Archives for all posts tagged Makeup
Spring Blush
In a world of contour and highlighter, where does a pop of blusher come in?! Personally, I can take or leave the highlighter, never bother with contouring, but ALWAYS add a pop of colour to my cheeks with blush. I like peachy/coral shades, popped onto the apples of my cheeks, instantly lifting my complexion...
Bobbi Brown X Morag Myerscough Collection
When this Bobbi Brown x Morag Myerscough collection landed on my desk, my initial reaction was one of joy – it’s so bright and bold. Not surprising, as that’s what multi-media artist Morag Myerscough is famous for. Her award-winning, eye-catching design has transformed urban spaces around the globe....
Benefit X LinkedIn International Women's Day collaboration
It’s International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, and Benefit has an interesting collaboration for it – with LinkedIn. The beauty brand is offering women the chance to have a FREE professional headshot taken to makeover their profile. The offer is available between 11am and 4pm on Sunday, at two Benefit...
Big Beauty Deals for Spring
It’s the end of another month – almost, as February has another day this year, don’t forget! But it’s time to think about treating yourself once again for making it through another month – and a pretty crazy one weather-wise. Perhaps time to indulge in a Spa Treatment + Prosecco in the luxurious Fairmont...
Benefit launch Brow Zings Pro Palette
Yes, it is another Benefit brow product! There are SO MANY OF THEM. I lose track. If you are a fan of Brow Zings, this new one will be pretty special. It’s basically Brow Zings but bigger, and perfect for brow newbies and pros. There are two palettes to choose from – Light/Medium, and Medium/Deep. If...
Pancake Day Lemon & Sugar Beauty
It’s Shrove Tuesday – time to eat all the pancakes -and then give something up for Lent, if that’s your thing. So, I thought I’d have a little bit of fun with my favourite pancake toppings – lemon and sugar – and find some beauty buys inspired by that combo. LEMON Let’s start with three luscious lemon...
FREE Blusher...If Your Name Is Georgia!
Benefit’s Georgia blusher is back – and if your name is Georgia, it’s FREE! Only on Friday, February 28, and just a mini one, but hey, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right? Benefit’s peachy blush is back with a bit more of a modern bite. The blush was first created in 2004, so she was due for...
Givenchy Spring 2020 Gardens Collection
Do you like peonies? Me too. Monsieur de Givenchy three. I’m dreaming of them right now as the rain and wind blow up a storm outside and wishing I was in the Givenchy Manoir du Jonchet gardens. The new Spring Gardens collection from Givenchy Beauty will have to do right now – created as a tribute to...
Valentine/Galentine Beauty Buys
It’s Valentine’s Day this Friday – and Galentine’s Day on Thursday 13th. So here are some cutesy beauty bits that you might want to treat yourself to, treat your pals to, or hint at your other half about. Let’s start with a red lipstick. This one is from Sleek Makeup – a Say It Loud Lipstick- and the...
Danielle Lauder Act IV Collection from Estee Lauder
I can’t even begin to try to understand what Danielle Lauder’s life is like. The 26-year-old is the great-granddaughter of Estee Lauder herself, and part of the fourth generation of the New York power family which owns one of the biggest global beauty companies. She’s an actress, apparently, and has...
NEW Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer Collection
If you’re going to buy a primer, then you probably can’t get better than a Laura Mercier primer – she basically invented it! Well, she certainly invented the category in the mainstream beauty world. Now, for 2020, she’s introducing the latest primer innovation – the Pure Canvas Primer Collection. This...
Lancome launch collection with Photographers Mert & Marcus
Lancome has announced the launch of a Limited Edition collection with photographer duo Mert & Marcus. The Mert & Marcus After Dark Collection will be available in February and includes an eye palette, liquid shadows, a lip kit, red lipsticks, and highlighting sticks. Working with such talented and exceptional...
January Beauty Blues for Skin, Hair and Face
The January Blues might already be upon you – but I say try to fight them with a little bit of the January BEAUTY blues. I’ve rounded up a whole load of beautiful blue beauty products so if you are feeling down, have a good pour over these instead, and pop them on your payday list if you want properly...
