Cheeky

When I was beauty therapy training at college 20 years ago, a make-up artist came in and said that she always applied some blusher after the foundation and concealer stage so she could see the shape of the face and apply make-up accordingly.  At the end of the makeover, once everything is on, then you can apply more if needed.

However, not sure how I got into this habit but when I'm putting make-up on myself, I blush, bronze, contour or highlight near the end of my makeover ('the end' being before lipstick) so hence me leaving this blog until now.  BUT, unless its a cream blush, then I'll pop that on after foundation.

My little selection of blushers and bronzers

Talking of cream blushers, these are fabulous if you want a lovely natural finish with long-lasting results.  Best to be applied straight after liquid foundation so the products work in synergy with each other and can be blended easily.  If you apply a cream blush later on in the makeover, once the foundation has settled, any powder in the foundation can take hold of the cream and it can go patchy so best applied straight after foundation.  You can apply with your fingers and then buff the edges with your foundation brush.   Make Up For Ever do some fabulous ones, HD Second Skin Cream Blush (€28).  Remember ‘cream-on-cream’ and 'powder-on-powder' is the way to go - so if you're using a mineral powder foundation, use a powder blusher.  If you have extremely oily or blemished skin then best to choose a powder blush or a gel/stain instead.  

Err, think my Max Factor needs replacing

I have one cream blush, Max Factor’s Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Copper (€10) which I like and I’ve used it so much, that I’ve gone down to the pan so I need a new one.  I do have oily skin on my cheeks but the blush is of the consistency that it’s not greasy and is fine for me.  It originally came in two shades, copper and pink but there are now four to chose from.

I love my MAC Legendary powder blush, which has an image of the gorgeous Marilyn Monroe on the lid – I’m a big Monroe fan and only bought it due to her - LOL.  It’s a lovely pale soft coral with a hint of pink and subtle golden shimmer (‘subtle’ being the operative word).  It took a while to get used to it as it's so pale – could I see it? - but this is actually perfect for day time and actually suits my colouring.  I also have a MAC mineral blushed called Warmth of Coral which is nice on the cheeks too.

MAC - Marilyn's Legendary (left), Mineralise Blush (right)

My favourite blusher has to be Shiseido’s Face Colour Enhancing Trio in RD1 (€38).  You have a blush, contour and highlight for a bit of contouring or you can swirl a brush over all the colours and dab on the apples of the cheeks.  It comes in four shades depending on your skin tone.  I found this product made such a difference to my clients’ makeovers (talk about looking healthy and radiant) while on the counter, that I had to own one myself.

Shiseido RD1 - best for a radiant, healthy glow

I also have the Sleek Face Form in Light 373 (€14).  It has a blush, highlight and contour in the palette.  This is such good value for money, comes in four shades depending on your skin tone, gives a great effect on the skin and lasts the day.  However, I think I am still trying to find the perfect contour shade for my skin tone which is probably why I don’t contour that often.  As with bronzers, anything brown or orange on my skin, I tend to look grubby.  I have a big, round moon face as well so less is more for me.

Sleek Face Form - new to contouring?  Try this.

With regards to contouring/strobing/baking – yawn; personally I am not a fan.  I think it looks too much unless you are a model in a magazine editorial or a Kardashian on the telly (it's the lighting, people!) - both situations not being your normal every day.  I once saw a young girl on the train and I just couldn’t take my eyes off her.  Unfortunately this was for the wrong reasons - it was due to the fact that her face looked so artificial and not to mention silly.  Plus, I think there's a ‘cheap’ element to this look as well.

Simply put, the one product that is going to make you look fresh and give you a healthy glow is a good blusher.  Smile (so your cheeks lift up) and apply.  Let's go glow!

POTW – Kate Moss Lip Conditioning Balm €7

This was an easy POTW to do.  In fact, I made up my mind within 2 hours of using the product that I had to share…

Um, I don’t normally buy a beauty product because a celeb’s name is attached to it (with the exception of the uber-talented tattoo artist, Kat von D; I genuinely like and buy her make-up) but I do like Rimmel’s collaboration with Kate Moss – the lipsticks are absolutely marvellous.  Good shades with intense colour, long-lasting and with a semi-glossy finish, I admit to buying a standby just in case I lose the original, which I have done in the past and I’ve felt bereft.  Bereft, I say.   I have two reds #01 and 2 nudes #03, with the complementing lip liners.

