Makeup I'm currently loving and using....

I want to be one of those girls who's loyal to a particular skincare brand and follows the steps religiously but I don't think it's ever going to happen.

It's the same with make up: I often decide that I have finally found the best mascara/foundation/eyeliner brush that has ever existed and swear to be faithful to it forever more until I see a great (completely photoshopped) advert of some very beautiful model with flawless skin and big fat lashes and realise that's the product I need to urgently get my hands on.

But anyhoo, this is what I'm swearing by at the moment:

Foundation: Chanel Vitalumiere - love the lightness and how you can build coverage, plus it lasts.

Concealer: skin is pretty good at the moment but worshiping as always at the altar of Bobbi Brown eye brightener for under eye circles.

Powder: keeping most of my face powder free but am using a touch of Laura Mercier Mineral Powder across my nose.

Brows: Absolutely love the Armani Eyebrow pencil in Blond - it's a really good ashy colour, no redness in it and it lasts.

Cheeks: Bobbi Brown Blusher in Blushed - has crazy levels of pigment like all BB products so I only use a tiny amount on the apples of my cheeks.

Liner: I'm actually using a Smashbox Eyeliner brush (amazing!) wet with Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in forest, really close along my upper lash line.

(if I'm feeling a little ropey I'm also popping a bit of taupe Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in my crease)

Lashes: Well clearly I'm obsessed with mascara so I'm using Cover Girl Lashblast for volume which I got on-line from the US and Armani Maestro Obsidian for definition.

And that's me. x x x

25 things about me

1.Someone called Anita and my Great Auntie Evelyn completely changed my life in 2007.

2.I absolutely love Aubergines cooked any way.

3.I’m not a cryer but thinking about the time I spent in Havana with my Dad, wandering the streets and staying in an old lady’s decaying house in the rough end of town makes me well up. It was magical.

4.I am in love with make-up and I don’t care if that’s shallow. I’ll talk about it for hours if you give me the chance.

5.I have best friends to die for. I can’t begin to describe how important they are to me; they’re unshockable, funny, clever, gorgeous and sometimes my saviours. To put it simply they make my life better.

6.I get sentimental about places: London, Fort Lauderdale (no really!), Hvar, eastern suburbs of Sydney - mainly places where I've had a lot of fun.

7.I’m very nosey, I can people watch for hours and will completely speculate upon their lives.

8.In the next year or so I’d like to visit Mozambique, Brazil, Berlin and Japan.

9.I love everything about big cities, even the flaws. It’s the Urban Geographer in me.

10.I wish I was better at learning languages.

11.Ever seen the photographer Tim Walker’s work? Check him out, I love him. if only life really did look like his photos.

12.I’ve almost died (Hello drama!) twice. Aged 18 I fell partly into a glacial crevasse in Iceland and was saved by the boy behind me grabbing my backpack and pulling me out. (I snogged my rescuer in The Dome nightclub when back in Birmingham to show my gratitude.) The 2nd time in St Barts a wildly rolling tender almost crushed me on the beach but the deckhand grabbed my collar and pulled me from under it (thank you Nathan Cummings)

13.I reckon i might be the messiest person you know. And I’m crap at packing.

14.I come from a family of strong women......if you’d met my Nan you’d know what i was talking about. She was as hard as nails.

15.I love sewing and cooking – I really should have been a 50’s housewife. Since working on yachts i’ve come to love ironing also. Worrying.

16.I’m not that competitive except when it comes to Scrabble when i become cut-throat

17.I don’t really like animals, sorry animal lovers.

18.I find it hard to eat a plate of food without adding a condiment.

19.I don’t like to leave the house without my camera, when i do i always regret it.

20.I’m a recovering shopping addict, except in the arena of vintage costume jewellery.

21.I wagged school (cut class) once ever and got caught.

22.I’m scared of the ocean and i get sea sick yet i work on a boat.

23.I’m infatuated with and a massive defender of the USofA and would like to visit every state.

24.I have an irrational phobia of needles.

25.I love everything about the beach: sun, bikinis, the smell of sun oil, sleeping, reading, chatting....

Getting over my fear of Lipstick

Ever since my make up obsession started (age 12, Collection 2000 clear mascara and Rimmel Hide the Blemish!) I have always been obsessed with eye eyes eyes. I am fixated on the biggest lashes, the sexiest eyeshadow/liner combo, the perfect crease, a flawless smoky eye, how to do the perfect liquid liner tick. I could go on.

