Category Archives: beauty look

A slick of luxurious tinted balm on the lips seems to be my makeup “thing” at the moment. Perhaps because I look a bit tired and washed out au naturel, but also – and this is probably more to the point – because it makes me feel as though I’ve made a bit of an effort when I have made absolutely no effort whatsoever.

I like the juicy, plumping effect of a tinted balm; not quite the optical illusion of lip fullness that a good gloss can give, but definitely more pillowy than a velvet finish lipstick. Or – God forbid, if you’re after a cheeky bit of faked volume – a pigment-fuelled matte.

Laura Mercier’s Lip Parfait in Rive Gauche is a beautiful nude, just slightly warmer than my natural lip colour. I have done a before and after comparison because it is so natural – sort of a “my lips but a bit nicer” shade  – and you might just think what the hell, she’s not wearing any lipstick! if I don’t show you my bloodless, three-hours-a-night-sleep “before” lips. Here you go:

Just a hint of sheen, an evenness to the tone and a juicy, moisturising texture. This kind of product is never going to be the kingpin in a makeup look – it’s more of a background player – but it is sophisticated and foolproof. If you’re looking for a bit more colour but the same kind of hydrating, plumptious texture then take a look at the By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Balm I wrote about recently. I’ve been alternating between the two. If you have dry lips and want to wear colour or need to create the illusion of slightly fuller lips without resorting to a gloss (most glosses drive me mad) then tinted balms are a great option.

Laura Mercier’s Lip Parfait in Rive Gauche is £19.50 at John Lewis.

I’m usually reluctant to recommend things based primarily on the strength of their wonderful scent – unless it’s perfume, obviously – but I absolutely can’t get enough of these Elemis delights. The Jasmine and Rose Milk Bath, the Monoi Body Cream and the Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser have been firmly placed in prime bath-ledge position for the past month or so. All of them transport me to warmer, more relaxed places (I’m thinking some kind of villa-on-stilts in the Maldives, the ones that are too expensive for most of the world’s population to afford and so only really get used when a B-lister wants to do an OK “weight loss” bikini shoot) and they add a real touch of spa luxury to bathtime proceedings.

I have been meaning to write about the bath milk for ages – it’s properly lovely, adding loads of scent to the bathwater even if you only use a capful or so. It’s great. Very exotic. Following the bath with a slathering of Frangipani Monoi Body Cream just tops everything off – if you’ve ever tried the weird solid-oil version in the Aladdin’s Cave-style bottle and hated the formula but loved the scent… well. This will be like a gift from the Gods! It’s sumptuous, plumptious and very softening, but really, it’s the smell that keeps me coming back. Tropical paradise.

Last on my little list, the Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser. In terms of its actual purpose, which is to cleanse, I don’t like it as much as the Elemis cleansing balm. It’s flimsier and less enjoyable to massage in and I’m not sure that it removes makeup and dirt as effectively. But the smell!  I’m not hugely enamoured with skincare that has loads of fragrance added, but I’m hoping that some of the delicious scent here comes from the natural oils in the formula. Either way, it’s an addictive little number and the shea butter base makes for a comfortable, non-skin-stripping experience.

The cleanser isn’t out until January, but the Body Cream (£24) and Bath Milk (£42 for a whopping great big bottle, not the size shown above) are available at TimetoSpa.co.uk. At the moment they have a gift with purchase running that is worth £90, you get that free if you spend over £50. I also noticed that new customers (I’ve never shopped there before, so I had an on-screen thing pop up!) get 15% off if they subscribe to the newsletter. (You have to weigh up the pros and cons on that one – 15% discount and running the risk of receiving hourly pointless email bulletins, or just pay the extra? I often regret signing up for these things!)

*UPDATE: on LookFantastic they have a Monoi gift set with products worth £54.50, and at the moment it’s priced at £28.80. Worth a look if you love the Monoi! It’s online here with free delivery.

The post Nice Elemis Smells. appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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It feels like just yesterday we were saying we couldn’t believe that May had already started—and now we can’t believe that it’s almost over! The clock is running out to participate in the Bold is Beautiful Project, so make sure you get those brows on point before June 1st! During the entire month of May, we’re giving back 100% of the proceeds from brow waxes at Benefit boutiques & Macy’s BrowBars to charities that help empower women & girls through education & mentorship. We hand picked four fabulous non-profits, and today, we’re introducing you to the fourth: Dress for Success!

Dress for Success’ mission is to give disadvantaged women the professional attire and support they need to thrive. It’s simple but impactful—they have been providing women aged 18-60 the tools & support that they need to be successful in the professional world since 1997.

The vision that they have is twofold: to see every woman succeeding & clothing women with hope from head to toe. It’s that simple, and no one knows better than a Benebabe that when you look your best, you feel your best. Dress for Success helps women to feel their best and walk into job interviews and other professional settings with fearless confidence.

So, Benebabes—time is almost up! Get yourselves to a Macy’s BrowBar or Benefit boutique for a wax NOW—give a brow to support a gal!

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I’ve filmed a new fragrance video but parts of it are so incredibly random and silly that I thought I’d do a written accompaniment. I basically came up with this stupid idea that I’d try and describe each of the perfumes using only two words, but things just got out of hand. One fragrance ended up with “Cosy Pyjamas” as a description, another one “Deadly Flowers”. Give it a watch if you want to spend ten minutes in a sort of alternate reality where nothing much makes sense. (Also have a look if you’d like a peek at the littlest member of the AMR Family. She makes a very brief appearance.)