MAC Lunar Illusions Collection
The Lunar (Chinese) New Year begins on January 25, and it’s the year of the Rat. MAC’s Lunar Illusions collection celebrates the fact that the new year starts on a new moon, with a spirit of refreshed vision, perspective and possibility. Ushering in good fortune, the beginning of a lunar cycle allows...
NEW POREfessional Hydrate Prtimer from Benefit
First, there was the POREfessional Pore Primer, then came POREfessional Pearl Primer, and now Benefit is introducing the POREfessional Hydrate Primer. This one has two new key ingredients – and they are both beauty stalwarts – Hyaluronic Acid, and Shea Butter. Basically, this is the POREfessional original...
New Year Sparkle
It’s New Year! When it comes to New Year party looks, I always want to get a bit of sparkle on, don’t you? I don’t know why, but it seems right to see out the old year and bring the new one in with glitter and bling. I am in love with this glittery gold topcoat from KIKO – isn’t it fantastic? It’s from...
Festive Red Lips
Red lipstick is perfect any time of the year, agreed? But it’s even MORE perfect in the festive season – red is one of the classic Christmas colours after all. I love a good red lip. I’ve tried more than I can even remember over the years. Here are six of the best for Christmas this year, with loads...
Party Prep with 5pm
It’s party season, and that means party prep. Yes, you could do it yourself, but why not treat yourself to some proper pre-party pampering before your big Christmas night out? There are loads of deals on 5pm for hair, makeup, and more that won’t break the bank, and will see you as the undisputed Jingle...
Christmas Beauty Crackers
Christmas Crackers are getting a bit of a name for themselves this year, for being wasteful. But hopefully, there isn’t too much in these lovely beauty crackers that isn’t recyclable or reusable. And all of the plastic cracker pieces I have used here are vintage ones I purchased to make into jewellery...
Christmas Beauty Baubles
If you need a cute little gift for the beauty fan friend or relative (or cat-sitter, or Secret Santa!) then how about a cute beauty bauble? Festive fun with beauty benefits – you can’t go wrong. AND…they won’t break the bank. These lovely little gift sets are a token of affection, and some of the baubles...
Guerlain's Goldenland Christmas
Oooh, get this gorgeous festive sparkle palette from Guerlain! I love it. It’s packed full of beautiful colours when open, but when it’s closed, is it a makeup case, a compact minaudière, or simply a beautiful little clutch designed to be tucked into the palm of the hand? Or is it all of that and more...
Christmas 2019 at Bobbi Brown
One of my favourite brands, Bobbi Brown has SO much to offer this Christmas in terms of gift sets, palettes, and gorgeous shimmer and sparkle, I can’t even begin to cover it all. But I will show you some of my favourite things, and a few I was gifted for the purposes of this blog review. I think Bobbi...
MAC Holidays ...Starring You - and 5pm!
The ‘Holiday’ collection from MAC is a superstar – Starring You! MAC plays with a classic symbol of the celebratory season, taking the twinkling star in all-new directions – on packaging, in a glittering lineup of products and kits, and in dazzling new looks. And I love it. Festive makeup is so much...
Alexandra Shulman for No7 at Boots
Former British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Shulman has collaborated on a gift range with Boots No7 just in time for Christmas. I wish I could be a little bit more excited about this, but it’s all a little bit, dare I say it, meh, with a capital M. Except the velvet blue makeup bag – that I do like...
Electro Tartan from Illamasqua
Here’s an alternative take on Scotland’s favourite fabric pattern – Electro Tartan from Illamasqua. Tartan is a fashion favourite – Vivienne Westwood loves the stuff! This is a clever beauty collection inspired by that trend, blending autumn shades with bright neon colours. I like this collection, in...
Marc Jacobs Beauty Boxes for Christmas
Over the next few weeks, it’s going to be all about Christmas beauty gifts on here – from the high street, and 5pm Spa and Beauty – so you will not be short of ideas! First up, some really sleek Christmas beauty boxes from Marc Jacobs. These are a real treat, and the prices are fantastic – lots of savings...
