Lipstick, powder and paint

In summer, I love to mainly wear Coral lipsticks or colours in this range. So, I thought I would share with you my current favourites. They range from some quite pricey to more purse-friendly ones. There are also a couple of lip glosses thrown in there too. Hope these give you some inspiration to add a new colour or two to your collection.
I should say that everyone's natural lips are different colours so this can affect how some lipsticks may look on you as well as your skin tone. I have a yellow undertone to my skin which tends to suit these type of shades.

Sexy Sienna

Portobello Girl, Ibiza Nights and Belize

The first one in my collection is Sexy Sienna by Charlotte Tilbury. This is one of the lighter Coral ones in my collection but I just love it in summer especially in the daytime or at night when I like to put a gloss over it. Then I either use my Glossier clear one or my Charlotte Tilbury Ibiza Nights which is coming up shortly.

Now for glosses. I do like a lip gloss in summer for a quick and easy daytime look when you want a hint of colour but not anything too much. The first one is Belize by Nars which is a very sheer gloss but makes your lips look healthy and glossy. It isn't very pigmented so great for daytime or applying over the top of a lipstick. The next two are both by Charlotte Tilbury. Portobello Girl has a slight pink colour, though again very sheer, and Ibiza nights has a gold shimmer running through it. I like to put this over one of my other lipsticks for a glossy evening look. I would say that I am not sure the Charlotte Tilbury ones are worth the money. I am on the look out for some better glosses. I find these are a bit sticky and clogged to apply with not much colour payback.

Lost Cherry, Striking Specataculaire and True Coral

Lost Cherry by Charlotte Tilbury I love all year round, but I think is great for summer as it's a lovely pinky Coral which is super flattering.  This Lip Crayon called Striking Spectaculaire is by Revlon and is one of the brighter more "out there" ones in my collection but I love how easy these lip crayons are to apply and they feel so soft too. I have tried and like a lot of Revlon's lip crayons and have been really impressed with them all.

My all time favourite lipstick next - True Coral by Tom Ford. As with my Lost Cherry you will have seen this colour on me a lot and not just in summer. I think this is the most perfect true Coral shade.  I can't tell you how much I love it! It would have to be my Desert Island piece of makeup.

Disturbia, Stay With Me Coral, Heatwave and Wild Ginger

I hadn't tried a lip pen before and picked this one up by L'Oreal in the shade Disturbia and loved it straight away. I like the pen - it goes on easily and feels nice - plus the colour is just so great for summer.  This one by Maybelline always has people asking me what I am wearing. In fact I only found it by asking someone what they were wearing on their lips. It's one of their 14 hr lipsticks in the shade "Stay With Me Coral" and it's such a great colour. A gorgeous Coral but I can't find it anywhere and fear they may have stopped making it. Why do companies do that?

The next two are my most recent purchases. I bought the Nars Heatwave lipstick after seeing it on Sali Hughes and loving it - she is the beauty columnist in the Guardian. Now I have it I really like it. It's a lovely texture as it's a sheer matte and is the perfect reddy Coral. I think I need to work on my colour descriptions!

 

Maybelline Stay With Me Coral

Nars Heatwave

Tom Ford True Coral

This Tom Ford one I also saw on Instagram - it can be such a dangerous place! It's called Wild Ginger and I think is one of my new favourites. It's such a great reddy orange and I do love the texture of Tom Ford lipsticks as they just glide on and look so lovely. They are expensive though so I recommend trying before buying as I would hate to waste that money.

Hope this has given you some inspiration to try a new Coral lipstick or tell me what your favourites are. I always have room for one more!!

Here Comes The Sun

 

 

On a summer holiday I know I shouldn't really wear any make up and I don't in the daytime, or at least not much, but I do like to in the evening or if I am going somewhere other than the beach or pool. For our summer holiday we go to a campsite in France so it's not overly glamorous but I think you know me by now and I always have to have some kind of "face" on. I  think its what Joan Collins would do if she happened to find herself on a French campsite and not St Tropez!

I keep my base light as I usually have some colour, or the nights are warm and I don't want heavy makeup that will just end up sliding off my face. I will either just wear my Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow on its own or a BB cream - I like my Bobbi Brown one or Garnier one. I always use concealer for my pesky dark circles and I am liking the YSL Touche Éclat at the moment.

