I’ve been sniffing my way through a lot of perfumes this month, but the standout one for me so far has been Rosabotanica by Balenciaga. Not a new fragrance – and one that I can’t believe I’ve previously overlooked, considering it has rose in it! But this is a beautiful, sparkly perfume that I think I’ll be wearing throughout the whole of Spring; it has just a little of those dark, woody undertones that I love so much, but at the same time is quite green and sharp thanks to the fig and citrus. It’s really a very interesting little number.

 To be honest, you’d be quite forgiven for picking up Rosabotanica based on the quirkiness of the packaging alone; it’s like some kind of madcap Parisian hotel design, condensed down and squashed into a glass bottle. Graphic stripes and bold, acid-toned floral motifs make it a far cry from the usual “romantic rose” boudoir-esque bottles. But I suppose the fragrance itself is a far cry from that romantic rose; yes there’s a sweetness and a femininity to the scent, but it’s also incredibly crisp and clean, and the hints of cedar and amber and patchouli peek out just enough to sex everything up a bit.

More rose-scented things… 

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you will know that I am fond of “dark” rose scents; exotic, heady or woody fragrances that are borderline masculine. Rosabotanica is almost the opposite of a dark rose, it’s so light that it’s more like…I dunno…rose on helium? Roses over dry ice? This perfume won’t be for everyone – I see very mixed reviews on the web – but it’s so light and fizzy that it immediately grabbed my attention. Perhaps one to try before you buy, this one but risk-takers can order it online: it’s  £56 at Selfridges.com

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Charlotte Rampling Image Credit: Nowness

It was announced a few weeks ago by WWD.com that Charlotte Rampling has been signed as a face of NARS. She is 68. It’s the best possible news for women everywhere who feel disregarded by make-up and beauty brands.

The beauty industry is very guilty indeed of ignoring older women in campaign imagery. Yes, they want their pounds in the chase for skin that looks younger than it really is, but they never want to actually suggest ‘older’ women are their inspiration. From the super blandness of Lauder campaign faces that adorn every beauty hall to cookie cutter celebrity faces, we’re all blasted with imagery of beauty that doesn’t represent us. Now, I’m not anywhere near drawing my pension, but I think it’s a healthier outlook all round if we refocus on the fact that beauty isn’t age related.

Forthcoming trends in beauty are so focussed on older women – I can’t really remember a time when this has happened to the degree that it’s about to. So NARS is very wise because all eyes will be on the older woman. Mainly, I’m seeing trends in creams to address menopausal skin which beauty brands have suddenly realised might have a cash value to them! But, the sheer volume of creams for women at this stage of life that will be on shelf eventually is firmly bringing beauty and older women to the fore.

If beauty bloggers have done one amazing thing, it’s normalising beauty. Realising that anyone can, across social media, discuss beauty at any age and be very much welcomed for their views is one of beauty blogging’s greatest legacies.  Beauty blogging is such a leveller; age, race, religion and politics – all irrelevant when it comes to making and participating in conversation about beauty. Social media has shown brands that it’s not all about chasing a youth market and that age isn’t such a divisive factor in marketing as it used to be.

There is no good reason why older women should be left out of beauty – if you flick through any mainstream magazine, the predominant imagery for beauty is of younger women. But I truly sense change and hope that Charlotte Rampling for NARS is the tipping point for beauty brands to understand that being older is another dimension of beauty, not the end of it.

The post Charlotte Rampling for NARS appeared first on British Beauty Blogger.

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After the feedback on my budget foundations video, where many people expressed frustration at not being able to get a suitable – affordable – foundation match for their skintone, I decided to do a bit of research and see what was available on the high street.

Not a lot, as it turned out – many high street brands have a really very narrow selection of shades, meaning that anyone with a very fair or darker skin tone is simply not catered for. The standout brand was L’Oreal – True Match comes in a massive range of 23 shades and the foundation formula is light, fresh but offers great coverage.

Biting at L’Oreal’s heels, however, was Boots No7. They have seventeen shades in total, so far as I can tell, and a brilliant selection of different formulas – everything from a matte finish to a lighter-than-air soft focus sort of base. Though not all shades are available in all formulas, there’s something for just about everyone and No7 have a colour-matching service for those who aren’t confident picking the right shade.

The L’Oreal True Match (here) has a formula that’s almost as easy to blend in as Chanel’s Lumiere Velvet – it really is superb*. Perhaps the fact that you can get such a close match to your skintone makes it more foolproof, but the light texture must also help. Coverage is very good, if that’s what you need, but it’s also easy to sheer it out, especially if you apply with a damp makeup sponge…

I absolutely loved the No7 Essentially Natural foundation, too (find it here) – it is a brilliant dupe for the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, which has a poor shade choice. I’ll be reviewing it in more depth later on this week. Watch the video to see all of the foundations in action!

Oh wow – Urban Decay Vice 3! I’ve only got top line information on this at the moment via Sephora who are showing it as part of their Holiday Sneak Peek. If you’re a blogger like me, trying to keep up with the latest info, Urban Decay are frustrating because they like to show by country, so not everyone gets to see everything at once (tip: webwise, from Britain, we can see America!). Keeping up with this brand could be a full time job.

However, it’s not like we haven’t got plenty of time because Urban Decay Vice 3 is for the Christmas market, and I’m liking the look of it a lot! Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly need any more Nakeds, Basics or Vices, along it comes! Back in May I did ask Urban Decay directly whether a Naked 4 was on the cards. They said a firm no. It’ll be interesting to see what the following season brings since every palette seems to get a number of cousins.

The twenty colours are all metallics, and really beautifully thought through – you can mentally quad them into colour co-ordinates or use the vertical lines. Or, of course, just do what the heck you want! The Vice 3 palette also has the advantage of a massive mirror!

Anyway, across the pond this is $60. I’ll keep you updated when I’m updated.

What it does:
This case features a jewel-inlay design and holds 20 new eye shadows from Urban Decay—from a soft black and a stunning burgundy to a rich, smoky red-black. Each shade has a metallic finish, and the shades are arranged in columns, with neutrals on the left, jewel tones in the middle, and smoky shades on the right. Pair up the vertically color-coordinated quads, or mix them up to create unique eye looks.

The extra slim case features eye-catching new artwork in an abstract stripe design and a bright, neon-green jeweled “Vice” icon to match the highly metallized green base—plus, it has a huge mirror, double-ended shadow and crease brush, and the gorgeous bag to store your brushes and other essentials.

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