This Summer, another Kate collection has been launched, this one being an assortment of Nudes which contains 6 lipsticks, one of which is the Balm and five nail polishes.  I had a dabble with the testers recently and then walked away only because I already have Kate’s #03 lipsticks, which is similar to one of the new nude shades so I really didn’t need another one.  Ridiculously, I did the same thing three more times until I finally gave in and on the fourth visit, I bought #45 (a nude pinkie shade rather than my usual beige nude).

Anyway, this blog is about the balm and not the lipsticks so let me carry on.  When I was shopping the other day, I thought I would make a fifth visit to the Rimmel stand and if they did have the lip balm in stock then I would buy it as one can’t have enough lip balms and I was intrigued to know if it was as conditioning as it claims to be.  Seeing as it was buy one and get another half price, I bought the Balm and the dark brown lipstick shade #48.

So the Lip Conditioning Balm…looks like Elizabeth Arden’s 8-Hour Lip Balm (€23), with white and silver packaging, except for the angled lid.  As soon as I put it on, my lips felt very comfortable.  In fact, I only re-applied it after having my evening meal, when I like to wipe my lips clean of food and then pop balm back on.  Normally I would be re-applying lip balm after every beverage or every hour or so but no, I didn’t feel the need.  It claims to give up to 8 hours of moisturisation, prevents dryness, chapping and boy, do I believe them.  Oh, added bonus, it has an SPF15.

I won’t say ‘move over, Dr Hauschka’ just yet (Dr H being my ultimate lip balm) but this Rimmel Balm comes in a very close second.  Obviously, I will have to buy some spares.

Mascaras - You can't live without them!

To finish off the eyes then…who can’t live without mascara?  I can't.  Although, I get very irritated by the amount of adverts on the TV – there seems to be a new mascara being launched every week by the same companies so when you’ve found one that works for you, they discontinue it and replace it with another.

Seven things I want from a good mascara: (1) volume or one that looks like I am wearing it, (2) no gloop in my tear duct, (3) soft, conditioned lashes, (4) smudge-proof (5) one that doesn’t make my lashes feel like iron filings, (6) not dried out within weeks of use (I once spent €33 on one with it to just dry up after a few weeks which was terrible), (7) one that is easy to remove with waterproof remover.

As I have small lashes, I tend to opt for mascaras that create more volume and I prefer a thin brush so I can get to the roots without making a mess and I especially like those conical shaped brushes as well.  Having said that, as my frequent readers are aware, I like The Viper (Makeup Revolution, €5) which is a very strange-shaped brush indeed but it gives me good lashes (see my previous blog entitled Once Bitten).  You get a great dense black, it lasts the day and surprisingly, my lashes are super soft to touch.  Once bitten, forever smitten…tee hee.

I used to LOVE Max Factor's Xperience mascara – I actually purchased a few of these but of course, they discontinued it.  Unfortunately, their newer ones don't suit me (see my list of requirements above).

I have a few KIKO ones and especially like their burgundy mascara.  It has a thick brush but it gives an intense rich colour to my lashes unlike a brown mascara would (it just looks flat).

I am not a fan of waterproof mascara though so I have none of that in my own personal kit.   I find normal mascara hard to remove as it is and it must leave a residue on the lashes at some point – even though I use my waterproof eye make-up remover.  So I worry that waterproof must leave something on the lashes as it is doubly hard to remove. 

Clarins do a great product that allows you to waterproof your favourite mascaras – it's a transparent sealer and you pop it on after applying your mascara (Double Fix Mascara, €24).  Good to have in your pro-kit too.  That reminds me, my sister bought me one years ago and I lost it so I must get another one.

My ultimate favourite was Lancome’s Définicils Mascara (€28) which I used to wear when I worked for another company!  Naughty me.  It’s nice to see that this mascara is still around.  Actually, I think I will pop this on my Christmas List (hope Hubbie D is reading this) to see if it’s still as good as it was back then.

Ooo, forgot to mention - top tip - apply mascara to your bottom lashes before you coat your tops ones...no more smudging on the lids.

Have a great weekend everyone!

