Emma Hardie skincare

Space NK also has the new Emma Hardie skincare range. I bought the starter kit (very reasonable at £30), forgetting that my face is solely Clinique's for the next month at least while I'm test-driving some of their products. You'll consequently have to wait for a review, but I will say the ingredients are natural, and I liked the smell and feel of the Moringa cleansing balm (like Eve Lom, but with natural oils and waxes, first ingredient grape seed oil.)

I'll slot this kit into my routine as a treatment; the face cream has no spf, so I won't use it for daytime, and I'm sceptical as to whether the natural eye serum could deal with my dry eye skin on its own after the Dr Alkaitis eye cream failed to control it.

I also saw the new Lubatti skincare and body care range. This is by Tracey Malone, sister of Jo. Inspired by her teacher, Madame Lubatti, I can only assume Jo Malone had the same teacher, as the skincare products seem quite similar to the Jo Malone skincare range; basic although not horrid products that smell very nice. The bath oil and body lotions (in four variants currently, Bergamot & Grapefruit, Scented Rose, Wild Violets and Tuberose & Mimosa) are definitely worth a sniff.

Oribe hair care now at SpaceNK

I was in Space NK at lunchtime, and saw a few new lines that have just been launched there. One that particularly caught my eye was the Oribe hair care range. Oribe is quite a well-known session hair stylist (he worked with the supermodels back when models were super) and the products are luxurious and smell gorgeous.

I decided to dip my toe into the line with the Creme for Style. This promises to style and add shine, giving all day hold while taming frizz. It smells delicious - citrus, but not artificial or overly sharp; exactly the way I want my hair to smell.

This costs £27 in Space NK, and $29 on the Oribe website. I'm not terribly impressed by the pricing in the UK, but I find that Space NK quite typically brings US brands at a much higher price than (even the current rubbish) exchange rate would suggest is appropriate. If I love the Creme for Style, I may give the Signature or Color shampoo and conditioner a  go.  I'm quite interested in the Brilliance & Shine range, but at £42 and £44 for shampoo and conditioner respectively, I'd hesitate to drop that many clams on hair products.

15% off at Beauty Expert - one day only

The code is BE15, and it's good until midnight, Wednesday 30 September.

The website is here: http://www.beautyexpert.co.uk/

They stock Saaf, one of my favourite treatment cleanser/make up removers.  It's like Eve Lom but with natural waxes and oils.

Kevyn Aucoin eyeshadow palettes 1, 2 and 3.

Kevyn Aucoin was one of my first favourite makeup artists. I turned to his column in Allure before I read any other article in the magazine, and my copies of Making Faces and Face Forward are both very well loved indeed.

I was very pleased when I learned he had launched his own line in 2004. Unfortunately it was only available in the UK briefly before it was dropped by Harvey Nichols, but I'm still managed to get hold of a lot of the line with the help of US friends.  I have also ordered internationally from www.beauty.com, but it was a hassle each time (although this was a couple of years ago.)

From left to right, palette 1, 2 and 3.

1 gives a soft, mostly matte, neutral look. It's definitely on the warm side of neutral, and works particularly well on blue eyes. I can smoke this palette up surprisingly easily, especially with a black pencil, but it never looks overcooked.

2 gives a more dramatic and sculpted look, and has more shimmer in it than 1. Although I like the shimmery cool taupe shade in it, this is probably the least useful of the palettes to me. The two shades in the lower middle and right of the palette are incredibly similar when applied, and this is really a one-trick pony of a palette - you'll get a shimmery smoky eye, and that's your lot.

3 is my favourite of the three palettes, although I wish the pale gold (top right) was a semi-matte shade - the shimmer in this does not apply smoothly. Don't be afraid of the light yellow brown (top left) - it's a good crease shade, and it brings out the green in green or hazel eyes very well.

I think these are something like $55 each, and you only get 1g of product for the price. I'm still glad I bought these, as I feel like I own a small part of Kevyn's magic when I use them. A list of stockists can be found here - Kevyn Aucoin products are sold in Dublin and the Netherlands, in Europe.

Jo Malone Fragrance Combining for Autumn and Winter

Despite the fact that today has been gloriously warm and sunny, I thought it might be useful to write a post on some Jo Malone combinations I have liked for the colder months.

My Jo Malone wardrobe usually consists of two or three colognes, a couple of body cremes, a bath oil in the winter, and a shower gel (and then I also pinch Mr London's shower gel occasionally.)

For example, at the moment, I have:

Red Roses cologne (from summer)
Vanilla & Anise cologne
Pomegranate Noir cologne (purchased last Autumn and nearly finished)
(plus the Dark Amber & Ginger Lily limited edition, which, if I'm completely honest, is a bit too heavy for me. I might donate this to Mr London, who can wear darker, woodier scents better than I can.)

Orange Blossom Shower Gel

Orange Blossom Body Lotion (nearly finished)

Nutmeg & Ginger Bath Oil (three quarters finished, from last year)

(I also have Cowshed and Villainess Shower/Body products that I combine with my JM fragrances.)

I will probably purchase (or hint heavily to Mr L) Pomegranate Noir Shower Gel, Blue Agava & Cacao body creme, and another body creme (perhaps Amber & Lavender, or Nutmeg & Ginger.) Altogether, this gives me a whole wardrobe of potential combinations.

Combinations I have liked:

Amber & Lavender and Red Roses.
Amber & Lavender is quite a masculine, crisp scent, so I like to pair it with the very feminine Red Roses.