 
I tend to stay away from powders in the summer heat and that applies not only to a traditional setting powder but also with my Bronzers and Blushers. I love my NARS liquid Bronzer but also my Les Sahariennes by YSL which is what they call their balm-powder and is in a handy compact with a mirror too. I will bring my Tom Ford Gold Dust Bronzer too as I can't be without it. What I do love for holidays are products that do more than one thing and my new favourite is the Beach Stick by Charlotte Tilbury in shade Les Salinas which is a really pretty pink colur and can be used on lips and cheeks.

I need to get my hands on the NARS liquid blusher in Orgasm as I think that will be perfect but I do have a cream blusher by Tom Ford which is a lovely pinky/peach colour (the name of which has rubbed away which is rather annoying!) I also have my little tube of Cloud Paint by Glossier in Dusk which is a gel-cream blusher and is a lovely peachy colour. I do like a spot of highlighter for a summer evening as I like the dewy/glowy look and I am loving my MAC Cream Base In Hush as well as the MAC Strobe Cream along with my Glossier Haloscope Highlighter in Quartz.

I normally love a good smokey eye but I tend to not go quite as full on when I am away. I like to use a good cream eyeshadow such as my Maybelline Color Tatto in On and On-Bronze or I also like my Clarins Waterproof Eyeshadow in Copper Brown for summer evenings or even for the day by the pool if I am in that kind of mood. I also like an eyeshadow crayon for ease of application and my go to ones are my Top Shop one in Trickster and my Laura Mercier one in Burnished Bronze.

I will still wear my black eyeliner in my waterline as I feel naked without it but I may or may not wear my old faithful Collection Liquid Eyeliner as if it's too hot this can end up all over my eyes! Mascara has to be worn though as I don't feel I look alive without it!

Lipgloss is my preferred lip product on holiday and I have two by Charlotte Tilbury that I love which are Ibiza Nights and Portobello Girl but I also like Belize by Nars too. I always bring a lipstick or two and my favourites would be my Sexy Sienna lipstick by Charlotte Tilbury, True Coral by Tom Ford or my new L'Oreal lip pen called Disturbia.

If you want your makeup to stay in place - and to be honest who can be bothered to re-apply while there is rosé to be drunk - I sprtiz a bit of my Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray and hope this stops my makeup sliding off my face.

Come fly with me

It's getting towards that time of year when everyone seems to be jetting off on their summer holidays. We don't actually fly to ours as we drive to France but I know a lot of people do, so I thought I would write a post on what I bring in my little carry on plastic bag. I hope you find this helpful or at least interesting in a nosey kind of way!

As you have probably gathered I love makeup and have a lot of it, so that little plastic bag can be very problematic for me! Luckily, I travel with 2 boys who have nothing in the way of liquids so I fill theirs up too. My son is less than impressed though when he has to carry a lipgloss through security!
I know the perceived wisdom is that you shouldn't wear makeup on the plane. I don't apply it while on the plane but when landing I like to freshen up and put some on.  I must admit though I wish I was that person who takes all their makeup off and sits in a face mask as I know that would be the best thing for my skin (I imagine that's what Victoria Beckham does!)

I do though bring makeup remover wipes in my handbag or carry on in case so if I do feel like removing some of it or for taking off my eye makeup to do again I can. I must spend a lot of time rubbing my eyes in planes as I never seem to have any eye makeup left on!

Anyway, back to my liquids bag/carry on essentials. I am still confused if bullet lipsticks are liquids or not so I put them in the plastic bag anyway, along with my lip glosses. I always marvel at how many lip glosses I appear to travel with. Liquid concealer goes in there too as well as my hard (am not sure that is the correct makeup term!) concealer- again unsure of its status. I don't sleep on planes so concealer is a must for me when I get off.

Foundation also seems to make it into my bag - I appear to be prepared for any makeup emergency that may occur whilst travelling. Mascara also squeezes in because as I don't sleep it is needed to make me look alive as is a bright lipstick and a swirl of blusher.

I am an absolutely appalling flier so I must have my Bachs Rescue Remedy - a total godsend. Along with my Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I love this product - not only does it help calm me down but weirdly it refreshes me too. The smell is just gorgeous.

