The Last of the Beauty Sales ….

I banned myself from from buying any makeup while holidaying in Sydney and that ban extended to the Boxing Day sales online. Oh how it hurt when I saw all the email notifications from Space NK, Beauty Bay, Adore Beauty and beyond. I'm proud to say I stayed strong and haven't bought a thing, however I have done a little round-up of what I think are the best savings still online now - AND they all ship free INTERNATIONALLY!

Beauty Bay 

Beauty Bay have a great range of brands. I have blogged about them before here. They are UK based however they ship internationally for free with no minimum spend. At the moment they have 50% off all Bellapierre. The foundation colours are running low, however they still have loads of their shimmer stacks, eye shadows and blushes here. 

ASOS

ASOS have some good bargains on Pixi Beauty left, notably the Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer here and the Pixi Eye Alchemy Set here. I have been so impressed with all the products I have bought from Pixi Beauty this past year and i'm tempted … (currently sitting on my credit card chanting 'NO')

Adore Beauty

At 20% off, the Adore Beauty won't set any world records but any discount is better than no discount and if you prefer to shop local and support an Australian company, then this is your best beauty bet. My pick of the small selection of sale goods remaining, is the Alpha-H Liquid Gold Discovery Collection. This is a brand I have long been wanting to try. It has received rave reviews in the UK and a set like this containing 5 trial-sized products would be a great introduction. You can see this here. 

I must apologise for the lack of quality images in my posts lately. I have very limited resources working from my parent's house. I will be back in London by the weekend so you can expect my images to be back to their usual quality by next week.

Happy shopping. I am with you in spirit.

Behind the Scenes - LK Bennett

Recently I worked on a fashion parade for British label LK Bennett as part of the makeup team put together by The Session School. Held at the Marylebone Hotel, the parade was sponsored by Bellápierre cosmetics which was fantastic for the makeup team as we got to work with their beautiful mineral makeup.

Makeup look, pre- hair styling

Working with loose mineral powders can get a little messy backstage so organisation is key. A little bit of untidiness is worth it as these products give such a luminous glow. Since the show, I have been playing around more with these at home and I must say, i'm really impressed by the coverage they give. As well as the foundation, my special favourites are the highlighting and blush powders - divine!

Our lovely selection of Bellápierre foundations & nail polishes

Me .... working it ....

Back to the parade. The hair was done by the fabulous Electric London team and the look they created was described as 'Marie Antoinette on crack'. Each hairstyle they produced was slightly different but working in the same theme and each was like a work of art. 

The clothing was all modelled by employees of the LK Bennett brand, from front-of-house retail staff to behind-the-scenes stockroom employees, and they all did an amazing job. This was my first London fashion parade experience, having previously only worked at fashion events in Sydney, and I really enjoyed the backstage vibe. 

The Spring 2014 collection from LK Bennett looks really lovely too.  

My Foundation Wardrobe

There are some new and really interesting foundations on the market (hello By Terry, Terrybly Densiliss). I don't need any new foundation but I want. So in a bid to remind myself why i'm not allowed to add to my foundation wardrobe, here is a run down of the foundations I currently own.

Chantecaille Future Skin

This is the only foundation I have ever repurchased! It is an oil-free gel foundation which is great for my combination skin. I love the texture of a gel foundation and find this goes on best with hands instead of a brush.  I used to be 'Nude' in colour but have become 'Vanilla' since moving to the UK. There is a range of 10 shades so there should be match for most. My only gripe is that it comes in a pot so its' not ideal for travelling, but a positive to the pot is that you can control how much product you dispense and you know you can access every last drop. At £58.00 / $105 AUD it is certainly at the luxury end of the spectrum, but my god it is good. You can pick it up here in the UK and here in Australia.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 

This is also a gel formula foundation - I told you like a good gel formula!  It is radiance-boosting, anti-fatigue and claims to blend instantly and flawlessly. For the money (£10.99 / $32 AUD) it is a really good light coverage foundation. I have colour 52 Vanilla which is a touch too pale for me, however the next colour up was a little too dark. Limited 5 colour choices is one of the down sides to a cheaper product. I use this for low key days when I have nothing exciting happening. It is a good back up foundation. You can pick this up here in the UK and here in Australia.

 YSL Le Tient Touche Éclat Foundation

An illuminating foundation based around the iconic Le Touche Éclat highlighting pen. This certainly gives you a lovely glow. Sometimes I do find it a little too oil-enhancing on my t-zone, but used in the right conditions in cooler weather, it is lovely. Great packaging for travel too. I am colour B40 and there are an impressive 22 colours in the range. £29.00 / $78 AUD, you can buy this here in the UK and here in Australia.

By Terry Sheer Expert Perfecting Fluid Foundation 

Oh By Terry! I really, really do love their products. This is so light it is verging on being a tinted moisturiser. The colour is an absolute perfect match for my skin (No 8. Intense Beige) so it just blends in flawlessly for me. All her products have the most delicious smell too. I have never been disappointed with anything from the range that I have purchased, my main problem is knowing when to stop. £44 / $89 AUD here in the UK and here in Australia.

In Shade 02 Ivory

Bellápierre Mineral Foundation

I had a bad experience with mineral makeup a few years back so I was hesitant to go there again however I was introduced to 

Bellápierre makeup when I did my course at The Session School and was very impressed. To be honest, I don't love the process of buffing powder in to my skin, but I do find this gives a nice even coverage. You need to prep the skin correctly and I find the Bella Pierre primer underneath is a must. There are 10 colours in the range and it is very easy to mix them together to create a bespoke shade. If mineral makeup is your thing and you want pure pigment without any added nasties, then you should give this a try. £34.99 / $79.95 AUD, you can buy this here in the UK and here in Australia.

I am also really keen to try Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua and Georgio Armarni's Luminous Silk - but not until I use up some of my existing supply.