Nutmeg & Ginger and Pomegranate Noir.
In the winter, I adore Nutmeg & Ginger bath oil and body creme. This was the original scent that Jo created in the bath oil to give to her skincare clients as gifts, and it's still hard to beat. It's warm and spicy without being gingerbread-ish or cloying. It goes very well with the fruit and spice in Pomegranate Noir, and this combination in particular reminds me of the winter holiday season.

Nutmeg & Ginger and Orange Blossom.
Orange and spices work very well together in winter (Diptyque's Pomander is my favourite winter candle.) This combination captures that idea, and the Orange Blossom is nicely fresh against the Nutmeg & Ginger.

Pomegranate Noir and Blue Agava & Cacao.
Blue Agava & Cacao body creme was my surprise favourite of last winter; I had dismissed this as a summer sniff and thought from the notes it would be too gourmand for my tastes. I should have had more faith; the cacao note lends warmth and softness, but it isn't sweet or cloying, and it doesn't smell like chocolate. The body creme just smells like my skin but nicer, and I love the salty note which is clean, rather than a Serge-type sweat. This works beautifully under Pomegranate Noir.

Black Vetyver Cafe and Nutmeg & Ginger.
Mr London loves the Black Vetyver Cafe cologne, which is spicy and dark. I like to pinch it occasionally on very cold days to wear over Nutmeg & Ginger body creme.

Wild Fig & Cassis and Orange Blossom.
I like Wild Fig & Cassis a lot; it smells of autumn to me, warm, fruity and woody. Mr London does not like Fig as a note in anything, so I don't get to wear it often(I like enough of the other Jo Malone scents not to mind too much.) However, if I do wear it, it is always with Orange Blossom.

Vanilla & Anise and Orange Blossom.
I've used Orange Blossom body lotion under my new Vanilla & Anise cologne, and this is a lovely combination. The Orange Blossom freshens without being overly citrusy, and it's one of my favourite mixers for the colder months for just this reason.

If there are any other combinations you're wondering about, please leave a comment, or drop me an email. Chances are I'll have tried them at the counter, at least.

Clinique Flagship counter at Selfridges now open

Selfridges has re-vamped and reorganised the main beauty hall, and I was recently invited to go and have a look and a skincare consultation at the new Clinique counter.

Clinique have gained a huge amount of floorspace in the moves. They are now in the prime spot by the corner next to the path into the chocolate and stationery (where Lancome used to be, but also with half of the space round the corner where the Sisley counter was.) I can only guess how Lancome/L'Oreal feel about losing this spot, but in a battle of the two beauty behemoths if I had to pick a side I am definitely Team Lauder.

They've really looked at the different ways people shop; if you want to sit down and have a full skincare consultation there is a bar with seats that offer some privacy as you discuss your concerns with your consultant and she takes you through your skin type and suggested routine. You can also browse the products housed around the sides of the sales area and self-serve if you know what you want or you just want to have a look. The cosmetics are housed in a boutique area with decent lighting where you can test colours out, and there's even a bit for the boys - it's slightly separate from the ladies' area (around the side where the Sisley counter was) with their boy stuff easily on display so they can grab, pay and go.

My favourite bits - as well as the privacy for skincare consultations, I like the new diagnosis two way mirror/magnifier so that you can point out areas of concern to your consultant and both of you get a close look at your skin at the same time. Each of the stations has a hand sanitiser at it, and my consultant sanitised her hands thoroughly and asked for my permission before she touched my skin (I'm a germaphobe.) My consultant was lovely and very knowledgeable, and she asked me what my concerns were instead of telling me what she thought was wrong with my skin. I also like the fact that there is a payment station and not a counter separating the consumer and the sales assistants - I'm always interested in ingredients and it can be quite intimidating asking for a look at a box to check these out if you then decide not to buy. With the new set-up you are free to pick up a box and have a look.

From tomorrow (26 September) to 6 October 2009 there's also a good Bonus Time GWP at the counter too (and at Selfridges Manchester and Birmingham) - with any two purchases (one to be skincare) you get a nice bag designed by Michelle Smith, from design label Milly, filled with good-sized useful items; 30ml Deep Comfort Body Cream, 30ml Sparkle Skin Exfoliating Cream, 15ml Youth Surge spf 15 moisturiser, 75ml Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser,  and a small sized glosswear, high impact mascara and eyeshadow duo.

I was sent some skincare diagnosed for me by the consultant by the Clinique PR (without charge), and I'll review it after using for a month or two. I'm particularly interested in seeing how the very new Even Better serum and spf 20 moisturiser work for dealing with my pigmentation marks (I'm a terrible picker at blemishes, and I end up with red marks on my pale skin for months afterwards.)

Me Me Me Beat the Blues Illuminator in Moon Beam

I was sent this product by a very good PR recently (she sent me a couple of products in colours I might be interested in.)

Me Me Me is stocked in Superdrug, and this illuminator/enhancer costs £4.40 for 12ml. The packaging is like a nail polish bottle, with a nail polish type of brush. Moon Beam is a pale pink shimmer, which is very sheer, and so forgiving to apply.

...BUT...Yo, Me Me Me, I'm happy for you, and I'm gonna let you finish, but Rouge Bunny Rouge has one of the best illuminators of all time. All time...

Oh dear, please do excuse me, I just had a Kanye moment. It's true though - I would rather have my Rouge Bunny Rouge Highlighting Liquid or a Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, but the Me Me Me does cost £5 rather than £45 or £32.  The Me Me Me is more liquid and so does not give as much of an illuminating effect. I think if you wanted to dip your toe into the world of illuminators without too much initial capital expenditure (or if you just don't want to spend that much, full stop), this would be a great way to try one.  I do prefer this to the Benefit highlighters, which are a bit too glittery and obviously shimmery for me. I'm also very pleasantly surprised to see that this is made in England.

