Easy to do, wearable Autumn make up

Last year I posted something similar but only mentioning my favourite Autumn lip products. This year I'm giving you my complete wearable every day make up favourites for Autumn.

Starting with the all important skin. Doesn't matter how lovely your eyeshadow or lip colour is, if your skin isn't looking good neither will your finished look.

With central heating and generally colder weather on it's way you need to keep your skin well hydrated, whilst also giving you some coverage. My current favourite is the Body Shop BB Cream mixed with a little Illamasqua Skin Base just for some extra coverage around the middle part of my face. I always start blending from the front panel of my face outwards so that then you're not left with a line around your jaw.

With your summer  tan probably fading fast you still want to look perky and healthy so for this I use the amazing watercolour blush by Daniel Sandler, these will stay put all day and also give your cheeks a little colour and a nice sheen. My favourite shade has to be Cherub. This is a beautiful pink, not too bright and I find suits most complections.

 Finish the skin off by dusting some Rimmel Natural Bronzer lightly over where the sun would naturally hit. Remember that as this is an Autumn look choose a shade that's only one darker than your natural skin colour.

For eyes I am loving MAC's eyeshadow in Antiqued. This is a really nice rusty, warm brown colour and a little goes a long way for an everyday look as it is a little shimmery. Beautiful on green and blue eyes. Smudge some MAC eyeliner kohl pencil in Coffee along your outer lower lashes to create a little more definition and then a couple of coats of any black mascara.

 Brows is something I cannot skip and I only have one make up choice when it comes to them. It's my trusty HD Brow palette in the shade Foxy - all the way. Again, less is more for a daytime look. Try and create a natural looking brow, not overly drawn-on.

Now for lip colour, I had to include an old favourite from last year, yes I have gone out and bought this again. It's the Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. Hydrating and a buildable colour, Perfect!

So there you have it my Autumn favourites. If you have any recommendations let me know in the comments box.

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask

 

Grabbing some me time for a pamper can sometimes be impossible as there are always a hundred other things to do on your list, which means the thought of having time for a face mask will make some of you laugh. But with this face mask you don’t have to sit there for 10 minutes waiting for it to work its magic - you can just slather it on before bed just as you would with your normal moisturiser. It’s so easy there are no excuses.

After reading various reviews, as you do, I came across the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask and gave it a try. At £23 I think it’s brilliant value for money, as you get so many applications in one tube. I tend to have quite dry skin and find this used twice weekly helps keep my skin well hydrated, along with other lotions and potions.

I usually cleanse, tone and use this instead of my night cream as the consistency is just like a thick moisturiser.

It comes in a handy hygienic tube so you can dispense just the right amount. I’ll put one layer on, wait for it to absorb slightly and then go back with another layer. I can even use this sparingly around the delicate eye area (all those little fine lines are hydrated by the morning).

I love the fruity, mango smell to this mask and really do notice a difference to my skin after using, as it usually means that the next day will be a good skin day. I’ve been using this now for a good couple of months twice a week and will definitely be re-purchasing.

 

This is what Origins have to say:

 Origins Drink Up™ Intensive Mask makes skin feel smoother and hydrated. Skin depends on water for its youthful functioning. But all day long, skin loses vital moisture. And the busier you are, the more it loses. This intense moisture replacement mask deeply quenches compromised moisture reserves and builds a reservoir for tomorrow. Japanese Seaweed repairs skin's barrier to prevent future dehydration and signs of premature ageing.

TRY ME. LOVE ME.

Buy a full-size Origins Drink Up™ Intensive Mask and get a sample too - if you don't like it, you can send the full-size back

 http://www.origins.co.uk/product/3857/11647/Skincare/Category/Masks/Drink-Up-Intensive/Overnight-mask-to-quench-skins-thirst/index.tmpl

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray review

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "how do I get my make up to stay on all day?". Apart from layering cream and powder products (let's be honest, how many of us have time to do this in the morning!) then Urban Decay's All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray will be your secret weapon against make up fade.

