New on the Chic and Sleek Makeup Scene: Delilah Cosmetics

stiletto lipstick

A new makeup brand that could prove to be rather irresistible; Delilah Cosmetics. Chic, heavy packaging, wearable, flattering shades and beautiful textures that sit lightly on the skin but that still manage to do a brilliant job of enhancing features and adding the odd splash of colour. I have tried the bronzer (excellent), blush (also excellent), lipsticks (I was raving about Tango only last week) and eyeliner pens. All of them do what they say on the tin, and do it well.

matte bronzer

And what a tin! Look at that gorgeous detailing around the edge of the bronzer compact – it’s so sophisticated and actually feels far, far more expensive than some of the very premium ranges I could mention. There’s no shoddy “slap on a metal effect trim” for these palettes and lipsticks, it’s all hefty materials and smooth-touch finishes with securely-fastened mirrors and lids that don’t feel as though they might snap off after two uses.

powder blush

I love that the blushes and bronzers come in their sweet velvet pouches as well as being folded carefully into pretty cardboard cases with an outer sleeve, it’s like unwrapping a little present. And I’m so pleased that the products inside actually live up to the window dressing – the eyeshadows that I tried didn’t have the most intense pay-off I’ve tried, but they were silky-smooth to apply and everything else was more or less faultless. Smooth, velvety eyeliner that stayed put all day, vibrant lipstick that didn’t dry out my already chapped lips…

kabuki foundation

I’ve heard great things about the skin products (base, primer, concealer etc) so I’ll report back with my findings on those when I get a chance to give them a go – until then, you can find the whole collection online. If you’d like to see Tango in action then take a look at this post – if it’s the bronzer in Light Medium, blush in Lullaby and gel liner in Plum that you’re interested in then I’m wearing those in the photograph below.

ruth crilly

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Suti Skincare’s Special Mother’s Day Giveaway

suti skincare

Wonderful British beauty brand Suti have come up with a brilliant – and very generous – giveaway for readers of A Model Recommends. Three readers will win a gorgeous prize for their Mum to surprise them with on Mother’s Day; two will receive a full set of beautiful, organic skincare products and one lucky lady will win a facial with the very talented Suti founder, Suzannah Jenkins. Suzannah is a highly qualified therapist in complementary medicine and works with Reiki, Homeopathy, Crystal Healing and Reflexology amongst other techniques. Every time I’ve met Suzannah she’s given me a little impromptu arm and hand massage and I have to say that she has an incredibly soothing and calming touch. I can imagine that a facial with her would be so much more than a facial – more of an all-round holistic MOT!

suti skincare

The products in the organic skincare sets are as follows: the Honour CreamRejuvenate Facial Oil, Nourish Facial Oil, Cleanse Balm, Purity Balm, Fabulous Foot Balm, Rose Water and the Peppermint Water. All of them utterly delicious. I can imagine that it will be very hard to give them away, which is why they’ll be sent straight to your Mums and not to you!

suti skincare

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment, remembering to enter your email address where prompted, and tell me one thing that’s amazing about your Mum. It can be something profound, something soppy, something silly… For example, “my Mum is amazing because she can sense when I’m down and ring me up at just the right time.” There you go – get to it, tell me about your Mum! UK readers only, for this one, due to the fact that Mother’s Day is drawing near and the packages will be heavy, and also please bear in mind that Suzannah is based in London for the facial. If travel isn’t possible (expenses aren’t part of the prize!) then please say so in your comment, perhaps marking it “product only” or something similar.

You have until noon on Thursday to enter, prizes will be sent out the following day. Good luck!

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Soft Balm, Women’s Day and Mr Bear’s Vacation…

burkina faso chairty

1) If there’s one thing that beauty brand l’Occitane does very well indeed (there are loads of things, but that ruins my sentence) then it’s shea. Shea butter in hand creams, foot creams, face creams – even cleansers and toners and serums. If you need a proper hit of something rich and nourishing on your skin, then l’Occitane’s shea things always seem to do the trick. The founder of l’Occitane, Olivier Baussan, first used shea in his products after visiting Burkina Faso in the early eighties; since then the brand has built up a special relationship with the women there, providing ongoing financial support with a focus on education programs and literacy schemes. In celebration of Women’s Day, l’Occitane have launched the new Ultra Soft Balm; a gorgeous, apricot-scented moisturiser that has been formulated with 96% shea butter. It’s a proper little multi-purpose number for lips, dry patches, cuticles and hair and 100% of the profits from each sale go to non-profit groups that promote women’s entrepreneurship in Africa. The Ultra Soft Balm costs £4 – you can find it here online.

mr bear

2) Mr Bear is going on a little holiday. I said vacation in the title, but that was only because I didn’t want two “days” in a row – it was a style decision. I can’t write too much about it because I am so sad, but basically we couldn’t find a short-term let that allowed cats (but they all allow dogs! Bizarre!) and so he is going for an eight-week retreat at my parents’ house. He will have an amazing time, because my Mum seems to have the energy of a six year-old when it comes to playing with the cat and devises all kinds of games and ways to tease him. But I’m still very sad. Even though he sleeps for approximately 99.99% of the time, he’s the best companion ever and when he comes to jump on my desk at the end of a work day it is my most favourite moment. Hopefully he won’t forget me…

mr bear the cat

Read all of the Sunday Tittle Tattle posts…

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