Back to Black - fragrance reviews

Black is the colour of the season when it comes to cosmetics, but the idea of it in perfumes, especially for autumn/winter, has been popular for a few years now. I am reviewing three of my favourite (well, okay, my only three) Noir(e) perfumes in this post. Pictured above, left to right, Serge Noire, Orris Noir and Pomegranate Noir.


Serge Noire by Serge Lutens

Serge Lutens likes cumin. In a perfume, this can give an almost sweaty note, and you either love it or hate it - and that sweaty note is what hits me when I first apply this fragrance.  Once I get through the first thirty minutes, this scent morphs into a rich warm dark oriental that stays with you all day long - this perfume has longevity and sillage by the bucketload - it's one of the haute concentration blends.

The other notes in it are Incense, Camphor, Patchouli, Cinnamon and Dark woods. I find the camphor in this quite comforting - it reminds me a bit of the smell of the Vicks Vapour Rub my mum used to apply when I had a cold.

This perfume is a black leather pants wearing, spent three days at a rock festival, type of scent. I have to be in absolutely the right mood to wear it.


Orris Noir by Ormonde Jayne

If Serge Noire is sweaty and a bit oily, Orris Noir is very dry. This is more of a classic black dress of a scent. It's dark, but it isn't shouty like the Serge Noire, and I can wear this for work - to me it's a serious  and somber sniff.

Coriander and Bergamot are the top notes, with a heart of Black Iris. The base notes are Patchouli, Incense, Myrhh, Gaiac wood and Chinese Cedar. This is probably my favourite of the three; it has that Ormonde Jayne 'dusty manor house' note, and I love how she puts a perfume together; her scents are interesting and unusual without being unaccessible or tricky to wear.


Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone

This was the first of the recent "Noir" perfumes, and was introduced while Jo Malone herself was still involved with the line. I get more fruitiness with a hit of incense and wood underpinning it, and this perfume is not overly Noir to me - it's more of a deep blackened red. (Jo herself said she was inspired by a red silk dress.)

Pomegranate Noir is probably the most accessible of the three fragrances, and it's the one that you could wear all year round (although you'd definitely need to cut it with a citrus on the hottest days of summer.)


To compare each of these three scents to one of the dark lipshades that are all the rage this season, Pomegranate Noir is like Chanel's Rouge Noir, Orris Noir is Linda Mason's sheer black Earth Gloss, and Serge Noire is MAC's full-on-black-lips Black Knight.

Jo Malone and Serge Noir can be purchased from various department stores in London; Selfridges stocks both of these. Ormonde Jayne is only available at the Ormonde Jayne boutique in The Royal Arcade, Old Bond Street, but there is also an online shop here.

Hourglass Cosmetics in the UK at Zuneta

Zuneta is launching Hourglass cosmetics in the UK on 01 October 2009. I already have a couple of pieces from the line ( as pictured above, sent to me by a friend in the US a while ago) and they are lovely.

These are the Passport Palette in Island, and Adorn lipstick in Icon. I don't think they do the Passport Palettes any more; they've moved to eyeshadow duos instead, but if the quality is still the same (and I've heard it is) these are buttery soft and beautifully pigmented. Island is a collection of warm neutral eyeshadows, with a bronzer and a pink blush.

The lipstick is unscented, completely comfortable, long-wearing and feels weightless on the lips while being intensely pigmented.

This is a picture of the Icon applied:

You can also see pictures and a good review of some of the glosses on the New York City Pretty blog.

Rouge Bunny Rouge dramatic eye

This is quite a simple, but I think pretty, smokier eye using Rouge Bunny Rouge. I applied a light base of off-black Kryolan supracolour up to my crease, and then used Volcano Fairy-Wren (charcoal with silver sparkle) in the crease, on the outer corner of the mobile lid and under the lower lashline. I patted on Night Wind Sailing loose glitter pigment (sparkly iridescent pewter grey) on the inner two thirds of my mobile lid. (Don't be put off by the name of the product - this is sparkly shimmery, rather than glittery.) I finished with a dab of Seas of Tranquility highlighting liquid to highlight my tear duct.

Picture of products used:

Swatch of Night Wind Sailing applied to dry, bare skin:

Didouchka personalised silver surfer bracelet

I won this bracelet through a draw after filling in an online reader survey for www.Mumsrock.com.  (I fill in every reader survey on blogs/websites I read that I can find. It never takes more than 5-10 minutes, and you can win v lovely stuff.)

This is a personalised bracelet from Didouchka, sold in the UK through www.urbanmummy.co.uk. The picture is of Miss London, from her last year's school picture, in all her gappy-toothed, messy-haired glory. I did consider sending off a baby picture, but decided to go for a more recent one on the basis that it would have sent out a "The older you get, the cuter you ain't," kind of message that would only bring us therapy bills in the future. And she is still very very lovely.

These are £100 each, which seems expensive, but is less than a silver bracelet from Tiffany that doesn't come with a picture of your lovely baby on it. It's also less expensive than a tattooed portrait of your child (I'm saying nothing about the tastefulness of that particular currently fashionable trend.) It makes me smile every time I look at it, and if we ever do decide to breed small London #2, I will be dropping very heavy hints to Mr London that a similar bracelet will be expected.

