Category Archives: beauty look

I think you’ll agree that the below “before and after” photographs are pretty epic: no light or computer trickery has been used. (I don’t ever retouch my images, by the way – or Facetune or whatever people use to whiten their teeth and get rid of wrinkles and spots!) What you see is what you get. La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar BB Blur most definitely works some kind of optical illusion magic!

I mentioned the BB Blur last month after quite a few people had commented on how good my skin looked in one of my vlogs. All I had on was a quick layer of the new “BB Blur Instant Oil-Absorbing Coverage Cream Mousse” (to trot out the full title) so I was pretty surprised that anyone had noticed. And I have to say that it was touch and go whether I’d even try the product in the first place, because my skin has been so dry and an oil-absorbing product was the last thing I needed. But try it I did, because I’m highly adventurous like that, and was very pleasantly surprised at how light and non-cakey this BB felt. I had expected some sort of powdery disaster but the mousse texture was so beautiful to apply – rather like working with a deconstructed makeup marshmallow – that it became an instant favourite.

Easy to blend (though don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the light texture, you do need to blend!) and weightless on the skin, it seems to be able to blur out even quite noticeable imperfections without looking or feeling heavy. It has the effect of a medium coverage foundation,but the “blurring” does most of the work, not the pigment. Behold the before picture:

Noticeable blemishes on the forehead and a couple on the cheeks, though they’re not true spots, more ones that are brewing under the surface (oh hi Mint-Choc Magnums wreaking havoc with my face!); some redness around the nose and on the chin; some darkness beneath the eyes…

I kid you not when I say that this is truly one of the best after photos I’ve ever had. I actually had to knock back the brightness slightly on my face because I thought that people wouldn’t believe me. (If you doubt the like-for-likeness of the photos then just compare the white of the woodwork behind my head or the patch of greenish light reflected in the glass of the fireplace.) My skin is brighter, the dark circles are pretty comprehensively hidden, the redness eradicated. If you look closely you can still see the blemishes, so that kind of illustrates what I mean about the coverage; it has the overall effect of a good coverage foundation but there’s no real opacity to the finish. A lot of the work is done by the blurring effect.

What do you think? My only gripe is that it only comes in two shades – both of which just about suit me, so you can see how narrow the range is. I’m wearing the fairer of the two here, “Fair Light”; the “Light Medium” is just a tad too warm for me. I really hope that they decide to expand the shade range. Apart from the cosmetic appeal of the BB Blur, it’s absolutely brilliant for people with oily or combination skin who want a base that will give them a non-cakey velvet finish. You absolutely do not need to powder over this BB (in fact powder can look a little odd) so it’s the perfect maintenance-free face base.

The key ingredient here (I’ve never heard of this before) is Aircilium, which can absorb up to three times its own weight in oil. It forms a supple, breathable film over the skin that leaves a really smooth surface and helps to keep the skin shine-free throughout the day. This makes the BB Blur a great one for oily teen skin (far better than plastering on a heavy base) or anyone who wants a rather radiant, matte/velvet-finish that won’t need powdering throughout the day.

La Roche-Posay’s BB Blur is exclusive to Escentual.com at the moment, it’s £16.50 here.

*Update: a guide to the shades, by popular request. From left to right, below, we have Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere Velvet in shade 20 (my most-used base), then the Effaclar BB in Fair/Light and finally in Light/Medium. You can tell that the Effaclar shades are very close, though the light/medium is much warmer in tone than the (slightly pinkish) fair/light. Obviously they sheer out a million times more than this, I’ve just swiped it on in a thick layer so that you can see it. If I blended it out, both would be virtually undetectable so the whole exercise would be pointless! Hope this helps somewhat…

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I’ve had total and utter brain-fry this week. It’s the first time that this has happened to me in a serious way, where I can’t seem form proper sentences or kickstart the creative side of my head, and it has not been fun.  Luckily I had my blog posts scheduled, more or less, so I switched off my various bits of technology and tried to take a step back from the internet and de-fry myself.

And I’ve had “body-fry” too, if that’s even a thing – I’ve been quite ill and exhausted and have spent most of the week in bed feeling sorry for myself and trying not to drink too much fizzy Ribena. (Mr AMR started the fizzy Ribena thing off and now it’s become our evening treat. Honestly! You’d think we were both five! And now we’re both completely addicted. It’s very unsophisticated.)

