Barely-there Bases

The older I get, the more ridiculous a full face of slap looks on me. Less is definitely more these days and luckily there seems to be a whole raft of products out there to help me cheat a good skin day. I have an obsession with bases (amongst my many other obsessions) - foundations, BB creams, CC creams, tinted moisturisers, tinted serums .... basically if there is a new product released that fits one of these categories I find it pretty hard not to invest and give it a go. 

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops

I picked up this ingenious product in New York earlier this year, and I must say, I struggled with the application at first. It has taken a fair bit of experimentation to get the quantity and consistency right. This is marketed as a product of pure pigment which you can add to your existing skincare. You only need to apply the teeniest, tiniest amount (1-2 drops maximum) otherwise you have way too much product to try and rub in. I find for my skin, it works best if I apply a face oil first and then pat this in using my fingers. I also picked up the Cover FX Mattifying Primer and it does go on nicely over this as well. I really love the packaging and the full range of 24 shades would be a fabulous investment for my pro-kit. I use shade P40. Available at Sephora in Australia!

RMS Beauty "Un" Cover-Up

This is a fabulous little pot of goodness which is a concealer, but can also be using as a very sheer foundation. It has a coconut oil base so it just melts into the skin. I am shade 22 and I apply it with my fingers. Definitely a great option for an Australian summer. Available at Mecca Cosmetica.

RMS Beauty 'Un' Cover Up shown here with RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Serum

This range is marketed as 'No Makeup Skincare' which is perfect for someone like me who suffers from hormonal break-outs and likes a bit of coverage even if i'm only heading to the gym. I have oily/combination skin so I apply this straight onto a clean face. It is a two-in-one product so I don't need a moisturiser underneath. It has a fairly watery consistency but it is very easy to blend with your fingers when you dot the product around your face first, just shake well prior to application. It is a one-shade-fits-most system and as the product is so sheer, it would work for most caucasian skins. Available at Mecca Cosmetica.

Luxe skincare - Antonia Burrell

I haven't posted a product review in a while. This is due in part to my ban on unnecessary purchases and for the fact that for the past few months I have been trialling the products I sell via My Showcase. The range that I have been the most impressed with on the skincare side has been Antonia Burrell.

Antonia is an amazing facialist and works out of the Urban Bliss Retreat in Ladbroke Grove. Her treatments are of the highest calibre and I am thrilled to have been introduced to her and her products through My Showcase. I had been searching for a truly excellent skin guru ever since arriving in London and i'm so pleased to have found someone with such amazing knowledge, who focusses on women aged 30+ with problematic skin.  My first facial with her was so good that I went out that night without wearing makeup and I promptly rebooked to see her again.

Her range, entitled Antonia Burrell Holistic Skincare, is 100% natural and predominantly organic. The products come housed in violet glass which feels luxuriously weighty and helps to preserve the natural ingredients inside.

The Natural Glow Cleansing Oil is the first product from her range that I have tried and I knew within the first few uses that I will be repurchasing it when my rather large, 200ml bottle runs out. It smells incredible making my nightly cleanse a treat and being an oil that you apply with dry hands to a dry face means that you really spend the time to massage it in. It is easily removed with warm water as it emulsifies from an oil to a milky liquid. After I use it my skin is unbelievably soft. £39.50 for 100ml and £59.50 for 200ml.

The second product I have tried is the Luminous Light Polishing Powder. I had been unhappy with my exfoliating regime for a while. Using acid toners as I had been for the past 12 months doesn't give you the satisfaction of sloughing off the dead skin, yet I was also aware that I have to be careful not to over scrub my problem areas. This Polishing Powder has a lovely texture that transfers to a foam as you apply water. It buffs the skin rather than scrubbing it so it doesn't feel abrasive. The smell again is rather lovely in an earthy way and the jar comes with a spoon to help dispense the product. £45.50.

Next on my hit list for this range is the Pure Therapy Facial Serum, the Forest Dew Skin Conditioner and the Cream Supreme Facial Moisturiser. I am so impressed with the range so far and I really can't wait to give these a try too. You can buy Antonia's products via My Showcase here. Although not widely available, you can find these in Australia, to view the stockists click here.

Pascale x My Showcase

I have some rather exciting news. I am now working as a Stylist with My Showcase which is a new beauty business that aims to bring the best independent beauty brands to the comfort of your living room, for you to try with your friends while enjoying a glass of wine. The brands are divine and have been curated by Kate Shapland, beauty editor of The Telegraph. On the makeup front there is Wild About Beauty, T. Leclerc, Face Stockholm and New CID. The selection of gorgeous skincare is vast but a few of my favourites include Aurelia Probiotics, S5 Skincare, Antonia Burrell and Mio. There are also some beautiful fragrances and candles which i'm looking forward to discovering along my journey.

