What is BB cream anyway?

You must have heard of BB cream by now.  It is also known as beauty balm and is apparently such a wonder product that any cosmetics company, both luxury and high street, worth their salt has created a version.  There are now so many on the market all claiming the same miracles that I am going to give you a little rundown of one I decided to test run at random.  Clinique age defense BB Cream SPF 30 £25.00 ($39.00).

All of the creams are apparently (so they claim) the first line of defence for your skin, especially for us city dwellers.  Packed full of antioxidants and SPF30, these are the ingredients that protect us from the elements and general junk in the atmosphere.  

It contains UVA/UVB to protect us from any premature signs of ageing.  It also contains special optical beads to reflect light away from the skin which reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  

Although anything with light reflecting properties will do this if used in the right way.

There is more, It gives enough coverage to even out skin tone and cover over any (very little) pimples.  This particular BB Cream comes in three shades.  Think tinted moisturiser in terms of coverage.

Personally this won't be replacing the base products on my dressing table, but have a do go with one as these are good multi-functional products, and if you are a fan of minimal fuss items then this will be perfect for you! 

So there you go, a wonder balm or a totally un-necessary make-up bag edition?  Have you tried one, what did you think?

Spring Fever

I have decided to draw some inspiration from the season just around the corner. Spring! 

I am lucky enough to live in a city that is the proud owner of what I consider to be the most fabulous boutique department store in the Whole. Wide. World, Liberty.  An imposing mock Tudor building made out of ship timber that has been a landmark just off London's Regent Street, famous for its instantly recognisable fabric prints since 1875.  Here are a few gorgeous - March appropriate - picks from the current exclusive to Liberty range.

{Nike - Mid Blazers £75.00 ($118.00)} - {Liberty Knot Watch £59.00 ($93.00)}

{Cowshed - Dirty Cow hand wash £14.00 ($22.00)} - {Stunning Mothers Day Bouquet from Wild at Heart £50.00 ($78.00)}

{Indulgent Otis Batterbee Lavender infused eye mask - $45.00 ($70.00)}

{What a cute little Liberty Mouse paperweight, the perfect souvenir if you ever stop by! £27.00 ($42.50)}

I hope these floral lovelies have put a little Spring in your step.  

Have a refreshing weekend guys, See you next week!

Baby its cold outside...

It seems as though winter has lasted forever in London this time around.  It is still so cold here so its time to break out the big guns.  Here are just two of the many items in my beauty survival inventory! 

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This Dermalogica lip treatment provides great relief for a weather ravaged pout, Mmmm nice.  I find it doubles up as a fantastic skin protectant, alongside my usual SPF of course, especially if I am filming outside in the cold all day, I use it down my nose and on my cheeks (in extreme weather conditions!) and it really reduces wind burn and dryness by the end of a long day on set, £7.60 ($12.00).

 

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Most people tend to be unaware that the winter cold damages our hair as much as the summer heat.  With hats being pulled on and off, central heating drying it out and extremely harsh UV rays from strong winter sun (although we haven't seen much of that around here lately).  Moroccan oil has earned a cult following in recent years and for good reason.  Their restorative hair mask is a seven minute treatment that nourishes dry, brittle and damaged hair.  Perfect for these long winter months (in London, Lucky you, if you live somewhere hot!). £30.00 ($47.00).

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Hopefully Spring is going to break for good soon, however in the meantime isn't this little puffa jacket from Penfield cute?  Found at ASOS on sale for £130.00 ($205.00).

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And for the winter sun and some satisfying sale shopping aren't these sunglasses from The Row at The Outnet super chic? These are on sale at £97.20 ($153.00) down from £216.00 ($341.84).  

Bring on the Spring but in the meantime lets enjoy a few last Winter sale treats huh?!

McQueen Dreams...

Wow! Sarah Burton really knocked it out of the park with her latest collection for McQueen.  If anyone ever doubted her ability to keep the integrity and ingenuity of the brand that was so personal to her late friend Lee McQueen they are sure to be more convinced each season.  

Last nights show in Paris was said to be inspired by 'the rippling under bellies of mushrooms' and was truly exquisite.

Feeling Blue...

There is nothing I don't love about this beautiful shoot, showcasing Illamasqua's new collection - Human Fundamentalism (deep!).  How gorgeous is the contouring and white beauty mark?   

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I love how make-up is having a 'breaking all the rules' moment (said in the style of Michael Kors) and I really hope this kind of beauty trickles down (and saturates a little) from the runways and editorial shoots onto the streets in much the same way as dying your hair awesome colours has.  

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This is from their Theatre of the Nameless collection.  The brand is streets ahead in transforming an avant grade look like this one into everyday.  Utterly fabulous!

Hard as Nails...

At the moment my nails are a mess,  the weather in London and subsequent lack of vitamin D is really messing with my nail mojo man.  This is the O.P.I nail strengthener that I should have started using about a week ago before they all started breaking off.  Better late than never I guess.

You build up the product by applying one coat daily for a week and then removing and starting again. It is the only thing I have ever found that has genuinely given my nails the strengh to grow strong and long and healthy (although many other products that I have tried claim to do this but actually do nothing, this means you Miss Sally Hansen! yeah thats right i'm naming and shaming on this one).  It is quite expensive in retailers, probably £18.00 ($28.55) however I have always got it half that price on Ebay.  So, if your nails are a total disaster right now and you are willing them to grow so you can get stuck into all the awsome DIY manicures that are so hot right now then I would definitely try this as it provides impressive results.

Experimental Colour

I know I have spoken about these palettes before, but I love them.  A super easy way to experiment with your look is to have a mess around with different colours and tones when doing your eye make up.  This is not always a cheap thing to do and if you like to experiment with runway trends, you might find yourself spending a ton of cash recreating a look that may turn out to be less than perfect for you.  This is where Sleek make-up comes in.

These palettes are insanely good value at $10.00 (£6.50).  The pigment is not quite up to the standard of a brand like MAC or Illamasqua, however these guys really stand their ground and put up some very decent competition.  The colour is strong and blends incredibly well.  This product perhaps needs a little more layering but doing this only lends to a very seamless look.

They also do some great collaborations, like the one above with London based fashion label PPQ, how awesome are these colours? perfect for some S/S12 runway copycatting! 

(Thanks Kyec (instagram) for the shots!)

There are many more palettes available, including an awesome everyday nude palette which I didn't manage to pick up at IMAT's (they are available online and nationally in drug stores).  This brand is perfect for anyone with a huge make-up obsession but a tiny make-up budget.

Have an experimental weekend guys!