I’ll make an educated guess that the brain-fry and body-fry are linked – I’m so unbelievably tired and can’t seem to get on top of things at the moment. That holiday I was dreaming about a couple of weeks ago? Now would be nice. I don’t even want to go very far. In fact I might just go on holiday in my own house – turn off all forms of communication, order loads of nice food in and pray that the sun comes out and I can sunbathe in the garden. That would be utter bliss. The thought of actually going on holiday, with all of the packing and baby-stuff-sorting and worrying about whether it’s too hot abroad or if the ice cubes are made from tap water or if a scary spider might crawl into the travel cot… I’d need a holiday to recover from the holiday.

Anyway, a video for you – very appropriately, seeing as though I’ve spent the entire week trying to think of things to write and coming up empty, it’s an “Empties” video. I haven’t done one of these in a while, but it’s basically a long ramble about the beauty products I’ve managed to finish off. (Doesn’t happen often when you have so many things to test all of the time, so I save the empty bottles and tubes in a big bag in the bathroom cupboard where they inevitably leak their last drops, go all sticky and get dust and hairs stuck to them.) Some are products that I like, some I’m not fussed about and some are hero products that I’ll definitely be restocking in the near future. Do enjoy – it’s quite a long video, so you may want to watch it as you have breakfast in bed or your late morning coffee! Just a serving suggestion….

I mentioned in last weekend’s Chanel Spring 2015 post that I’d come back to you with my verdict on the Rouge Allure Gloss and it’s a definite yes from me. I’m not a habitual gloss-user; they get on my nerves because even the relatively unsticky types make me feel messy, as though I’ve got jam on my face. And I’m not sure that the glassy, lacquered look is really my thing, either – I’m pretty low-key when it comes to lip finishings and I tend to prefer something low-maintenance (or no-maintenance!) that you can slap on and forget about.

But the Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss? Yes please. Just about as unsticky as a gloss can be, and although it’s very hi-shine, it doesn’t feel particularly demanding in terms of upkeep. You don’t get any of that niggling sensation that things might be sticking to it (crumbs, gnats, all of the dead skin cells from other people that float about in the air) and there’s none of the tell-tale tackiness that starts to happen after a couple of hours when the sheen has gone but the colour remains, all patchy and weird.

Nope, Chanel have got it just right with these. Soft, balmy and plumptious to wear and with a truly excellent amount of pigment. It’s almost like a liquid lipstick, really, rather than a gloss, except more comfortable to wear and a lot more shine. The colour I’m wearing in my moody-face shot above is called “Sensible”, which just about sums it up. It’s a gorgeous everyday shade that goes with everything and anything – it has just the right amount of pink (not too pretty), just the right amount of peachiness (not too orangey) and it gives a chic, polished finish to natural makeup looks. A sensible choice indeed – a solid little makeup investment that you’ll wear again and again.

Some more lip stuff…

The Rouge Allure Gloss comes housed in Chanel’s beautiful clickety-click packaging (I raved about the lipstick version here); it feels so special and luxurious, one of my favourite makeup packaging designs ever. So simple, with its press-down gold button, but so much more decadent-feeling than simply twisting off a lid. A true handbag staple – it should have been in yesterday’s post!

Chanel’s Rouge Allure Gloss is £26 at Selfridges.com

The post A Gloss I Can Love: Chanel Rouge Allure appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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What it is:
An ultra-sheer, skin-saving oil that instantly revives and smooths texture while providing powerful antioxidant protection.

What it is formulated to do:
Progenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil is an all-natural, featherweight formula featuring bakuchiol—nature’s answer to retinol without the negative side effects. It helps repair and refine texture for satiny, flawless-looking skin. Coleus root and organic rosemary extracts, nature’s best purifying ingredients, work to clarify the complexion. A potent botanical complex boosts skin moisture, and virgin, organic, cold-pressed rose hip oil nourishes with omegas 3 and 6 and vitamin C. Antioxidant-rich ingredients provide environmental protection, making this a true lifesaver for everything your skin faces on a day to day basis.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
– Parabens
– Sulfates
– Phthalates

What else you need to know:
This product is formulated without PEGs, TEA, DEA, propylene glycol, petrolatum, synthetic color, synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, and silicones. It is all-natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and safe for women who are pregnant. The fragrance of the product is botanical and all-natural.

