Pregnancy update - Week 30, Baby 3

Non-make-up I know but thought may as well do a quick pregnancy update as it feels strange to not mention it at all. It turns into a bit of a rant about people talking about the babies gender and then I forgot to mention the anxiety that's been a bit of a nightmare this time round. I think I feel we have been so lucky with the boys that we're pushing it a bit this time round and it's been driving me a bit bonkers. My family have been absolute heroes putting up with this.

Anyway, I moan a lot but really this pregnancy has been fine so far because the baby has been fine so far. 10 weeks left seems a long and short time all at once.

Back to make-up next week but if you do have any questions then please feel free to either leave me a comment or send me an email. I'm not medically trained but I have had two before and I'm pretty unshockable so if there's something bothering you let me know!

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Klorane Dry Shampoo

I was sent this to try ages ago, I've been very slack about reviewing it but it's been just another of those products that has slipped rather seamlessly into my routine. Klorane Tinted Dry Shampoo with oat milk has given me a bit of a revelation - I think I've been expecting too much from dry shampoos. When I use one I want it to make my hair look and feel more clean but I've also been wanting it to give volume but without a horrible texture - the only one I've found to do this is the Percy & Reed No Fuss Fabulous Dry Shampoo though the ooomph it gives doesn't last all day.

I've been using this Klorane Dry Shampoo when I've pushed back washing my hair for whatever reason (usually baby brain) and I want my hair to look, feel and smell clean. I wash my hair every other day and quite often I think it could go longer but I get a horrible itchy scalp (I think from oil). This dry shampoo stops that feeling, absorbs the oil, gives the roots a bit of volumey texture again and smells really lovely. If I then want extra volume I use VO5 Plump it Up which is specifically for adding volume to dry hair (review to follow soon). Together these work well and on it's own the Klorane Dry Shampoo does everything I want most of the time. It also comes with a 'natural tint' so brow to dark hair doesn't run the risk of the white residue left by some dry shampoos.

April 2017 News

There are a lot of new releases at this time of year as brands gear up for the summer. I have been incredibly virtuous and not bought any, and very busy pre-holiday with small (slightly ill boys) and the continuation of the loft extension so I haven't been out swatching the new launches. Maybe I'll sneak out next week but for now here are my pics and also what's been going on elsewhere.

New Releases

Bobbi Brown's Beauty from the Inside Out: Makeup * Wellness * Confidence - after a rather sudden (for us) and surprising (for us) departure from Bobbi Brown (the brand), Bobbi Brown (the woman) has released a new book covering holistic, health and wellness practises to give your skin and body everything it needs to help you look (and feel) your best.  I may not love all Bobbi Brown (the brand) products but I trust the woman's ethics and knowledge so I can't wait to add this to my (terrifying) beauty book collection.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Cushion Compact - Bobbi Brown bases are not for everyone but this looks to give a really beautiful sheer to medium, buildable coverage and with a great SPF 35. I'm always a bit dubious about cushion compacts and the hygeine implications but this looks very nice.

Charlotte Tilbury - ever up-to-date, Charlotte Tilbury has released a new #GloMo collection. I've always loved the look of the Instant Palettes (though I've heard mixed reviews from other make-up artists) the latest limited edition Instant Look in a Palette in Beauty Glow looks absolutely stunning though with rose gold and bronze colours that are really up my street. There is also an overnight Bronze and Glow mask to give you plumped flawless skin with a sunkissed glow. I would love to try these even though the # in the name makes me feel a bit sick.

Clarins Dare to Go Tropical Summer Collection - is now available. I haven't tried these yet but love the look of the Limited Edition Summer Bronzing and Blush Compact and the Instant Light Natural Lip Balm Perfector. Clarins always do great summery lip products so these may well be something that accidentally falls into my shopping basket when my husbands not looking. Also worth mentioning that if you are looking for a summer fragrance (or indeed are someone who needs a pick-me-up) the Eau Dynamisante from Clarins is my go to scent for summer.