Julie Hewett Femme Noir picture applied

This is a picture of Julie Hewett Femme Noir applied to my lips. It's a bright cherry red, with blue tones to it. If red lipsticks tend to turn fuchsia on you, I'd pick Rouge, Belle or Coco Noir instead, but otherwise Femme is a brightening shade that works very well on cool skintones.

Julie Hewett Noir Red lipsticks (with swatches)

From left to right, Oona Noir Film Noir, Gem Noir, Femme Noir, Rouge Noir, Coco Noir, Nude Noir.

Julie Hewett created her own line of vintage inspired red lipsticks made with modern ingredients when she could not find red lipsticks to suit her needs on the film Pearl Harbour, which she was the make up artist for. As a film, Pearl Harbour was....long, is probably the kindest way I can put it, but the makeup in it was sublime. This line of red lipsticks is gorgeous; they are comfortable to wear but don't bleed, and fade evenly after very good wear (I can go at least 4 hours without needing a touch up if I'm not eating.)

Swatches above are in the same order - L to R Oona, Film, Gem, Femme, Rouge, Coco and Nude. The first three are sheer shades, and the Nude Noir is the only shade with any shimmer in it. Femme and Rouge look quite similar here, but Femme is a scarlet (slightly blue) red, whereas Rouge is a true neutral red.

In the UK, Julie Hewett can be purchased from Makeup Artists Provisions in Shepherd's Bush, London - their telephone number is 020 8740 0808. www.juliehewett.net also ships internationally, but I don't know how much they charge for this service; I've always had a US friend send these over to me.

I like some of the other items from the line that I'll post about separately, and I also plan to post pictures of the Noir lipsticks applied to my lips.

Guest nails from Miss London - Nails Inc Hollywood (The Hills collection)

Please excuse Mr London's socks in the background. I have no idea why he took them off and left them on our patio.

I also picked up Nails Inc The Hills collection last night on my way home. This is £20 for all four shades, and is the only way to buy these shades at the moment.

I don't think I'm going to be wearing the bubblegum pink Hollywood personally, but Miss London loved it on sight. This is a matte, non glossy cream shade - I should imagine it'd chip quite easily because of the texture.

OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow

I was in Selfridges yesterday, and I had a quick look at the new OPI Espana collection. The shade I was particularly interested in is the blackened green Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow (HTAT) which is quite similar to the very hard to find, discontinued NARS Zulu (at least to my admittedly non-expert nail eye.) I took the fact that there was only one bottle left as a sign, and bought it - OPI polishes are £10 each here now, which was a bit of a surprise.

This has the pro-wide brush, so it's easy to apply. The formula is quite thin; two coats are still a little streaky, and it could have done with a third. The texture is a creamy/jelly finish, and the colour is so dark it is almost black in many lights - I like it a lot for Autumn.

What are your thoughts on the OPI Espana Collection?

QVC global beauty day today

The Ojon Today's Special Value is now up - four full sizes of pre-cleanse treatment (a new one, not the oil) , hydrating thickening shampoo and conditioner and hairspray. The price is £27 plus £5 post and packaging (post and packaging on QVC is expensive.)

It's global beauty day on QVC, so there are lots of beauty bargains (even with the post and packaging.) I love Alison Young, the independent beauty expert, who will quite happily tell off the models and other presenters on air for bad beauty habits, much like a grown-up beauty prefect.

Bobbi Brown Ivy League collection

I saw the Bobbi Brown Ivy League collection in Selfridges today. It's lovely, particularly if you like greens. My favourite was the blackened emerald Bash metallic eyeshadow, and I also liked the creamy chubby lip crayon in Posey (cheery brightish pink.) I was surprised that the lip crayon cost as much as £18, but on reflection that's on a par with Lipstick Queen's Chinatown chubby lip pencils (both the Bobbi Brown and the Lipstick Queen lip pencils come with a sharpener included - essential for this kind of product.) I wasn't so keen on the Golden Leaf shimmer wash eyeshadow - it's a yellow green that would probably make my pale olive skin look jaundiced.

I didn't buy anything today, but may go back for the Bash eyeshadow.

Image is from www.Bobbibrown.co.uk, and is the promo image for this collection.

The Bobbi Brown 10 step face

I know I've joked about the Bobbibots at the counter and the Tao of Bobbi, but I do have immense admiration and respect for Ms Brown. The Bobbi Brown line is often viewed as the absolute antithesis of the whole "make up is art" movement, and I think that's a bit unfair, because what Bobbi does is to render makeup easy and accessible for the average woman, and in my opinion that isn't something to be sniffed at.

The 10 step face is a very simple regime that takes you through all the steps to a polished, pretty face. No-one is going to be complimenting you on your skilful techniques or interesting use of colour, but it gets you out of the door looking human and polished in about 5-10 minutes. I've never had or seen a Vegas Showgirl makeover at a Bobbi Brown counter, and I saw a really interesting example where a mother in her early 40s and her teenage daughter both got a makeover with very similar colours used on them (they had almost identical colouring) and it looked pretty and appropriate on both of them.

The 10 steps are as follows:

1. Undereye concealer.
2. Foundation.
3. Powder and/or bronzer.
4. Define eyebrows - Bobbi recommends using a powder eyeshadow like Blonde or Mahogany.
5. 2 eyeshadows - a base shade from lash to brow, and a mid tone shade from lash to crease. I particularly like Shell and Bone as base shades, and Cement and Malted matte eyeshadows and Fawn shimmer wash as lid shades.
6. Eyeliner - I like the gel liners, particularly Sepia, and I also like Espresso eyeshadow.
7. Mascara.
8. Blush - I like Desert Rose for a natural blush on my pale (BB Warm Ivory) skin.
9. Lipstick - there are some lovely colours in the line, but they do make my (very dry) lips a bit dry.
10. Lipliner, and gloss if desired.

