JANUARY FAVOURITES...

Top 5 'Glad'sticks!

Choosing my five favourite Lipsticks for January was tough.  I have purchased so many colours this month to kick start the new year and have been largely impressed.  However, there were 5 which particularly stood out to me and here they are...

MAC Lady Danger, MAC Girl About Town, Topshop Brighton Rocks, Revlon Lip Stain Passion, Rimmel Kate 107

Same as above...

1.  MAC Amplified in 'Girl About Town'

I had been looking for a bright, yet not too girly, fuchsia lip colour, for a while.  On my most recent visit to MAC, I discovered 'Girl About Town' and loved it straight away.  My signature fashion look is all black so I tend to look for lip colours that will add a fresh, bright and exciting splash of colour to my outfits and this one ticks all my beauty boxes.

£14.00 MAC Cosmetics
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/168/310/Lipstick

2.  MAC Matte in 'Lady Danger'

I have so many red lipstick variations - cherry reds, postbox reds, berry reds, vampy reds and lots of the classic Chanel Rouges, but my make-up box was miserably missing a brighter, orangey-red shade.  I had heard so many people rave about MAC's Lady Danger in the beauty blog/vlog world so decided to try.  I LOVE IT!  I can see myself wearing this more in the summer than right now, but it is definitely a great colour if you are missing this type of red in your lipstick collection like I was. 

£14.00 MAC Cosmetics
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/168/310/Lipstick

3.   Topshop in 'Brighton Rocks'

As some of you may already know, I am completely addicted to the Topshop Lipsticks!  I only discovered them towards the end of last year but have been hooked ever since!  The colour range is amazing and they have great pigmentation.  At only £8.00, they are cheap compared to your MAC, Chanel and Tom Ford favourites. The staying power is surprisingly good and the packaging is beautiful, with a ceramic type finish, making them super-sturdy.  'Brighten Rocks' is a bright, blue-based, fun pink with a satin matte finish, making it great for an everyday pop of colour. 

£8.00 Topshop 
http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=1627975&langId=-1 

4.  Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in 'Passion'

Millie Mackintosh is my absolute beauty and fashion guru right now and everything she raves about, I want!  She recently blogged about her love of the Revlon Lip Stains so, I quickly looted my local Boots for mine.  I chose the colour 'Passion' as I thought it would be a good colour to wear to work and I heard it lasts for hours.  I tend to keep my eye make-up minimal for work but working in Beauty, I do feel the need to wear a bright, prominent lip colour so I look the part and this one is just the ticket!  I found it a little strange at first - the applicator is like a felt tip pen so I was immediately reverted back to being 5 years old using my magic markers as lipsticks....  However, the pigmentation is great, the staying power is incredible and the texture makes the overall look appear very natural.  Thanks, Mills!

£8.99 Boots
http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-Just-Bitten-Lip-Balm-and-Stain_1276246/

5.  Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 107

The final lip product in my January favourites is from the Kate collection at Rimmel.  This is a highly pigmented, rich, deep berry red, with a silky matte finish. I love this colour for the evening and have been wearing it so much lately. I definitely think it will be a perfect, romantic colour for Valentines Day this month.  I always get asked which lipstick this is when I have it on and, despite my pet-peeve of numbered lipsticks (SO boring and unfortunate for the numbered lipsticks; how can anyone possibly remember umpteen lipstick number variations???), when I do remember, people are always shocked to find it costs only £5.49.  Jackpot. 

£5.49 Boots 
http://www.boots.com/en/Rimmel-Kate-Matte-Lipstick_1281356/

 

Bioderma Crealine H2O = my beauty holy grail.

THE holy grail skincare product, adored and raved about by make-up artists and beauty fanatics alike, is Bioderma Crealine H2O.

This cult product may look like tap water but, if it is, it's from a beauty wizzard's magic tap or something!  I have loved this cleansing water for a long time and my make-up kit would be useless and understandably very sad without it.  

The Bad

I can't buy it!!!! You can only buy this benchmark cleansing water in France...unless you want to spend a ridiciulous amount getting it shipped over here (I've never done this. Never. Ever. Really....)  So, my advice is, when you, or a friend, next visits the beautiful Francais, pop to a local pharmacy and get yourself a bottle.... or seven!

The Good

This cleansing water is pioneering micellar solutions, globally.  It is alcohol, perfume and phenoxyethanol-free and uber gentle - but it works! The ultra-calming formular works on normal, sensitive AND problem skin types.  

I pop a small amount of this magical water on a large cotton wool pad and in a few gentle sweeps, I have a bare, make-up free face; it even removes water-proof mascarra easier than any other eye specific make-up remover product I've ever tried.  The formula contains micelles which effectively micro-emulsify impurities whilst maintaining the skin’s balance.  The solution absorbs quickly, there is no irritation (even on the eyes!) and it leaves my skin feeling clean but soft.  I tend to use my favourite cleansers after (at the moment I am switching between Manuka Doctor Api Clear Foaming Wash and Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish) to really clean my face before using my normal toner and night cream.  

I also use my Bioderma every morning to wipe off any excess night cream to give me a good, clean surface for my make-up application that day.  

