No Makeup-makeup

Here once again is my no makeup-makeup look. Can you tell this is my thing? This look is basically gravitating towards working with what you got and making your face acceptable for public viewing.

The first step when I roll out of bed in the morning is a coating of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, followed by my beloved Collection lasting perfection concealer around my chronically rudolph-esque nose, on spots and even under my baggy eyes, talk about stretching a product to it's limits! Then I add a quick flush of colour by dusting on Benefit's Hervana over the high points of my cheeks, to bring a bit of life into my face.

It is then pretty essential to define my invisible eyelashes by curling them with a couple of pumps of the Shu Uemura eyelash curlers and just one coat of the Clinique High impact Extreme volume mascara, (which isn't my favourite but let's not go there). Then I need to fill in my equally invisi-brows with MAC's Omega eyeshadow using an angled brush also from MAC, the 266 if I remember correctly. This is the very basics of my makeup routine, for when I am super pushed for time (i.e. every morning).  

Thanks for reading!

Frances x

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia: Review

Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia. £39

I recently received this from a very generous lady from where I work, and I am smitten. I have been lusting after a Jo Malone perfume for quite a while so when she handed it to me I was ecstatic! 

I have never been able to bring myself to buy a Jo Malone perfume because every time I visit the counter there are such a vast array of different beautiful scents that I just can't decide, and with the price I don't want to make a mistake, so I usually head off to some makeup counter (hello Space NK...) and spend my money more 'wisely'. 

This cologne is in the fruity category, which doesn't sound particularly appealing to me, however this smells beautiful. It definitely has a fruity pear like twist but is more natural smelling, not sickly whatsoever, and I have no idea what freesias smell like but the floral notes smell very light and fresh, yet feminine. I imagine it would be a lovely spring scent. Jo Malone describes this as 'being mellowed with amber, patchouli and woods', which I would say is spot on, and is probably what makes it such a wearable scent, not too tart. The scent comes out fairly strong however I do find myself re-spritzing after about 3-4 hours because I like it to stay noticeable. I also love the size of the bottle it is perfect to throw in my makeup bag when I am travelling and I think it's also pretty cute looking. This gorgeous little thing sits happily on top of my muji acrylic drawers where I can keep glancing at how pretty it is! 

I would definitely purchase another Jo Malone scent and I already have my sights on the Peony & Blush and the Blackberry & Bay.

Have you tried any of the Jo Malone perfumes, what do you think?

Frances x

Laura Mercier Luxe Colour Wardrobe: Review

On Christmas day literally straight after opening my presents I plonked myself down on the sofa to see what Space NK's sale had to offer this year and boy was I impressed!

This is one of the amazing deals they had on offer which was this gorgeous Laura Mercier palette which was actually on my Christmas list, and I am so glad I didn't get it because come Christmas day it was half price!
It comes packaged in this beautiful luxe leather-type case with a leopard print magnet clasp, which opens up to reveal 8 eyeshadows on the top layer with 2 very high quality brushes, one being a pony tail brush which I find perfect for crease blending and one is a double-ended affair, one end being a smudge brush and the other being a crease brush.

The eyeshadows included in this set are beautiful, high colour pay-off and all neutral wearable shades some matte and some shimmers, my favourite shades are african violet which is a lustre-effect violet dusky eyeshadow with a copper shimmer, and ballerina which is a pale pink shimmer which is lovely on the inner corners and brown bone.

That is not all...swivel this layer out of the way to reveal 2 blushers, 3 tightline cake eyeliners, a golden shimmer highlighter, another high quality brush this time being a flat eyeliner brush, and also a longwear creme eye pencil in espresso.

The blushes in this set are lovely, and suit me well, however I do prefer a creamy formula for my blushers. I am also yet to 'get' the knack of using the cake eyeliners however I will persist! Also the golden shimmer is very dark on my super pale skin, so I use a very light dusting on the cheekbones using my MAC 187 brush. The eyeliner on this layer is what does it for me, it is super creamy and sets and does not budge! It is also my first venture into brown eyeliner and I am converted!