You don't have to do every step - my every day face is nearly always steps 1, 3, 4, 5 (but quite often I don't bother with a base shade and just use one shade on my lid and up to my crease), 7, 8 and 9. Of course, you don't need to use Bobbi Brown products to do the BB face - but she does do some very good neutrals, and her under eye concealer is one of the best for very dark circles (although you need a good eye cream with it.)

If you are interested in Bobbi Brown, it's worth keeping an eye out for the seasonal palettes (I particularly like the eye palettes) which are always well put together and sell out quickly. There are quite a few available on the Bobbi Brown website currently, and the Basics eye palette, with Navajo (base), Cement (matte), Heather Mauve (shimmer wash) and Mahogany (liner) would be a very good introduction to the eyeshadow line at £31.50 - you can see it here.

Recent miscellaneous Favourite Things

With the change of the weather, I thought it might be a good time to write a general update on the things that are working well (and not so well) for me at the moment.

Current favourite things

Ojon shine & protect shampoo and conditioner. These smooth down the dry ends of my hair (bleached then dyed) but without making my roots limp. I've previously found the Ojon hydrating formula a little too heavy for constant use, but I don't have that issue with the shine & protect which I've been using constantly since I purchased the trial kit 2 weeks ago. I wash my hair every other day, and let it air dry. I've been using a blob of the shine cream in the kit on my mid lengths and ends to further aid in the war against frizz.

Cowshed Grumpy Cow bath and shower gel and body lotion. I've just reviewed these, so I won't repeat the review, but I will say that since I received them they've completely kicked my Jo Malone Orange Blossom shower gel and body lotion out of the morning routine.

Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise. Perfect for the cooler weather - warm and spicy without being overpowering.

Ellis Faas Milky Lips 205. Nude lips often look terrible on me, but this has just enough colour to prevent me looking lipless from a distance.

Suqqu Polish Face Colour. This gives an extremely flattering and subtle glow, and the brush that comes with it is gorgeous.


Not so favourite things (currently)


Dr Alkaitis eye cream has been good for me for the summer (such as it was), but it's not quite enough for the dry skin around my eyes during the colder months, and it's impossible to dispense less than a full pump (far too much for one application.) Once again I'll be dithering over repurchasing the Sarah Chapman Skinesis eye cream I had last winter and liked very much, or looking for something new to try.

My skin is getting drier as the weather turns colder, so I'm going to need to change my skincare routine, but without triggering my skin's annoying habit of expressing unhappiness at change as nasty chin spots.

Chanel Rouge Allure does not suit my lips as well as the Hydrabase formula does. I love the colour of Clandestine, but it does not feel as comfortable on my lips as my Hydrabase colours. I wouldn't say it is drying per se, but I do have to slather on the Sisley lip balm before and after wearing it.

The news that The Body Shop is sourcing its palm oil from a company that is under fire for evicting farmers from their homes (the company claims to have been unaware of their residency on the purchased land.) You can read the whole story here. I think that Anita Roddick would have been furious.

Cowshed Grumpy Cow bath & shower gel and body lotion review

I was recently very lucky to be given the opportunity to try out a couple of items from the Cowshed range free of charge. Cowshed is a UK company that makes natural products that are free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and artificial fragrances, initially formulated for use in the Cowshed Spa, Babington House. After browsing the website to decide exactly what kind of Cow I am, I chose Grumpy Cow (the uplifting, citrus blend) and Cowshed sent me the bath and shower gel and the body lotion to use and review.

I know it's shallow, but the bottles look good in the bathroom; I love the black and white prints on the labels. The shower gel is nice and thick (a lot of organic/natural shower gels have an odd, very runny texture) and foams well (although not excessively) without stripping the skin of moisture. The body lotion is unctuous - a very thick whipped cream texture that sinks in well and doesn't leave the skin feeling greasy. This is a very good formulation - it has aloe vera, shea butter and cocoa butter in it, so it moisturises very effectively but you don't have to wait half an hour after applying it to get dressed.

The fragrance is a blend of red mandarin, petitgrain and grapefruit. It's a soft herby citrus sniff, and it's working very well under my new Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise cologne.

As well as being a nice self-indulgence, these products would make a lovely gift for anyone with the right sense of humour - I'll be buying my sister some Moody Cow, or possibly Lazy Cow, stuff for Christmas.

The main ranges have a high concentration of essential oils, and should not be used when you are pregnant, but there is also a range for pregnant ladies called Udderly Gorgeous (well done Cowshed for keeping with the theme, but not actually using the word "cow" in the title - from personal experience during the gestation of Miss London I know I would not have seen the funny side at the time.)  These look particularly good - and I approve of the use of sea buckthorn in the formulations as a very effective emollient. My skin was incredibly dry and itchy when I was pregnant and I'd have loved the bath and shower gel and the stretch mark balm. Boys and babies aren't left out either - there is a men's range (Bullocks) and a baby range too (Baby Cow.)

You can find out more about Cowshed, and buy the products, at www.cowshedonline.com. Both the bath and show gel and the body lotion are £16 each for 300ml, and I will definitely be buying more from this line.

