BB Beautiful

I'm not big fan of BB creams but I've recently discovered one that I love and I thought I'd tell the world.

It's Rimmel 'BB Cream 9-in-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup'.

'Super Makeup' is a bold claim isn't it? and you'd be excused for taking this title with a pinch of salt. Indeed I'm pretty sick of products that boast of superhero' powers but renege on the deal. However, this one does go a long way to living up to it's own hype (well a lot further than most)

I came across this product as a sample from a magazine. (I love getting samples in magazines they're a great opportunity to try before you buy)

I didn't think much of it when I first peeled it from the page, as I've not been too impressed by BB creams in the past.  I certainly wasn't in a rush to try it. However one bright morning not so long ago, I rediscovered the tiny parcel in my makeup bag and decided to give it a go.

My expectations weren't terribly high as I quite carelessly ripped off the top of the sachet and squeezed some on to my fingers. I couldn't tell much from playing with it on the back on my hand so I smoothed it out on my nose, under my eyes and across my forehead. I was surprised to see how easily it spread and settled on my skin, in fact within a few seconds it was part of me. A few moments later I realised my skin looked considerably smoother and a lot more even toned. I took a good look in my regular mirror, which is close to a large window and it was clear that the cream had given my skin a subtle, very pleasing radiance without changing my colour or introducing that nasty lilac or gold tone that some light enhancing products have.

A few days later I bought two tubes of the stuff, one in LIGHT and the other in MEDIUM and my road testing results are 'A Resounding Success'. I'm wearing it most days, mostly on it's own (non-work days) but also under my usual concealer and/ or powder foundation (work days).

The only negative thing I have to say about this product is that it's best for light medium to dark medium skin tones and not great for very pale skin. However, this could also be seen as a positive as most of the BB creams I've tired previously,  have been great for fair skin but dreadful for medium to dark tones.

Although this is a product for any time of year, it's got to be especially good now in the Spring, when skin is looking dull from the winter months and we could all do with a little pepping up. The light reflecting qualities add a little lift to my complexion and just enough coverage to enhance my bare faced confidence. And a rather massive added bonus is that this BB cream has an amazing SPF 25 which is very handy for preventing sunburn from unexpected bursts of sunshine (you know, the ones we sometimes get in between the rainy showers!)

It gets a 8/10 from me, why not give it a go? and let me know how you get on.

does botox make us happier?

Read this article on the Guardian Newspaper online site and thought you might like it. Could be a great topic for discussion? Any comments most welcome.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/11/lets-face-it-botox-wont-make-happier?

Look Great Everyday: what shall I do with my hair in 2013?

Look Great Everyday: what shall I do with my hair in 2013?: If your hair is long or longish, you probably (like me) find yourself doing the same old thing with it most days. You either tie it in to a ...

what shall I do with my hair in 2013?

If your hair is long or longish, you probably (like me) find yourself doing the same old thing with it most days. You either tie it in to a pony, clip a small braid to the side or just leave it down.

Well why not try some of these fab and reasonably easy dos you can do yourself!

Party side do

French Fish tail / Seashell Braid

Low rolled up do

Another low bun

Vintage wave

If you want a really impressive up do try to tame any frizz out before you start. To turn frizz into sleek curls try rubbing a small amount of serum into the palm of your hand then quickly comb through your damp hair with your hands. This process will evenly distribute a very small amount the serum throughout your hair.

If your hair is over colour or just very dry,  try a 'dry ends' oil which you can spread a little more liberally through the last 1 or 2 inches of your hair.

For best results follow up by blowdrying your locks with a metal barrelled brush, lots of heat and direct the hairdryer nozzle down the hair, giving a sleek finish.

Here are some serums to look out for on the high street:

John Frieda Frizz-Ease circa 6

Tigi Bed Head ' Some Like it Hot' Heat and Humidity serum circa £7

Avon Daily Dry Ends Serum £6

party time smokey eyes

It's party time, so here I am with a few ideas up my sequined frock sleeve to help you scrub up and sparkle this New Year.

Create a faultless smokey eye with Urban Decay's "Smoked" Palette. This is a collection of 10 shades including nudes, neutrals, greys, black and a few decadent jewel tones to give your look some pizazz.  These velvety shadows have great blend-ability for a really dense, professional look. This little set also comes with a 'how to' booklet, a 24/7 Glide-On Eye pencil in Perversion (one of my favourites) and a travel-size Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I really love Rockstar and Loaded for some punchy colour.