I can not get enough of this stuff! I take it with me everywhere, religiously - when taking off client's make-up it's fantastic and much more proffesional and efficient than whipping out a wad of cucumber face wipes! For travelling, I pop a little in a small disposable bottle as it's great for cleaning and refreshing the face on long-haul flights. 

I even love the bottle - it's huge so lasts a long, long time and it has a pretty pink lid - need I say more!?

TGIF!

The Bad:

I was most definitely participating in the office's weekly ritual of, 'Fat Fridays' today.....


I can safely say, I have consumed my body weight in 'Percy Pigs' and his annoying little 'pals'...OINK OINK

The Good: 

I popped into Liberty's today for a third pot of my favourite lip balm - 'Korres Lip Butter', in 'Quince'. If you haven't tried this lip product before, I urge you to give it a go!  The pigment is so strong meaning it lasts a surprisingly long time for what is essentially only a lip balm. It is mega nourishing and, call me Sherlock - it tastes just like quince jam! Nom Nom.

I also stocked up on my perfume and all-time favourite foundation, 'Nars Sheer Glow' in the colour, 'Barcelona'. Now my hero foundation, Jemma Kidd's, 'Light As Air', is alas, no longer with us, (I can't talk about this too much; I will get teary), 'Nars Sheer Glow' has become a staple product in my make-up bag.  It has a dewy, glossy finish, feels light and moisturising, but miraculously covers up any imperfections. 

 

 Happy Weekend, Everyone!  Now, where are those Percys? 

http://www.harveynichols.com/s249079-korres-quince-lip-butter-6g.html

http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/product/Liberty/Nars/Sheer-Glow-Foundation-in-Barcelona-Nars/61907

 

I was recently given a, YSL 'Glossy Stain' Lip Gloss, in 25 Fuchsia Neo-Classic, from YSL’s new, vintage collection. I have heard SO much about this product lately due to its rumoured, phenomenal staying power and I was super-excited to try it out…… 

The Bad: This lip gloss is, quite possibly, the stickiest gloss I have ever, ever tried. I felt like I had accidently used a pritt-stick instead of a lip balm.  If you don’t like sticky glosses, this one may not be for you…

The Glad: I loved the colour and boy, did it last! I ate sushi, worked, drunk copious amounts of tea, and it was still on when I went to take my make-up off that night.  I LOVE this product!  I have not used a lip gloss this long-lasting in a long, long while.  More colours, please!

http://www.feelunique.com/p/Yves-Saint-Laurent-Rouge-Pur-Couture-Glossy-Stain-6ml?gclid=CKGE2YDa3rQCFQzKtAodmzIA1g
 

YSL also sent me a rather lovely sample of the, Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation.  I had been meaning to try this product out for a while since it won tons of beauty awards last year.  I can’t believe it has been 20 years since YSL launched its cult, Touche Eclat Pen.  This foundation was certainy a long-time coming and had an awful lot to live up to!

The Bad:  I have been addicted to, Nars 'Sheer Glow' Foundation, for nearly a year now and it would take an awful lot to be converted.  This foundation comes very close.... but, I wont be throwing away my trusty Nars, just yet.

The Glad: This foundation comes in a gel-like form and contains, ‘lamella’.  Lamella, despite sounding like a form of bacteria I learnt about in Biology, forms an enchanting, reflective film to brighten, hide those bags and highlight in all the right places!  This foundation feels light, looks natural, yet magically covers the bits they spend hours touching up on celebrity pictures. 

There is a great range of colours to choose from and YSL are excellent at giving away samples to take home and try before you buy - they know you won’t be disappointed! 

http://www.feelunique.com/p/Yves-Saint-Laurent-Le-Teint-Touche-Eclat-Foundation-30ml

Glad New Year! 

The first thing to make me glad in 2013 was, believe it or not, a new, drug-store shampoo!

I decided to bid farewell to a fantastic 2012 by washing my locks in Naked’s range of shampoo called, Smooth.  With marshmallow, aloe vera and not a paraben, suplate or petrochemical in sight; it had all the ingredients to brighten up those post-Christmas blues. 

This shampoo had been strongly recommended to me for its natural ingredients and lack of harsh detergents.

The Bad:  I did have to use quite a large amount of shampoo.  Without all the conventional chemicals that appear in most other shampoos, there was little foaming. I needed much more product than I would normally use to really feel like I had given my hair a good ol’ wash. 

The Glad:  The smell is divine.  It smells sweet and yummy - like marshmallows mid toasting.  My hair was left feeling silky, smooth and sleek.  I also didn’t feel like my hair was weighed down or glued to my head like the girl from, The Ring.  It was bouncy, light, with virtually no annoying flyaways – hoorah!

I have been using this shampoo since the beginning of January and have definitely noticed a difference.  My hair is glossier and feels much healthier.  To put the icing on the cake, it’s a steal at a little over £4.00! 

There are several shampoos in the Naked Shampoo range designed for a variety of different hair types – coloured, damaged, curly and even ones designed especially for little bambinos.

I will definitely be purchasing another Naked Shampoo when my bottle runs out!

 

http://www.boots.com/en/Naked-Smooth-Silky-Shampoo-250ml_952875/