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.

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 work - Lingerie in London

I did another shoot in the area around Paddington / Edgware Road the other week. This time I was working with a Seattle based photographer, Twisting Light and a model from Lithuania.

I went for super clean skin, a subtle smokey eye and a coral lip to compliment the lingerie for the first look. I also did hair on this shoot which is a new skill I am slowly developing.

When we took it outside I changed it up, going with a red lip which coincidentally worked well with the red brick backdrop. 

I really enjoyed working on this shoot and especially enjoyed collaborating with Dan who was visiting London for a few days.

Sweet Samples

Beauty samples can be great or they can be difficult to access and annoying to use. I have uncovered a cache of very lovely beauty product samples in my makeup area. I have the tendency to hoard the good ones. I'm not talking about your usual vial of perfume here, but mini sample sized top shelf beauty products. Here are some of the best which I have vowed to use up in the coming weeks. 

I'm sorry I didn't photograph this before tearing it open and trying it out but such was my love for it. This came included in my online Sephora order and it is the YSL Vernis A Levres Rebel Nudes sample pack containing three beautiful colours and a mini lip brush. These lip stains are lovely and have gone straight to the top of my duty free wish-list. Ten points to YSL for the inclusion of the lip brush.

By Terry Nutri-Regenerating Firming Lift-Oil - how cute is this little bottle? This is a clear example of a skin sample which I will definitely use. I have almost been too scared to try the By Terry skincare. I love there makeup so much that trying their skincare can only lead to many purchases on the horizon. Watch this space.

By Terry Terrybly Densiliss Foundation. I was lucky enough to be given this sample in the exact match to my skintone by the makeup artist in the By Terry store in Paris. In fact, she gave me two of them. So handy for when you are travelling light and don't want to take entire bottles of product with you. I'm off to Paris in April and these will certainly be coming with me.

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil. Once again a magical, easy to open bottle of goodness that is just begging to be used up. Perfect to throw in your bag for a weekend away. 

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.