If I remember I do try and bring a little hand sanitizer gel with me (I watched some random YouTube video once showing my how unhygienic flying is!).  I do always remember to bring hand cream though - I always keep my eye out for any travel size or mini hand creams. I am a big fan of the &other stories ones as they are the perfect size.

Lip balm is always with me on a flight. The plane air can be very drying. Plus, I just find putting it on to be very therapeutic. I also bring a little perfume with me. I don't know about you but I always feel a bit grubby when I get off a plane so I like to have a little spray. I am thinking while writing this all the other passengers must hate me! I am busy spraying various things all through the flight!

If I have happened to take my make up off or if it has just come off due to my face becoming a sweaty mess due to stress. I like to bring a moisturiser or the like. Again, the plane air is very drying on the skin so any moisture I can put back in it is good with me. I know I should be drinking plenty of water while flying but I tend to hit the bubbles!

Let me know what you bring on if anything or if you think there is anything I could add.

Morning has broken.......

 

Following on from my evening skin care routine it seems to make logical sense to write a post on my morning skincare routine. I am very wise like that!
I am not a morning person and it takes me a good hour to get going even with a coffee so my morning skincare routine has to be fairly quick and easy.

In the shower I try to exfoliate once or twice a week or when I remember. I like the Soap & Glory The Scrub Of  Your Life and I also love their shower gel too. I use their Orangeasm or Sugar Crush Body Wash in the summer and the Clean Girls Body Wash in the winter.  If I have time I may use the St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower - though this tends to only be at the weekend as I don't seem to have a spare 3 minutes in the morning!

Once out of the shower it's time to clean my face. I am using Effaclar by La Roche-Posay at the moment. I really like this it is a foaming gel and leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped of its essential oils. Once a week I like to exfoliate my face and my favourite one is the GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser by Origins - I love the smell of this and isn't too astringent on my skin I have also been using the Vitamin C Facial Wash by Soap & Glory but I found this to be too strong for my skin - I was getting a slight reaction to it for some reason. 

Then it's on to removing any left over eye makeup from the day before and my favourite eye makeup remover ever is the Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover by Nivea. So cheap but so good. Love it! I then apply my eye cream - another Kiehls product here and this is their Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Eye-Brightening Concentrate.  Always trying to do something about those dark circles and wrinkles!

Toner next and I use the spray version of my Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic I find it so refreshing in the morning (I also like to give my face a little spritz of this during the day, especially if I am tired as I find it wakes me up!) I leave that to absorb into my skin and apply my Kiehls serum and the one I am using at the moment is the Hydro-Pumping Re-Texturizing Serum Concentrate. Or I also like Trilogy's Rosehip Oil. The Kiehls serum is not an oil and feels more like a cross between a gel and a cream but I like it. I let this settle into my skin for a minute or so and then I apply my Kiehls Rosa Artica Lightweight Cream - it's quite a light one which I like. I am not a fan of heavy moisturisers but this is purely personal preference.

Sunscreen next and I like to use either the Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Cream For Face in factor 50 or the Vichy Mattifying Face Fluid Dry Touch. I find my skin is getting more pigmentation and sun spots as I get older - all the joys! I finish off the routine with Body Lotion and I love the &Other Stories Moroccan Tea, it smells so gorgeous and is a nice light lotion for the daytime.

As you can see I am not using any acids or anything else at the moment and I really want to start incorporating them into my routine. I have just ordered the Hyaluronic Acid and Salicylic Acid from The Ordinary and once I work out how to use them and when to use them I will incorporate them into my routine. However, I have also seen various other products on Instagram that I would love to add to my routine so watch this space!

I've got you under my skin....

I thought I would do a post on my current skin routine - my evening routine in this post followed in another post by my morning routine. I should say that I am no expert on skincare and these are just the products that work for me. I think as we get older our skin and the condition of it is one of our biggest concerns. I know I am the worst for always looking at my lines and pondering Botox! I should say my skin is combination to oily and being over 40 has more lines than maybe I would like!