Beauty Advent Calendars 2019
Have you got your advent calendar yet? There are SO many to choose from out there, it’s crazy. Some of the beauty calendars are ridiculous prices, but if you love a brand, and can afford it, why not indulge. LUSH launched its first advent calendar ever on August 29 – and it sold out almost as soon as...
Barry M x David Shepherd Wildlife Palettes
Barry M has partnered with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation to save endangered species – by creating two fantastic Eyeshadow palettes. Sales of the palettes will help wildlife conservation around the world – 20 per cent of the profits from sales will go to fund the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation...
Bobbi Brown launch Luxe Shine Intense Lipstick
Is the trend for a matte lip over? I’m not sure it ever will be, but lipsticks with a shine are making their way back to the top of the beauty brand agendas. The latest through my door was the new Bobbi Brown Luxe Shine Intense Lipstick. It’s the latest addition to the Luxe Lip Collection and is a smaller...
Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation gets a makeover
Apparently, you complained, and Bobbi Brown listened! The best-selling Intensive Skin Serum Foundation has been given a makeover in the shape of a packaging change. Customers wanted an easy-to-use pump, and that’s what they now have! The newly re-packaged Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF40 now features...
End of Summer Beauty MOT with 5pm Deals
The clocks go back this weekend, marking the official end of summer, and sometimes it can be a bit depressing thinking about all those dark nights, and winter weather ahead. So, pamper yourself! Give yourself a treat. Think of it as a wee MOT for the new season – change your hair colour, paint those...
New Eyeliners from LUSH and Huda Beauty
These two new eyeliners couldn’t really be more different. I’m not sure many fans of HUDA Beauty, or Huda Kattan herself, would rush to LUSH, and vice-versa. But I was sent them both around the same time to try, so here they are. In fact, here they are together in this first picture – and I’m a fan ...
Bobbi Brown's Breast Cancer Awareness Lip Duo
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It doesn’t seem to be as big a thing as it once was in the beauty world, but there are products out there, and one of the nicest landed on my desk earlier this month. The Bobbi Brown Limited Edition Proud To Be Pink Lip Color Duo is available this month, and...
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...
Budget Beauty: Kardashian Foundation from Carter Beauty
If it’s good enough for a Kardashian promo shoot, then it’s good enough for us! Carter Beauty by Marissa Carter made headlines earlier this year when the budget Irish beauty brand’s foundation was used in the KUWTK promo shots for season 16. When it comes to foundations, you don’t really have to spend...
Disney x MAC Maleficent Mistress of Evil Get The Look
Who wouldn’t want to look like Angelina Joli? Well, now you can…kind of! You can look like Maleficent anyway at least, thanks to MAC who celebrate Disney’s most wickedly beautiful villain with everything you need to recreate her iconic look. The new Maleficent: Mistress of Evil movie is out on October...
Max Factor Miracle Sculpting Wands
Contouring/highlighting is basically mainstream makeup skills now, right? But also quite dodgy if not done properly. A quick scour of the internet will throw up all sorts of Metal Mickey highlighting disasters, and over-zealous contouring! It’s not that easy to do, despite the gazillion online tutorials...
Benefit New Brow Styler and 5pm Brow Deals
Benefit has firmly established itself as the ‘brow brand’ of the UK and today adds ANOTHER brow product to its arsenal. Your brows will always be ‘on fleek’ if you are near a Benefit counter! This new Brow Styler is a 2-in-1 wax-pencil & powder for multiple brow looks. You can go for soft and full using...
NEW No7 Laboratories Skin Pastes and No7 Foundation
Pastes. That’s a formula I keep hearing. Yesterday it was the new Alpha-H paste, today it’s two new pastes from Boots No7 Laboratories. This new No7 range has passed me by, but I am hopeful I’m back on the press office radar now. They kindly sent me the two new pastes that launch to the Skin Paste range...
Rimmel's NEW Lasting Matte Foundation
Rimmel has launched a new matte foundation for Autumn Winter – so it’s time to take that summer glow down a notch and embrace a more muted finish. Going for a no-shine, matte look doesn’t, however, mean a flat base – this new base is a game-changer – it’ll give you full coverage with a lightweight feel...
