A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

The only thing that doesn’t completely suck about shaving your legs is taking the opportunity to steal your partner’s/dad’s/brother’s shaving foam out of the bathroom cabinet.  The burst of turbo-charged gel that turns into a rich, creamy lather as you work the product over your skin… like voodoo before your very eyes.  Unfortunately, the novelty of it wears thin pretty quickly, especially when you realise that most men’s shaving products are scented like pine-fresh loo cleaner *quack quack*.

Well, stink no more and dispense of the razors because you can get all the creamy, luxurious lather without any of the fuss AND get a clean body to boot!

Imperial Leather Foamburst is a body wash unlike most.  A canned gel that transforms into a rich lather, developing extra creaminess as you work it over your skin, emulsifying with the water as you go.

Choosing your favourite fragrance is as simple as jumping in the shower.

Depending on whether you like your bathing experience to enliven your senses with a blast of citrus, or relax your emotions with a comforting cocoon of vanilla… you’ll find your perfect match from the total of seven NEW fragrances.  Each of these new fragrances have even been brought to life via the medium of video and seven brilliantly corny Imperial Leather Foamburst Genies!

You can choose between: Spicy Ginger and Orange, Sweet Vanilla and Cherry Blossom, Bracing Bergamot and Sea Minerals, Uplifting Lime and Grapefruit, Rebalancing Green Tea and Jasmine, Bewitching Blackberry and Wild Fig, or Moisturising Honey and Almond Milk.

My personal morning shower preferences always lean toward the citrus, which tempted me in the direction of Spicy Ginger and Orange, promising a great combination of freshness and warmth.

I couldn’t resist but check out the matching genie to my shower pick… what a bonafide mentalist he is!  (INTENSE).

The new Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Wash range is priced from £2.99, with each can promising a value-for-money 40 washes.  You can find the new fragrances on shelves at your local supermarket.

* sponsored post

Superdrug, in dog years… let’s be honest, you’re dead.

The big Five Oh.  1964-….

It’s not a number to be sniffed at, especially in the kind of financial times that have proven too much for even the greatest of high-street institutions *cough* Woolworths pick n’ mix *cough*.

You must be doing something right.  And infact, I know you are… because even with the ridiculous amount of shopping opportunities available to me when I wander through town, I always pop in for a look at your best budget beauty, your splendiforous own-brand hair colourants, and fridges that burst at the seams with Appletiser.  I hope I’ve still got half of what it takes to remain relevant when I reach my half-century!

In honour of this milestone, a host of the world’s favourite beauty brands have created some rather special limited-edition Superdrug products for the birthday celebrations.  You may be noticing a bit of a colour theme going on, I’ll give you a clue… it ain’t blue.

The products available range from fragrance to cosmetics, skin-care to everyday essentials and include favourites such as: Astral’s iconic multipurpose moisturiser (£3.89), Lipcote (£3.69), BarryM Nail Paint (£3.99), Cacharel Amor Amor (£35), and Cocoa Brown One Hour Dark Tan (£6.99).

Alongside this barrage of pink produce, the celebrations take a more comprehensive turn with lots of instore and online promotions, including some nifty 50% off deals, and various Facebook/Twitter promotions.

They’ve even released a video on YouTube to showcase the changing face of the must-have party look over the past half-century:

If you want to wish the brand a happy twoscore and ten, simply use the hashtag #superdrug50 on to join in the celebrations on Twitter. 

And don’t forget to check out the Superdrug website for a chance to win a hamper packed full of exclusive Superdrug 50th Birthday products!

Very, very tentatively am I moving into some proper Spring nail colours.  I know it’s like, April already and most of you are being all fashion-forward with your neons but me, well… I’m just a bit of a 21st century yokel.  You’ll have to let me bump along with the times at my own slow pace.

Deborah Lippmann’s Daytripper is the perfect example of my favourite. shade. ever. (other than taupe).  It’s what I like to call “Guava”, a softer version of coral… a version of coral that’s more forgiving to my pasty, pale pink skintone.  It doesn’t scream, it just siren-songs you into a gentle Summery submission.

