Baby Worries, Globetrotting and a New No5

passport and chanel no5

I’m doing a bit of globetrotting this week. Actually, it’s more like France-trotting, or even, if we’re getting really specific, south-of-France-trotting. I’m in Grasse until Wednesday night and then at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday and Saturday. The Grasse trip is with Chanel, who are launching a brand new No5 fragrance – huge news. Huge! I shall update you as and when I have more information to share, but I imagine that this  will get quite a few people hot under the collar  – my Mum actually squealed when I told her. She’s a die-hard No5 fan. But then she also frequently douses herself in Coco Mademoiselle, and enjoys the odd spritz of Chance, so (secretly) I don’t think she’s picky – she just loves Chanel. Who doesn’t.

baby hand chanel no5

I’m quite anxious about my week away because of the baby. I’ve only ever left her for a night before, so two nights is quite a leap! Then I’m back home for a night before taking off again – I’m worried she’ll forget me. Is that a rational sort of worry to have? Should I tape a picture of my face to the inside of her cot? Perhaps record my voice onto dictaphones and hide them around the house, to begin playing at random times, controlled by me from my iPhone? Ha – that would be creepy.

But on the other hand: three days, two nights? All to myself? What a boon. I can’t wait. I’ve been planning the contents of my suitcase for about a month. Here’s what’s in my beauty bag, so far:

beauty bag contents

If you’re thinking “she’s just picked out all of the monochrome stuff so that her photo looks all trendy and nice” then you’d be right. I’m always perplexed by people who moan that blog pictures aren’t “real” enough, that “what’s in my handbag” photos should include torn receipts and tampons and bits of baby food stuck to mouldy plastic spoons. Who the hell wants to look at that? Surely you’d just peer into your own handbag? Give me a lovely clean pic any day, everything nicely arranged so that you can see the labels. Ta ever so.

I might do some mini reviews of the bits and pieces in the picture – the foundation is an old favourite, but there are plenty of new things there that I’ve recently started to test. The eye makeup remover is exceptional, I think, and I have high hopes for the new Chanel SPF – it’s so light and fresh-feeling.

suitcase contents lk bennett and chanel

Things that are definitely going in the suitcase: my camera (Canon Powershot GX7, brilliant, see here), my Whistles T-Shirt (here), my little Chanel bag (it’s tiny, I don’t even want to talk about it, I don’t know what I was thinking) and my Trench courts from L.K. Bennett. Can I just say that these shoes are perfect – perfect – mid-heelers. They look sexy, smart and flattering but are a cinch to walk in. Since pregnancy, during which my body decided that it would be a good idea to disintegrate the bones in my ankles and replace them with what feels like chewed up toilet tissue, I find it incredibly difficult to walk in high heels.

lk bennett floret heels

These – the Floret – are just right. My sole-mates. (See what I did there?) L.K. Bennett have 30% off lots of the Floret styles at the moment – not the shade above, but they do have beautiful ivory, rose pink and black nappa leather as well as marshmallow patent (gorgeous), printed patterned leather and bright suede finishes. They are all here – the code for 30% off is CC30. I’m dithering between the rose pink and the ivory. Great for the three summer weddings I have coming up… The discount takes the shoes down to around £117.

More on the contents of my suitcase later on – I have splashed out on a new case as my trusty old red one was starting to look very tatty. Fifteen years excellent service – if suitcases could tell stories…

The post Baby Worries, Globetrotting and a New No5 appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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Operation Hydration.

I’ve been mentioning a lot lately that my skin has changed so much in recent months, it’s honestly been all over the place! I experienced seriously dry skin postpartum, which has gradually lessened but my lips and around my chin continues to be a problem. My usually oily skin hasn’t returned yet but I have been getting the odd spot and congested areas.

To remedy all of these little issues I’ve been trying out quite a bit of new skincare over the past 2-3 months, and have found some real gems. I stepped out of my comfort zone and picked some new brands to explore and have been really happy with my choices! All of my picks are cruelty-free, vegan and made with natural ingredients, I also try to avoid coconut oil and shea butter because my skin does tend to break out when I use products that include those two. I tend to look for products that are going to be soothing, calming and good for sensitive, acne-prone skin. All too often there seems to be just two categories of skin care; for oily and spotty skin, or dry and sensitive. My skin is sometimes all 4 (thanks, hormones!) and this can be hard to handle.

Let’s start with the product I would reach for first in the bunch pictured above, the Alteya Certified Organic Rose Water Spray, £7.10. Rose is so beneficial for all skin types and this beautiful mist is so pure it’s actually food grade and totally edible.


This mist is:

Therapeutic


Anti-inflammatory and acne-preventing

Balancing


Anti-ageing and moisturising


Rejuvenating, stimulating and harmonizing

& smells so good!

I spray this generously all over as my traditional “toner” step and whilst my skin is still wet I apply any oils I’m using if it’s the evening or move on to serum/moisturiser. 

