Author Archives: marc

No7 Illuminator: The Softly-Softly Skin Glow

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No7 Skin Illuminator Review

I used No7’s Skin Illuminator in my No Foundation Makeup Look a couple of weeks ago; it gave my skin a beautiful sheen with just the right amount of pearlescence. Because  – let’s face it – some of these illuminators are almost too pearlescent to work with in any kind of sensible way. At least, they’re OK once you’ve bunged a foundation on top, but you couldn’t go out in them without some form of tempering down. You’d look like the inside of a seashell. (I’m thinking of you, Dior Glow Maximiser and Laura Mercier Radiance Primer!)

The No7 Skin Illuminator takes a softly-softly approach to adding radiance to the skin – it’s a believable, fresh dewiness rather than the OTT shine that you might use on cheekbones and beneath brows to add drama to the face. It’s not as full-on as the primers mentioned above and so gets a bit lost underneath full-coverage foundation, but for perfecting bare skin it’s just wonderful.

For added glow: Laura Mercier Radiance Primer…

No7 Skin Illuminator Review

It has a lightweight, silky feel and although it isn’t especially moisturising, it leaves skin looking as though it has been thoroughly buffed with a nourishing face oil. If you did want to use it with a foundation then it works very nicely mixed in – equal parts if you’re not fussed about sheering out your coverage – or patted on over the top. Though you have to be careful with the patting, because you can get a bit out of your depth if you use too much product or start disturbing the makeup base beneath… If it’s specific highlights you’re after on top of your foundation I think that MAC’s Strobe Cream is always a safe bet, or a powder that you can lightly dust on with a feathery brush.

i-Glow Powder: the One Stop Shimmer Shop…

No7’s Skin Illuminator is quite similar to Clarins’ Instant Light Radiance Complexion Boosting Base, I think, though Clarins have theirs in three shades and No7, so far as I can see, just have the one very neutral  tone. The Clarins is more of a comprehensive primer in that it seems to very slightly blur and conceal minor imperfections as well as adding radiance – I’ll admit that to wear the No7 on its own you’d want your skin to be looking very, very good! I must do a comparison between the two – I’m frantically testing my way through a whole drawer of primers at the moment, so will add these to the list.

You can find the No7 Skin Illuminator in “nude” at Boots here – it’s £12.50 for 30ml. The Clarins is £24 for 30ml and they usually have good stock at Escentual.com. Note on application, for both: if you’re not adding something on top then don’t apply the illuminators to the tip of your nose. I have, above, and it definitely makes things look more…bulbous.

The post No7 Illuminator: The Softly-Softly Skin Glow appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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What I’m Wearing: Silky Shirt-Dress and Candy Stripe Shoes

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michael kors navy silk dress

This silk shirt dress from Michael Kors is definitely going to be one of my staple wardrobe pieces this summer. It looks really smart and well-structured but it’s so light and cool! The perfect dress for days when you need to make an effort but it’s absolutely sweltering outside. Most of the dresses that I throw on when it’s hot tend to be cotton and tent-like, so I think it’s good to have at least one presentable option!

michael kors silk shirt dress

I’ve accessorised it with these cool candy-stripe ribbon wedges from UGG and a white leather clutch from Michael Kors. A nod to the nautical theme, I suppose, with all of that navy and white and red and stripes, but the dress has definitely got a touch of something else going on as well. Safari chic? A bit of military? Gold buttons, rolled-up sleeves… The leather belt comes with the dress; it has to be done up and looped casually around itself in a very specific way. There’s even a little instruction card included to make sure you don’t style it the wrong way! God forbid.

model fashion blog post

Everything shown (apart from the sunnies) is from online fashion store Zalando*. The Michael Kors Dolman dress is on sale at the moment, £215 instead of £250 (here); the UGG striped wedges are £120 (here) and the Michael Kors Daria Clutch is £125 (here). The Daria comes in a few different colours, I also really love the hot pink one and the coral. I think that each of the pieces that make up the outfit will work really well with other things – the dress looks great with flat sandals as well as heels and the UGG wedges look brilliant with shorts. I just think that the shoes are very cheery and fun – you can’t really be in a bad mood and stomp about when you’re wearing red stripy wedges, it wouldn’t be right!

ruth crilly outfit post

Zalando asked me to choose and style this summer outfit from their online store. I hadn’t been on Zalando before, but I was (pleasantly) surprised to see that they have a huge range of brands at different price points – everything from high street to very high end. It’s like having The Outnet and ASOS/ on the same page, sort of. So you can search “black shoes”, for example, and hundreds of pairs will come up – the cheapest at £12 and the most expensive at over £800! I quite like this way of shopping; if you’re searching for a whole outfit you can decide which part of it you want to splash the cash on or where you would rather save your pennies. You can also get a £10 voucher if you sign up to the newsletters- I didn’t realise this until after I’d placed my order, but if you want to get the voucher in advance then it’s here.

You can browse the store here: Zalando.co.uk

Take a look at more fashion posts here – I’m going to be putting together a summer lookbook (Spring one seemed to be a success) so you’ll be seeing these bits and pieces from Zalando again! PS: I have no foundation on in these pictures. Gorgeous bronzed skin is courtesy of the new Elemis face tanner I’ve been testing out! Review tomorrow.

*Zalando have kindly sponsored this post.

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Colab Dry Shampoo – The “Thank You” Giveaway!