Aside from the obvious fanaticism I have over the shade “guava”, this version of the shade on my fingertips sings even more temptingly thanks to it’s super-glassy finish.  That’s no top-coat on display there folks, this one is so shiny, you’ll have no need to carry a mirror around with you.  The above photo shows three coats because I hate a VNL (visible nail line).  If you don’t mind a little sheerness in your polish, this one has that pretty semi-translucent hard boiled sweet thing going on after two coats.  Me, I just like all out opacity.

Application is good, wear is good… and to be honest, so it should be from the premium brand.  I think I like their cremes even better than their notorious glitters!

Deborah Lippmann Daytripper retails at £16.00 for 15ml and is available to buy online from harrods.com and lookfantastic.com (where shipping is also gratis).

* press sample

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When I first read about the innovative formulation of these delightful new blushers from Clinique, I was naturally a little sceptical.  I mean, most new releases nowadays claim to go beyond the realms of technology in a quest to deliver cosmetics that are like nothing you’ve ever used before.  That’s standard industry bullshit and we all know it.

The thing is though, I actually do believe that Estée Lauder Companies, Inc may indeed have robbed some faraway land of their makeup pixies…

First of all, Estee Lauder come out with the most brilliantly formulated lipsticks I’ve tried in a while, now swiftly followed by Clinique’s rather wondrous new Cheek Pops.  But what exactly is so marvellous about them?  Read on and I’ll tell you…

To begin with, they look bloody incredible, don’t they?  The fine detail in the gerbera daisy design is exquisite.  Completely frivolous and by-the-by, of course… but when has such kerb appeal ever been a bad thing?

The powder texture has an unusual quality… most definitely a powder in formula but in application?  Much more like a cream or gel finish.  It’s translucent and utterly buildable.  Pale girls rejoice, the Clinique team have created a wonderful balance between ethereal and pigmentation.

The depth of colour that you apply to your cheeks is very controllable.  I suffer from the horrors of one swipe with the brush often being too much once applied to my face, for these…. I can comfortably layer on a single swipe and then return to the pan for a second dusting over the apple of my cheek.  It’s a rare joy.

Even the swatches above show the rather lovely translucent nature of the pigmentation, they’re sheer but not lacking in oomph.  You can visually appreciate the quality and luminosity of the skin below the swatch which gives a far more natural and realistic blush effect once on the cheeks than most powder blushers can even dream of achieving.

The four shades available range from the candy-inspired to the more natural warmth.  My personal favourite is the cool-toned and punchy Plum Pop which carries a subtle river of silver iridescence.  Lasting power on these varies a little… the brighter shades generally offer a bit more of a stain-effect that is still present in the evening, while the more subtle and neutral Ginger Pop has disappeared from my cheeks by bedtime.

Clinique’s Cheek Pops are priced at £16.50 and available to purchase now on counter and online from clinique.co.uk

* press sample

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When trying a beauty product for the first time, I try to remain open-minded.  When a product has been hyped by the beauty community, it’s easy to have certain far-reaching expectations the first time you try it.

However, in the case of the new Josh Wood Blending Wand*, my expectations were lower than low.

Reviews for this product, which is sold exclusively at Marks & Spencer are generally pretty dire on the M&S website, frighteningly so to be honest.  I try to avoid reviews before approaching a product that I’m going to blog about but I was frankly unsure about the best methods for applying the goop inside the wand (the instructions aren’t in plain sight), and so I found myself Googling in advance.

Before I get down to the nitty-gritty, let me explain what – in my opinion – this product from acclaimed colourist Josh Wood is, and perhaps more importantly… isn’t.

The Josh Wood Blending Wand is a temporary solution to a common problem.  The problem being visible roots between hair colouring.  Perhaps you go to a salon for a professional experience every couple of months, or perhaps you box-dye it at home.  Either way, you’ll be familliar with the annoying inbetween stage… inbetween salon appointments, or inbetween finding time to redo your roots at home.

