Autumn Beauty Buys!
I just love autumn. The colours are great, you get to be super-wrapped up, and super-cosy, the nights draw in, and there’s Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night. What’s not to love?!
There are also loads of lovely products that are autumnal out there, so here are a few of my absolute faves for this season.
I’ve been stepping away from the red lip for the first time in years, and experimenting with nudes, and different colours. I’ve also finally ditched the matte – how long was THAT a trend? I love a matte lip, but it’s important to remember there are other finishes out there. Illamasqua’s NEW Loaded Lip Polish comes in all sorts of gorgeous autumnal shades. Spice has been my absolute favourite, as you can see.
It’s so easy to apply, feels great when it goes on – thanks to Sweet Almond Oil and Vitamin E – and lasts a decent amount of time. I am really loving this new formula.
“Loaded Lip Polish ticks all the high-gloss ammunition boxes for the perfect patent pout,” says Illamasqua Director of Artistry, Pablo Rodriguez. “When I put together the colour line-up for Loaded Lip Polish. I wanted a wide spectrum that would allow me to create any possible style on any skin tone.
“They range from hot pink to dirty beige, from peachy nude to rich chocolate. Strong pigments are key for high impact looks, but they can also be toned down by mixing them with the clear shade, Glaze, so your options are endless.”
Loaded Lip Polish is 100 per cent vegan and cruelty-free, and comes in 14 shades – Spice, Vain, Bite, Reign, Muse, Vogue, Melba, Shock, Rise, Flaunt, Grind, Dash, Thorn and Glaze. £19 available now, from Illamasqus locations and illamasqua.com
Boots No7 has two cute little eyeshadow palettes with lovely autumnal shades – The Stay Perfect Trio Eye Shadow Palette in Golden Sands and Warm Nudes are both a mix of shimmer and matte, and perfect for creating a subtle smoky eye with an autumn twist. They’re £10 each from Boots and boots.com
KIKO Milano has a super fun range out called Pop Revolution with all sorts of bold and bright colours. There are loads of products, from nails to eyeshadows, and lips. The Lip Stylo is a super-creamy, satin-finish lip, and this shade – Brown Burgundy – is perfectly autumnal. £9.99, from KIKO stores, and kikocosmetics.com
Orange is a key autumn colour, and THE colour of Hallowe’en, thanks to the all-American import of pumpkins. I love carving them out to use as Jack-o-lanterns, am not so keen on the pumpkin taste, but happy to use them in beauty products.
Did you know that pumpkin is packed full of fruit enzymes and AHAs that are great for the skin? This Too Cool For School Pumpkin Purifying 24K Mask is enriched with pumpkin, which, in turn, is packed with those fruit enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids that gently exfoliate and increase cellular turnover to make skin brighter and smoother.
Alongside this, 24ct gold increases elasticity and slows down collagen depletion to plump and renew skin. It’s a fun, peel-off mask.£22.50, available from cultbeauty.co.uk
I’m not sure what autumn smells like, but this absolutely gorgeous scent from Mugler is probably pretty close. It’s the latest in the Les Exceptions range, Ambre Redoutable. This is not cheap, but if you want to treat yourself, or gift someone a beautiful fragrance, then this is it.
It’s packaged beautifully, I adore the bottle. The collection is all about classic fragrances with modern twists. This is the 12th creation, and the warm and sensual amber accord is contrasted with the fresh, bitter floral influence of gentian. There are patchouli and oud wood notes in there too, and the end result is an oriental woody floral that is rich and moreish. And dark and autumnal. £149 (80ml), at Mugler.com, and harrods.com
If you need a wee bit of a lift in the autumn months, and the dark nights can start to get any of us down, then light a gorgeous candle like this one from L’Occitane’s new Aromachologie Home range. This is the Douceur Immortelle range, and it’s a rich and uplifting scent, thanks to essential oils of immortelle, basil, cypress, eucalyptus and litsea cubeba that come together in a fragrance that’s deliciously aromatic. £20, L’Occitane stores, and loccitane.com