Kryolan Supracolor as an eyeshadow base

Supracolor is a greasepaint formula, but don't be frightened by the word 'grease' - the texture is quite similar to a MAC cream colour base. I find these grab and hold pigment spectacularly well, but also allow eyeshadows to be blended. Lots of other brands make products that are good eyeshadow bases, but these blend nicely into the skin and at £5.50 for an 8g pot, they're less expensive than alternatives from MAC or Urban Decay, for example. They also come in a huge array of colours. The packaging is not pretty, and Kryolan products do all have a sweet floral scent, but if you're looking for a reasonably priced eyeshadow base you'd be hard pressed to beat these.

To demonstrate, I have used the same e-tailer pigment, Convicted from TheSheSpace.com, on both eyes. The eye on the left has the Supracolor (in shade 32 C, pictured above, a not-quite-black) as a base, on the right the pigment was applied to bare skin.

The iridescent two-tone effect of the pigment is much more apparent with the supracolor base. Like many e-tailer pigments, Convicted is much finer and less sticky than a MAC pigment, and really needs a base to bring out the colour - I tried to pack it on to the other eye, but without a base or any moisture it is very difficult to make it stick. I like using a dark base shade to make an easy smoky eye, but there is a large selection of flesh toned shades to chose from in the supracolor line too.

I bought mine at Charles Fox in London, who do also run a mail order service.

Why would you buy Illamasqua in Charles Fox?

I was in Charles Fox in Covent Garden yesterday, and they've recently started stocking Illamasqua there.

Many of the Illamasqua products are manufactured by Kryolan, and very similar products can be found within the Kryolan range - particularly in the powder products (blush and eyeshadows.) Illamasqua's liquid metals are also extremely similar in texture to the Kryolan metallic supracolors, which come in gold, bronze, silver and silver-green colours. I have absolutely no problem with this - Illamasqua is more expensive than Kryolan, but the packaging is a lot nicer and Kryolan, like most other theatre ranges, isn't easily available to many people. Also, with Illamasqua you get the help of the makeup artists at the counters when choosing colours, and advice on application techniques.

I don't understand buying it at Charles Fox though - why would you buy Illamasqua there when the Kryolan is a couple of feet away in the same shop? You're not going to get any more help choosing Illamasqua in Charles Fox - the assistants will sell you stuff, but the shop is for professional makeup artists and performing folk, and they won't fall over themselves to help with colour choices from any of the ranges they stock. Why would you buy an eyeshadow for £14 when you could get pretty much the same thing right there for £5?

Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise purchase and initial thoughts

I bought this yesterday lunchtime at the Jo Malone counter in Selfridges (where the service was very good. The assistant actually advised that I wear it for 15 minutes before purchasing, instead of just making the immediate sale.)

On first spray I get a clear crystalline liquorice and vetiver hit, that warms and softens into a smokier floral before finally settling (after about 3-4 hours) into a my-skin-but-better vanilla musk. This fragrance isn't at all gourmand to my nose, which pleases me a lot because I often don't do well with the more dessert-smelling sniffs.

I could see this being popular with men as well as women. It's comforting but not feminine or cloying, and would be a good choice for a professional everyday fragrance - although it lasts well it doesn't have a big sillage like the limited edition Dark Amber & Ginger Lily, and it's less exuberant than Pomegranate Noir.

I'm wearing it with my JM Orange Blossom body lotion, and that's a very nice combination. I still think it would also do well with Grapefruit and Blue Agave & Cacao, although I do now think Pomegranate Noir would overpower it. I'd also like to try it with Nutmeg and Ginger (another linger-rather-than-shout JM sniff) and I suspect it would also work beautifully with that other JM stalwart, Lime, Basil & Mandarin (the vetiver notes in both fragrances would help them to marry nicely.)

I bought the 30ml size for £32. Although the 100ml bottle is better value for money, I like to have a couple on the go at once to choose from, and so the smaller size suits me better.

Picture of Illamasqua Indulge intense lipgloss applied

When they call these 'intense' they aren't kidding. This looks a little more muted on my macbook than it does in real life where it is a very bright bubblegum pink patent lip. Be warned, these are quite sticky - if you have long hair loose expect to have to pick it out of your lipgloss.

Picture of Besame Red Hot Red applied

This is a picture of Besame Red Hot Red enchanting lipstick applied straight to my lips. I've included the bullet and the lid in the picture so you can see the size and don't get a shock if you order one when it is tiny. Although these are petite, they last incredibly well - a good four or five hours before fading to an even stain.

Besame lipsticks are now available at  www.cultbeauty.co.uk. I have my eye on Carmine, a Grace Kelly  hot coral.

Illamasqua Machine and Synth eyeshadows applied

I finally had a chance to play with the eyeshadows from the Dystopia collection that I was given at the event last Thursday. Please excuse the messy eyebrow and the stray hair.

I used:

Command cream eyeshadow over lid and into crease as a base. This is a greyish mauve.

Sophie pencil (black) to line lower lid and waterlines.

Machine over outer corner of mobile lid and in crease, also taken under outer lashline.

Savage (warm matte purple) blended into Machine in crease, and taken up to brow in inner corner of eye.

Synth on inner half of mobile lid, and inner half of lower lashline.

Eternal shimmer cream to highlight under browbone (I'd use the silver metal instead if I had it.)

I hope you can see the iridescence of Synth, which is a shimmering pale smoky mauve with pink iridescence. Machine is a well-pigmented matte charcoal, with subtle sparkles dispersed through the matte base. It blends very well with other colours, making it very useful for a smoky eye.

Besame lipsticks really are at Cult Beauty now

Cult Beauty has now officially launched the Besame classic lipsticks, and they're available here.

