Duty Free Makeup Addiction

I have an addiction to duty free shops in airports. I find it next to impossible to walk by without a quick look, even if it means dragging an unwilling 5 year old in with me. The thrill of all those travel sized , multi-buy and travel exclusive packs are what gets me. Purchases made at this time are usually done so in a rush. I totally blank out and suddenly can't remember what I already have and what I need, which is in fact nothing. If I try to be systematic and go in armed with a list, inevitably what I want is not there and once again I drift aimlessly, yet in total time restricted panic ... and I usually come away with lipsticks. Lots of lipsticks.

Behold Guerlain's Rouge Automatique lipsticks which are cap free meaning you can apply with one hand! Genius.

My trip home from Dubrovnik last weekend included a typical stint of duty free shopping before my flight. Stalking the aisles in confused panic lead me to come away with a box of 3 Guerlain lipsticks, none of which were actually needed, and a 'Clinique to go' pack which includes a powder compact and lipstick which is a duty free exclusive!

Superpowder Double Face Powder in 02 matte beige

Long last lipstick in 12 'Blushing Nude' 

Clinique do such a good job of multi-packing products and making it seem totally reasonable to buy 3 mascaras at the one time. The other brand who wins packaging awards is YSL. Have you seen their travel eyeshadow sets which come in a reusable hot pink wallet? Gorgeous!

Armed with my goodies I sauntered back to the lounge feeling satisfied and completely able to shrug off the raised eyebrows directed at me by my husband. Job done. May she who has the most lipsticks win!

Can we just take a moment to admire Guerlain's Coque D'or lipstick? Sparkly perfection in a tube.

Pencil + Crayon love

Oh how I love a chubby pencil or crayon when it comes to makeup. There is something so effortless in the application! I was so excited a couple of years ago when Clinique re-released their Chubby Sticks, and in my eyes they remain my pick of the crayon lipsticks out there.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I am now working with My Showcase and one of the brands I have been introduced to through them is Wild About Beauty. Everything about this range appeals to me - the colours are so wearable and there really isn't one product they make that i'm not coveting. Two stand-out items for me are the double ended Lip Pencil Duo £14.50, and Eyeshadow Pencil Duo £14.50. I have been 'testing' my testers of these two so much that i'm going to have to invest in another set for personal use!

Wild About Beauty Lip Pencil Duo in Mia and Eyeshadow Pencil Duo in Charlie

If you love a product that you can throw in your handbag with absolutely no mess and fuss, then you should check these out. If you suffer from oily eyelids then I would suggest using an eye-primer underneath the eyeshadow pencil to avoid creasing.

There are more of these products coming with the launch of Nude Stix through Space NK happening later this month. These also look ridiculously wearable and i'm lucky enough to have won a sample through a competition that Space NK were running on Instagram so watch this space for a review to come soon.

The Perfect No Makeup Look Palette

A few weeks ago I treated myself to the Clinique Neutral Territory 2 All About Eye-shadow Palette. I have long been a fan of Clinique's simple aesthetic and this really is the perfect 'no makeup, makeup' palette, consisting of 8 super easy to wear shades. The box is all gorgeous - sleek and silvery and very finger-print prone. It is small and light enough so that you wouldn't think twice about putting in a makeup bag and it comes with a brush that is so-so. 

Colours L-R: Sugar Cane, Light Shade from Diamonds & Pearls duo, Light shade of Neutral Territory duo, Light shade of Day into Night duo, Brown Shade of Polar Blue quad and Hazy

This palette is made up of many of the most popular shades which appear in the Clinique duo and quad shadow palettes. The shade 'Sugar Cane' is a soft shimmer, perfect for the brow bone and inner corner of the eye. The shades 'Hazy' and 'Black Honey' are super shimmers which are lovely in the crease of the eyelid.

Colours L-R: Light shade of Neutral Territory duo, Light shade of Day into Night duo, Brown shade of Polar Blue quad, Hazy, Black Honey and Dark brown shade of Morning Java quad.

I did a quick little look from the palette to show you and when I uploaded the photo's I realised that it looked a little too natural ... yes? Anyway here I am in all my post-gym, uneven skin-toned glory.

For this look I used the Light shade of Day into Night duo all over my eyelid, then added Hazy in the crease and the Light shade of the Diamond & Pearls duo in the inner corner.

If you are looking for a new office-friendly eye shadow palette or you want to spend an extra few minutes in the day to look really nice and polished, then this one is for you. The shadows have good staying power when used with an eye primer on the lids first, and I found them very easy to blend. This palette costs £32.00 / $65.00 AUD.

I am currently away and won't be accessing my email as frequently as usual so if you do have a comment/question please be patient and I will get back to you in a few days.

March Favourites

Oh March, i'm so glad you are nearly over. On Sunday my family and I are off for a week of sun-filled fun in Lanzarote, the Canary Islands. I can't tell you how much i'm looking forward to this trip. I have been working a lot since January and feel a touch exhausted. I know some would scoff at my mention of work and I realise working freelance is nothing like working a full time job, but it's the first time i've worked in the 5 years since having my daughters, so let me have my moment!

