Category Archives: beauty look

1) New hair – I’m a new woman! Blonder, a bit shorter, perfect for a bit of a springtime lift. Many thanks to Nicola Clarke and Andreas Wild at John Frieda for a superb job – I must get myself some of the Sea Waves sea salt spray (here) that Andreas spritzed through my hair before drying it. The whole textured, shaggy look really sets off the blonde highlights and makes everything look beachy and beautiful! I went to the John Frieda salon in Mayfair – you can find all salon details here.

2) Naughty Bear: Mr Bear is wreaking havoc at my parents’ house! I’ve had to order a cat tree with scratching posts to stop him attacking their leather chair and headboard and John Lewis rug. (Reported to me in that order. Also he broke a glass fruit bowl by jumping in it, and smashed two bottles of beer that my brother had been saving for his relaxing weekend drink!) Naughty, naughty Bear. Oh, how I miss him. I’m counting down the weeks! (If you’ve missed my recent updates, he’s at my parents’ because our holiday let we’re staying in doesn’t allow cats.)

Read previous episodes of the Sunday Tittle Tattle…

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I posted the first of my Christmas Gift Guides on Friday – this year I’m only doing two videos, one for smaller presents and one for larger or more luxurious offerings. There will be, of course, the annual candle video and I have a Christmas Decorations video coming up too, and if I see some particularly lovely additional things I will write about them here on the website as and when I find them. This video is for smaller or more affordable presents – please scroll down for a list of all of the products and links. If you can’t see the video screen then click here to watch on Youtube.

(PS sorry for the brevity of this post and also the absence of a post earlier today; Dexter the dog is still in hospital and I’m very down in the dumps. It takes a lot for me not to post, as you probably know!)

Keep Calm and Shop: http://www.keepcalmandshop.com – sorry, more stuff to be added soon!

I am wearing a Christmas Jumper from ASOS: http://tidd.ly/fab891b3

Q&A 5 Year Journal £10.49 here: http://goo.gl/v1zZ6e

Couvent des Minimes Set, £10: http://tidd.ly/20e78b8b

Weleda Lavender Set, £16.95: http://tidd.ly/d0025024 or bath milk on its own, £11.85: http://goo.gl/D7kGIW

Penguin Postcards 100 Box, £10.49: http://goo.gl/KLXYRW

RoomMates Decal Wall Stickers: http://goo.gl/T0pSMC

Zoella Guinea Pig Toiletries Bag, £8: http://tidd.ly/11217c45

Lush Bathbomb Wrap – I think you buy the wrap and then a ballistic of your choice: https://www.lush.co.uk/products/knot-…

House of Holland Nails, £7.20 with code CYBERWKND20: http://tidd.ly/b5bb6cf1

Christmas Jumper Nails, £6.40 with code CYBERWKND20: http://tidd.ly/b3a9e689

B&Q Christmas Decorations: http://www.diy.com/departments/multic…

ASOS Snowman Slipper Socks: £8 with code CYBERWKND20: http://tidd.ly/e92cdf99

ASOS Owl Hot Water Bottle & Cover, £10 with code CYBERWKND20: http://tidd.ly/b1d33928

Hush Rose & Cassis Candle, £12: http://tidd.ly/6fa642e0

Faust’s Potions for Discerning Night Owls, £5.99: http://goo.gl/m4pNZi

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We’ve spent years learning which brushes are for blush and which are foundation, what works best for contouring and what’s the ultimate for all-over glow. With all that effort, we’re definitely committed to putting in the time to keep them in perfect condition. But is anyone else totally tired of breaking the bank on brush cleansers!? Especially since experts recommend you clean them once every week. We thought: there MUST be DIY brush-cleaning methods that are just as (or more!) effective than store-bought brush cleaners, right!? Since we’re total suckers for DIY, we did some investigating & found a few methods using products already in our bathroom & kitchen cabinets!

Our ultimate clean-brush approach uses coconut oil (we are SO on the coconut oil train: hello, ultra-soft hair!) to gently, and naturally, clean your brushes. You simply melt about 2 tbsp of coconut oil in the microwave (appx. 30 seconds) and then gently swirl your brush around in it. Once the brush has been fully coated in the oil, blot on a paper towel to remove product. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of product that comes off—if you use your brushes as much as we do, it’s normal! Once you’re done blotting, run under lukewarm water until the oil has completely washed off. If you’re having trouble getting all of the coconut oil off with just water, lightly run the bristles over a bar of soap.  Once the coconut oil is completely rinsed out of the brush, reshape and lay flat on a paper towel to dry.

