I’ve said many times that we’re short on decent mid-price body care in the UK, and just as I was saying it yet again, up pops Prismologie Body Care to neatly fill a gap. However, it’s not a straightforward range … Read more
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Sorry if I’ve seemingly gone a little bit M&S crazy – I’ve been popping in there more frequently since I moved into my temporary barn because there’s a massive superstore not too far from me. I say not too far: everything is far from here, including anything remotely resembling phone reception, but the M&S is around fifteen minutes away by car, so. Bonus. It’s the small things in life that must thrill me, now I’m sans telephone. Gone are the days of lengthy phone-sex sessions and prank-calling 0800 numbers. (Joke.)
Vests! My search for the perfect – or near-perfect – vest has been simmering away for some years, now, and was stoked into a bit of a frenzy once I became pregnant, because I just wanted a soft, stretchy vest that didn’t cling too much but that also had a nice shape. When I wasn’t pregnant, I wanted a vest that didn’t cling around the tummy area but that looked good on the boobs; now that the bump is a-growing I want pretty much exactly the same thing, although I’m entirely aware that whatever I buy is going to cling to my tummy area.
Anyway, I think I’ve found quite a nice little vest in the lingerie department at Marks and Spencer: it’s the Ribbed Lace Trim Vest and it comes in four colours. I bought the lavender grey first of all (above*), but returned today and grabbed a black one, too. (It is jet black, despite looking slightly navy in my photos.) The ribbed texture is very flattering – and I always think it looks more expensive than just the plain, flat cotton or jersey – and the shoulder straps are wide enough to conceal bra straps, which is important. It’s not too low-cut, has ample room for the tummy yet still seems to be nicely respectful of the old contours and curves. ie, it doesn’t make your boobs look crap and it doesn’t hug onto love handles.
Not bad for seven pounds fifty – it’s turned out to be a bit of a wardrobe hero, really. The perfect staple for layering; soft, lightweight, long-length so that it covers hips and the lower back… God, I sound about eighty! But a longer length is important, isn’t it? Who wants half their bottom on show whenever they make the slightest move? Not I! In these days of cropped everything and vest tops cut for teens with Abercrombie-esque figures, I welcome the longer length top! I like the lace detail, but would send out a small plea to the people at M&S to consider a plain-edged ribbed version too – just for that sportier, more modern look. I would buy it in every colour.
Marks and Spencer Vest, £7.50 at Marks and Spencer here.
*photo taken the other day, so 27 weeks + 4 days pregnant. If you want to see me from the side (and you seriously can’t miss me) then hop on over to my pregnancy blog, The Uphill.
The post Unlikely Wardrobe Hero: The Marks and Spencer Vest appeared first on A Model Recommends.
I know that I’ve gone on about this five year journal loads, but I just want to say one more thing before I shut up about it forever: it is so brilliant! For those who have missed my past raves and know nothing about it, each page inside the journal has the date and a question, and you answer that same question for five years in a row. So 365 pages, 365 questions and five gaps on each page so that as the years go by, you gradually fill up all of the space. What I love so much about it, now that I am into the second year, is that you can look back and see exactly what you wrote the year before, and sometimes it’s quite eye-opening to see how much you’ve changed in such a short space of time.
The questions are sometimes rather profound, sometimes silly, but I suppose it’s all in the way you answer them. At any rate, you only get a few lines to write on so it’s not as though you can go into any great detail. But it’s an interesting exercise, trying to condense your thoughts and feelings into such a small amount of space and perfect for those who hate the idea of writing a proper, lengthy journal. It’s like a little snapshot into your mind and life at that particular moment.
Take this genuine example from my own Q&A journal – it’s kind of ridiculous, but I like the fact that I can remember exactly the moment I wrote the entry last year and how I thought to myself, I’ll read that back and think about how silly I was:
8th January: What song is stuck in your head?
2014: Right now, but it’s only just popped in, it’s The Sound of Silence. I am singing it to the cat, but have changed words to Hello Monkey my old friend, you’ll be there until the end.
