Desert Island Products - March 2015

I haven't reviewed any products on here for a long time. I get a little tired of the colossal amount of bloggers writing about beauty who have no actual experience with makeup or skincare other than the experience of putting it on their own face. It turns me off reading, and writing about it too! I do, however, absolutely love taking pictures of my makeup collection - the colours and textures make me so happy.

So I thought I would update you on what my desert island favourite products are right now. These are products I am using on myself. I tend to go a little more luxe on myself than I do for my kit!

Eyes - Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Mirage

This has a creamy mousse texture which makes it delightful to apply with your finger. It blends out really easily and is a perfect colour to give your eyes definition in one go. 

Cheeks - Nars Orgasm Blush

This colour really does suit most complexions. It is a cult product for a reason and it often sneaks its way into my kit as I know there is a 99% chance it will suit the model I am working on.

Lips - Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Stoned Rose

This comes close to being my all time favourite lip colour ever. Mac's Cosmo beats it by a nose but this one is pretty perfect for both day and night. The texture is great - nice and creamy yet long lasting.

Face - By Terry Terribly Densiliss Foundation

It's no secret that my skin hasn't been behaving itself very well lately and this has been the main product i've been using to camouflage my hormonal breakouts. It is a serum foundation so the texture is sheer and blendable. I apply it with my hands at first, then after blending with my fingers I go over it with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to make sure it is all buffed in properly. 

Next week - Desert Island Kit Favourites. What i'm loving and using a lot in my kit on shoots right now.

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.

How to Pep-Up Tired Eyes

Isn’t December an exhausting month? Party after party, catching up with an endless sea of friends. Lots of late nights, lots of online Christmas shopping and lots of New Years Eve parties. I can always tell I am tired by the size of the bags and dark circles around my eyes. There are a few sneaky tricks you can do to minimize the damage.

• The flesh-toned eyeliner. Used correctly, this can be a little gem. Lining your lower water-line instantly gives your eyes a clear and awake look. I own a luxe version - the Nars Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Rue Bonaparte and a budget version - the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude. The Nars is slightly more yellow-toned but the difference is minimal. 

Top - Nars

Bottom - Rimmel

• The magical highlighter crayon. Pep yourself up by adding subtle touches of light to areas of your face you want to stand out, such as your cheek bones the inner corner of your eyes and the cupid’s bow. Pixi Beauty make a double ended version called the Wide Awake Crayon Combo which covers points 1 and 2 in the one product – genius. You can read more about this product here.

• Correct and conceal. I suffer from very dark areas in the inner corner of my eye socket. If I take the extra time to correct them with a peach corrector (Bobbi Brown Corector in Light to Medium Bisque) first, then my concealer goes on like magic.

•  Brightening powders. Laura Mercier makes a product called Secret Brightening Powder and I am yet to find a comparable cheaper powder on the market. Basically it is super fine powder which sets your concealer in place and helps to stop it settling into your fine lines. It is not cheap, but it is really good. You can read a more detailed review of this product here.

I am currently holidaying in my home-town of Sydney, Australia so communication may not be as reliable as normal. Should you have a comment or question, please submit it below and I will respond to you when I get back from my swim :-)

Cheating a Radiant Glow

Lately it has been all about cheating my way to a radiant glow and in my quest for dewy, youthful looking skin I have come across some great products. There are many ways you can achieve a glowing look but my favourites are to either add a shimmery liquid to my foundation or to subtly high-light certain areas of the face.

My stash of illuminators and highlighting products

Revlon Photoready Skinlights have just been reintroduced to the Revlon range and I am really enjoying using them. The product is a lovely light liquid that you can mix in with foundation or use over the top of your foundation to highlight. There are 3 colours in the range, and I have purchased 'Bare Light' and 'Pink Light'. It is really simple to work with - just add a touch of 'Bare Light' to your foundation for a lovely all-over glow, or a few drops of 'Pink Light' patted along the cheekbones and under the arch of the brow to add a subtle highlight to the face. At only  £11.99 a pop, I think they are a makeup kit must have. You can get your hands on these in the UK here. In Australia you can buy these are Priceline here for $29.95 and at the moment they have a 3 for 2 offer on. Run. 

L-R: Bare Light and Pink Light

Clinique Uplighting is another great liquid product that is easy to blend. It comes in 3 shades - Natural, Bronze and Blush. It is good however I struggle a little with the packaging as I find anything with a pump dispenser pumps out way more than you need which equals a fair bit of wastage. The Natural shade is my pick of the three. It costs £21.00 and you can buy it here. In Australia this costs $48.00 and you can buy it here.

Those of you who read my post on the Liberty Beauty Gift Bag (here) will know that in there I received a small size of the Nars Illuminator in Orgasm. This is a cult product so I had high hopes going in and I wasn't disappointed. It is similar to the Clinique but in a slightly pinkier tone. It glides on like a dream, gives the perfect amount of highlight and can even act as a subtle blush. Definitely another Nars addiction happening here and I will certainly be investing in the other shade 'Copacabana'. There are 4 colours in the range and they cost £22.00 here. In Australia they cost $48.00 and you can buy them here.

Nars Orgasm and Clinique Uplighting

Bloom Illuminiser

One of my all time favourite cream highlighter is from the Australian cosmetics line Bloom. It comes in stick  form which makes it very easy to apply without accidentally over-doing it. A little bit goes a long way and it lasts forever. It comes in one shade only which is a 'champagne sheen' but it gives good glow. It costs $35.00 and you can buy it here. They do ship internationally if you are UK based but the rate is quite high unless you spend $100 to qualify for free shipping.

Just remember not to over powder your face after applying these products or you will undo all your good work.  

If you prefer your makeup in powder form, you may want to check out the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle. A light dusting of this on the high points of the face can be really pretty. I think powders are easy to be a little over zealous with so go easy with the application to avoid looking too sparkly.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle