British Beauty Blogger

Sleek Make Up Blush By 3 Sweet Cheeks 1

Well, if you’re after pink cheeks you really don’t need to look any further than the Sleek Blush By 3 in Sweet Cheeks that’s part of the limited collection, Candy.

Sleek Make Up Blush By 3 Sweet Cheeks

The palette has three different finishes; cream, shimmer and matte. I’ve just finger swatched so obviously they won’t be so bright on the cheeks (unless you want them to be!) but it gives you an idea of the pigment and shade levels. The blush palette is £9.99 and launches 5th June.

Sleek Make Up Lol-Lip-Pop Pout Paint 1

And now for the glossiest of glosses… it’s as close to vinyl as you can get really and I instantly thought of Nikki Minaj for some reason!

Sleek Make Up Lol-Lip-Pop Pout Paint

Pout Paint in Lol-Lip-Pop is £4.99 and again, launches June.

Sleek i Candy i Divine Palette

Another fabulous offering from Sleek MakeUP – the i-Candy i-Divine Limited Edition Palette.

Sleek i Candy i Divine 1 Swatch

As you can see, I nearly ran out of arm! So the line up from the pink thru the black is as follows: Strawberry Sherbet, Bon Bon, Parma Violet, Apple Sour, Pear Drop, Flump, Blue Fizzle, Aniseed, Bubble Gum, Mint Cream, Cream Soda and Liquorice.

Sleek i Candy i Divine

This is Bon Bon, Aniseed and Apple Sour – the shimmeriest of the lot.

Sleek i Candy i Divine

And the brights – Strawberry Sherbet, Pear Drop and Bubble Gum.

The palette launches on 5th June into Superdrug stores and Sleekmakeup.com.

Givenchy AW 2103 Ecrin du Soir Palette

A first look at Autumn Winter from Givenchy – yes, in beauty world it’s that time again! Don’t forget I’ve got the mania of Christmas in July to look forward to yet.

I absolutely love this palette and if it’s an indication of A/W trends thank goodness that there is a move away from really hefty colours. I adore the buff shade (I’ll swatch at a later date) in the Ecrin du Soir Palette, the understated mauve and the shimmer – not entirely sure what I could do with the blue though. It’s such a soft look for winter.

Givenchy Ecrin du Soir

Three shades are matt monochrome and obviously the silver is a high shimmer.

Givenchy A/W 2013 Le Rouge Givenchy

If you think that these coverings (remember the leather clad lipstick?) are a simple matter in production, they are not. I did a feature for FT How To Spend It.com HERE that explains the minute detail of how they’re made if you are interested.

Givenchy A/W 13 Le Rouge Givenchy Rose D’Exception

This is one of two limited edition shades – a neutral beige/pink; the other is a brickish red.

Givenchy A/W13 Vernis D’Exception

I don’t have samples yet to swatch of these: Rose d’Exception and Lilas d’Exception but I am totally obsessed with both already. These are the perfect milky, muted shades that I like to wear.

Givenchy A/W 2013 Noir Couture Khaki d’Exception

Hmm.. khaki mascara.

Givenchy A/W 2013 Noir Couture Khaki d’Exception

I’m thinking on grey eyes this will look phenomenal but I think I am too addicted to black lashes to give it any real consideration.

So, what do we think? Is winter going to be a soft affair this year? I hope so.. if I never see another berry shade in my life it will be too soon

Vichy Idealia BB Cream

Another BB cream to throw into the ring – and the only reason I’ve focussed fully on it is because it got a great reception in Ireland where it was released before here.

Vichy Idealia claims to give hydration, radiance and illumination – I have to admit it ticks all those boxes and has SPF25. I’ve done one side of my face and there is a distinct difference between the sides, with the Idealia looking significantly more glowy than the other.

Vichy Idealia BB Cream

There are two shades – the light is very light so should suit all but the very palest tones and the medium is fine on me with an olive complexion. The coverage isn’t heavy but it does give some colour; the main sell for me on this is that it is so hydrating and that it’s suitable for sensitive skin types. It definitely evened out my tone with the non-Idealia side showing more in the way of pigmentation, it doesn’t really smell of anything in particular and it’s got pink mineral pigments to banish any signs of grey.

Anti-grey claims are new to me – but Vichy call it ‘anti-grey’ technology – I can only think its another way to say ‘brightening’.. but I do know complexions can get a sluggish cast on them (exfoliate regularly to avoid) and Vichy are using Kombucha to combat this. I’ve not rubbed in fully in the above picture so you can see the colour stain. I’d highly recommend this for dry skin types who haven’t got along with other BBs.