NEW Rimmel Lasting Finish Extreme Lipstick
How about a new lippy for the weekend? I don’t know about you, but I love a lipstick! Definitely my desert island beauty product. Rimmel’s newest lipstick is the Lasting Finish Extreme Lipstick. This is one of those one swipe and it’s done lippies that I really do love. It gives you extreme colour,...
MAC launch Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick
MAC is a makeup artist brand, so they have always been a go-to brand for bases. As a beauty writer, I flit between brands – I love Bobbi Brown, but one of the bases I buy regularly is the Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow. It gives me some much-needed luminosity. I also love a foundation stick, so the new ...
Guerlain Autumn Winter 19 Make-Up
Guerlain’s AW19 makeup collection is all about metallics – in a very simple way. Think sparkling eyes, shimmering lips, and softly iridescent complexions. There are three key items in this collection, first up – Metallic-to-Glitter Limited Edition Liquid Liner in Khaki and Burgundy. You can use this...
Clarins AW19 Make-Up Collection
It’s Autumn/Winter beauty collection time, and the first up is Clarins. To be honest, this is not really a ‘collection’ as it consists of just two items, and one of those is just new shades of an existing product. But, the Joli Blush (£27) is brand new, and the first Clarins blush to be enriched with...
Max Factor Lash Revival Mascara and Primer
Max Factor has launched a new mascara for August, and there’s also a primer. When they landed on my desk they reminded me of those mascaras you used to get with the white primer to apply first, and how I turned up at work one day with one eye only done in the white… …I’d forgotten to apply the black...
Clarins NEW Everlasting Youth Fluid Fundation SP15
Everlasting youth. If only, right? Of course, it’s an impossibility, but with this new Clarins foundation, you can at least try to recapture some of the youthful radiance your skin might have lost. The new Everlasting Youth Fluid Foundation SPF15 is a base with smoothing and firming skincare action ...
Benefit launch New Cakeless Boiing Concealer and you can get it on Deliveroo!
Benefit launches a new concealer next week. I’m quite excited about this because they do good concealers. And because the packaging looks like a pencil with a rubber at the end. I love it! The NEW Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer is a full-coverage liquid concealer that will conceal everything – from dark...
Benefit's New Blue Mascara - Would You?
The 80s are on-trend, so it’s no big surprise that Benefit has launched its brilliant BADgal Bang Mascara in a new shade of Brightening Blue. If this is giving you horrible flashbacks to teenage years, then worry no more – this is actually really flattering, and makes the white of your eyes pop. This...
Six Sunny Summer Sets
Maybe it’s just me, and a love of all things ‘mini’, but I do love a wee travel set for the holiday season. Here are six of the best! SOL DE JANEIRO BUM BUM JET SET, £24, WORTH £28, SPACE NK This brand is so much fun, and sunny yellow/orange bag and products are super-summery. The set contains Bum Bum...
Bobbi Brown Essentials Multicolour Eye Shadow Palette
Do you need another Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow Palette in your life? Probably not, but the brand keeps releasing them, and they are always packed with perfect colours to create the perfect eye. The new Essentials MultiColour Eye Shadow Palette comes in five colourways, each one a carefully curated collection...
Too Faced launch Born This Way Multi-Use Complexion Powder
Powders that are foundations AND powders seem to be a ‘thing’ right now. It’s all about that baking trend, isn’t it? Which, despite rumours to the contrary, is not over. Maybe Kim Kardashian thinks it’s so 2017, but the process of putting on liquid foundation, and concealer, and then powder, as well...
Have you been Huda'd?! Huda Beauty at Harvey Nichols
I wrote on here a few weeks ago about the new Huda Beauty counter launch at Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh. I popped along on the launch morning, thanks to Huda and Harvey Nichols, and enjoyed a good play around with the products, a lovely breakfast, and I was shade matched for a base. I’m not the right...
Wedding Makeup with 5pm Deals
It’s my wedding anniversary today – four years since the best day ever. Being a bit of a control freak, and knowing the way I like my makeup, I did my own on my wedding day. I actually did my bridesmaid’s as well. But, if you are getting married, and you are thinking about getting your makeup done, ...
