Category Archives: beauty products

There’s a huge trend for big, fluffy teddy-bear coats and faux-furs, this season. And I must say that although big, furry coats are very attention-grabbing, (something I’m usually not too comfortable with, believe it or not), there’s something almost protective in their massiveness and fluffy bulk. They make you feel strong and confident rather than self-conscious or embarrassed. I suppose that they increase your size, somewhat – just like a peacock spreading it’s feathers or a cat making its fur stand on end – and so make you feel a bit more bolshy and puffed-up. This is one eye-catching trend that I can deal with – it’s not revealing or totally outlandish, but a big fluffy coat definitely pulls an outfit together and makes it look as though you’ve made far more effort than you really have.

I love this teddy-bear/furry trend so much that I collected together the best coats of the season and drove out to the seaside, car-boot crammed with samples, to film a fashion lookbook. The video will be up later on this week, but I couldn’t resist giving you a little preview! The coats on this page are both made by Unreal Fur, an Australian brand who make beautiful faux-fur jackets. The Fire & Ice style, shown above and at the bottom of the page, is really unusual and has a definite Kate-Moss-Rock-Chick vibe about it…

…and the De-Fur coat (above) is huge and shaggy and so very warm and comfortable that it’s almost as though you haven’t left your bed! It’s really striking and is possibly my favourite of all of the coats that I shot over the course of the day. It’s lined in grey jersey (nice touch) and the finishing is perfect. You’ll see it in full beach-walking action when the video goes live, but if you can’t wait then there are more details on ASOS.com here.

I definitely think that teddy coats and faux-furs are going to be my staple outer-garments of the winter months; warm, cheerful, supremely comfortable and as fashionable worn with jeans and a pair of battered Converse as they are slung over the top of an evening dress. You can find the Fire & Ice jacket at Hush – it’s £180. If you’re looking for this year’s “investment” jacket then these are absolutely worth a good look; amazing quality but not prohibitively expensive – the De-Fur is perhaps more of a trend buy, but the Fire & Ice wouldn’t date too fast as it already looks quite retro…

(Sizing notes: the De-Fur is roomy and a size “small” was perfect for me (I’m a solid UK10), the Fire & Ice was also “small” but a tad too little for me, but only because of my frontage. I probably could do with a “medium”.)

The post Unreal Fur: This Season’s Investment Coat appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Something a little different for the end of the week; in this video I go on a shopping spree, but in my own house! I found some boxes of stuff that had been in the storage locker and it was like opening up a time capsule – there were things I had totally forgotten about. I would urge you all to have a root about and see what is lurking at the back of your cupboards/in the shed/on the loft. I’ve found a really nice shirt that’s about ten years old and still looks pristine (maybe one for another video) and some serviceable headbands that will be good for holding my hair back when I do my in-bath facials. (I say “facials” I mean “slapping on a face mask whilst I shave my legs”.) Also some flannels that look as though they’ve been through about eight thousand wash cycles but are nice and soft.

I didn’t put it all in the video – I kept things rather glamorous, actually, with an old Louis Vuitton discovery and a lovely necklace that was a present from Mr AMR – but I’m feeling really quite pleased with my little haul. I especially love the Dior Slap Bracelet that I found in the box of memories my Mum had saved for me (yes, the box of memories I was a bit huffy about because I was trying to declutter): what a find!

Christian Dior Slap Bracelet: please tell me where these were from – a GWP? I seriously can’t remember!

Louis Vuitton Monogram – pochette? Is this it? It’s so much more expensive these days.. http://uk.louisvuitton.com/eng-gb/pro…

Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer: http://tidd.ly/b9b84e21

Bourjois Healthy Mix Gel Foundation: http://tidd.ly/335f763b

Karen Walker Girl Necklace: http://www.karenwalkerjewellery.com/c…

Topshop Pink Jumper

Leopard Print Coat – Diane von Furstenberg, about two years ago.

My nail polish is the new l’Oreal one I mentioned in the last vlog. Cannot for the life of me remember the name of it and I’m not moving from the sofa to find out. LOL. (Will update when I move.)

The post My Spend-Free Shopping Spree… appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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I’m really into my little Bourjois cream blush at the moment; portable, easy to apply (just use fingertips) and with a smooth, velvety finish that looks natural and low-key. It lasts really well and the colour (shade 01, Nude Velvet) is just the right side of peachy. It’s also a really affordable way of updating your entire makeup look for spring – it’s very youthful and the perfect antidote to the overly-sculpted, contour-chiselled winter face. (Find it online here.)

I have quite a few cream blushers in a similar peachy shade and I decided to do a little comparison post with my other current favourite, the High Definition Second Skin Cream Blush from Make Up For Ever. I tested half my face with Bourjois, half with the Make Up For Ever (MUFE).

Straight off the bat I can tell you that the MUFE blush has more pigment than the Bourjois (I’m looking at a picture of my hand zoomed in to a ridiculous degree!) but we’re not talking a shocking amount. The extra pigment in the MUFE gives it, I think, a slightly creamier appearance on the skin, though still velvety and far from dewy or glossy. In the picture below I have applied the Bourjois Nude Velvet to the right side of my face. (You might recognise the hairband/jumper combo from a few weeks ago when I tested the Soap & Glory highlighter stick – if I’m photographing I’ll usually do quite a few different products at a time!)

It gives a really healthy little flush. I’ve just done one “coat”, quickly buffed out with my fingertips, but it’s very easily blendable and the blush sets quite quickly so it doesn’t end up sliding about all over your face. You can probably tell from the next picture that the MUFE is a little stronger in pigment, though obviously it’s unblended:

The MUFE shade (225, see here) is very slightly brighter than the Bourjois Nude Velvet – almost “semi-neon”, if that’s a thing… I’m really splitting hairs here, because they are incredibly similar, but the MUFE is more conspicuous, more of a colour “pop”, even though I want to prong myself in the eyes for using that word.

And above, both cheeks. The gorgeous, healthy flush is virtually the same on each side, though referring to my notes that I took at the time, the MUFE was ever so slightly more juicy looking. But we are talking so slight that really, in the photograph above, it’s impossible to tell them apart.

The staying power of both is excellent – perhaps the MUFE is a smidgen longer-lasting, but only just. I think that the MUFE requires less product to get the same effect, but it’s very expensive and so if you’re looking for a budget version then the Bourjois is just brilliant. I have to say that the creamy, smooth texture of the MUFE blush has really piqued my interest in the brand – I must do some more investigating. I know that their foundations have something nearing cult status, so perhaps I’ll start there. Let me know if you have any recommendations..