Maybe five years ago I finally started to see the light with cheek colour. I'd always whacked a bit of bronzer on or some Benefit benetint but it was definitely not on my essentials list; I'd happily go out with nothing on my cheeks. Then Nars Orgasm came into my life and a lesson on contouring (with their matt bronzer) at the Mac counter sealed the deal and I got what a difference it made. Now i feel flat and lifeless without it.

Lips though, I have genuinely never been interested in. Yes, I like them to look healthy and moisturised. But call me crazy but lip gloss, however much I enjoy putting it on when it smells and tastes nice lasts approximately 30 seconds. Plus when you wear copious amounts of eye make up like I do I've always been not tempted at all to put anything major on my lips with fear of slipping into china doll territory.

I did start to feel like I was missing a trick especially when you read the beauty pages of any magazine singing the praises of a statement red lip or suggestion of a slick of dark plum for winter.

So cruising around the hallowed Harrods Beauty hall this summer I ended up chatting to the lovely girl on the Laura Mercier (one of my perennial favourite brands) counter and leaving with their Sheer Lip Colour in Bare Lips and Flawless fix lip pencil.

Love love love the liner, it's ultimately a nude creamyish concealer in pencil form but it works a treat at evening out your lip line and so that the edge of your lipstick doesn't smudge and it gives your lips a really clean polished defined line. I find the sharpener in the lid pretty useless though, makes a real mess of the wood around the point of the pencil.

Also love the lipstick, I would say it's a pretty universally flattering colour, easy to wear, easy to put on and a nice consistency.

My next step in the new world of lipstick if finding more of a statementy 'colour' that i genuinely believe suits me and I will actually wear

xx

Clarins Beauty Flash Eye Revive - An early morning life saver

I remember a time when Clarins Beauty Flash Balm was always towards the top of any magazine's 100 Best Beauty products but it seems to have gone out of fashion of late.

Last week I got a little sample of the Clarins Eye Revive Beauty Flash at Sephora and was very sceptical before trying it.

Dabbed a little under each eye this morning and all I can say is WOW. I was not expecting it to do anything other that being maybe a little cooling and refreshing but I genuinely saw a lift around my lower eye area.

Big recommendation from me...now weighing up whether to commit to a whole tube.

Check out the reviews on Sephora.

Nars Voucher Code!

Hey All,

Just thought you might appreciate this wee little discount code for the Nars website.

You can receive 15% off any order of $60 or more and get free shipping over any order over $25. The coupon code is NJ91009 and you enter it at the checkout.

xxx

Hero product for tired party girls: Bobbi Brown Eye Brightener

Hello make up lovers,

I'm working very vehhhry long hours at the moment (like a 17 hour day) but I still like to squeeze in a few nights out in when I can.

I can't tell you how amazing Bobbi Brown Eye Brightener is for those painful mornings after when you can hardly open your eyes and you look decidedly ropey.

You only need a tiny amount so the small jar lasts ages. I like to dot it under my eyes, a little smudge on the outside and inner eye corner and a little dot under the arch of my brow. Then blend gently with a finger or brush.

It covers the grey blue dark circles under your eye but where it really excels is by lifting and brightening the entire eye area especially when you use it either side of the eye. It nevers looks cakey, instead looks moisturised and is pretty long lasting.

It is a true miracle worker when you're desperate to pull off looking 'fresh'!

www.bobbibrown.com

Smashbox relaunches in the UK!!

Amazing News!

Smashbox, one of my most favourite make up brands is relaunching in the UK after a too long absense!

It will soon be available in select Debenhams stores across the UK.

They have so many brilliant products: their brushes, primers, and eyeshadows are all great. And they always have special offers where you can get a group of products to create a certain look (i.e smoky eyes) for a brilliant price.

www.smashbox.com

Primers - whether to bother?

I always thought primers were a way of cosmetic brands selling you another product and would add another time consuming stage to my already too long make up regime.

This is until I tried Smashbox Photofinish Primer. It is truly a superstar product! You only need a small amount, maybe 1 small pump.

I have combination skin with a slightly oily t-zone so i concentrate it on my cheek area and take it right up to my lower lash line and right down to my jaw line with a miniscule amount on my forehead and nose.

I leave it to set for a minute then apply my foundation/tinted moisturiser over it. I find my make up goes on really really smooth and even over the primer. Where it really excels though is in photographs (hence the name!). Your skin just seems to glow and looks incredibly flawless. I used it on the bride and bridesmaids at my best friend's recent wedding and it went down a storm.