Benefit launch two new Hello Happy Foundations
A year after the original Hello Happy foundation launch, Benefit has added two new foundations to the line. Both will launch this Friday and are are very different. The Hello Happy Velvet Powder Foundation has a natural-matte finish, and is dual-coverage – so you can choose the level of coverage you...
New from NARS
NARS is one of my favourite brands- its Orgasm blusher is hands-down the best ever. Once you have used it, you will never buy another blusher ever again, trust me! The brand launches two new products this weekend – the Natural Radiant Longwear Cushion Foundation SPF50 PA+++ (£25), and the Metal Cream...
bareMinerals new Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick SPF25
bareMinerals has come a long way since launch in 1995 – and here is another foundation to add to their already huge range. And I love this one – the new Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick SPF25. To be fair, I am a sucker for a stick foundation. Forget any notions of old 1970s-style panstick...
Tom Ford's Emotionproof Eye Colour
If it’s Tom Ford, it’s not waterproof, it’s emotionproof. To add to the Emotionproof Mascara, there’s now Emotionproof Eye Color and Emotionproof Liner. I’ve not tried any of this collection, but it’s supposed to last wherever your day or night takes you – that means this makeup is high endurance, and...
Benefit Add New Brow Product Shades
Benefit is all about extending the shade range this year – first it was Hoola, now it’s their best-selling brow products. Benefit is the biggest brow brand in the land – if you don’t have Bene-brows, do you even have brows?! The Brow Bars are massively popular – and good. And if you want a brow product...
HUDA Beauty launches in to Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh in June
Don’t know who Huda Kattan is? Call yourself a beauty fan? Pah. If you actually don’t, she’s the American born, Iraqi makeup artist, who started her beauty blog, Huda Beauty, in 2010 and has since grown her brand into a billion dollar business. The former finance worker retrained as a makeup artist...
NARS Orgasm Collection
This one will definitely make you squeal with delight – it’s beautiful! The new NARS Orgasm Collection – to celebrate the iconic blusher’s 20th Anniversary – is available nationwide from June, and if you love the iconic blusher, then you will go wild for this. NARS celebrates the universally flattering...
Hourglass Unreal High Shine Volumizing Lip Gloss
Are you ready to down the matte and get with gloss again? Gloss is back, and Hourglass has launched Unreal – a High Shine Volumizing Lip Gloss that comes in 18 shades. This gloss promises volume and super shine. And like most good lip glosses now, it doesn’t have any stickiness to it. The innovative...
Bobbi Brown Double Crush Crushed Liquid Lips
Imagine getting to create a lipgloss with Bobbi Brown? That’s what these four lucky, mega-influencers did – how fab is that? To highlight Crushed Liquid Lip’s liquid balm formula, and make it more crush-worthy, Bobbi Brown asked beauty influencers and their BFF ‘girl crushes’ to develop their dream ...
Love Your Lashes!
I LOVE mascara. It’s so hard to find a good one. The Clinique Full-to-Flutter has been discontinued, and it’s such a shame, as it really was the perfect mascara. But the new Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara 4D (£22) is almost there. It did smudge a wee bit, but it looks fantastic. I have been using it...
Guerlain's Terracotta On The Go
Guerlain’s Terracotta collection for this summer has some really interesting new pieces – perfect for on-the-go makeup. I work from home, so I tend to do my makeup at my desk, but I also love the ease of a product you can just sweep over your skin, especially in the summer. The new Terracotta sticks...
Clarins Summer 2019
I’ve mentioned the new Clarins Summer Collection in this sunny summer beauty post already, but I’m going to focus on the whole collection again because it’s so good. It’s just three products, and the SOS Primer bronzer is recommended as well. For lips, there is a Limited Edition Water Lip Stain (£19...
Bobbi Brown Summer 2019 Collection
Bobbi Brown’s Summer Collection for this year is already at John Lewis in an early exclusive – and it’s worth seeking out. It’s very, er, compact, if you pardon the pun…consisting of just three new products – two of them in compacts! I reviewed the new Limited Edition High Shine Liquid Eye Shadow for...
Sunny Summer Beauty
Are you in a summer state of mind? I can’t help drifting constantly to the beach in my mind, which is a nightmare, as I won’t be heading there until at least August! This time of year is when we all start craving our sunny summer holidays, and who isn’t keeping everything crossed that we get the summer...
