Category Archives: beauty look

Weekly Window Shop: Beat The Heat

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best floaty dresses

Sod’s law says it’ll be raining and miserable when this post publishes, but it’s always good to be prepared, so if you want to be cool as a cucumber next time a heatwave hits then take a look at the following bits and pieces. Floaty dresses that won’t cling to your skin and some beauty saviours that truly rescue your complexion when the temperatures soar…

miss selfridge summer dress

Let’s start with my pick of the week, shall we? Or should I say @AMR_Rach’s pick of the week, because she found it and emailed it with an “oh my GOD look at this” note attached. The Nude Bow Tie dress from Miss Selfridge – perfect in every way. Great colour, gorgeous cut and – the best part – it’s in the sale! All sizes available at time of typing. It’s down to £42.

omorovicza queen of hungary mist

A switch to beauty and Omorovicza’s Queen of Hungary Mist: my answer to virtually every situation, when the heat is on. Feeling faint? Spritz this around as though you’re some sort of Victorian lady having a “moment”. Makeup looking dry and and cakey? Mist some QoH over your face for instant dewiness. It’s a spa in a bottle – the most incredible scent and a cooling, refreshing effect on the skin. The limited edition handbag size is available this summer for £25.

hush mandalay dress

Back to dresses and a true summer staple – the Mandalay dress from Hush. I’m sure I’ve featured this before, but the swathes of fresh white cotton and pretty embroidered bodice are just to gorgeous to miss. This dress is also in the sale – £45 – at Hush.

fresh rose face mask

Fresh’s Rose Face Mask is one of the most refreshing masks I have ever tried. I’ve been using it for around six or seven months now and it’s a proper treat – I like to think of it as my “toning mask” and I tend to slather it on after cleansing and before using any sort of heavy-duty moisturising stuff. Real rose petals in a light, rose-jelly gel that doesn’t set or dry but stays cool and juicy and makes your face feel thoroughly rehydrated. This is great for hot, tired skin. Find it at Harrods – it’s £47 but you get a whopping great pot and don’t need to use too much at a time..

hm embroidered white dress

Oh I do very much like this floaty embroidered dress from H&M – how did I miss this when I popped in yesterday? I think a return visit is in order. You need to look at it on the H&M page from all angles to truly appreciate how comfy and flattering this is, it’s a true “bung it on and waft around like a celebrity who’s been on a yoga retreat” sort of affair. £39.99 online.

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Elemental Herbology: The Eye Elixir

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Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir Review

I know that most of the time, if we’re choosing an eye cream to wear beneath makeup we want a formula that sinks in nicely and doesn’t leave a slippery residue. We want a cream that will disappear but leave the skin smooth and soft, plump out creases so that makeup doesn’t sit in the lines and – ultimately – prime the eye area so that it feels comfortable but firmer and refreshed. (Quite a big ask, when you think about it!)

But over the past six months or so, I have felt the need for something much more moisturising around my eyes – they have often felt dry and tired and I haven’t really enjoyed so much the feeling of a “refreshing” gel or “cooling” roll-on. I’ve felt a distinct beauty yearning for a very rich formula with a nourishing feel, something to wear on days off when I’m not really that fussed about prepping for makeup. Though the Eye Elixir from Elemental Herbology does, in fact, sit perfectly well underneath makeup, it has a really gorgeous long-lasting moisturising effect that feels comforting and protective. I know that “residue” isn’t usually seen as a positive thing, but sometimes I feel as though I want that layer left over, almost like a protective barrier.

And so I like the Eye Elixir because it feels so rich and nourishing, but actually the texture is quite lightweight and refreshing. There’s no heaviness to it at all – sometimes with a rich cream, you can feel as though the moisture is collecting in your eye bags! – it’s sort of energising, really, rather like one of those metal-ball-rollers, except without the extreme cooling effect.

I feel as though you get the best of both worlds with this one – long-lasting, rich moisturisation but with a light, almost delicate feel. It’s not the cheapest eye cream out there, but neither is it anywhere near the price of some of the luxury creams I’ve tried that have disappeared after an hour, leaving my eye area as crepey and baggy-feeling as it was to start with..

Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir Review

The only thing I don’t like so much is that because it takes a little while to sink in – you get a bit of white residue on the skin – it’s not ideal if you’re really rushing to do your makeup. But I’ve addressed that already, I suppose, and I’ve said that I like the residue, so I can’t have things both ways. No other gripes whatsoever, I’ve ploughed through this and it’s not often I stick with an eye cream until the end. I like the fact that it’s packaged in a pump and I don’t have to take off the lid from a pot or tube – it’s a true one-handed product, just press down on the top and out comes the eye cream. I sort of wish all eye creams were packaged like this. Clean, convenient and easy to cart about, they’ve even managed to keep it quite streamlined and non-bulky – I have eye things in similar packaging that are over twice this size for the same 15ml!

More eye cream reviews…

The blurb-bumf says that this elixir has a “botox-like effect” from its plant-based anti-aging ingredient and L-Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to stimulate collagen production and protect against UVB and UVA damage. There’s also a gentle astringent to firm the skin, powerful peptides to help with eye bags, Hematite (?) and Kombuchka (??) to restore tone and radiance, Blue Green Algae to help smooth and re-densify the skin and Macadamia Nut Oil, Aloe Vera, Yerba Santa, Rose Water and Lavender Oil nourish, soften and soothe the delicate eye region. Bloody hell. It’s not shy on things it can do, is it?