What it isn’t however, is a replacement for a regular hair-dye.  This also isn’t a replacement for a permanent root touch-up kit.  In my novice experience, it takes less than 15-minutes from start to finish to turn the unsightly into the respectable when it comes to your hairline.

The somewhat limited instructions are located under the label on the back of the wand.  It makes the application process sound a little less involved than it actually is.  First things first, I absolutely recommend that you don’t try to use the Blending Wand without a little mixing bowl to hand.  The “goop” inside literally drips out when you prime the product and you risk making a mess unless you dispense into a bowl first.

I applied the Josh Wood Blending Wand directly onto dry hair.  Let’s be honest… if I wanted to faff around with wetting my hair first, I’d just go down the root touch-up kit.  I wanted something that I could use during those emergency moments of god-awful clarity when you catch sight of yourself in the mirror whilst getting ready to go out.  If it couldn’t fulfil that role… I wasn’t particularly interested.

To use, I pumped the button on the side of the wand a couple of times to prime it.  This allows the product to dispense into the brush… or more conveniently, into the bowl you’ve sourced.  Load the brush with the colour and gently apply the product to your roots.

For me, the key to achieving a good finish without making my hair sticky, or staining my scalp is to use a light hand.  You don’t need half a gallon of product on the brush for it to be effective.  Use a little at a time and don’t be afraid to work the brush across the “grain” of your hair aswell as in the root-to-tip direction.  Doing this with an almost-dry brush and working it through the strands cross-ways works well for me.

At this point, your roots should be damp but not saturated.  If you use too much product, you’re going to be left with a sticky-residue once you’ve blow-dried.  The product will not magically disappear into the ether just because you’ve blasted it with a hairdryer.  Use a light hand and apply more if needed.  I also recommend using your fingers to lightly distribute the product across your roots whilst drying, in a similar way to rubbing in dry shampoo.  Remember to wash your hands immediately afterward to avoid stained fingertips.

Because of my preconceptions after reading the reviews, I can’t quite put into words how impressed (relieved?) I was when I saw the results.  The colour blended well with my own and I only had a tiny bit of scalp staining where I’d been too heavy-handed at the temple.  My hair did feel heavier after application, especially around the fringe but it wasn’t sticky and didn’t need immediate washing, though I did wash it before bed that night as I was worried about staining my pillowcase.  The results have lasted well after two hair-washes, I don’t expect it to last much more than three or four at a push.

All in all, as a quick-fix solution for disguising roots in under 15-minutes, I can’t fault it.  If you try it and don’t get the results you were hoping for, take a look at your application method because you might need to adjust the quantity of product you’re using.  Considering just how bad my roots were, I really didn’t need to use a lot of product to get my finished result.  I should get many, many more uses from this magic little Blending Wand.

The Josh Wood Blending Wand, priced at £12.50, comes in 4 shades and is available exclusively instore and online from Marks and Spencer.

* press sample

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If you could take just one period from history and transplant its looks, style, and fashion into this century… you’d be hard-pushed to pick a better era than the 1960s.  The decade thrived off a dynamism that transformed a post-war world, thrusting it into the modern age.  From space exploration to consumerism, civil rights to music… the buzz word was progress, and at a breakneck pace.

Nowhere was this better represented than in the world of beauty and fashion.  Many young women finally had access to a disposable income, and what better to do with it than spend it on pretty new things?

Rimmel London have released the new ScandalEyes Retro Mania Collection, a fun nod to the decade of change with a monochrome theme, featuring some of the must-have tools of the decade, absolutely necessary to perfect the mod style!

Focusing on the eyes as the main component in recreating the look of the era (lips were generally pale and frosty or completely blanked out with concealer), Rimmel London have released the following products:

•  Rimmel London ScandalEyes RetroGlam Mascara
•  ScandalEyes Thick & Thin Eyeliner
•  ScandalEyes Eye Shadow Paint in Mercury Silver, Rich Russet, and Golden Bronze
•  ScandalEyes Eye Shadow Stick in Witness White, Blackmail, and Bulletproof Beige

The ScandalEyes RetroGlam Mascara comes complete with an hourglass-shaped wand to capture all lashes from the innermost to the outermost corners, plumping and volumising as you comb the brush through from root to tip.  Whether you lust after Twiggy-esque lash separation or Edie Sedgwick’s luscious volume, the inky-black formula promises to deliver an “eyeconic” 60s look.