Scholl Party Feet Gel Cushions and Cracked Heel Repair Cream review

I was recently sent a couple of items by Scholl to have a play with. Originally I was going to test out the Party Feet Gel Cushions at the Illamasqua event last Thursday. Unfortunately, rain was forecast, and as my high heels don't do rain, I had to postpone for a couple of days.

Because I am dedicated to beauty testing, on Saturday I did the weekly food shop in these:

I am happy to report that I had absolutely no pain in the balls of my feet at the end of the morning (and that usually happens about an hour after wearing these shoes, not that that stops me wearing them.) I do think that the gel cushions do relieve the pressure when wearing high heels. The pair I was sent are the fantastically sparkly limited edition Snowflake Party Feet (RRP £4.88 for a pair.) They are reusable, and adhere to the shoe so you don't get slipping when you are wearing them.

Rather less glamorously, I was also sent the Cracked Heel Repair Cream (RRP £3.99 for 25ml.) I have quite horrible feet - I practice a martial art barefoot, and although it would be nice to do something about my heels I can't afford to soften up the soles of my feet. This cream is perfect - because it's so thick I can apply it directly to the hard skin on the back of my heels without getting any on my soles, and it has an immediate intense moisturising effect, as well as longer term softening of the skin. I am happy to report that after a few days of use (every morning, I'm not dedicated enough to apply twice daily) my heels are now flesh coloured again, rather than grey. The tube is small, but you do only need a tiny amount of the very concentrated cream to do both heels. I'd much rather use this than use one of the frankly quite terrifying foot grating egg shaped things that I've seen advertised recently.

Mr London has horrible hobbit feet; I'm going to try the Cracked Heel Repair Cream on him for the ultimate test and will report back (possibly with some before and after pictures.)

Suqqu Marotsuya makeover picture

This is a picture taken a few hours after my makeover when I arrived home (so please excuse the messy hair and the tired face - it had been a long week!) The only things I had to reapply for this picture were the lip colour pencil and lip gloss.

I also had single blush 05 Masoo applied. All other items are as in my previous post on my Marotsuya purchases.

Suqqu Marotsuya autumn/fall 2009 collection - purchases

I had an unexpected and lovely makeover at the Suqqu counter yesterday lunchtime. I hadn't booked in for the Marotsuya event because I just didn't have the time for the full gankin massage and skincare as well, even though I knew that Ohbayasi San was visting again from Japan for the event. (I had a wonderful makeover with her for the Spring Sakurakage event - you can read about it here.)

Anyway, I popped to the Suqqu counter to have a look at the new collection after a frustrating 30 mins in Nationwide building society. (You can't change your address at the counter. You have to fill in a form, and then queue again to see the customer service person, who in my case was spending 20 minutes discussing savings with someone.) Ohbayasi San had finished her previous makeover and the next customer was still in the skincare stage, so she very kindly offered to try the colour cosmetics from the collection on me.

If you ever have a chance to have a makeover with her, or with any of the Suqqu national artists, I could not recommend it highly enough. She is so gentle, and her touch feels like a butterfly's wing as she applies the products.

The inspiration for this collection is the play of light on the polished sheen of a bronze statue. I love the themes of the collections, they are always interesting and enchanting (and very wearable.)

I purchased the following products used on me (all pictured above, pictures are clickable for a bigger/closer view):

Polish face colour. This comes with the brush pictured for £40 in total, and this is selling extremely quickly. The three colours are used separately and in combination to polish and sculpt the face.

Lipcolour pencil EX01 Amecha, a peach shade. This is a thicker pencil used to colour in the whole lip. It's a twist up pencil so it doesn't need sharpening, and it does not dry out the lips. These are £22.

Dual gloss colour EX01 Kinsa, sheer sparkly gold and bronze glosses. Suqqu has previously sold similar pots with a fuller coverage lip colour and a lip gloss, but these are both sheer glosses. These are very pretty, and I'm glad I bought it, but I could easily have substituted a gloss from one of the other gloss and lip colour pots I already own. These are £20.

Blend eyeshadow EX04 Douku, a pale gold base, deep cool bronze liner/shadow, shimmering gold bronze accent and pale iridescent blue highlight. These are £36.

Dual contour EX01 Kokucha, a slightly greenish bronze and a pale pink/neutral for highlighting. The contour shade goes at the top of the nose and into the brow, and the highlight is applied in an arc over the place where the orbital bone meets the cheekbone at the outer corner of the eye. The contour strengthens the definition of the nose (which is good for those with flatter or less obvious bridges. That's not me, but I wanted it anyway, and I liked the effect very much.) The highlight opens and elongates the eye. These are £28.

I love everything I bought. I admit that when I first saw the collection online I thought it looked a bit dull and brown, but each of the quads has a beautiful highlight in blue, green or gold and the bronze shades are much more beautiful and complex than website technology will show. I'll quite possibly buy Blend eyeshadow EX03 Koudo (with an iridescent green highlight and a cooler bronze accent) and I'll definitely buy more of the Lip colour pencils.

I could post a picture of my makeover, if anyone would like to see it.

Illamasqua Dystopia London Event

We all got to swatch and play with the collection, we saw Alex Box apply it to a model picked from the audience and were each given random two pieces from it at the end of the event. I'm really quite glad (no really!) that Illamasqua didn't do a huge freebie bag for each blogger, as it does make me as a reader wonder sometimes how impartial it's possible to be when you've been completely showered in free stuff. I received a shimmery pale pink eyeshadow in Synth and a black matte with sparkle eyeshadow in Machine.

Dystopia is the complete opposite of Sirens; this collection is based around a monochrome black and silver palette shot with bright pink and purple accents. The core look is very cool-toned and futuristic, although pieces can be adapted to translate into a more everyday wearable look.