L'Occitane Lips!
L’Occitane is killing it just now! They have some fantastic launches this year, and the new Lip Collection is one of them. The packaging is bright, bold, sassy, yellow, and I love it. The products are simple, effective, and so great for summer. There are Lipsticks, Lip Balms, Lip Scrubs, and a magic...
Benefit Bold is Beautiful Project 2019
Benefit launches its Bold Is Beautiful Project for 2019 next week, celebrating six years of fund-raising and supporting charity organisations that empower women and girls. There are three main ways you can support the Bold Is Beautiful campaign in 2019 – 1. GET A BROW WAX! During Bold Is Beautiful, ...
Benefit Add New Hoola Shades
Benefit is extending its popular bronzer powder family by two! From this month you can now get Hoola in two new shades. The UK’s No.1 Prestige Bronzer now comes in Caramel and Toasted, as well as the Original and Lite. Caramel is a medium-deep powder bronzer, and Toasted is a deep powder bronzer, making...
MAC Viva Glam 25 and Winnie Harlow
I was an America’s Next Top Model ADDICT, and Tyra Banks is a goddess, so I was a little less than impressed when ANTM alumini Winnie Harlow – who Tyra found on the internet and invited on to the show – discredited it. Eh, not fierce, Winnie, not fierce! Winnie has certainly made it big since her time...
Bobbi Brown Ultra-Violet and Infra-Red Eye Palettes
Bobbi Brown has always been famous for its palettes – I have a really old one somewhere, the one you clicked the individual shadows into. Do they even do those any more?! The latest two eye palettes are, in my mind, a bit of a change for the brand – bigger, with more colours, and more like a lot of ...
Unicorn Beauty
It’s National Unicorn Day. Yes, that is a thing. The unicorn is Scotland’s national animal, so why should we not celebrate this lovely, mythical, omnipresent, beast? Unicorns are EVERYWHERE! You can pretty much get anything unicorn-shaped, themed, or printed in 2019, but let’s concentrate on some unicorn...
Be a Makeup Master with 5pm...or cheat!
It’s fair to say I am addicted to BBC’s makeup reality show, GLOW UP: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star. It’s on on Wednesday nights on BBC1, presented by Stacey Dooley, with excellent judges, uber makeup artist, Val Garland, and MAC Senior Artist Dennis Skinner, and if you love makeup, you will love it. ...
Do you Double Wear?
Did you know that Estee Lauder’s Double Wear foundation is the UK’s No1 base? Well, now you do! I had to reacquaint myself with this classic base, so I recently had an appointment on counter in Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols, to have a Powermap facial, and to be shade matched – this base comes in over 60...
MAC Electric Wonder Collection
How pretty is this MAC packaging? All lovely pink and marbled, it’s a beauty bloggers/influencers delight! The new Electric Wonder collection is inspired by nature – those amazing electric storms we see more and more of here in the UK these days. It’s a simple, classic, MAC collection with palettes,...
NEW Luxe Lip Lacquers from Tom Ford
It’s been ALL about matte lips for, ooh, forever, it seems. And if it’s not matte, it’s super-shiny. Tom Ford has recently launched a full new collection of 20 Luxe Lip Lacquers – half matte, half vinyl, giving you both options. I’ve had a good old play around with these on counter, and they are great...
Elizabeth Arden March On for UN Women
International Women’s Day has been and gone, but that doesn’t mean the empowerment of women is ever off the table. Did you know that Elizabeth Arden herself provided red lipsticks to suffragettes marching down Fifth Avenue in New York? Me neither, but that’s kind of cool. Earlier this month, Elizabeth...
Coral Crush on the Pantone Colour of 2019
Every year Pantone announce a ‘Color of the Year’. For 2019, it’s Living Coral. A colour with an eco-message too – the living coral around the world is sadly diminishing, so it’s a reminder to us whenever we see it to be more eco-aware. The colour itself is a gorgeous coral shade with golden undertones...