News and Events

If you haven't already then do sign up to my monthly newsletters. I promise not to spam you. At the moment this is just an email at the end of the month with all the features, videos and reviews from the blog that you might have missed. Great for those who don't have a lot of time to get sucked into the Internet for hours!

I went to a fantastic launch for Eco Tools - you can see my thoughts on it in this vlog. Such a well organised event, really aimed at helping people get to know the brand and the brushes. Which I'm now well into doing and already have some new favourites.

Sleek Make Up - Boots are offering a free Dip It Eyeliner when you spend £12 or more on Sleek Makeup products. I'm a huge fan of their eye palettes and contour kits and this liner looks great - I love a felt tip liner brush. This offer is open until 9th May.

Products I've Been Testing

Eco Tools - I've been loving trying out the Eco Tools brushes from the event goodie bag. I'm going to do a review of my favourites soon. I would say that if you are looking for high street/affordable brushes these are well worth checking out.

Ilia Illuminator - now I'm not big on highlighter at the moment, mostly because it's so popular and when something is popular it makes me want to do the opposite (imagine how much fun I was for my parents as a teenager). But these highlighter sticks are really subtle and beautiful and easy to apply - they look best blended out with fingers so it doesn't really get much easier than that. Lovely to add a bit of a glow at this time of year, these are another great recommendation from Beauty By Tahira who is a great person to go and check out if you are into ethical and green beauty. I've been trying Sway and Polka Dots and Moonbeams - desperate to get my hands on Cosmic Dancer.

Coming Up

Next weekend is the UMA Expo which I am really looking forward to. It's the highlight of my make-up events each year and a great way to learn and top up your kit.

IMATS is in May and as it's the day I get back from holiday I'm not sure I will attend this year. I have to say that for me this has become a bit too much of a consumer show compared to the make-up artist event it used to be. Though this is great for the company and stands that feature there it's just a bit much for me - especially 8 months pregnant.

Face of the Day - 7th April 2017

It's rare for me to do the same make-up every day. However, for the past couple of weeks with illness, pregnancy, building works and various other things I kept reaching for the Louise Young eye trios as they are so quick to use and work so beautifully. So that's the main feature of this face of the day.

I had moisturised with my Clarins SPF50 Anti-Wrinkle cream beforehand - which I suspect may not be helping with my skin at the moment. However it works well under make-up if you give it time to settle in and sometimes I like a high SPF on my face. I also don't do anything to my brows in this because I filmed a brow video straight after which will be up in the next couple of weeks as part of a new series.

If you haven't already then please subscribe to my channel and leave me a comment either here or there! All products are listed below as are any previous reviews, videos, posts mentioned.

Basic Brush kit blog post

Clarins SPF50 Anti-wrinkle cream
Louise Young Eye Trios (Festival and Studio 54)
NYX HD Eye Base
Louise Young LY19 brush 
Real Techniques Shading Brush
Crown Brush Crease Brush
L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim
MAC Smoulder Eye Kohl
Louise Young LY16 Brush
Elizabeth Arden Double Density Mascara
Daniel Sandler Invisible Radiance Foundation and Concealer
Charlotte Tilbury Retoucher
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
Laura Mercier Camoflague Powder Brush
Eco Tools Micro Blending Brush 
Cover FX Translucent Powder 
Louise Young LY13 Brush
Ilia Multistick in Tenderly
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush and Mood Exposure
Ilia Illuminator in Sway
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light 
NYX Gloss in 22 Natural

Bourjois Smoky Stories Eye Quads

Eye palettes are everywhere are the moment. You can buy any colour, any finish in any price bracket, one for every day of the week but realistically, unless you are a make-up artist, one good eye palette is going to last you 6 months to a year at least - there's almost too much choice. This, obviously, doesn't stop me from having loads but one that I've been using, loving and recommending for the last couple of months is the Bourjois Smoky Stories.