I tend to be a bit slack when it comes to fragrance reviewing, mainly because the new launches are constant and I find it all a bit overwhelming. It’s also quite difficult to talk about scent when it’s such a personal and subjective matter – my take on a perfume might be completely different to yours. But I’m going to try and do a fragrance roundup on a more regular basis, if people find it interesting or useful? The video might be a bit crazy and rambling but I did quite enjoy filming it!

There are six fragrances altogether – I’ve listed them below the video screen with a little summary of my thoughts. If you’d like to read previous fragrance reviews then you can find them all here.

The first perfume is Michael Kors’ 24K Brilliant Gold – online here. My least favourite of the bunch because it’s just a bit too top-heavy for me and I don’t get enough of the fruitiness to balance out the florals. I find it a bit suffocating!

Ironically, I really like the Rose Gold version but after I took the photograph I went and packed it away, thinking that I would like the Brilliant Gold more. Never judge a book by its cover. Or perfume by its box.

Talking of boxes, I went in and did the same thing straight away with Modern Muse Le Rouge from Estée Lauder. Judged it by its box. Which is red. And red is possibly my least favourite colour. I very rarely wear red clothing, or buy red accessories, or have anything in my home that is red. I’ve never had a red car. I do wear red lipstick and am partial, now and then, to a bit of red polish on my nails, but overall I am a red-free zone. Which is why it surprised me that I liked Le Rouge so much – a sexy, spicy little rose number that’s rather sophisticated and grown-up. Velvety and smooth, peppery and dark, if it was a lady then she’d breakfast at Claridges and wear La Perla lingerie. You can find it online here.

Gucci Bamboo isn’t masculine, per se, but it’s got that edginess that makes it a world away from being girly or “nice”. In the advert the model does loads of adventurous things like – er – driving a car and – er – playing the piano naked, but ignore all of that and you have a fragrance that’s seductive and delicious. Bit of the old favourite orange blossom at the top and then some lovely warm and woody notes at the bottom. Sandalwood, amber, vanilla. Bring it on, sex bomb. You can find it online here.

If you’re a regular reader then you’ll already know that I like the new Daisy Dream Forever from Marc Jacobs. To save me repeating myself, you can read the full review here. To me, it’s early nights, cosy pyjamas and a hot chocolate on bonfire night.

And to my favourite new launch; Clinique’s Aromatics In Black. What a treat! So heady that it’s almost cloying, so mind-transporting that I have to be careful how much I spray. This is heavy on the jasmine, which I would usually hate, but the blend with other notes (including myrhh and vetiver) is so clever that I just want to smell it again and again. If you’re passing Harrods then stop and have a spray – you can also find it online here.

Tom Ford’s Noir Pour Femme was a close second at the start of last week, but it was (possibly) overtaken by Lauder’s Le Rouge, mainly because dark and dirty rose scents seem to just do it for me. Noir Pour Femme is gorgeous – smoky and woody, as you’d expect from Tom Ford, but also with a kind of smooth softness. Teetering, as always, on the masculine side, but a lot more feminine and (I think) wearable than many of the private blend perfumes. You can find Noir online here.

Finally, Miu Miu by Miu Miu. (It’s new new. Ha.) Quirky and cute, this perfume became more and more interesting over time. To me, it’s like a light-hearted little peach fizz, but there’s no mention of peach in the notes. Fresh and light, but there are some more serious and deep notes too. I’ve really tried to like this enough to wear it, but although I find it interesting, it just doesn’t sit well on my skin. Perhaps it’s the focus on lilies – I’m not that good with lilies. Maybe because they’re toxic to cats and I hold it against them? I don’t know. You can find Miu Miu online here.

Right – that turned into a mammoth post! Let me know your fragrant thoughts in the comments below – I’d especially welcome any opinions on the Aromatics in Black, because I’m just head over heels in love with that one.

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Juku Nail Wraps

Juku Nail Wraps are definitely next generation wraps. Now that I’ve got my hands on them – or rather, got them on my hands – I can see that they’re a texture like no other I’ve experienced. Bottom line is that the formula of the wraps is so ultra flexible, it’s almost impossible to get them wrong or end up with creases.

Juko

I’ve got a random selection on my nails but loving the nude and the slightly fluro pink – they have such a high shine to them that I wouldn’t imagine anyone could know these are wraps and not polish. Super-super impressive find from ASOS Market Place – perfect for quick nails on the go; it took less than 3 minutes for me to apply these. You can use them over nail polish if you want to, and because they’re made of solid polish (I don’t know!! Don’t even ask me how that’s done) they’ll dissolve with remover, although I found peeling them away very easy.

A couple of tips for using: Juku Nail Wraps are very, very flexible, so need to be treated more gently than regular wraps. Do give them a proper stretch over the tip of the nail before filing off, and make sure you have no oil on your nails (use some polish remover before applying to get a really adhesive finish). Massive recommend from me for anyone who needs a quick nail look turnaround.

Juko Nail Wraps start at £5 HERE.

The post Juku Nail Wraps At ASOS Marketplace appeared first on British Beauty Blogger.

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