Aesop Fabulous Face Oil - it was love at first smell with me and this face oil. I was given samples of this at my consultation with Caroline Hirons and just couldn't get enough of it. This is one of the very few brands which is cheaper to buy in Australia, so I had my husband mule it home on his recent work trip (as penance for getting to eat gnocchi with my family while I was stuck in London). If you are looking for a really lovely, hydrating face oil to wear under your moisturiser then give this one a try. 

Bourjois Nail Polish Remover Pot - this is certainly not a new product, in fact here in the UK it seems to have cult status. I have been hitting the nail polish hard lately and this pot makes taking it off so simple. Just put your finger in (there is an internal sponge wall inside the pot), twist a few times and the polish is gone. There are lots of copies of this being launched, but this is the original.

The Body Shop Face Massager - a full review of this can be found here, but in brief it is a nifty and very affordable little tool that you roll over your skin after applying your serums and moisturiser. Since using it my skin has been behaving quite nicely. £6.00 and it comes Caroline Hirons approved. 

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey - this is a repurchase from me. I had this years ago and always loved the simple hint of colour it gave. It is Clinique's suit anyone shade. I'm always fairly low key on lip products and prefer those I can quickly swipe on as I race out the door so this is perfect.

By Terry, Terrybly Densiliss foundation - more details on this here. I shelved this late last year as I wasn't taking too much makeup on my trip home to Sydney, and have only recently put it back in rotation. The colour match is perfect for me and it give a good amount of coverage without being too full-on for day time wear. As for the anti-ageing benefits it contains ... I haven't been using it consistently enough to see any difference so the jury is still out on that.

Sephora and UK Shipping

When I found out the Sephora USA site was now shipping to the UK I literally ran to my computer to see what I could buy. You think i'm joking but I assure you I am not. On my last trip to New York, over the course of 4 days I made about 6 trips to Sephora and came away with multiple items on each visit - such is my love for the place, and for the US prices.

Sadly as I clicked away on the site, my excitement slowly dissipated. There are a lot of brands that do not ship to the UK, including Hourglass, Laura Mercier, Kate Somerville, NARS and any nail polishes. The other annoying thing is it doesn't alert you to the fact that it can't be shipped to your location until you hit the check-out screen. On the plus side Clinique does ship as does Marc Jacobs Beauty. I wanted to pop a few Clinique products in my bag to see how the prices compare once you add in the taxes.

I have been lusting over the All About Shadow palette by Clinique. It retails for £32 here and the online Sephora price is £22.82. I also did a price comparison on the Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey which retails for £17 in the UK, the online Sephora price being £9.51.

Marc Jacobs Beauty is still not available to purchase in the UK, so buying this online is obviously a big bonus.

Sephora are charging a £10 flat rate shipping fee if you spend over £75. The important thing to note is that they still apply duty and tax to your order at the check-out. I was charged an additional £20.97 for my order on top of the shipping fee, making it an additional £30.97 all in (ouch). You can see the breakdown below.

It's a shame but not a surprise that this was too good to be true. I am still really excited to receive my order but I won't be placing future orders unless it is for something truly exceptional that you can't buy in the UK.

Monthly Favourites - February

I am posting this a little bit early this month and I do hope you will forgive me. I am been very busy working on some really exciting test shoots to expand my portfolio. While these shoots are brilliant experience for me, they have meant that my blog has been a little bit neglected. I will get back on track in the coming weeks and have just invested in a fancy new tripod and light which means I will no longer have to bribe my husband to take pictures of me. So stay tuned for a few more tutorial type posts in the coming weeks. 

Makeup Forever Foundation Brush #100 - I tend to use Makeup Forever's HD foundation a lot when I am working and I recently invested in one of their brushes. It has a round tip which is different from your usual flat foundation brush. I find the round tip helps to 'push' the foundation in to the skin giving it a more flawless finish.

Revlon Matte Balm in Striking - I wrote a full review of these (which you can read here). While the matte texture has taken a bit of getting used to, i'm loving this punchy colour at the moment. There is something quite uplifting about applying a vibrant lip colour when the sky is so grey. I can't wait to see which colours they release next.

Bellápierre Eye-shadow Trio​ - I picked up this eye-shadow set featuring the colours Champagne, Earth and Cocoa at my local TK Maxx for about £15 in November. It also came with 2 brushes and a makeup base. Like anything by Bellápierre, the pigments are strong so you only need to use a tiny bit of product to get an amazing effect. They are really pretty for day time looks and I am now stalking my local TK Maxx to see if they have any more.

Clinique Moisture Surge Gel Creme - I have been slathering this on every night in Winter and my skin has escaped any major dryness. I love how it feels as if it is creating a barrier on your skin yet at the same time it is very light-weight.  Well played Clinique ... well played indeed.