You can find the Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir at FeelUnique here, it’s £43. If you’re after a similarly rich-but-not-heavy eye moisturiser with a lighter price tag then take a look at my review of the Aveda Botanical Kinetics eye cream here. And for a lighter-lighter price tag, fear not: I’m on it. Testing in progress.

The post Elemental Herbology: The Eye Elixir appeared first on A Model Recommends.

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BBB Beauty Box III

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This time, I’ve teamed up with Latest In Beauty for The BBB Dream Box – number three in the BBB Beauty Box Line-up. I remember doing the first one and said I’d never do another! But, here we are… all 15 of the products are described in the video above, but if you’re in a rush or you just want to cut to the chase, the list of products is below.

I’ve selected fifteen amazing, and more importantly, effective, beauty products that I hope you’re going to have fun trying
out. Some brands are trusted friends, others are very welcome new discoveries, but each and every one of them brings something pleasurable to the beauty party and all have been tried and tested by me. The box is worth over £100 (we didn’t even have room for tissue paper this time!). Inside the box, you’ll also find offers from the brands as well as more information about why they’re the perfect choice for the BBB Beauty Box.

BBBBeautyBoxIII

I hope you enjoy The Dream Box – the third BBB Beauty Box – this time with Latest in Beauty – and all feedback is positively welcomed and encouraged. The link below bypasses the member log-in on Latest in Beauty, but I’d encourage you to join anyway if you’re a beauty box fan. It’s what they do!

Box Link: http://bit.ly/1qRJzFO

BBB/LIB Box is £19.95 (including postage)

Inside the box:

Benefit It’s Potent Eye Cream 3.0g (RRP £4.90)
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Full Size (RRP £19)
Elemis Treat Your Feet 20ml (£5.60)
L’Occitane Lotion Divine 50ml (£10)
Essie Spring Collection Nail Lacquer Full Size in 5 variants (RRP £7.99)
Ren Satin Perfection BB Cream 3ml (RRP £1.56)
Charlotte Tilbury Kiss (1 of 3 shades) (RRP N/A)
La Roche-Posay Eau Thermal 50ml (RRP £3.50)
Roger & Gallet Gingimbre Rouge 1.5ml (80p)
Janjira Art of Siam Hand Wash 50ml in two variants (RRP £3.50)
Lola Kabuki Brush (RRP £19)
Makeup Revolution Palette Full Size in 3 variants (RRP £4)
Bourjois Creme Blush Full Size in 2 variants (RRP £7.99)
KNEIPP Herbal Bath Full Size in 2 variants 100ml (RRP £7.95)
Bee Good Honey & Wild Water Mint Cleansing Water Full Size 100ml (RRP £10)
Postage Details: Postage is free and available to UK and Northern Ireland. We are not able to ship internationally. If you are Ireland based, don’t forget ParcelMotel.

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Giorgio Armani Bright Ribbon Collection

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Giorgio Armani Bright Ribbon

The Giorgio Armani Bright Ribbon Collection is an unexpected mid-season capsule of six new shades for lips and six new shades for nails. It’s a mix of pastel and bright juicy shades that are really summery and fresh. Created for Giorgio Armani by Linda Cantello, inspiration is a summer garden. Above, from bottom clockwise: Coral 305, Coral 306, Plum 603 and Pink 509.

Bright Ribbon Swatch

As you can see, they’re sheer with a lovely sheen to them without being high gloss.

Bright Ribbon Nails

Nails are again a mix of brights and pastels – that creamy orange (501) is calling my name! My sample boxes are only numbered, not named so starting with pink and going clockwise: 300, 500 and 706.

The Giorgio Armani Bright Ribbon Collection launches this month so keep your eyes peeled for a splash of summer.

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The Luxe Hair Fragrance with a Touch of Shine

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luxe shine spray

My Colab Luxe Shine hair fragrance is out! Sorry for the delay, I think I was slightly premature with my excitement when I started doing a song and a dance about it a few weeks ago. But you can now find it at both Superdrug and Feelunique – it’s £4.99 for a 200ml can (£3.99 at Superdrug at the moment) and if you love dark and oudy fragrances then this will be right up your street. There are notes of Bergamot, Oud and Cashmere so it’s a really warm and sexy scent – grown-up rather than girly, woody rather than sweet.

There’s a light sheeny shine from this fragrance spray thanks to the precious oils in the formula – it’s perfect for adding just a touch of gloss to finished hairstyles. It’s very lightweight, so great for fine hair (like mine) that can easily be overwhelmed with heavy glossing products, but do still tread carefully – a little goes a long way, so start with a spritz and build up if you feel you need more. I like to use my fingertips to work the spray through the lengths and ends, it gives my hair a kind of piecey definition that looks very casual and undone. It’s also quite brilliant for spraying down the length of a ponytail to give it some gleam.

If you want to see the spray in action, check out my September Favourites video. It’ll be making another appearance very soon, I’m planning quite a glamorous video using the Dolce & Gabbana AW15 makeup collection and I want my hair to look supremely amazing.

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