Suggested Usage:
-Use daily.
-Gently press two to three drops onto cleansed face and neck.
-For optimal results, layer on top of ProGenius Omega Treatment Milk.

$68.00

As promised, some book recommendations for Christmas. Nice and late for those of you who are about to start panic-buying! None of these are actually “Christmas themed”, but I would tend to steer clear of those novelty, seasonal releases anyway. Some of them are good (I particularly like one that sits in my downstairs loo called Awkward Family Photos) but most of them end up in the “Car Boot Sale Box”. (Come on, we all have one of those, don’t we? I’ve had one for ten years and have never, in that time, attended a car boot sale.) Anyway, watch the video for a bit of book-related chit-chat if you have a spare moment, otherwise all of my suggestions are listed below. Lots of them are available in the larger supermarkets as well as at bookstores, so quite helpful if you’re stuck and need to get last-minute pressies with your grocery shopping, and if you’re not daring to leave the house then Amazon are taking orders until tomorrow night with delivery in time for Christmas Day. Check the guaranteed dates and times before you order, though…

Non-Fiction Winners

Sali Hughes’ Pretty Honest could well be my book of the year. It’s just a treasure trove of beauty know-how with properly helpful tips and inspirational quotes and guidance. Everything from the perfect red lip to the cringe-free bikini wax, it’s money well spent – stockpile for every female friend and relative! £12.50 here. Jamie Oliver’s latest cookery offering, Comfort Food, brings colourful photography and mouthwatering recipes to the table. I love Jamie’s books because they show food that I actually want to cook and eat – he makes it all look easy, and if not easy then at least so enticing that you’re prepared to give it a go. Comfort Food is £12.50 here. My last non-fiction suggestion would be Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes, which is a purse-friendly £7 at the moment. Kerridge just makes me smile with his jolly and enthusiastic manner and this book is stuffed full of recipes that look quite showy but that aren’t too complicated. Find it here.

Books for Men

Or for women, of course, but I’ve said men specifically here because so many of us find it difficult to buy good things for male relatives and friends and these are a pretty safe bet. The Son by Philip Meyer came very highly recommended by my Dad and then I read it and could see why; it’s like an epic Wild West film in book form. Loads of gore, loads of history (think Texas Rangers, Comanche Indians) and little bits of rough and ready “love” (sex in teepees). I seem to have dumbed it down with that description – it’s very high-brow and literary, in actual fact, not at all an easy read. Find it online here. We all know about the Robert Galbraith books, I think? JK Rowling writing under a pseudonym? The Cuckoo’s Calling is the first of these books (there are set to be seven in total I think) and it’s a brilliant whodunnit with an unlikely hero. Nice, easy reading in front of the fire with a glass of brandy – you can find it online here. Finally in this category, Lamentation by CJ Sansom is just excellent. Sansom writes what can only be described as Tudor detective novels. A lawyer, Shardlake, goes about solving various murders and crimes and mysteries and teaches us a bit about English history along the way, I love anything set in the Tudor era and so am blatantly biased, but his Shardlake books are all pageturners with an incredible attention to historic detail. Lamentation is the newest in the series and you can find that here.

My Favourites

I’ve missed out a category here – the Booker Prize picks – but if you want to know about those then have a watch of the video. The books are also listed and linked below the video screen, too. But now to my own personal favourites – I’ve started with a teen/young adult pick because everything else here is distinctly adult. The Fault in Our Stars is a novel I thought I’d hate but it’s so brilliantly written and so moving. I only started it so that I could write about it for this post and thought I’d give it a chapter or two, but I’m halfway through and only started it yesterday afternoon. A great choice for any age group but it’s definitely suitable for teens (older) and young adults. Find it here.

Possibly my best read of the recent few months has been Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, one of the most talented novelists of my generation, I think. She writes about life in Nigeria and I find her words both eye-opening and life-changing, if that doesn’t sound too mad. Take a look at the description of Americanah here – it is so worth reading if you’re looking for intelligent and thought-provoking literature. Finally, The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton – again, a bit of suspense and mystery within a historical setting. I’m not embarrassed to admit that parts of this novel scared the life out of me, but only because I was home alone. Ahem. Find it online here. (NB: I don’t know why The Book Thief is in this photograph, it was supposed to be The Fault in Our Stars, but it is supposed to be excellent, so there’s a bonus suggestion for you!)

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