All-in-all very impressed by this set by Laura Mercier and it was a great introduction for me into their colour collections, and I am so pleased by the inclusion of high quality brushes for once! My picks from this set are definately the eyeshadows, the brushes and the eyeliner, all which will no doubt be repurchased.

Frances x

The five product face

When you wake up in the morning, you know when you leave yourself the least possible amount of time to get ready by strategically resetting your alarm clock every so often to get 5 more minutes... sometimes the makeup aspect of getting ready goes down the drain and a quick get up and go regime is in order. However maybe you're just like me and just can never be bothered! Enter the five product face.
Right, first I take the Laura Mercier SPF20 oil free Tinted moisturizer in Porcelain and when in a rush simply dot one little blob on the cheeks, chin, nose and forehead and blend with fingers, this product is really nice blended this way, or you could use a brush if your prefer, a good choice is the Real Techniques buffing brush or even the Beauty Blender. The SPF 20 is good for us girls who ALWAYS forget SPF, don't wanna be wrinkly do we.
Then next I take the Bobbi Brown corrector in Porcelain and apply under my eyes to cover my massive blue bags and on top of any redness around my nose, I just pat this in with fingers. Now I am left with a ghostly white face from being porcelained up with my base, so then I put a dab of the Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink on each high point of my cheek, y'know the hard bit of your cheek, and blend that in either with fingers in a rush or the Real Techniques Stippling brush, using circular movements.
Then curl your eyelashes if you can be bothered, I have to because my eyelashes never co-operate, and apply a  couple of coats of your favourite mascara, here I used the Soap & Glory Thick and Fast mascara in Black, my favourite is the L'oreal Telescopic mascara in waterproof. Then lastly a quick slick of the Mac Peach Blossom lipstick for a subtle nude lip and you're done. 

Frances x

REN kit for sensitive skin: Review

A few days ago I purchased the REN kit for sensitive skin on a whim. This kit includes a 25ml Hydra-calm cleansing gel, a 15ml F10 smooth and renew mask, a 10ml Omega 3 Night repair serum and a 15ml Hydra-Calm Global protection day cream. As the name suggests these products are all aimed toward sensitive skinned folks therefore all contain gentler or generally less ingredients than the other products from REN. The products from REN all state that they contain NO: parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colours, T.E.A, D.E.A, glycols, silicones, PEGS. To me this is very impressive and is really what interested me in the brand to begin with. Anyway, on to the review...

Lets start with the cleanser first. This cleanser is very very lightly foaming and feels very silky on the skin and is also of a very liquidy consistency, I sometimes can struggle to get this to lather...however this does not mean it is not cleansing the skin. I found this to be a pleasant enough cleanser and very refreshing, however I am a lover of balms and cream cleansers. Anyone searching for a gentle foaming cleanser that won't strip your skin should give this one a try.

Now the F10 Smooth and Renew mask, this is a strange one, the texture is very much reminiscent of marmalade, and it is also the same colour. I believe it is a gentler version of the Glycolactic Radiance renewal mask, and it's job is to gently exfoliate and reveal a brighter complexion. Just pop this on to cleansed dry skin and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing (which might I add is refreshingly easier than with most masks). I found after using this my face was much more even toned and felt slightly plumper.

Next up is the Omega 3 Night repair serum. Which is an oily textured serum which is to be used at night obviously, underneath your moisturiser. I found it's texture to be a tiny bit heavy however in the morning my skin looked very calm and even toned which was nice because I do suffer from a little redness in my skin. 

Finally the Hydra-Calm global protection day cream, this cream smells lovely and is a very good texture, not to thin or thick and greasy, it moisturises very well and doesn't upset my skin. It is quite a thick cream however it absorbs very well and leaves skin plumped. 

Overall I am very impressed with this kit and if I had to pick I would love to repurchase the F10 smooth and renew mask, and the Hydra-calm global protection day cream, as these made the most difference to my skin and smell beautiful.

Frances x