Georgia May Jagger presents as the face of the new collection with a look that takes the 60s styling to the max, you can view some of the brand’s modcasts online from their Tumblr page.  I’ve embedded one of the campaign videos below which shows some of the main pieces of the collection in action:

This month, the brand are running a weekly #modmonday contest that you can enter by sharing your retro look with @RimmelLondonUS on Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr – and this week – you even stand a chance at winning an authentic Lambretta scooter!

I had a go at creating a wearable 60s look, understating the lips and cheeks whilst putting full attention on the eyes.

Lining the lower lashline with the new RetroGlam Eye Shadow Stick in Witness White drew maximum attention to the contrasting black of the ScandalEyes RetroGlam Mascara and ScandalEyes Thick & Thin Eyeliner.  I wanted my look to be a more work-friendly Anna Karina than the dramatic and editorial style of Peggy Moffit!

For more ideas and inspiration on how to recreate your own retro glam look, check out the official Rimmel London Retro Glam Page.

* This post has been sponsored by Rimmel London

I have very little patience for a lot of things.  Life’s little foibles that increase my intolerance levels are varied and far-reaching… waiting to use the bathroom in the morning, picking up a freshly-boiled kettle only to discover that the person before you didn’t put enough water in for two cups… you know the kind of thing.

I’ve got another one for you.  Reaching for your eyeliner only to discover that it’s so blunt, that were you to use it… you’d risk losing an eye.

So, it’s just as well that Smashbox have saved my sanity and devised an “always sharp” waterproof liner range and I’ve got two from the 3D (a.k.a sparkly) line-up to show you swatches of today.

3D Sparks on the left, 3D Neptune on the right

Now, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill retractable eyeliners, they actually feature some kind of voodoo sharpener in the lid, meaning that everytime you twist the cap off… the tip appears neatly tapered and ready for some precision action.  You don’t need to twist these up to expose more product, they’re just ready-to-wear time and time again.

My only complaint about them is that from what I can tell, there’s no way of discovering when they’re nearing the end of their lifespan.  3D Sparks is a golden olive shade, dark enough to pass for a softer black or grey with a bunch o’ gold glitter and 3D Neptune is a very pretty navy blue with brighter sparkles.

3D Sparks on the left, 3D Neptune on the right

The formula is quite firm and stays put well, giving long-wear without transfer or running.  I’ve even worn one along the lower waterline with great success and no eye-irritation from the shimmer particles.

The Smashbox Always Sharp 3D Liners are priced at £16-a-piece, so I’d like to point out that for those on a budget, it’d be worth checking out the Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eyeliner at £6-a-piece which also give a similar sparkle finish, albeit with more drag and none of the fancy self-sharpening!

Smashbox Always Sharp 3D Liners are available to purchase instore at Boots and online at boots.com or smashbox.co.uk priced at £16.00 each

* press samples

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New from Aerin Beauty this season is their Essentials Collection*, primarily featuring a weighty compact filled with a kaleidoscope of colour.

The Kaleidolight Palette (£40) is essentially a Spring bronzer, offering the kind of skin boost and colour-correction that delivers on Spring’s more subtle promises.  This is the Spring bronzer for those of us who tend to shy away from bronzing, it adds a boost where Winter has stripped the skin of its luster, an inbetween complexion solution for these tricky months ahead.

At first glance, the six shades housed within the impressive gilt exterior lean toward the cooler side of the spectrum… I think the inclusion of a skintone-correcting lilac skews my overall impression, as this is definitely a warm-toned bronzer once all shades are swirled together and applied.  It is best suited to those with fair to medium skintones, overall a buildable formula that applies smoothly and blends beautifully on the skin.

