May Favourites

I haven't done a favourites post in a few months - naughty me! I don't know where the time has gone ... and, I won't bore you with my excuses! Straight into it, these are my most-used and most-loved products of the moment.

1. RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream. It took me a while to fall in love, but now I look forward to cleansing with it every night. It melts immediately on contact with your skin and it removes everything. I use it as my second cleanse after removing my makeup with Bioderma first.  I love anything related to coconuts - this smells fantastic and leaves my skin ultra-soft. You do need to make sure you wash it all off completely with a flannel and warm water to avoid breakouts. 

2. Eye pencils to achieve a little flick. Black eyeliner, particularly liquid or gel liner doesn't look good on me which means I have missed out a little on the feline flick trend but lately I have been giving myself a flick with an eye pencil. I tend to go for a dark brown or dark grey and find it gives a nice little line without looking as harsh as liquid liner can. Another bonus is that if you wobble, make a mistake and can't face starting over, you can always blend it in for a more smokey eye look.

My top 3 eyeliners, from top, Estee Lauder's Blackened Cocoa, Marc Jacobs Ro-cocoa and Chantecaille's Hematite

3. Nude Stix Lip + Cheek Pencil in Mystic. This is a newbie and has gone straight into my daily makeup mix. A full revisited review on this brand is coming soon, so all I will say is that this creamy lip crayon is the answer to my no-makeup-makeup prayers right now. Big love.

4. Sage Roll-on Perfume Oil in Diamond. This range was introduced to me by My Showcase* and is simply delightful. My birthstone is diamond and this blend of essential oils such as sandalwood, musk and amber is so appealing. The packaging is also beautiful and ideal for travel.

* I am a Stylist working for My Showcase. You can read more about my involvement here.

Paris - Le Haul part one

I spent a lovely few days in Paris last week with my friend Kelly and we had a ball. Lots of eating and walking the streets ... and lots of shopping too of course! I didn't go crazy but I did pick up a good few bits and pieces in Sephora and Parashop, my French pharmacy of choice. Here is what I got.

Guerlain Météorites - described as 'Light Revealing Pearls of Powder' they are light diffusing powder balls which are shaped by hand and used to minimise flaws and add brightness. I have been intrigued by these for a long time and when I came across them in Sephora I thought 'when in Paris ....'. I went for colour number 2, Light. It comes with a puff but is much better applied with a fluffy powder brush. And they smell absolutely divine. You can buy these on Sephora with UK shipping available here. 

YSL Rebel Nudes in colour Fuchsia Tomboy - ever since Sephora sent me that lovely sample these have been on my list (see post here). It was so hard to choose a colour but I had bought a fuchsia top in Galleries Lafayette earlier that day so I decided to get something to match. The texture of these is strange - cool on the lips at first. The staying power is amazing and that is something that is hard to find in a gloss format. 

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 869 Vie D'Enfer - these were everywhere in Paris. Dior have obviously spent big on advertising for this campaign and it worked on me! I bought this to compare to the YSL I bought above. I went for a classic red. It is part gloss, part lipstick. I can't decide which I prefer but I may just have to give it to YSL on the angled brush applicator. 

Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in Ro(cocoa) - is it possible for an eyeliner to be too soft? This may be the case with this one. At times the soft texture is a dream as it glides on with absolutely no tugging, however when you try to tight-line with it on the upper lash line it is a little too soft. Evidence of this can be seen in the picture below where the point of the pencil has worn down. It is supposed to have a built-in sharpener which I can't seem to locate. Any ideas? I love the colour though and as with all Marc Jacobs Beauty products, the packaging is luxe.

I picked up a few little handy Sephora brand things that I thought you might be interested in seeing. The first are these cool eye-remover swabs that look like a simple cotton bud but have eye makeup remover in the middle which runs into the bud as you snap the top. So handy for traveling! The second handy this is this reusable wipe for removing makeup. No more cursing when your hotel does not provide flannels to wash your face, just whip this out and you are covered. It dries hard like a chamois but becomes soft when wet. I take my makeup off with Bioderma first, then used this cloth with a cleansing balm to get everything else off. Unfortunately I can't seem to find this product online to link it in this post. I also got another small bottle of their makeup brush cleaner because it is easy to transport and works a treat.

In my next post, Le Haul part two I will show you what I bought at Parashop. And don't worry, it is not the usual Bioderma and Nuxe lip balm that you have read about a thousand times before. I'm not that predictable!

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 :-)