POTW – Garnier Pure Active Micellar Cleansing Water (€7 for a whopping 400ml)

The beauty world has gone giddy for micelle solutions it would seem.  Used by professional make-up artists for absolutely years (for quick, effective cleansing behind the scenes at Fashion Week and on photoshoots - cult favourite being Bioderma’s Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution), this cleansing solution has really come into its own.  Perfect for removing make-up (even waterproof), sebum and other impurities without the use of water and without stripping away the skin’s natural acid mantle. Also perfect for a vacation – ditch the eye make-up remover and the toner and take the micelle instead.

This little beauty first gained popularity by the Parisians and now it seems all the major brands are doing them.  It’s made up of micelles, which are a collection of surfactant molecules dispersed in another liquid.  These surfactants have a hydrophilic end and a lipophilic end - one attracts water and the other attracts oils and grease.  If there were no surfactants, the oil and water would just separate in the bottle as they don't like each other (like the dual-phased eye make-up removers).

I have used Bioderma before and I liked it but I thought I would buy Garnier’s Micellar Cleansing Water instead seeing as a photo of this product has been in nearly every magazine and is constantly being advertised on telly.

Now I must’ve been in a rush when I bought it as I came back with the blue labelled bottle and I wanted the pink labelled bottle – I didn’t realise Garnier had a few different waters.  The blue label is Pure Active, for combination to oily skin which was okay by me as I am that skin type.  It cleanses and purifies in one step.

Wow, I seem to have found a product that will be on my list of products that I repeat-purchase.  I love how swiftly it removes my make-up, doesn’t dehydrate my skin and leaves it feeling very comfortable.  It glides across my skin like silk and leaves my skin very soft too.  I have tried removing my eye make-up with it (it does all come off) but I will just have to leave my peepers to my L’Oréal’s Absolute – my eyes appear not to like anything else.

However, next time I will be buying the pink labelled one as that is what I originally went in to get.

Make-up Today

Happy Friday everyone.

Suffering from a slight hangover this morning and haven't finished off the blog that I was going to post today so I thought I would do something quick - I have put on some make-up (to perk me up a bit) which I will share with you. Excuse the photo, Selfies aren't my forte.

So I am wearing Rimmel's Fix & Perfect Pro Primer (€7) which claims to smooth, resurface, brighten, mattify and protect.  I bought this ages ago when I was obsessed with buying primers.  I also bought Rimmel's Lasting Finish Primer (€9) and months ago, applied half of my face with this and then the other side with the Fix & Perfect and I got a better finish from the Fix & Perfect but having said that, I can still see my pores unfortunately - looks like ripples on my cheeks.

Next I applied one of my favourite foundations, Makeup Revolution Ultra Face Base BB Foundation (€3).  I love the finish this gives me - its bouncy formula glides onto my skin and provides some lovely luminosity to it (great for hungover skin then).

I used Ken Boylan’s Make Up Play concealer (€20) around my eyes and on my eyelids (what - you didn’t use your Urban Decay Primer Lotion, Sal?).  I find this quite brightening on my skin so I look a lot perkier already.  Oh and I covered up that horrible little freckle on the end of my nose with Catrice’s Concealer Palette (€4), the darker beige shade.

I then powdered my face with Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free ($14).  I find this too crumbly personally although the finish is fine.  However, most of the time, I skip powder as it tends to look like I’m wearing powder (obviously haven't found the right one yet).

I usually use an eyeshadow for my brows (the brown in Sleek’s Au Naturel Palette, €11) but I couldn’t be bothered today so I used a NYX one in Black (which I shouldn’t have – too dark obviously).  Not keen on brow pencils to be honest, I have more control with powder but I wanted something quick.

Taking a small eyeshadow applicator that has a pointy tip to it (found in the Clarins eyeshadow quartets), I then applied a thin line of black eyeshadow (from Sleek’s Au Naturel Pallet) on the top lash line, outer corner, to define my small eyes, followed by my favourite mascara, Makeup Revolution’s The Viper (£3).

Blush; now I should have put this on after my foundation seeing as I eventually chose a cream but I didn’t know which one I was going to use at the time.  I dabbed Rimmel’s Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch in Radiant Rose on the apples of my cheeks (if this isn’t going to release me from the zombie look then nothing will). Arrrh, that’s better.  Walking dead be gone. 

Lipstick is Makeup Revolution’s Ultra Velour Lip Cream in Say Yes, It’s What We Do Best (£3).  I absolutely love this shade (a russet red) but it doesn’t stay on long enough and it slides about.  It smells of caramel too (which I’m not keen on as I don’t like to smell of food).

Have a fabulous weekend!

POTW – Molton Brown Orange & Bergamot Room Fragrance €28 for 100ml

I really should be awarding this Product of the Year because it has literally made my 2015 and transported me back into a little piece of my history.  Although I can't remember which segment of the past this is; I’ve moved house 10 times since I’ve been married (13 years this month) and I can’t remember which house I lived in (or even which country) in which I salubriously squirted my bedrooms but in any case, I have very fond memories of it so I was ecstatically enthused when I realised that the department store I was working in, back in the new year, stocked Molton Brown and I would get staff discount.

I wandered across the shop floor to the Molton Brown stand in the hope that they would still do the room fragrance that sent me giddy with joy.  I couldn’t remember what the fragrance was called but I was confident that I would know the scent as soon as I smelt it.  Hurrah!  I found it.  The name has changed and it is now called Orange & Bergamot and I was suddenly transported back in time so strongly that I just couldn’t stop smiling and I’ve been smiling ever since. 

I normally like to squirt it across my side of the duvet and pillows just before climbing into bed (thank goodness the hubbie doesn’t seem to mind.  Well, one night he did mind, when I accidentally sprayed him in the face as well as the pillows.  Note to self, spray in an empty bed).  The box does say to avoid contact with the face and fabric but I’ll just avoid a face as the fabric of my duvet covers and pillowcases haven't been ruined by the constant fragrance (my bedding isn't expensive due to my little house bunny running around on it sometimes and I wouldn’t want her to ruin pricey fabrics).

The sultry fragrance comprises of bergamot, mandarin and oranges from Seville.  As well as lemon, ginger, orange flowers and musk.  I need to find a perfume like this for me as it really does comprise all the aromas I love.

As you can see from the photo, I am half way through the bottle and I bought this February so it is lasting pretty well with regards to the price of it (those Glade plug-ins aren’t cheap, you know) and I spray it every day avoiding hubbie and the bunny and we're all smiling.

Eyeliners - Shaken, Not Stirred

Talk about love/hate.  The following are things I have to take into account when using eyeliners:-

I have hooded eyelids.

Growing older is a privilege but I am not loving my newly hooded lids.  This has made it impossible for me to do a fab wing or flick now.  I literally have to draw a lightning bolt shape on the outer corners so when I open my eyes, the line looks all joined up.  What a palaver.

  

The best I can do with hooded lids

I have oily eyelids.

Even though I use an eye primer on my oily lids, my skin becomes like blotting paper when I use an ink liner for my wings and flicks.  I get a blob instead of a point.  Sigh.

I have small eyes with small eyelids.

My eyes are tiddlers (even my favourite eyeshadow brush, MAC 217, is a little too big) so I do need a liner to enhance them but I have to make sure that my upper lash line is done thinly with a gel liner or pushed into the roots with a pencil.  If the pencil is too fat then the line practically covers my tiny lids, which in this case looks daft on me.

I have watery eyes.

I can never get my lower lash liner to stay put due to soggy eyes (they’d win the London Marathon if I let them run) and once I get to my destination, I swiftly need to check the mirror in the Ladies to make sure I haven’t got a gap where my liner once was.  And yes, I normally do have a gap even with a waterproof pencil eyeliner (my tears must be corrosive).

With pencil eyeliners, I find them either too hard or too soft (OK, so I can add ‘Goldilocks’ to that list then).  Even after warming them up with fingers, some pencils create a hard line that looks like one’s stepped off a Human League video set, not to mention you can’t smudge to soften them.  The pencils that are too soft continue to smudge throughout the day so I’m left with panda-eyes (I’d much prefer looking like I’ve had a romp on the beach…with Daniel Craig as James Bond, to be honest).

Anyhoo, what I have at home is a lovely green liner bought from KIKO last year, Glamorous Eye Pencil in Forest Green #413 (€4.20) and I was really surprised that it stayed on for the whole day and I’m even talking about my squelchy waterline. Admittedly, it did smudge underneath my lower lashes a bit (which is normal for me) but it didn’t stop me from buying 3 more Glamorous pencils (in blue, black and plum), a Smart pencil (taupe, half price €1.20) and a gel liner (€8.90) in Lisbon.   Oh and I bought one of their Crystal Pencils too in a fab glistening grey colour #06 (it was in the sale at the till and now it is out of stock).  I wasn’t thinking when I sharpened it recently - turned out it wasn’t encased in wood but in plastic and I got a shard of plastic in my eye when I used it so I will pull it out of its casing and mash it down in a pot so I can apply it with a brush instead.  I still have to touch up with these pencils but compared to a load I’ve tried (cheap and pricey), they stay on as well as they can do on such a person as me.