I do want to add or change things to my skincare routine. I am keen to try an acid - I like the sound of The Ordinary's hyaluronic acid. I also want to introduce Vitamin C into my routine somehow as that is meant to be so good for the skin. Retinol is another product I hear a lot about and want to try but I am not actually sure how or when I should it. Or the hyaluronic acid to be honest!

I try to double cleanse but to be honest that doesn't always happen. I prefer to use a cleansing oil or gel at night rather than a foaming cleanser. I have been using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Gel Wash which is good but I find it irritates my eyes slightly and doesn't remove all my makeup.  I prefer to use my Nuxe Micellar Cleansing Oil which you apply to dry skin and is excellent. Or the Kiehls Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil  I love this Kiehls one and was so excited when it came out. I just love the Midnight Recovery range - it all smells so good too! However, I can't wait to try my Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser which I picked up in America. 

I apply my cleanser to damp skin (unless the product states otherwise) and massage all over my face/eyes and wash off with a flannel.  If I do another cleanse I use my Dermologica Daily Microfoliant  but I tend to just remove any traces of eye makeup (as you know I wear a fair bit) with my Bioderma Micellar Water - I have tried others and I do like the Garnier ones but I think this is the best. I then use a toner and I love Liz Earle's Instant Skin Boost Toinc. It doesn't feel too harsh on my skin but leaves it feeling clean and refreshed. It has a lovely fragrance too. I would so recommend this.

Eye cream next and I love the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Serum  -  I don't know if my wrinkles are any less but I like it! Then it's time for my favourite product my Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate which is an oil. I love this and re-purchase it every time it runs out. It's a must have product for me.  I am not the biggest fan of night creams as I find them too heavy and currently I don't use anything though I am on the look out for one so if anyone has any recommendations I would love to hear them.

Once a week I like to use a mask on my face. I know sheet face masks are all the rage and I do like them. I like ones by Sephora and Dr. Jart+ but I have to admit I prefer "normal" masks more. My favourites are the Instant Detox Mask by Caudalie and the Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque by Kiehls. I put them on and get into the bath for a relaxing soak and then remove them with a flannel when I get out.

I try not to use makeup wipes very much as I know they aren't good for my skin. There are times though when I am tired or have had one wine too many when it is just easier to reach for the wipes. I don't have any particular brand that I like but am using Yes To Blueberries Age Refresh wipes at the moment and they seem good or they get me bronzer off at any rate!

Then it's lip balm - I like good old Vaseline Aloe Vera and then its time for the body, foot and hand lotion.  For me Soap & Glorys Heel Genius is amazing. I don't have dry or cracked heels at all. For Body Lotion again I do like Soap & Glory but I got a lovely set of small Laura Mercier body souffles which I love. They smell amazing and feel so luxurious.

Hope this was of some help and interest and as I said I am no expert and want to add and maybe change parts of my routine but I have certain products that I just love.

Ladies night oh what a night

I love an evening makeup. To be honest, it is really just a ramped up version of my daytime look. But I try to add more glow and maybe a smidgen of glitter if the occasion allows! I start by applying my YSL Top Secret Primer to my moisturised face, followed by some of the Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow. I apply this under my foundation or you can mix it in with your foundation if you prefer. My foundation is the same as my daytime look. I conceal next (sometimes I will do my under eye concealer after my eye makeup if it's a particularly smokey eye look) and again this is the same as my daytime look in terms of it's the Bobbi Brown colour corrector followed by a liquid concealer.  For evening though I often like to use my Clarins concealer as I find this has slightly thicker coverage. I then apply powder to keep my base makeup in place.

Eyebrows next and again it's Benefits Gimme Brow though I may apply a little more than in the daytime as I do love a strong eye look for evening. Are you sensing a theme here! Bronzer next and again it's my favourite Tom Ford Bronzer (Gold Dust) followed by my Charlotte Tilbury blusher in Love Glow. To give me some extra glow I like to apply highlighter when I go out in the evening. I apply this to the top of my cheekbones, down my nose, above my Cupids Bow and sometimes on my brow bone.  As I am getting older and getting more lines I have to be careful with highlighters as anything too shimmery just sits in my lines and accentuates them. The total opposite of what I want. I do have a Top Shop powder one called Horizon that I like but I will usually go for a liquid or stick one.  I love the MAC strobe one but I am currently using my Glossier Quartz which I really like. Sometimes, I go over this highlighter with my powder one to give it more staying power. Just check you haven't gone highlighter crazy though! In the past I have.....