I'm really excited about holding my first Showcases. I get such a buzz from talking about makeup and skincare, and if I can do that with a group of friends with a glass of wine or a cup of tea in my hand, then it makes it all the more enjoyable! It will also be really nice to be able to offer my private makeup clients the opportunity to purchase the products that I use on them so they can recreate makeup looks on themselves. Everything can be ordered online and will arrive to your door in a couple of days all nicely packaged and tied in a bow. Perfect.

So how will this affect my blog? Things will remain pretty much the same except that if I write about a product I have discovered that is sold by My Showcase I will let you know. I still pay for products that I obtain through My Showcase however I do receive a discount.

If you live in central London and would love to host an event in your home, please get in touch. Alternatively if you would like a private makeup lesson or makeup and hair done for a special event, you can email me at pascalemaestri@gmail.com xx

The Body Shop Facial Massager Review

I recently picked up this dinky little tool from The Body Shop and was hoping it could improve some of the hormonal breakouts I suffer from around my chin area. It is a little rubber wheel with nodules on it with a wooden handle and it costs the bargain price of £6.00 (here). What is there to lose at that price?

The instructions tell you to use the tool morning and evening after applying your serums and moisturiser. It is supposed to help your face products to absorb fully and I was hoping it would help to break down and shift the red lumps I am often graced with. 

I must say my first impressions were good. It feels quite nice on your skin, it is easy to use and I was happy rolling it over my problems areas for a few minutes twice a day. Now I don't know if I have just been going through a 'good patch' with my skin, but since i've been using this I really have had quite well behaved skin. I had one red lump come up, but it only stayed for a day or so and then went away, whereas previously I have had them stay on my skin for months.

I don't have the largest forehead and couldn't really get the wheel to actually roll over this area, but on my chin, jawline and neck I was happily rolling away. If you do suffer from skin problems like I have mentioned, for £6 this is worth a try. I'm thinking of investing in another one to keep at my desk for those times of procrastination.  

Click here to read Caroline Hiron's review of this and to see a funny 'how to use' video she has uploaded. I must admit I have watched it several times to make sure I was getting the action right. And sadly, once again i'm afraid this is not available in Australia- annoying!

New Budget Buy - Garnier Miracle Skin Cream

I have been dying to get my hands on this ever since I saw it reviewed a few weeks back on the British Beauty Blogger's site (link here). I am a massive fan of Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream which I rate more highly than most of the more expensive BB options out there. It is my fail safe no makeup product and i'm never without it. This new product is more skin care based. It claims to be anti-ageing, anti-wrinkles, anti-age spots and to improve visible skin quality. The last time I tried a 'blurring' product similar to this it was Nanoblur by Indeed Labs and I wasn't very impressed. Crossing my fingers for a better result this time, here is what I thought.

It comes out of the tube white and then by way of its self-adjusting micro-pigments, it magically transforms into your skin tone. It certainly matched to my skin tone well but I guess I do have pretty average white girl skin, so i'd love to see how this goes on a darker skin tone. 

The coverage is much more 'no makeup' than I am used to. I was expecting the coverage of the BB cream, of which it is not. I am comfortable wearing this to the gym or on a lazy Sunday morning but that is about it. Like Nanobur, it takes a little more blending in to the skin than a BB cream, but unlike Nanoblur it does actually absorb after a few seconds. I found that I needed to have a good double check that there were no visible patches showing once I had applied it.

It really does smooth out the look of the skin. I mean, realistically it is not going to remove your wrinkles, but blurring is a good way to describe the visual affect it has. The longer it stays on the better it looks. It is one of those products that you don't see the effects of immediately, but a few minutes after applying it to my hand, I can certainly see which hand has it on and which doesn't. I have also been using it underneath my makeup as a pre-base and it works quite well as long as you give it a couple of minutes to sink in before applying your foundation. 

In a rare moment of frugality I didn't purchase the matching eye cream and I am now regretting that. I think around my eye area would definitely benefit from some blurring, so I will be picking this up next time i'm in Boots. If you are in the UK, this costs £12.99 here and the matching eye cream is also £12.99 here. 

Like any new product launched, i'm afraid it is not yet available in Australia. I am waiting on the Garnier PR people to let me know when you can expect to see it launched there.

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.