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london look

Sorry to my Daily Fix subscribers; this post should have made it into your inboxes yesterday, but I was transferring some video files and my internet had a meltdown. It can’t handle anything more taxing than sending an email attachment, so trying to transfer 1.5GB of video just about killed it off. But anyway, here we are, all safe and sound, and I want to do a bit of a thank you, if you don’t mind?

Two weeks ago I launched my invisible dry shampoo, Colab, and the support from readers and Youtube viewers has been phenomenal. I am really very touched. And not only has the support been amazing, but the feedback on the product itself has been more wonderful than I could ever have imagined. I mean, I thought that it was brilliant, obviously, otherwise I would never have let it go out into the world, but having so many other people report back and say that they love it, that it does “exactly what it says on the tin”, that it’s a “game changer” – it’s immensely satisfying and also, I must admit, a bit of a relief. Because it’s a scary thing putting a product out there, especially when so much time and energy has been invested in it – I wanted CoLab to be something that would become a staple beauty item for a long, long time, so it was important that it was as near to perfect as possible.

colab hair products

It’s funny, too, that I have been relying on my CoLab more and more to style my hair; there was a point, over the summer, that I actually couldn’t even bear to look at the cans, let alone use them. I had discussed the concept so much, tried so many versions and seen so many prototypes of the packaging that I just wanted to lock it away in a cupboard and forget about it for a while! Now I’m back to my daily use. I still can’t quite believe that I have a dry shampoo that’s bloody INVISIBLE! I do a little dance every time I spray it in! Because there’s no chalky residue, I even use it on freshly-washed hair to give a bit of life to my roots, as well as day-old hair to banish any oiliness.

Anyway, I shall be back, as I promised, with a little how-to video (basically SHAKE, SPRAY, STYLE) but for now, thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has so kindly given me feedback and tweeted me pictures and so on. I can’t tell you how grateful I am. If you’d like to see a lovely review of the range, head on over to BritishBeautyBlogger – it also made an appearance on ViviannaDoesMakeup and Luke Stephens’ blog this week and dozens of other beauty blogs and vlogs including an amazing shout-out on from Zoella, so if you have a link then do leave it in the comments below so I can have a read and tweet it!

colab new york look

Now to the business of the giveaway – I have ten full-size sets of Colab dry shampoo and ten sets of the handbag minis to give away. I am SO sorry that this is UK only, there’s a law about posting combustible products that means it’s just not feasible to send them abroad. Fear not, though, because CoLab will be available in more and more countries as the months go by – I’ll keep you updated. Those in the UK can find CoLab at Superdrug and it’s also at FeelUnique and the brilliant BeautyMart (including concessions at Topshop Oxford Street and Harvey Nichols).

To enter the giveaway, please make sure you’re signed up to either the Daily Fix mailing list (daily post straight to your inbox) or the Exclusive list, which is a quarterly email. (Well, the last one was about two hundred years ago but the Autumn 2014 edition is out in the next week or so!) Then leave a comment below making sure you enter your email into the form. I’ll be randomly picking winners at noon on Friday 31st October and announcing them in the following Sunday Tittle Tattle. Good luck!

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Sunday Tittle Tattle: Naughty Tits and Beauty Bits

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This week has been mostly dominated by my naughty left breast, which decided to go and get Mastitis. I particularly enjoyed the flu-like symptoms, which were a bit like the world’s worst hangover combined with having a lobotomy sans anaesthetic. Anyway, I’m thankfully over the worst of it, with any luck, so am ready to start a new week with renewed vigour. Sadly, the thing I’m most excited about, at the moment, is testing out my new Dyson V6 hoover. I bought it last weekend in Curry’s after being wowed by my friend’s one. (For hoover geeks, I went for the Total Clean version of the V6, not the “Fluffy” one, because apparently it’s much better. We shall see!)

john lewis lock n roll shower caddy

An update on the “Lock n Roll” shower caddy that I mentioned in my homeware video: yes, it does stick to the wall. But you have to do it properly. I stuck it on and it fell off, nearly giving me a heart attack when it crashed into the shower tray. Mr AMR stuck it back on and it may as well have been cemented in – I’ve loaded it up with products, leant on it with all of my weight and given it a good pull and it’s not budging. Bravo. You can see my homeware video here.

aurelia miracle collection

Lovely beauty bag from Aurelia Probiotic Skincare, makers of the nicest body oil in the world. It’s pictured here with the Refine & Glow Miracle Collection, which includes the Miracle Cleanser (luscious) as well as the Miracle Balm, which I haven’t tried yet, and the Cell Repair Night Oil. And seven little rolled-up muslin cloths, which is a nice touch. The bag on its own is £25, the collection including bag is £42.

AureliaSkincare.com

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Vlog: A House Update

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house renovations

One for those who have been desperate to see my house renovation progress – a quick peep at my new front door, cladding, kitchen and master bedroom. I’m so sorry, I did mean to do a whole video series on the house but most of the work that was worth filming started to happen when I was very heavily pregnant, and then Baby AMR came along…

Maybe I’ll do a proper video series once I’m back in? I did record bits of video throughout, and took lots of photos, so it could still work as a retrospective kind of thing. Anyway, here’s the update – for your reference, the kitchen is from ALNO, the en suite tiles are from Abbey Tiles in Waltham Abbey and the wallpapers in the master bedroom are by Cole & Son (Hexagons) and Zoffany (Wild Silk in Bronze). The front door is from the brilliant people at Associated Glass in Loughton, and the cladding has been made and fitted by our building contractors, Mason Construction. I’ve linked to their websites – the wallpaper can be found at John Lewis online, we ordered from Brewers.

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