 KIKO Pencils 

Another product I bought is in fact a stick eyeshadow but can be used for lining the eyes too; Long Lasting Stick in Black #20 (8 Hour No-Transfer Eyeshadow, €6.90).  This is a matt shade and different to the metallic colour I bought last year (in Rose Brown #5).  Actually, #5 went into my pro-kit as it was too shiny and the colour disappeared into my own skin tone so it didn’t look great on me.  I haven’t yet worn the #20 properly (only tried it in the comfort of my own home) but it smudges nicely and if it is anything like the #5, it will stay put.  A good thing for me is seeing as I have hooded lids, I can concentrate more on my lower lash line and these sticks don’t need to be sharpened so you can get a great grungy, smoky look going on with them with a flatter nib.  Note to self: I need to organise a night out (with Daniel Craig obviously) so I can wear it.

After doing a Make Up For Ever course and trying their gel liner and liking it, while I was in KIKO, I bought their black gel liner and have been applying it as a very thin line on the upper lashes with my Sigma E11 brush.  I like it.  It's a black, black.

I have my Catrice Made-to-Stay Inside Eye in Nude which is nice to brighten my small eyes and I recently bought a Barry M Bold White Waterproof pencil for the inner corners seeing as the nude one quickly disappears into my skin tone.  Also I have the Maybelline Big Eyes too which I like due to the consistency and the size of the pencil for my lower lashes.

I do like fine felt-tip liner pens too.  Got given a Catrice one (very fine nib) in green and loved the finish and it lasted all day.  Topshop also do a great fine nibbed one.

Last but not least, the best thing for my watery, hooded, small, oily eyes is eyeshadow powder (and if I use an angled brush, I am able to do a small winged look too).  Whatever I am wearing on my lids, I bring it down onto my lower lash line as well.  Sometimes, I might use a pencil and then go over with the eyeshadow to set it and voilà!  It can last the day although I can’t blame Daniel Craig now, can I?  

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Product of the Week - KIKO Peeling Mask

To get better results from your facial products, it’s always beneficial to remove all the dead skin cells that have built up so that the products can penetrate deeper into the skin and do their business more effectively.  I’ve been using KIKO's Peeling Mask (€5.90 for 55ml) once a week since I’ve come back from holiday (seems SO long ago now, sob) in conjunction with a mask.

I used to exfoliate my skin way too much which didn’t help my skin’s natural cellular turnover.  My skin would overcompensate and I would end up with roughness so now I just exfoliate when my skin needs it which is usually once a week on a relaxing Sunday.

Since learning that facial scrubs, particularly the plastic beaded variety are causing environmental damage and even natural ingredient scrubs can be raggedy and scratch the skin, I’ve been keen to opt for other ways to get rid of dead skin cells. A flannel is always good, as are those Konjac sponges.  Remember that old-fashioned second-step in a facial routine – the toner?  There are some good exfoliating lotions (with AHA's and BHA's) out there that you can use before you pop on your moisturisers and there are some masks that contain natural enzymes that exfoliate too, such as this one from KIKO.

I used to use Clarins Gentle Peeling Mask back in the day but I’ve recently found one in KIKO that you don’t have to rub off (and make a mess).  KIKO's is a white mask that you leave on the skin for 10-15 minutes and then you rinse off and the natural AHA’s (papain, bilberry fruit extract and lactic acid to name but a few) gently remove the dead cells leaving smooth, relaxed, refined, radiant skin.

KIKO’s Peeling Mask

I couldn’t get to either of our bathrooms in order to rinse KIKO off (husband was in one and the other has his bicycle in it) so I grabbed my WaterWipes and held one over my face for a bit and then gently pulled down the Wipe and literally most of the mask came off...handy those WaterWipes.

I then finished off with my Chanel eye cream and Shiseido Benefiance Revitilising Cream.  When I woke up on Monday morning, my skin was literally glowing and my HUGE pores...well, what HUGE pores?  A great, gentle exfoliator, at a great price.