It’s not quite on Boots.com yet.. but I believe available off-line at bigger branches for £21.

I’m beginning this post without I title because I hardly know where to start.. hoping something will come to mind!

You might have spotted in the news that a cosmetic surgery clinic (MYA) tried to place some on-line banner ads of real women pinching their wobbly bits. You know, those bits we all pinch while looking in the mirror – there’s one shot of a lady grabbing a spare couple of inches on her bum and it could be me! I do that! I’ve no objection in general to cosmetic surgery if it’s for the right reasons – I don’t like ‘celebrity led’ faddy procedures for example, but I do think if you’ve spent all your life hating your nose or your ears and you have the option for change, then go ahead. Life is too short. I’ll just add in the rider here that please, please don’t have any kind of surgery at all unless you have thoroughly checked the establishment and done research into the company and the surgeons.

So, the surprise is, that our women-loving, supporting, friendly magazines would not take these ads in their ‘real woman’ format. What?? Sorry, what? But the biggest WTF is that they asked for them to be replaced with ‘slim, tanned models in bikinis’. Now you look at the bum shot:

MYA Image

So far as I can see that just looks like a normal woman to me – and we’ve ALL done that pinchy thing. What do you say? Would you find this offensive if you saw it on line? What I find more offensive is the tanned model ads that suggest some cosmetic surgery will make you look like said model. It won’t! And anyway, what would all the models do for a job if we all looked like models. Just sayin.

On the one hand, I recognise that cosmetic surgery ads in general aren’t great – it’s not ideal that we have an entire industry that goes to any lengths to make us feel inadequate, but on the other, the MYA clinic tried to do things a little differently to highlight Vaser Liposuction more realistically and were shot down in flames by another industry that’s supposed to be on our side. Anyway, if you want to have a look at the MYA site, it’s HERE – it’s mainly celeb shots to be honest but the section for Vaser now has a diagram pointing to body areas rather than a line up of perfect or even imperfect bodies.

I know who refused to take those ads.. I’m not naming and shaming but I am pretty ashamed of them. Refusing to take pictures of real women in ads is just awful – and anyway, I didn’t know that the print industry was in such fine shape it could turn ads away. There’s a much bigger debate here about how the quest for perfect is out of control, but I’ll leave that for another day.

I am so spoilt for choice with this post! A lot of summer beauty has now launched and it’s looking gorgeous, so here goes:

Dior Nail Polish Box

First up, all neatly ribboned and boxed is the full set of Dior Summer Mix (Sunnies 338, Dior Vernis, Tie Dye 858, Créoles 678, Capeline 658). I was thinking for a summer wedding present.. I know.. poor groom.. but I’d be thrilled! It’s £65 HERE.

Armani Flash Lacquers

The Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquers I posted about the other day have just gone live on the Selfridges site – if you can bear to part with £23.50 on a gloss – eek! Find them HERE

Jo Malone Charity Candle

This is the Rose and Rosemary charity candle from Jo Malone. Actually, it’s both sweet and fresh at the same time – definitely herbal, definitely floral and definitely a summer scent! So, that’s definite then. All proceeds from sales go to regeneration and urban space improvement work. It’s £45 HERE.

Bobbi Brown Tube Tint

Easily a favourite of mine, these milky glosses are understated summer in a tube. I love them. They’re £14.40 HERE (I’ve used John Lewis who have some kind of price match going on with beauty products).

B Prepared Make Up Primer

Lastly, never ignore a best-seller. This is £9.99 at Superdrug HERE and is part of the B. range. It’s one of the range’s best selling items and while I haven’t tried it yet myself, things don’t sell out for no good reason! It reduces the look of pores and contains Vitamin E and Aloe Vera.

It’s not often I leave a meeting with a couple of bras in my bag (and no, I didn’t steal them!), but I am so delighted to have found the bra of my dreams. Seriously.

White Light as Air Bra T332023 £19

I’ve posted before that I hate ‘constructions’.. and the indignity of being wrestled into a thick strapped monster that’s far too tight because that’s the *right* fit. I’ve been fitted at everything from a B cup to a DD and even though I am far more comfortable in a 34 back, most fitters are adamant that I have to have a 32 – and it’s bloody awful to wear. I want a comfort fit not an exact fit. The last fitting I went to, I said I wanted the 34, the fitter was adamant I needed the 32.. I said I didn’t want it and so it went on, until I thought we were agreed that the customer could have what she wanted. I got home and it was the 32 she’d sneaked into the bag.