It will take a few hours for your brushes to dry, so make sure you do this AFTER applying your makeup for the day! It’s also important to be careful not to get the handle of the brush wet, because it can cause it to expand and loosen the bristles. You can also substitute coconut oil for a simple bar of soap, or baby shampoo mixed with warm water.

So, are you planning on breaking up with your brush cleanser, too?

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Some gorgeous, soothing moisturisers for skin that’s on the dry or sensitive side or that’s beginning to feel the effects of the slightly cooler weather. All of the face creams and lotions above are very calming, I find, and though they each vary in their density and richness, the final results are the same; happy, moisturised skin that feels fully guarded against the Autumn chill. They are brilliant moisturisers all year round, of course, it’s just that a couple are a little too rich for my summertime skin and so I’ve been waiting for October so that I could write about them with renewed experience and full enthusiasm and vigour! If you have sensitive, dry, flaky skin that simply won’t behave, these are all your friend, all of the time. I tend to use them (as I don’t have particularly dry or sensitive skin) when I’ve been doing a makeup shoot and my skin is feeling raw and irritated; makeup off, a quick spritz of something lovely, just for the soul (usually it’s Queen of Hungary Mist or the Spray-On Moisture from This Works) and on with a big layer of soothing moisturiser. I leave that on overnight – obviously you don’t have to go overboard with the application, you don’t want to end up with more on your pillow than you have on your face!

Pai’s Chamomile & Rosehip Calming Day Cream is a dream product for sensitive skin. Pai specialise in creating skin care that can be used by the most temperamental and needy of faces; they list every tiny ingredient so that you can spot anything your skin might not agree with (not that it’s likely,  with everything so very nicely formulated) and they have quite comprehensive product guides and interesting blog posts to help you find the right routine. Their Calming Day Cream does exactly that; the rosehip helps to repair and the chamomile and other ingredients help to reduce redness and irritation. It’s nourishing and hydrating without sitting too heavily on the skin, there’s no residue and very little in the way of scent. £32 at Pai Skincare.

More skincare for sensitive skin….

MV Organic Skincare’s Rose Soothing Protective Moisturiser is an interesting one; it feels very light in comparison to the others – it doesn’t have that “plumptious” kind of feel – but it’s very effective as a moisturiser and it’s a joy to use. High quality organic oils together with Vitamin E make this a great skin healer if you feel you’ve overdone it with your exfoliating regime or your skin is wind-battered and sore. I find that this one is the best choice for my combination skin – it’s not at all rich – but you could mix it with one of MV’s Boosters if you wanted extra moisturising power. Ironically, it’s the one best suited for my own needs but it also happens to be the priciest! It’s £70 at Cult Beauty, but you do get a whopping 70ml, so the cost for comparison would be £50 for 50ml (genius, me) and you can also get a little 15ml travel size for £22.

The Calendula & Rose Damask Moisturiser from Elemental Herbology is just ever so slightly on the rich side for my skin on a normal day, but I slather it on if I’ve been travelling or my skin is feeling particularly dry. I’m careful with it because it contains shea butter, and every now and then shea butter makes my skin produce monstrous spots, but it’s a gorgeous cream. Heavier than both options above and containing patented ingredient complexes to help with redness and sensitive skin protection. You can add it to your ASOS order here – it’s £37 for 50ml.

More moisturiser reviews….

Finally, the Coconut & Roses Face Cream from Suti. Suti’s skincare is based around the idea of energy healing; the ingredients are selected for their energetic qualities as well as their skin-enhancing ones. In this case Rose, Queen of Flowers, has been selected not only for skincare benefits but for the “power to refresh soul, mind and spirit”; then there’s Coconut to protect the skin and Date Seed Extract for its anti-wrinkle and antioxidant effects. The idea behind the cream is honour; to honour the “divine feminine within”. Not everyone’s cup of tea, the more holistic side of things, but this is a thoughtfully put together cream and out of all of the four, it’s the richest if you have very dry skin. £47 at sutiskincare.com

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