Here are a couple of general rules for creating a flattering smokey:

1. Smaller eyes with less lower lid

Start with a coat of nude across the whole eye then add black or grey to the outer edge. Take the colour to  the middle of the eye. Now blend your darker colour into the socket of the eye. Bring some of your darker eyeshadow down under the eye to the lower lash line but again keep to the outer edge for a more open-eyed look. If your eyes are smaller, go easy on the really dark shades as you can easily overload the eye area and make your eyes look smaller than they actually are.  Add your liner to the outer edge of your eye and be sure to work right into the lash line. Now add lots of black mascara and even add a strip or a few individual lashes to the outer edges for a wide-eyed look.


2. Larger eyes with a more lower lid

Larger eyes or those with a reasonably sized lower lid can afford to be a little more generous when applying darker eyeshadows and are ideal for a dramatic smokey eye look.

Start by covering the lower lid with a dark eyeshadow. You can use black but you can also use dark greys, blues, purples. I like to start with black for some real drama. For a really dense coat use a liquid liner such as MAC Fluidline "Blacktrack ' cover the lower lid and allow a few moments to dry. Now use a black or dark eyeshadow colour across the area blending up to the natural socket line. Take the blending just above the socket (how far you take the line depends on your eye shape - Look in to your mirror straight on, as if talking to someone. Take a moment to carefully blend the shadow to a point where it gives the impression of creating a higher natural socket line)

Once you have a basic smokey eye you can add colour to your neutral base to create more glamour or interest. Now is the time to add a wash of Urban Decay Rockstar or Loaded across the lower lid. Alternatively add some colour just to the inner edge. (think 'less is more' for a really professional look)

Now apply a coat of eyeliner to both the upper and lower inner-eye lash lines (this really gives larger eyes definition) Add some dark shadow just under the lower lash line and blend.  For a little more colour you could add Rockstar or Loaded under the eye and again keep blending.

Adding sparkle :

Instead of adding colour to your smokey eye you can also add a touch of sparkle with some metallic shine. My advice is to steer clear of glitter. They sound like a great idea but they have a tendency to drop from the eyes and travel across your face (and on to anyone else you may come in to contact with!)

If I want to add a little shimmer I'd go for good quality metallics like those in MAC pigments.  Others you might want to try are:

MAC Mineralize Eyeshadow £16.50

Nars Single eyeshadow £17

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadow £19.50

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gelee Powder Eyeshadow £19

A couple of other tips when wearing glitter or adding shine to the eyes is to avoid similar amounts of shine to the lips. There are no rules and you can do whatever makes you feel good. However to really show off your eyes, I suggest keeping your lips matte, with maybe a little lip gloss to the centre. I'd also be sure to balance out the eyebrows. Eyebrows are key to any make up look. If you're going for a strong eyebrow, make sure they are filled and even. To correct the balance with your made up eyes use a little grey eyeshadow to fill and lengthen the outer edge.

For a vintage blond look keep pale eyebrows light and stand out in a crowd. 

Most of all have fun and a great big 'Strike of Midnight',  Happy New Year Kiss from me. 

Kelly x

luxury last minute christmas wish list

OK this is going to be quick. With just a few days to go before Christmas here's a few luxury goodies for you to add to your Christmas Wish List. Good Luck and Happy Christmas.

Eve Lom 'Moisture Mask' 100ml £65

There's so many good things to say about Eve Lom. A wonderful collection of great products consistently delivering amazing results. Eve Lom says luxury and class from the packaging to the products. Dry skin will love this gel mask but even oily skin can become dry and dehydrated in the cold months when, central heating and constant temperature changes reek havoc on our complexion. Apply a small amount of this light mask at night and leave for around 15 mins. Skin is left soft, hydrated and supple. This is a luxury product with a price to prove it but a little goes a long way so should last you right through to spring.

Miller Harris Perfume 'terre d'iris' Le Pluie Eau De Parfum £62

I don't spend too much time blogging about perfume because our sense of smell is just so personal. So much so that we really can't help what we like. However, I can't do a luxury wish list without giving a mention to this wonderful scent. 'A fresh and characterful floral scent, inspired by the magical coast line of the Côte d’Azur'.  So I spritz my wrist and take a moment for the aroma to warm into my skin and wow. I'm touched by the woody, orange citrus, neroli and floral tones. I'm no longer on a hectic pre Christmas shopping trip but somewhere elegant, rich yet comfortable. As I've said this is all very subjective but Miller Harris scents are worth a moment of your time. They are created with care and knowledge and art. These are no  no flyby night celebrity scents, these are built to last and to be remembered. One more thing I must mention about Miller Harris is just how beautiful the bottles and packaging is. How they complement the scent and add such an important element to owning a beautiful perfume. '

Kiehl's Creme De Corp Collection £52

Contains: Lip Balm, Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, Creme De corp, Ultra Facial Moisturiser. Any girl would be pleased as punch to receive this glorious collection of goodies. Lips are attended to, dry hands soothed, the body is smoothed and caressed and a great all round moisturiser with a winter friendly SFP 15 to hydrate and protect your face. E voila!

