swim-proof version and frankly if you turn up at baby swimming in Acton with a full face of slap even I would look at you a bit funny.

I don't mention them in the video but two good waterproof eye liners are Collection 24hr Felt Tip Liner if you want a pen and Avon Supershock Gel liner if you prefer a pencil. I haven't taken either of these swimming. Links to all products under the video. And I did wear the Nudestix Magnetic Eye Colour Pencil swimming that day and it did stay on the whole time.



Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream (I'm wearing no 13 Warm Beige)
NYX Doll Eye Waterproof Mascara 
Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer (I'm wearing 5)

Other products mentioned:
Clinique High Impact Waterproof Mascara
Nudestix Magnetic Eye Colour 
Collection 24hr Felt Tip Liner
Avon Supershock Gel Liner

NYX HD Eyeshadow Base

I've been wanting to review this for ages but it's been hard to find a UK stockist but finally NYX HD Eyeshadow base is available in Boots (hurrah!). As regular readers will know I find primers a tricky thing to review. I do test them using one side of my face so I can see the difference but I think often they depend on skin type, what you are wearing over them etc etc and it's the same for eye primers. Those with oily lids will need to use a primer but different forumla's will work better than others...

Hourglass Arch Brow - Quick Review

I genuinely love this product


Available from Space NK, and Hourglass

Louise Young Super Concealer Trio

Anyone who knows me will tell you that one of my most recent make-up related rants involves concealer palettes. If you are a normal person you do not need 6 or 12 concealers in a palette, even if the whole thing does cost £4.99. You should need 1-3 depending on what you want and need to conceal. I like a pink/peach tone for my dark circles and a yellow for any redness or spots but lets face it, most of the time I'm too lazy to bother changing (which is why I like the Clarins concealer so much - except that it comes in an annoying tube). When it comes to concealer I find that you usually get what you pay for but it's hard to find good quality and good colours. Also lets face it, now there is a thin line between concealers and highlighters with a lot of brands so all in all getting a good concealer is getting harder.That's where Louise Young comes in.

The Louise Young concealer trios are absolutely perfect - you can blend the colour you need for what you want to conceal. They are lovely creamy textures in a great range of colours to correct and conceal which mean you can adapt, mix and blend to the shades of your face but your are not overloaded with unnecessary extra colours. The three colours should also get you through season changes, unless you are a drastic tanner.