2015: The jolly roger tune that they play about sailors and pirates. [Mr AMR] has just told me it’s called Captain Pugwash.
Not all of my answers are silly, but I like that the questions posed are quite flexible and so your answers reflect your mood and state of mind. I’d reveal a more serious post, but it’s “Blue Monday” today and I don’t want to put anyone on a downer!
Anyway, enough – that’s the last I’ll say upon the matter, it just occurred to me that if I was going to write about the journal then it should be before the end of January, because then you would still have time to catch up without too much trouble. You can find the Q&A journal online for about a tenner (see here).
I reviewed four of the newest foundation launches for The Telegraph last week; I’ve popped a link to the full video below so that you can see the face bases in action. Foundation reviews are quite tricky to do, because so much depends on skin type, tone and personal preference. Some people need a very moisturising formula, some prefer a very matte finish, others might require a very yellow undertone to the foundation that simply doesn’t exist in some ranges, or a certain peachy-pink that’s difficult to find.. I think that we all have our little needs and preferences and the only failsafe way to find the perfect foundation is to try a lot of them. A lot. And not just in a department store beauty hall (though that is handy, because you get loads of brands crammed in together and you can do a kind of “speed-dating” affair from counter to counter!) but at home, with little samples, in your own time and at your own pace.
Anyway: four new launches. Dior’s Nude Air, Lancome’s Miracle Cushion, the “All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation” from NARS and the hugely-advertised “Beyond Perfecting” foundation and concealer from Clinique. You can see each one being applied in the Telegraph video, (open in a new page here), but a little run-down for quick reference – I’ll be doing full reviews on my favourites (the Clinique and Dior) in the very near future.
Dior Nude Air Ultra-Fluid Serum Foundation: really, light as air. Some of these completely weightless foundations can feel a little bit weird on dry skin or drier patches, but this actually feels quite nourishing and more substantial, perhaps due to its slightly oily texture. It gives the most gorgeous, undetectable finish though I do find that it oxidises very slightly, getting a little bit darker an hour or so after application. Nothing too noticeable, but worth testing out on your own skin prior to purchase! It’s £29.70 at Escentual.com here – I wear shade 20.
Lancome Miracle Cushion: something a little new, for us in the UK at least. A “cushion” soaked in foundation – you use the sponge provided to press the product onto your skin. Although the idea of this has grown on me, I still can’t get used to the very odd texture of flat-sponge-on-skin and I’m not sure that it gives me the same airbrushed finish as a brush. Or even fingers! But it does keep everything neat and in one place and the foundation itself gives a nice, natural-yet-buildable coverage. I used shade 01. £29.50 at Boots.com
Clinique Beyond Perfecting 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer: in effect, this is no different to your usual medium-ish coverage foundation, but the applicator is quite unique. An oversized doe-foot concealer wand for precision application to dark circles and blemishes and so on. Nice idea. And I have no problem at all with the foundation itself; it leaves my skin looking perfected and velvety. It’s not the most glow-giving, but it’s not cakey or heavy either and you can either sheer it out or build it up, depending on where you need help. Watch the video to see the applicator! It’s £25 at FeelUnique here – I’m sorry, I don’t know the shade as I’ve packed it away somewhere – I’ll have to colour match myself in town tomorrow!
The All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation from NARS: I didn’t have this in quite the right shade – it was a little too yellow for me – but nevertheless I liked it a lot. Not as much as the Dior Nude Air, as I didn’t find the finish to be quite so glowing and the feel wasn’t so comfortable, but it’s another incredibly lightweight “two drops does it all” kind of face base. I must pop into Space NK and try the right shade, as that has skewed my opinion somewhat! I had 05. You can find this foundation at Space NK for £32.
Right – time to watch the little demos on The Telegraph if you haven’t already had it running in a separate window…
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Tatty Devine Earings
http://www.tattydevine.com
Red Carpet Manicure
https://www.redcarpetmanicure.co.uk/
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