Bobbi Brown x Lulu Guinness Pretty Powerful 2019
Bobbi Brown launched its Pretty Powerful campaign for 2019 last week (On Friday, International Woman’s Day). This year, for the first in a few years, they’ve launched a different product, and it’s a collaboration with Lulu Guinness. Originally launched in 2013, the campaign has raised in excess of £...
NEW Cheekleaders from Benefit
Benefit has just launched two new Cheekleaders palettes that have a sneak preview of products that will launch later this year. The Cheekleaders Pink Squad is a 5-in-1 Blush, Bronze and Highlight Palette, and the Bronze Squad is a 5-in-1 Highlight, Contour and Bronze Palette. As ever, the packaging ...
NEW Dr Feelgood from Benefit
Benefit has launched a Mattifying Powder in its Dr Feelgood range, for those who prefer a powder to a balm. The original Dr. Feelgood Mattifying Balm has been on counter for some years now, but mattifying balms can be tricky to work with, I’m told. The new Dr. Feelgood Silky Mattifying Powder is much...
Lash Love with 5pm Deals
It was National Lash Day on Tuesday (Feb 19), did you know? Not quite sure what that entailed, but let’s celebrate it a little late with some lash love. Who doesn’t love a mascara? And maybe hate it at the same time – it can be one of the most frustrating beauty products. My current favourite is a Clinique...
Valentine, Galentine - 5pm Beauty Deals
Valentine’s Day next week might be a big night for you, and it might not. Maybe you will celebrate it as Galentine’s Day with your pals. Whatever you chose to do, it’s a great excuse to bag yourself a beauty deal, and treat yourself to a treatment. Maybe you want your bits waxed, maybe you just fancy...
Sunshine Yellow Beauty
Inspired by the launch of the Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine I blogged about on here this week, I decided to pull together more beautiful sunny yelllow beauty bits. How bright and beautiful a colour yellow is, and I defy you to not be cheered up just looking at this sunny lot! 1.This gorgeous yellow nail...
Vegan beauty in Veganuary
Veganuary! It’s everywhere – even here! Yes, there are loads of vegan beauty products out there. Probably loads more than you’d even think – but why would beauty products have loads of animal product in them?! Anyway, I’ve been bombared with Veganuary press releases since, ooh, way back in October, ...
Guerlain's Spring 2019 Morning Love Collection
It’s spring! Well, not really, but it is at the beauty counters, as the spring collections drop this month. Guerlain’s spring 2019 collection is all pastel-prettiness, with a beautiful highlighter powder at the heart of it. The Météorites Highlighter Duo (£45) is lovely – and who doesn’t love a highlighter...
Bobbi Brown's Lucky in Luxe Lips
Bobbi Brown launched a new lip collection earlier this month, and some new shades of an old favourite. The Lucky In Luxe Collection is a Valentine’s Day launch – yes we are going there already! Basically it’s the brand’s Luxe Lipstick with some cute red trim packaging, and some new shades, most of them...
New Benefit Roller Liner Eyeliner
Benefit start 2019 with the launch of it’s latest liquid eyeliner – the Roller Liner Eyeliner. Not a brow product! But still very much in the eye area! The Roller Liner Eyeliner is a simple liquid eyeliner in a pen. It offers precise definition, and has a matte finish – what doesn’t these days in beauty...
Get Selfie-ready with Clarins this Spring
Clarins’ new spring collection – out this month – is all about getting #selfie-ready. I wouldn’t normally associate the Clarins customer with a selfie, but the brand is obviously trying to attract a different generation. And they might just do it with this lovely little spring collection. I am a Clarins...
Party Prep with 5pm Deals
It’s party time! Hogmanay is the biggest night of the year, and if you’re off out partying, you need to look the part too, right? That means everything needs work – from brows to lashes, hair to nails, and of course, your makeup. But it doesn’t need to cost the earth if you log on to 5pm Spa and Beauty...
Futuristic Silver Beauty
Futuristic fun for the New Year! Drop the festive gold and bring out the sci-fi silver. Everything is shiny and chrome in the future, right?! I love a bit of silver for New Year’s Eve, and there are loads of brilliant silver beauty bits around. I’m not sure if I would go as far as silver lips, but a...