L'oreal Youth Code Luminize Super Serum. £15

I've been trialling this product recently and although it wouldn't fall obviously on to any ones luxury list it's puts up a good fight for a place on mine.The packaging won't win any awards, it is what it is, a high street, drugstore product. It took me about 4 weeks to go through the bottle and being glass and opaque you can't tell when that's going to happen, until it happens. This light and silky serum glides onto the  skin and feels fresh and non greasy. But it's super power is that is gives the skin a luminous glow that even manages to shine through a light layer of foundation. When I say shine, I'm not talking about shimmer or glitter or any nasty purple glow that I see from so many products claiming the same. This is a serum that really does perk up the skin and add a touch of light. I'm loving it and I think you will too.

3 steps to awesome autumn skin

I know that it's sad to see the summer go but I'm not too sorry to say goodbye to September. I'm quite ready to give up not knowing which way the weather will turn from morning to afternoon (let alone from one day to the next). Leaving the house in a jumper one day and vest top on another. Trying to hold on to that summer tan for as long as possible with bronzer and self tanning lotions. Let's face it, when somethings gone it's gone. It's time to say Goodbye to summer and Hello! to Autumn.

Sure it's getting nippy in the mornings and the October rain has started to fall. The central heating has gone on and the low Autumn sun has been catching us out as we've just got out of the habit of wearing our sunglasses. But after all that September indecision, I always find Autumn a welcome and comforting change. I love the earthy smells after rain, the warming sun on a cold day and the trees turning red, burnt umber and sienna.

The summer was fun and you felt great with your tan but now it's faded and all those UV rays, sun creams and chlorine have taken their toll, leaving your complexion looking dull and dehydrated. Your  body skin feels rough and every time you shower you rub away another layer of old cells.

So here are 3 steps for awesome Autumn skin:

1.Exfoliation

After a summer of tanning, there's only one thing to do and that's to think seriously about exfoliation, it is amazing how such a simple thing can make you look and feel all shiny and new!
There are lots of exfoliating products out on the market and I'd advise looking for one that is for sensitive skin. I suggest exfoliating once a week and no more. The aim is to remove dull surface debris and deep cleanse the pores but you don't want to over do it.

Make sure your skin is clean before scrubbing then simply squeeze out a small amount (broad bean size) on to the palm of your hand and add a little water, alternatively wet your hands before adding the scrub. Gently massage around the face whilst avoiding sensitive areas like eyes and don't go too hard on the cheeks. I have sensitive cheeks with a few tiny broken veins on my cheeks and nose so I 'm always very careful when scrubbing around those areas. However I put on some pressure when massaging my chin, jawline and forehead where grime is more likely to linger.

If you're feeling the pinch or like me you just like a more natural approach it is very easy to make your own facial scrub. There are plenty of homemade recipes on the internet but here's what I do:

Honey, sugar and lemon scrub

1 tbsp of runny honey
1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
good squeeze of lemon juice

I use caster rather than granulated sugar as the smaller grains are less abrasive however if you want a gentler scrub replace the caster sugar with ground almonds.

As honey is involved this can get a bit sticky so move quickly once you start to exfoliate and make sure you rinse everything off with tepid water and a cloth. Be sure to moisturise after exfoliation.

Here's a few shop bought exfoliators that I like:

Dermalogica 'Daily Mircofoliant' circa £29. Lovely fine scrub. Gentle but persistent.

Origins 'Modern Friction' £31. Great, fine grained exfoliator that polishes the skin with rice starch.

Clinique ' 7 Day Scrub' £17.50. A very popular exfoliator that does the job. However although finer than a lot of exfoliators on the market it's the most abrasive version on my list.

2. Moisturise

It's so important to expose the skin to the sun through the winter to top up on vitamin D. However it is also wise to be aware that prolonged exposure to winter sun can still damage the skin (see archive should I wear sunscreens during the winter? 18.04.12').

So make sure you wear a good moisturiser with a sunscreen. I'm loving Origins VitaZing SFP 15 Energy-boosting moisturiser with Mangosteen. It's a great light moisturiser with a hint of tint. Put it on and after a few minutes you realise your skin has a wonderful healthy glow. Great for those who are happy to go out without foundation.

Origins VitaZing- SPF 15 £27. I am currently loving this moisturiser.

3. Nurture

What skin needs all year round is nurturing but in the winter with drying winds and dehydrating central heating, your complexion can really suffer. So use a facial oil to replenish nutrients, encourage cell regeneration and fight ageing (see archive how to be oil slick! 27.06.12)