Things I will be buying:

Liquid metal silver - perfect for winter, I'd wear this dabbed in the middle of my lid or to highlight my tearduct over a smoky eye.

Pale iridescent pink/lilac pigment - we were all ooh-ing over this under the artificial lights. It looks like fairy dust, and Alex Box used this to highlight the cheekbones on the model she used as well as on the eyes.

Bright pink lipstick - this seems more creamy than previous lipsticks I've swatched from Illamasqua, and this looked gorgeous with the pink/lilac pigment dabbed over it. For daytime, this would look good with an otherwise simple face with a flick of black liner on the eyes, or the dark pigment used as a sparkly liner. It's a true bright pink with no noticeable blue/fuschia tones.

It was great to catch up with other bloggers too - Helen, Tali, Jobetterdays and I all went for a beer and a catch-up after the event.

I'll post pictures and further thoughts on the eyeshadows I received after I've had more of a play with them.

Illamasqua basics - face architecture

After the Illamasqua Dare to be Different Event, I wrote a post here on the contouring that Alex Box showed on the model she used at the event. I thought it might be useful to picture the Illamasqua products I use for everyday contouring and constructing/defining my face. Illamasqua gets the most coverage for its collections and bold use of colour, but it also does some very good basic products.

From top left to right:

Primal blush. My everyday contour shade. It's barely discernable on my skin (which is perfect for contouring) and has a slight grey undertone which means it doesn't go orange. I haven't found a contour product in any other brand that I like as well as this one.

Cream foundation 135. This perfectly matches my MAC 20 depth skin, and gives an adjustable coverage.

Pressed powder P005. This looks scary pink but it isn't obvious on the skin - it just gives the effect of walking around under a pink lightbulb, and brightens my skin which has a tendency towards sallow. I apply it after the rest of my makeup is finished, and concentrate it on the middle of my face for highlighting - the middle of my forehead, bridge of nose and chin.

Spite blush. This is a little dark for me for everyday contouring - it's better for when I want a more dramatic effect, and would be more subtle on a MAC 30-35ish depth skin.

Middle row, left to right:

Gaze eyebrow cake. This is a dark grey that gives a very defined eyebrow look on me. I use it dry with the eyebrow brush pictured below - I don't need to wet it to get a defined brow, although I could do that for a very dramatic look. This would be a good colour for those with naturally very dark or black hair too - it's a tiny bit softer than the true black Vehement.

Succumb eyeshadow. Perfect base shade for me - it's a very slightly peachy nude matte shade, nicely pigmented too. I have no problem depositing colour with this, and it brightens and cleans up my lid.

Truth eyeshadow. Cool brown/plum - I use this in the crease and next to my nose for contouring.

Bottom row:

Eyebrow brush. Perfect for control, as it's very thin and quite firm.

Blusher brush 2. Very good for contouring, and beautiful texture, amazing for a synthetic.

Vow pencil (top). Pale cream, I use for my waterline to brighten and above my cupids bow to define my lipline.

Sophie pencil (bottom). True creamy black, and £3 from the sale of each pencil goes to the Sophie Lancaster foundation.

Blush close up below - from left to right

Unrequited (not in main pictured.) Neutral quite vivid pink, gives me a natural blush on the apples of my cheeks.

Primal.

Spite.

Fantastic competition at Scholl re: London Fashion Week

Scholl are holding a competition to recruit someone to launch their Party Feet Blog during London Fashion Week, which kicks off on 18 September. You'd be reporting from Fashion Week, and as well as a great experience/CV builder for someone looking to break into fashion/beauty journalism, Scholl will also give you an iphone to use to report on, which you get to keep afterwards.

Further details of the competition can be found here. To enter you need to provide a photo of yourself in your favourite shoes, and a 100 word submission on why you'd be the best person to launch the Scholl fashion blog. You'll need to really hurry if you want to enter it - the competition closes on 06 September.

A couple of blogs I've recently found and like

I've borrowed the idea for this post from Michelle at Lipstick Rules - I recently discovered a couple of new (to me) blogs that I am really enjoying, and I thought I'd share them and why I like them.

The Call of the Jitterbug Doll - Jitterbug Doll lives in vintage or vintage-style 1940s-50s. From her hair to her makeup to her clothes, she has an authentic, beautiful look. I love the look of this era, I think it still looks classic and wearable today and I'm really enjoying the outfits and pictures that she posts. I think this blog will be incredibly popular.

Pretty Clever - Selina finds pretty things and posts pictures of them and why she likes them. It can be anything; clothes, makeup, jewellery, but it's always a pleasure to look at and admire.

Ojon TSV on QVUK, Saturday 19 September

Make a note in your calendars, ladies, because these are always a very good deal. Of course, absolute sod's law, I just bought this in Cambridge:

This is the shine kit. I've had the hydrating shampoo and conditioner in the past, and found them a little too heavy for my hair for everyday, so I'm giving the shine and protect shampoo and conditioner a whirl. I'm also interested in how the glossing cream compares to the Fekkai version.

I'll still be buying the Ojon TSV though - I like that the shampoo and conditioners are not loaded with silicones (although they do contain some, and the styling products contain more.) I'm hoping it contains some of the "rare harvest" Tawaka products, as I'd like to try these.

Ojon does smell a little unusual, especially the treatment oil, which smells of French Cafe - a mix of Gauloises and strong coffee. It's a love it or hate it kind of smell, and luckily I like it, as it makes my hair instantly feel stronger and smoother.