If you prefer, you can… of course, use each shade independently.  The palette is generously-sized and the pans aren’t crowded together, allowing for decent pickup with a smaller-sized blusher brush.  If you were to use the palette more precisely in this manner, you have everything included from colour-correction to contour to blush.

I’ve swatched each shade below, as they apply straight out of the palette… you can see that pigmentation-wise, you’re getting a fair amount of colour payoff with only a couple of swipes from each pan.  The bronzing shades complement each other well and I’ve been using a duo-fibre brush to apply to my cheeks, ensuring a lighter hand.  Overall, the palette delivers mostly colour and warmth with a subtle radiance.

The Rose Balm Lipstick in Whisper (£25) is another new addition to the line, promising a balm-like texture with medium coverage colour.  Whisper is an ultra-pale pink with the slightest hint of shimmer, more noticeable in the bullet than on the lips.  I’m not a fan of the texture, which feels somehow heavier than it should and a little “claggy” over the drier areas of the lip.

I’ve included a FOTD below which displays the products worn (please excuse my badger grey streak in my fringe!), I’ve limited use of the palette to the cheeks so that you can visualise the bronzing effect of the shades when swirled together.

The Aerin Essentials Collection is available to buy online now from esteelauder.co.uk and harrods.com

* press samples

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One of the best beauty innovations in recent times was when bareMinerals finally made their sifters, lockable.  It was a game-changer… no more loose minerals floating around on the wrong side of the pot, no more having to poke selectively through the labels with a biro, exposing only a few sifter-holes at a time. Simply genius.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the latest innovation coming from bareMinerals HQ.

The brand’s Limited Edition 15th Anniversary Mineral Veil Finishing Powder looks the damn business, let’s be honest.  It’s basically a cross between a gadget and a beauty-item and you can’t tell me that you beauty-loving souls don’t love a bit of gadgetry with your cosmetics, ‘cos I know you do!

The 8g of Mineral Veil powder is housed in one end of the revolving “clam shell”, while at the other… a soft brush dispenses the product onto your face, blurring imperfections and giving your skin a final gloss.  Now, whilst the product does all of those lovely things (I’m a long-time fan), unfortunately the limited edition dispenser doesn’t really add much to the experience.

First things first, it’s not refillable.  There seems to be some confusion online about whether or not you can top-up the contents once they’ve run out.  You can’t.  This is a one-off novelty purchase, and this irks me a little.  Ok, a lot.  What if I’d fallen in love with it only to discover that my product-lust was subject to a time-limit?

Secondly, it takes a lot of effort to get the powder to distribute through the brush evenly.  During normal use, you’d just dip your brush into the sifter to coat the tips with a fine layer of powder.  With this gadget, you’re working from the opposite end of those brush fibres and the powder needs to work its way down to the tips from the base.  The dispenser is only able to flow product from two holes at either end of the brush (shown above where the two pink “plugs” are located).

My experience over the last few weeks has shown that nine-times-out-of-ten, I just don’t get an even distribution of product across the brush head.  It’s not unusable but it’s definitely a step down from the usual application method.

Not to put an entire downer on the product, I truly can’t deny that it’s really convenient for travel and I haven’t discovered any spillages or leaks in my handbag.  The dispenser locks securely when not in use and it is a pretty neat solution for taking down the shine on a midday face.

Ultimately, it’s a great idea but it needs fine-tuning… I’d love to see this product return as a permanent (refillable) item after a little product development.

The bareMinerals Limited Edition 15th Anniversary Mineral Veil Finishing Powder will be available from next month instore in bareMinerals boutiques, on the website, and at Boots, priced at £22.00

* press sample

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All being well, in just over 6 weeks, I’m going to be a Mum again.  To say that I’m feeling a little apprehensive about this is an understatement.  Five years is a long time for the mind to heal, forgetting about the sleepless nights and the frustrations at not being able to immediately comfort an unhappy little one.