Now to my favourite part of my "going out" makeup - the eyes. I again prime my eyes with the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr in On and on Bronze. Then I will use one of my eyeshadow palettes. My current favourites are the Huda Rose Gold, my little MAC palette called Burgundy x 9 or my Anastasia Beverley Hills Modern Renaissance. I normally go for the bronze/copper/gold shades or recently I have been liking the cranberry and plum shades too. I always finish my evening eye look with a touch of something sparkly. I have a Top Shop shadow called Shuffle the Cards which I apply to the middle of my eye and this really finishes my eye look off with a little bit of shimmer. However, I can't wait to use my Stila Magnificent Metals in bronzed bell.

As always, I line the inside of my eyes with my Top Shop black kohl pencil and apply my favourite Collection liquid eyeliner. Mascara next and I like to use my Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes or Marc Jacobs one as I like the look they give.  I am not a big fan of fake lashes purely because I wear a lot of eye makeup and worry I look like a drag queen!!

For lips I know I should really go with something nude or natural but I feel a bit naked without a bright lip and so most of the time I end up going with my all time favourite lipstick True Coral by Tom Ford. Love it! If I am going even more glam I will also pop a bit of lip gloss just in the middle of my lips to add some extra shine! Then I finish the whole look off with a sprtiz of the Urban Decay setting spray.

This is obviously just a brief overview of my evening makeup and I will blog in more detail about the eye makeup and how I apply it.

Back for good

This poor blog has been very neglected. I didn't realise how long it had been since I had written anything here.  I don't know why I stopped. I still love makeup as much as ever and love reading and writing about it. I have some work to do updating my blog and will get on to this too. My poor blog is looking very basic compared to what else is out there!

I did struggle to find a topic to start back with so maybe just a quick and easy one with a run down of my everyday makeup at the moment.  Ease me and you back into it!

I have been getting into the habit of using a Primer and the one I like for daytime at the moment is by Too Faced and is called the Hangover Primer. I apply this after moisturiser to give a good base for my foundation.

My foundation has been the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation which I really like but feel it's a bit matte for summer. I have just bought a new foundation by YSL - their Touche Eclat Le Teint. I haven't used this yet so I can't give you any feedback on how I find it but will let you know what I think.  Today, I used my Bobbi Brown BB cream which I really like for summer as it's nice and light.

Concealer next and I still like my Bobbi Brown colour corrector in Bisque which I love for helping to disguise my black circles.  My old favourite Collection concealer has been my go-to but I have picked up the Touche Eclat and plan to give this a try again. I forgot how much I like it when I tried it out. I then powder a little bit as my skin seems to be quite oily at the moment - can I blame hormones!  I have the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish powder.

Bronzer is next and I do love a good bit of Bronze. I have the Tom Ford one in Gold Dust which I find is the perfect shade. It is expensive but it is also very big!  I am also a big blusher fan and at the moment I am liking the Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in Love Glow.

I do my brows next and I adore the Benefit Gimme Brow. I then move on to shadow. I use the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr in On and on Bronze as a base/Primer then I apply my eyeshadow. Currently, I am using the first Naked Palette by Urban decay as I love a bronze/brown eye.  I do go for quite a strong eye and I use the black liquid eyeliner by Collection which is by far the best I have ever used. Lastly, a bit of black eye pencil in the waterline and at the moment I am using a Top  Shop one.  Last but definitely not least where eyes are concerned is mascara and for daytime at the moment I am using Maybelline's The Falsies Push Up Drama in black.

I vary in my lipstick choices from a nude to a bright. I have recently bought one of  the Stylo lipsticks by Hourglass in the shade Creator which I find is the perfect nude/natural shade for me. Or if I am going for something brighter which I often do I like to go for a Coral in summer.  For the last few days I have been wearing Stay With Me Coral by Maybelline and my other favourite is Lost Cherry by Charlotte Tilbury.

This does sound and look a lot but it takes me 15 minutes at the most to apply it all. 

I have really enjoyed writing this blog post and have reminded myself why I started my blog in the first place.