These eye quads come in lots of different colours but the two I picked to try on myself are Tomber des Nudes and Over Rose. The first is pretty nudes and pinks which is almost too pale for me but the second Over Rose is incredibly wearable, suits most people and is the one I've been recommending left right and centre.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara - Quick Review

I wish they'd call this 'lower lash' mascara. But they didn't. Either way it's a good mascara that does the job. Not as grungy as I like my lower lashes to look but excellent at being precise and does not budge. Excellent if you have sparse or short lashes too as the teeny tiny brush means you can get each individual lash.

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You can read my full review here
Clinique Bottom Lash mascara 

Pixi Double Cleanse (with Caroline Hirons)

I have been meaning to review this for a while but as you know I like to be thorough. I have to confess I assumed when I bought this that there would be no point reviewing it as it would just a flat out rave on how great a product this is. It is, but not without a few things worth commenting on.

As you may or may not know the Double Cleanse is a product developed with skincare queen Caroline Hirons, a woman who has worked in skincare for decades, knows what she's talking about and isn't afraid to voice her opinion. You know that if she has collaborated on and/or put her name to a product it's going to be good and it's going to do what it needs to do. And the double cleanse, does. But it's not a simple review. I've been using this about 5 times a week since February 2017 and I think I will probably be re-buying when it runs out. I'm about halfway through I think.

The Basic Brush Kit

I've been thinking about this post for a while but the problem is I love make-up brushes so it's really hard for me to not get carried away. What I thought would be useful was a list of all the brushes I would use to make up a basic, personal brush kit. Lots of brands do brush sets (Louise Young, Bobbi Brown and Real Techniques to name but three) but quite often if you are not a make-up artist or super into make-up you end up with a brush or two you don't really use (if this has happened to you let me know the brush and I'll tell you an alternative use for it!). 

When Launches Go Right - Eco Tools 2017

As the beauty industry has taken off launches are now happening all the time. It's always lovely to be invited and most of the time I don't review or mention them because, well how interesting is it to hear about an event that you didn't attend?

But every now and then a launch will be really well organised and set-up and the one I went to on 30th March in London for Eco Tools was just that. The event itself and the products we were given to try inspired to do this vlog when I got home.

Sorry for the breathlessness and the dark lighting. So nice to feel like a brand is genuinely interested in you finding out as much as possible and wanting you to fall in love with their products. It worked - I'm totally inspired, enthused and have started testing them already. Reviews to follow.

Thanks so much to Eco Tools and 3 Monkeys | Zeno for the invitation and for the fab time.

If you haven't already then do subscribe to this channel, check out my blog www.londonmakeupblog.com and come and say hi on social media where I am @corinnaharrod

You can check out the full range of Eco Tools brushes here - http://bit.ly/2nicck2

Mane 'n Tail Conditioner

Surely this should have an extra apostrophe? Mane 'n' Tail?

Anyway, I bought this on a whim in Liberty when I was having a lovely child-free day in Central London and forgot that I am on a total spending ban. It was only £7 which is pretty standard price for most high street conditioners so it wasn't like I was blowing the bank on hair products. That's also with the Liberty price upgrade - you can find it for more like £5. I also wanted to know if this was just a gimmick.

You see I used to have ponies when I was small. And indeed when I was less small I migrated to horses. And if I hadn't married a Londoner full of 'yes we'll move to the country' charmlies I would probably have one now. I love them. I love everything about them. Even tack cleaning and mucking out. I had fond memories of summers spent washing ponies tails in the sun and oiling hooves and I was hoping that the smell of this would trigger some sort of nasal nostalgia-fest.

Concealers

When I first started wearing make-up concealers came in a lipstick-style bullet. Chalky in texture and very limited in colour they were ok for covering a spot if you had a whopper. They were pretty pigmented and unblendable.

Now a lot of clients I work with, especially those over 35, have not kept up to date with how concealers have evolved. Often using a heavier coverage foundation and skipping the concealer altogether which makes it hard to get a natural finish. I often get asked how to get dewy skin without losing coverage and I always recommend a lighter, dewier foundation and a good concealer. They've come on a long way since the 80s/90s bullet. Now you can get the coverage you need, where you need it whilst still keeping a light coverage everywhere else.