I love being the Mum of a 5-yr old more than anything, but I’m acutely aware that I didn’t relish those first few months in my new role.  I’m not ashamed to admit that either, I much prefer the company of someone who can talk back to me.  That being said, I shall be patiently awaiting the flood of maternal love that will surely wash over me within minutes of meeting our new family member.  And then I’ll be demanding a belated Mother’s Day present, because… you know, how dare you schedule your entry to coincide with MISSING THE BIG DAY?!

Incase you’re listening little one… any, or you know… ALL of the below will suffice.

1). It’s an oldie but a goodie.  Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish (£14.75) sales must hit the roof come Mother’s Day, I genuinely don’t know any women in my family who wouldn’t love to see this blue bottle pop out of a gift bag.  There’s also free delivery over on the website at the moment until the 25th March and a free sample with every order.

You could even build your own Liz Earle goody-bag for Mum by purchasing the mini 15ml tube and a muslin cloth for only £3.75 – now there’s thoughtful!

2). Each year, when Jo Malone release their bespoke Mother’s Day Floral Boxes (£120), I sit and drool at the thought of receiving something so mind-blowingly extravagant.  Complete with 100ml cologne of your choice (Vetyver for me please sproglet!), this beautiful floral display will melt the heart of anyone you’ve been privileged enough to call “Mum”.  Available from Monday 24th March, exclusively from the Jo Malone Sloane Street boutique.

3). Back down to earth with a beautifully-scented bump now, thanks to this perfectly-presented sweet little cone of bubbles and fizz!  The Mum’s Goodies (£13.50) offering from LUSH contains a limited edition Wonder Woohoo bubble bar, the Secret Garden bath bomb, and a Rockstar Soap.  The perfect way to show Mum that you care.  Just don’t steal the contents while her back is turned, ok?

4). For the ultimate glamour-Mum, look no further than this Paparazzi Compact (£27.65) from the new Joan Collins Timeless Beauty range.  The pretty duo features a classic lipstick/powder combination that makes “on the go” touch-ups a thing of true elegance!  The powder shade is a “neutral” tone to suit most complexions and depending on how bold your influential lady’s beauty tastes are, you can choose between a pink or burgundy lipstick!

5). When it comes to picking a perfume, you can’t go wrong with a delicate rose scent, the queen of all florals.  This Monotheme Apothéose de Rose (£18.00) from Marks & Spencer, offers a modern take on a much-loved theme.  Described as a soft, young and feminine scent – you won’t mistake this beauty for one of granny’s old perfumes.  The packaging is beautiful and will look a proper treat given pride of place at the dressing table.

6). If you haven’t yet heard of bathing brand Kneipp, trust me – you’re about to…

This German, mineral-rich brand offer a wide-range of bodycare products developed around the wonders of hydrotherapy.  The Kneipp Pure Bliss Bath & Body Gift Set (£12.95) will turn Mum’s bath water from boring to blissful in the blink of an eye.  With Red Poppy and Hemp as the workhorse naturals in this set, Mum will be sure to achieve complete serenity.  Even if its only until the water turns cold.

7). For the more traditional fragrant-fiend in your life, you won’t go wrong with a sneaky purchase of Floris’ Night Scented Jasmine Gift Set (£50) which includes a moisturising Bath & Shower Gel and an enriched Body Moisturiser.  This luxurious scent is inspired by the original Jasmine perfume introduced in 1806 by Mr. Floris.  It’s the kind of fragrant heritage that money just can’t buy… err, except luckily for us, it can!  The epitome of elegant gift-choices!

8). When spa-brand Elemis put together a special release that saves almost £30 on the full-price, you have to sit up and take notice.  Particularly when the items included are full-size products!  The Elemis Pro-Collagen Treats Collection (£49.00) comprises two beauty essentials from their iconic Pro-Collagen range: the Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, and the Pro-Collagen Advanced Eye Treatment.

Both products are housed in a rather cute, silver presentation box that makes gifting just a little bit more glamourous!

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Most people are familiar with the practice of prepping oily skin before applying foundation but less is said about those of us with dehydrated or dull complexions.  Many, many paragraphs are given over to the subject of tailoring skincare to battle dehydrated skin… but what about makeup application?

Just as someone with oily skin can’t go slapping their base product onto a freshly moisturised face without thought of how their foundation will look in 3hrs time, I have to take care to prep my skin in advance of foundation application.  If I don’t, my skin will simply look tired, a little crepey, and incredibly dull within hours.

Once I’ve moisturised and primed with a moisturising primer, I always add some radiance to my foundations.  Wearing so many layers of product means that I have to give consideration as to how they work together, they have to be compatible and finickity products are always the first to find themselves in the reject pile.

One of my favourite methods of customising a foundation to suit my dehydrated skin involves giving it a little boost of radiance, usually in the form of a liquid luminizer that I can mix directly into the foundation.  The one I’m currently using is a purchase from last year, the Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Base in 01 Nude Radiance.  I’ll be honest, I made a mistake… I actually bought this thinking that it was a foundation… albeit a sheer one.  Doh!

It’s not, it’s definitely a luminizer.  Unless you have the most perfect skin in the world, you’ll need something applied over this to provide a bit of a backbone if you want it to even-out your skintone.

You’ll never need more than one pump-per-application, so its 30ml packaging size is going to last you a fairly long while, which is just as well… being Burberry after all, it’s not the cheapest makeup purchase I made last year.  I take great solace from the fact that I generally tend to get on really well with high-street (priced) foundations though, so a little splurge here and there on a different kind of base product won’t do me too much harm.

To use it, I simply pump a single “splodge” (technical term, obv.) on the back of my hand before pumping my required amount of foundation ontop.  At the moment, I’m very much in favour of using my hands to apply my foundation, so I’m happy to mix the mess up on the back of my hand with a clean finger before spreading the product onto my face.  It’s a fuss-free method of application and I find that the warmth transferred from my fingers works well for spreading product smoothly over my dry skin.

The radiance boost that the Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Base delivers is subtle but effective.  It doesn’t leave obvious shimmering particles on my skin, not that I’ve anything against more in-yer-face luminizers – I loves ’em, but sometimes they’re not wholly appropriate.  The Nude Radiance shade is a neutral-toned champagne that would suit many, many skintones… I’d always check before buying but in my opinion, it’s far too translucent to appear ashy, particularly as it will be so heavily influenced by the foundation shade you mix it with.

For me, mixing a luminizer into my foundation is a step in my makeup routine that I wouldn’t be without.  It allows me to get more use from the many, many foundations I’ve purchased that haven’t been “quite right” for my skintype.  It keeps my skin looking fresher and more radiant as the day progresses without having to over-moisturise and risk having it slide from my t-zone by lunchtime.

Of course, sometimes I’ll follow up this radiance-boosting step with a little powder highlighter also… though I mostly only bother if it’s something very subtle or I’m going out in the evening.

Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Base in 01 Nude Radiance is priced at £34.00 and available to buy on Burberry counters nationwide and online from John Lewis.

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Shall we have something a little more demure today? All this holographic sparkle is lush n’ all but not always the most work-appropriate of choices.  If you are looking for the kind of polish that is possibly more work-appropriate than even you are, look no further than this Suqqu Spring release…

SUQQU Nail Color R EX05 Shirakoucha is so demure and understated that it makes Emma Watson look like Miley Cyrus.  This pale, creamy nude is completely and utterly neutral, like the milkiest tea-latte in the coffee-shop.

It’s a little sheer on the first coat and needs a full 2 or even 3 coats to build up to opacity and you only get a rather laughable 5ml for your money here, so if you’re wearing this frequently as part of your nail wardrobe, you’ll get through a bottle sharpish.

That aside, it’s a lovely polish to work with, quick-drying and glossy… I’m on day 3 of wear and it still looks as good as new.

SUQQU Nail Color R EX05 Shirakoucha is priced at £18.00 and available to buy on counter at Selfridges while stocks last.

* press sample

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