I have a whole collection of face oils that I use regularly for different reasons (and need to review!) but for the moment two have been standing out for me. The Ooh! Oils of Heaven Tamanu Oil, £9.50 and the Oskia Restoration Oil, £64. These two oils couldn’t be any more different, a simple single oil and a complex, high tech blend. Both give me great results; proof you don’t need to spend a lot … but you sure can if you want to! The Tamanu is great for when my skin is feeling red and spotty, it really calms it down and is amazing for healing scarring over time, the oil is thick and pretty pungent smelling, but it works so well for me that I can live with that. In contrast, the Oskia oil has a light texture, smells divine and offers a whole host of skin benefits with it’s cocktail of ingredients. After using this at night, my skin looks brighter and any patches of dry skin are a thing of the past, it doesn’t seem to help a lot with blemishes though or else I would use it more regularly. 


Whilst I chop and change with my evening skincare, I’ve been using this next duo religiously every morning since January.

The PHB Ethical Beauty Hydrating Gel Serum, £18.95 and the Atlantis Skincare Glowing Skin Day Cream, £64.99 are my favourite beauty discoveries so far this year.

The PHB Serum is an aloe based gel, with argan oil and chamomile, so as you can imagine it’s incredibly soothing and instantly hydrating. It offers me instant relief for irritated, dry skin and the ingredients are also great for reducing blemishes. My skin loves aloe and argan oil so it’s no wonder this is helping me.

I really wanted to try a new day cream that wasn’t from Madara (still love them, but also love finding new brands!) and it took me what felt like forever to eventually click on the product page and read the description/ingredients. I was so impressed with what I saw, the ingredients list is lush and includes some really unique ingredients. A blend of hydrosols are listed first and they make this cream feel gorgeous and light on the skin. Then there is a blend of oils and butters, everything from coffee seed butter to tomato and walnut oil. There is some shea butter, but it’s in such a small quantity that it doesn’t bother me. Finally, the addition of Hyaluronic Acid ensures my skin has been slowly but surely recovering from dehydration. I really need to look into Atlantis Skincare more!

The cream sinks in easily and doesn’t leave any greasy residue, just a little glow. Makeup applies perfectly over the top of the serum and day cream duo, and my skin has been improving day by day.

Ingredients:


Hamamelis virginiana (Witch hazel) hydrosol, Rosa damascena (Rose Otto) hydrosol, Anthemis nobilis (Chamomile) hydrosol, Glycerin, Theobroma grandiflorum (Cupuacu) seed butter, Macadamia ternifolia seed oil, Rubus idaeus (Red Raspberry) seed oil, Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) seed butter, Persea gratissima (Avocado) oil, Juglans regia (English walnut) seed oil, Astrocaryum tucuma (Tucuma Palm) seed butter, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) seed oil, Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato) seed oil, Benzyl alcohol, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Xanthan gum, Sucrose laurate, Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) leaf oil, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) butter, Citrus aurantium dulcis (Orange) fruit water, Sodium hyaluronate, Salicylic acid, Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil, Punica granatum (Pomegranate) fruit extract, Cylindrotheca fusiformis (Microalgae) extract, Styrax benzoin resin (Balsamic resin) extract, Jasminum officinale (Jasmine) flower extract, Sorbic acid, Rosa damascena (Rose Otto) flower oil, (Citronellol, Geraniol, Citral, d-Limonene, Linalol, Farnesol-naturally occur in essential oils)

P.S. Want to WIN over £100 worth of Vegan Skin and Bodycare from the Balance Me? I’m hosting a giveaway on my Instagram now so be sure to check it out! Click here.

Hot Red Lips and Flawless Skin.

model blogger makeup tutorial

A massive load of people asked for a video using Clinique’s new Matte Mandarin lipstick and so here it is in full, glorious technicolor. It was actually the entire “look” that I wore in my How to Style Greasy and Limp Hair video that people seemed to want and so I trawled back through the footage and tried to copy the makeup exactly. It’s not exact, as it turns out, but it’s close enough. Airbrushed skin, bright orange-red lips and the softest of sculpting and shimmer on the eyelids.

soft matte mandarin swatch

A note on the Dior Airflash foundation: I have been using this loads. Almost every day. It’s odd, because it never feels like there’s anything going on and then I look at my lips and they are totally beige! So it really is just the finest, lightest foundation. I have taken to using it in the mornings when I’m in a rush because it takes all of three seconds to apply. A three second spritz and then a couple of bish-bash-boshes with a foundation brush just to make sure it’s blended in around the eyes and the sides of the nose – total time, approximately ten to twenty seconds. Anyway, watch the video and you’ll see it in action. If you want to read the review then that’s here; you can buy it online at Escentual.com or FeelUnique.com

If you can’t see the video screen then please click here – links and makeup details are written below.

Makeup Used:
Dior AirFlash CC Base: see below link
Dior AirFlash Foundation 201
Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer 1W Light
Max Factor Creme Puff in Translucent
Jane Iredale Golden Glow Powder
The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzer Shade 1
Laura Mercier Rendez-Vous in Monte Carlo Eye Quad
YSL Faux Cils Cream Eyeliner in Ashy Black: may have been discontinued. Hope not because is brill! Anyway, any liquid/cream liner will do.
Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Mascara
Clinique Matte Mandarin Lipstick

NAILS: Chanel Mirabella
SHIRT: is Abercrombie & Fitch, approx 2008! They do great plaid shirts I think.

Watch more makeup videos here!

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