M&S Lght As Air Bra

Add to that some thick wad of foam and I pretty much look nothing like I should look. I am really happy to have the shape of my boobs showing.. they don’t need disguising in domes and god knows I hate a thick strap – and they pretty much all have thick, ungainly straps.

So, the M&S Light As Air Bra (£19) really is a revelation. There is the lightest, lightest of padding in there.. more moulding than padding I would say.. that embraces your shape with the help of underwiring. The straps are delicate and thin and oh, it’s SO comfortable. The support is decent, although I was measured at M&S as a B cup which I think is about right, but I could have gone to a C cup, and that’s it.. my search is over. It comes in white, black and nude – I have the white and the black and am going to order the nude today. I suggest that if you’re totally tired of the constructions and all the insanity vanity sizing going on, you do the same.  They go up to a (true) 38DD. You can find them HERE.

cosmetics a la carte

So, another beauty exhibition is afoot. I absolutely loved the Revlon one and I’ve a feeling this one will be equally amazing. Not least because it’s curated by Ryan Lanji (Nailphilia) and oh my, that is a head bursting with fresh beauty ideas. I love his aesthetic and he’s actually a very genuine person too who takes immense time to research and understand what beauty means and how beauty products take their place in our world, past and present. He’s certainly a name to watch.

Right, enough fan-girling – on to the exhibition. If you don’t know about Cosmetics a la Carte, it’s the place to go when you cannot find the perfect match foundation, nobody sells *that* lipstick colour that is so perfect for you and your cheeks need a very specific peachy shade to really glow. They’ll make it for you. And, what’s more, they’ll make it in their Battersea laboratory. Battersea, really! Cosmetics a la Carte products have graced the faces of Kate Moss, Elizabeth Taylor and Lady Gaga to name but a few. In a totally fashion forward move, Princess Diana had a nude lipstick created just for her, while Grace Jones commissioned a foundation at a time when foundation for black skin was virtually impossible to find.

Cosmetics a la Carte is now 40 years old and what a journey! I remember being madly, madly under pressure to get a feature completed – it was one of those really silly ones where the names had to be appropriate (super pedantic editor) and I cannot remember for the life of me what the theme was, but for argument’s sake, let’s say Spring Colours – and there was just no clangingly obvious (which was what was required – seriously) spring themed lipstick. I explained my dilemma (this was back in the day – at least ten years – so you can’t sue me now!) to them and they agreed to add a name for the sake of my feature to the particular lipstick shade which only had a number. There was no harm done to anyone – same lipstick, but had a name for a while instead of just a number – and I was just beside myself with gratitude. They totally saved the day. Whew! So, I have very fond thoughts of Cosmetics a la Carte in general.

So if you want to see their journey across the 40 years, the exhibition runs from 21st to 26th May at The Redchurch Gallery, 50 Redchurch St, London, E2 7DP. Definitely one for a girly night out with very good reason to keep the conversation ALL about lipstick ALL evening!

Estee Lauder Cello Shots Pure Cheek Color Rush

So, I have a couple of samples of these beautiful cheek tints.. the reddish one is Hot Fuse and the Pink is Expose Rose.

Estee Lauder Cello Shots Blush

They come out of the tubes in slightly shimmer shot, colour saturated squiggles that look very intense.

Cello Shots Blush

They start off quite moist and flexible so you can move and blend, but you do need to be quick.

Cello Shots Swatch

I’ve been rather over-generous here so you can see the colours properly – I KNOW my blue tinged arm isn’t helping but it’s so cold! Cello Shots Cheek Rush really are that perfect wash of colour – particularly over a tan.. olive tones will really suit the orange/red tint of Hot Fuse.

My one critique is that the packaging is quite flimsy and not as premium as other Lauder products.. and they’re £24 each – that’s a lot of money for a wash in my view. They’re at esteelauder.co.uk.

Hourglass No28 Lip Treatment Oil.

I think I know a sell-out when I see one! Meet Hourglass Nº 28 Lip Treatment Oil. So, without having tried it, it’s a hydrating, rejuvenating and regenerating treatment that boosts moisture levels, reduces wrinkles and improves lip shape and volume. Blimey, I want it for my whole body please.

This has actually got so many ingredients that I can’t really list them all, but like its sister product No.28 Primer Serum, it’s enriched with 14 essential oils including Bois de Rose, Lavender, Geranium and orange, as well as 10 plant oils (hazelnut, rosehip, cherry pit and evening primrose) PLUS four vitamins (A, B5, C and E) totalling 28 different ingredients.

As if that’s not enough, it comes with a 24K gold plated applicator tip. £32 is seeming like a snip for this! No.28 Lip Treatment Oil launches tomorrow at Liberty.