Things that make me happy ....

I've been a little bit lazy on the blogging front lately. I was flying along, all super organised in February and then March hit and I hit a mental wall. There are so many beauty blogs out there and so many people writing blasé reviews and for a while I lost the love of it.

I've decided to get back to basics. The reason I started blogging in the first place was to have an outlet to tell people about the products that I love. So here are some things that are making me happy right now. Plain and simple.

Stila cheek palette - i'm embracing the powder blush and it feels good. Part of my Sephora haul from last week, this slim blush palette features 5 shades, all of which are a little bit different to my standard pink-toned blush that I use daily. You can find it here for $16 USD / £10.14.

Mavala Nail Polish in Ivory Beige. In case you hadn't noticed, nude nails are all the rage right now. This one is the perfect nude without being too white as I fear some of these new nudes have a tip-ex effect which i'm not that into. The mini bottle and price also means I won't feel guilty when the trend swings back to dark nails again - £3.40 at here. 

Aromatherapy Associates bath oil gift set - I have finally delved into my Christmas present. These really are the rolls royce of bath oils. While I find the price a little hard to swallow (£39 for the standard sized bottle ... ouch), they are far superior to any others on the market. The set is £32 here.

Becca Beach Tint

Last week I posted about Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector which I picked up at my local Space NK, and truth be told, true to form I didn't buy just the one item. I also treated myself to Becca's Beach Tint in Guava. This may be a strange item to purchase in February in London where there is absolutely no chance of me seeing a beach but anyhoo .....

Beach Tint is a water-resistant blush and it comes in 8 glorious shades, each one as lovely as the next one. Choosing one colour was difficult, each shade is named after a fruit and even smells like its namesake. I came home with Guava which is a bright pink shade which blends out to give the cheeks a very natural flush. I have been known to hit the blush a little hard so being quite a sheer tint, this is a good product for someone like me.

I was a little shocked at the teeny tiny size of the tube once I got it out of the box (7ml), but as you only need a small amount I think this will last me a decent amount of time.Texture-wise, the closest product I can compare it to is the Pixi Sheer Cheek Gels (which you can read about here).  I love the fact that these are oil-free, streak free and water proof making them ideal for warm climates, it is just a shame I no longer live in one!  The price is £20.00 / $42.00.

After not being around for a while, Becca has been relaunched recently at Space NK (UK) and David Jones stores (Aus). They also have a good online store which you can see here, as well as some of the most beautiful advertising campaigns I have ever seen .... sigh.

Spring Beauty Lustings by Dior

There are some amazingly pretty things launching for Dior this Spring, exclusive to Selfridges. I couldn't help myself but include some examples below for you to lust over! 

I'm not sure I could actually bring myself to use some of these palettes, the detail in them is just so lovely.

Trianon make-up palette for glowing eyes and a fresh complexion £59.00

5 Couleurs Trianon Edition couture colour eyeshadow palette £41.00

Diorblush Trianon Edition vibrant colour powder blush in Corail Bagatalle £30.50

Glow Maximizer light boosting primer £28.50

Dior Vernis Trianon Edition frosted effect nail polish £18.00

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.  

Mineral Makeup - Bellápierre

I touched on Bellápierre the other day in my foundation wardrobe post (which you can read here) but wanted to go into a little more detail. 

I don't have a good track record with loose powdered mineral makeup. I first tried it a few years back while I was going through a bad skin period. I had a consultation at my local beautician's with a Bare Minerals rep and bought their foundation and kabuki brush. As I used it, it seemed to just highlight all the imperfections in my skin. I didn't enjoy the buffing technique or the results that I yielded and then one day the lid of the jar malfunctioned and I lost half the powder down the sink. I hadn't gone near it since then. 

I was introduced to Bellápierre by the lovely Amanda Bell at The Session School. I was sceptical given my last dealings with mineral makeup, but as the day progressed I was impressed. This was such a better quality of powder consisting of pure pigment (no talc or nasties) which can be applied in a variety of ways - the aforementioned buffing it into the skin, adding it to moisturiser to make your own liquid foundation, using it with a makeup base to create a concealer consistency and more.

Here is the look Amanda Bell created using Bellápierre at The Session School

I was lucky enough to work on a fashion parade recently which was sponsored by Bellápierre and we were given a range of their products to use on the day and to keep after the show. Impressed once again after using the products, I decided it was worth incorporating them into my personal makeup routine. I must admit, the thought of having loose pigments flying around my predominantly white bedroom scared me but so far so good. The container seems sturdier than the Bare Minerals one so i'm confident I will have better luck with Bellápierre. I do find the quickest and easiest method for me is to buff it on after using the Bellápierre primer. I do this by tapping a small amount of the powder into the lid, swirling my brush into it, tapping off the excess and then applying it to the face in a circular motion. This method for me doesn't give a full coverage, but it gives enough to keep things looking natural, which is the look i'm after when i'm just going about my daily routine.

The backstage Bellápierre supply ....

I really love the blush in 'Desert Rose' which I have been using on my cheeks and also sweeping across my eyelids. The shimmer stacks are also amazing as you get 9 colours and they can be mixed and used in such a number of ways. I also saw some shimmer stacks heavily reduced in TK Maxx the other day so it is worth keeping your eyes out. 

Featuring blush in desert rose and foundation in ivory ... and some of their mini travel brushes which are a delight!

You can buy Bellápierre online here in the UK and here in Australia.

Lip & Cheek Stains

This month I received two samples of lip & cheek stains in my Glossybox and Birchbox. I am a firm believer in cream blushes so I was curious to see if I preferred this stain type format.

For those of you who don't know how the Glossybox and Birchboxes work, I will be explaining all in a post very soon. I am just waiting for this month's boxes to arrive to photograph and review for you! 

In my Glossybox I received a full size (12ml) of Me Me Me's Cherub's Blush.  It is a cheek and lip tint which comes in a bottle with a brush in the cap, like a bottle of nail polish. The aim of this product is to give a long-lasting hint of colour. I first tried it on my lips and while the colour was pretty, I found the texture quite drying and I couldn't wait to put lip balm over the top. It was very subtle and pretty on the cheeks though and the smell was amazing. I am a sucker for anything with a rose scent. This costs £5.50 which I think is pretty good value and you can buy it here.

In my Birchbox I received a sample size of Stainiac from The Balm in colour Beauty Queen. This one is a gel formula, which comes with an applicator like a lip gloss. I felt a bit more in my comfort zone as I do love this texture. Colour-wise it was more subtle than the Cherub's Blush.  I didn't like it on my lips, even though it was a gel it still felt dry to me. It was quite pretty on the cheeks - it reminded me of  'Oh Glow' by Smashbox which I found to be a bit too sheer for my liking. This costs £10 to buy the full size through Birchbox but it it currently unavailable ?? They obviously need to sort that out. If you are in Australia, it costs $17 and you can buy it here.

Top swatch - Me Me Me's Cherub's Blush

Bottom swatch - The Balm's Stainiac

I think these lip and cheek stains could be your thing if you are very pale and only like a suggestion of colour. For me, i'm sticking to my beloved cream blushes and hydrating lipsticks.