 

After finishing your make up routine spritz this all over your face lightly in an 'X' motion a couple of times and you're good to go (your face shouldn't feel wet or have heavy droplets after use). I find with this that less is more.

The fine mist feels refreshing on the skin and never sticky or tight which I expected. I use this on all my clients whether they have oily or dry skin, although if you have super oily skin they also have another version called the De-Slick.

With Urban Decay's All Nighter Spray they claim that with its patented Temperature Control Technology (mouthful) it actually lowers the control of your make up to keep it in place. Not sure about that, but their 16 hours long lasting claim is something I would believe a little more in.

The full sized 118ml at £20 isn't too pricey considering the cost of most skincare/make up products, and it's available at Debenhams and Feel Unique.

Summer lovin'

Whether you're flying away to an exotic destination this summer or just making the most of the UK sun, these are my picks to keep you sunshine ready.

Nivea Sun Moisturising Spray - I've tried different brands over the years but Nivea sun protection is the one I always come back to year after year. It's a convenient spray bottle and available in a range of protection levels depending on your skin type. I tend to stick to SPF 30. It does say water resistant but I re-apply after swimming to make sure my skin is fully protected, and also before I go out into the sunshine in the morning.

No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Facial Sun Protection - Still on the SPF, this is my favourite facial sun protecion. I use this year round and apply it after my usual moisturiser.  Even when it's cloudy those pesky UVA/UVB rays can still get through and damage your skin, so this is a must. Also, remember your neck and chest area! Great thing with this is it doesn't clog pores or feel greasy and can be applied under make up.

Hawaiian tropic Silk Hydration After Sun - My all time favourite after sun. It's super cooling and moisturising and I love love love the smell of this. Fruity but not too girly so great for men or women.

Avon Caribbean Paradise Body Spray- If you're at the beach or by the pool and need a little freshen up the Avon body mist in Caribbean Paradise is perfect. Instead of taking a perfume which a) is expensive and b) comes in a glass bottle, throw this is your bag, spritz it all over, and you're good to go.

L'oreal Studio Matt and Messy Salt Spray - I use this a lot during summer and especially if I'm away on holiday as I don't want the fuss of taking a lot of electrical gadgets with me. It's a quick and hassle-free way to style your hair into beautiful 'just been at the beach' look. Leave your hair to air dry and spray through the ends giving you that wavy, matt look (better still leave in plaits over night and use dry shampoo at the roots in the morning and this then through the ends).

Bourjois Color Boost - After Clinique released the chubby sticks, the high street brands have followed suit at a fraction of the price, so stock up on a couple of different shades for a quick way to update your look. My favourites are Fuchsia Libre and Peach on the Beach.

Sudocrem - This is an essential item! Sudocrem is a staple in my bathroom cabinet at home and also my wash bag when away. Great for scrapes, burns, rashes and pimples. Fantastic all rounder!

Whatever you're up to this summer, have a great time!

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

 

My latest cleansing oil discovery has come as a nice surprise at only £10! The Body Shop’s Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. This stuff is brilliant! It’s super effective in taking all my make up off, even stubborn mascara. Great for sensitive skin and doesn’t leave my skin dry either, something I find most ordinary face washes do.

It comes in a handy plastic bottle with a dispensing pump which is great as you can use only the amount that you need, a couple of pumps is enough for my face and neck. As it’s an oil you would think that it would leave a greasy residue on your face, but as long as you use a face cloth and warm water to rinse off it won’t leave an oily film on the skin. It does say on the bottle that you can just rinse but I wouldn’t recommend this.

The cleaning oil has a very mild, clean camomile smell and leaves my skin super smooth and soft. Another lovely product from the Body Shop. Top marks!

Perfect Skin Foundation

Whenever anyone asks my advice on which higher-end foundation to buy, the first one that pops in to my head for many reasons is Illamasqua’s Skin Base foundation. It gives great coverage without feeling heavy, it looks amazing in photographs as it doesn’t contain SPF, and for me it’s long wearing.

For more than a year now this has become my favourite “weekend” foundation. At £27 for 30ml it isn’t cheap, so that’s why the old Rimmel favourite is my weekday foundation and I keep the Skin Base for special occasions/weekends.

Illamasquas skin base paired with the Real Techniques Expert Face brush is my ultimate, perfect skin combo. If I need a foundation that will stay put all day this is the one I always reach for and I’m always happy with the results. Illamasquas products are all highly pigmented so you don’t need to use much foundation to get a good coverage, but if you prefer a fuller coverage it is buildable. Great if you need both a day and evening foundation!

It gives my skin quite a normal look, not too matte and not too glowy. At first it can look a little flat and ghost like but I find that after a few minutes it warms up and looks beautiful. The application with this foundation is something you need to master. It isn’t a foundation that you can slap on with your hands and expect an amazing result; buffing a small amount in circular motions and working into the skin works best, giving you that smooth, even finish.

One point I would stress is that your skin needs to be in tip top condition before using it, as the foundation will stick to any dry patches you have. Their Hydra Veil primer works brilliantly if you have dryer, normal skin. This is a hydrating primer that smoothes any fine, dry lines by giving the skin base a better canvas on which to sit. I’ve read so many mixed reviews about the Skin Base with some people commenting how it settles into fine lines. But as with any foundation, if you don’t have a good skincare routine, this will probably happen. Think of it as trying to paint over flaking wood!? Regular exfoliating and a day and night moisturiser will help to avoid it settling (this may sound like a lot of hard work but I promise it’s worth it).

The skin base comes in a huge range of colours. I really wouldn’t risk buying online without being colour-matched instore, as you have the confusion of pink or yellow skin tone and even within both of those the choice is overwhelming. I find that SB06 and SB07 are both good medium colours, whilst SB02 is very light.

The only annoyance with the skin base is the packaging. It comes in a hard plastic tube where it’s impossible to squeeze the last of it out; if I’m paying £27 for a foundation I want every last drop.

All in all I love this foundation. I have recommended it to so many people with brilliant feedback, but if you do have oilier skin it may be a case of getting a tester for Illamasqua’s matte primer and skin base to try before splashing out.

L'Oréal Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara

There aren’t many mascaras that I like enough to write a blog post about them, but when someone recently thought I was wearing false lashes when I was only wearing the L’Oreal Miss Manga mascara, I thought it was definitely worth sharing with you.

I never stick to one mascara for long, as any advert that promises full, thick, long lashes get’s me dumping an unfinished mascara in no time and on to the next. This is especially true when the likes of Cheryl Cole or Penelope Cruz flutter their lashes on any advert or in any magazine.

When I saw the advert for the L’Oreal Mega Volume Miss Manga mascara, to be honest, I thought the lashes looked awful! Think Twiggy, 60’s, clumped lashes. That was not a look I was especially after for a day time mascara, so why did I even buy it!?

But it’s safe to say I’m so glad I did and it is definitely now in my top 5 of favourite mascaras. You can build brilliant length and really thicken the lashes up within a couple o coats. I can see how you could easily get carried away and get that clump effect, but literally two good coats and a whole lotta’ wiggling at the root of the lash and your done. (Just be careful not to overdo the bottom lashes).

It’s very similar to the Benefit ‘They’re Real’ mascara. If you touch your lashes you can really feel the product on and it’s still there until you take it off at night. It doesn’t smudge or flake and gives a super wide eye effect - everything I love about the Benefit mascara but half the price. This photo is just with one really good coat.

The packaging isn’t L’Oreal’s normal classy, sophisticated look but it’s nice to see them do something different that appeals to the younger market with its sleek, shiny hot pink and black packaging.

I’m already looking forward for my Miss Manga mascara to finish so that I can re-purchase. (Nothing quite like a fresh mascara!)