Festive Red and Gold
Some colours are synonymous with the festive season, and red and gold are definitely two of them. Gorgeous reds and golds are brilliant makeup shades too – for lips, eyes and nails. Let’s start with lips. Gorgeous red lips look even more festive with a golden glittery shine through them. And if you ...
Let It Glow!
LET IT GLOW! It’s the festive season, so definitely time to crack out the highlighter with the bubbly, and get a glow to rival any angel’s halo! Highlighting is BIG beauty news – and it’s all about the glow, with an added little bit of sparkle, at this time of year. So, we’ve had a look at some of the...
Bag it Up!
Is there any more fun than rummaging in a pal’s cosmetic bag? Just don’t stick your fingers in their products. This happened to me on a train journey once with a beauty blogger I had just met. Outrageous! Now, if, like me, you like doing your makeup on the move, then you’re not going to want to take...
Christmas Gifts for Her
Got someone female to buy a gift for? Of course you have. So here are a few suggestions, for all beauty fans, from skincare to makeup, big and small. A beauty gift is a gorgeous, pampering thing to receive, big or small. We hope your gift recipients like some of our suggestions. BENEFIT MAGICAL BROW...
Party Season Makeup Deals
It’s party season! Don’t try and deny it – it’s December tomorrow, and if you’ve not already been to at least one festive event, you need to re-evaluate your social life! With party season, comes party makeup. Glitter, sparkle, more is more, etc, etc. And when you’ve done your makeup, you want it to...
Black Friday Beauty Offers
It’s Black Friday this week – and there are all sorts of deals out there, on all sorts of products,from all sorts of brands. It’s a bit overwhelming, and who knows if it’s really worth it? Or are you just buying because you get caught up in the hype? I’ve had loads of info sent to me for beauty offers...
Guerlain's Christmas Cosmic Beauty
If, like me, you love all things retro and vintage then you are going to adore one part of Guerlain’s 2018 Cosmic Christmas Collection more than the rest. The Ladies In All Climates compact is adorable! It’s a re-edition of a cult travel-size powder created in 1897! It has a fine texture which events...
Bare Minerals Christmas Masterclass Event
I spent an evening last week at a BareMinerals masterclass – Scottish press, bloggers, and influencers were give a helpful demo by the brand’s National Makeup Artist, Gina Fitt. Obviously she can’t be at multiple locations this week, but the in-store makeup artists will do a brilliant job at the masterclass...
Makeup Deals for Halloween
Are you heading out this weekend for Hallowe’en? Have you seen some of the AMAZING makeup tutorials out there on social media? We are currently loving French vlogger and Youtuber, Marion Moretti AKA @marioncameleon. She has uploaded a horror-themed look every day this October – you must check them out...
NEW Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palettes
If you are in the Cult of Charlotte, you probably know all about the new Luxury Palette of Pops already. What are fans of this massively successful brand called? Tilburians? Charlottans? Hmmm, that maybe doesn’t sound right! Charlettes?! Whatever, there are a lot of you out there, and CT just keeps ...
Bobbi Brown Pinks With Purpose for Breast Cancer Month
Another Breast Cancer Awareness Month product just landed on my desk – two actually, in the shape of these lovely Pinks With Purpose from Bobbi Brown. An Estee Lauder company, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics has launched this cute lipstick duo for this year’s Breast Cancer Campaign. Evelyn H.Lauder co-created...
Breast Cancer Awareness Month Beauty Buys
It’s October again, and in the beauty world that means a plethora of pink products for Brest Cancer Awareness Month. It seems a little low-key this year. Maybe I’m just not getting the right releases. It’s not only Estee Lauder Companies that run breast cancer charity initiatives in October, but it ...
House of Luxe Bobbi Brown Lipsticks
Welcome to the House of Luxe – loads of gorgeous new lipsticks from Bobbi Brown. The brand has gone all-out on lipstick this autumn/winter with three new formats – Luxe Matte Lip Colour, Luxe Liquid Lip Velvet Matte, and Luxe Liquid Lip High Shine. The Luxe Matte Lip Colour launched early September ...
National Brow Day offers and Benefit Set
Benefit has positioned itself as the brow brand of the nation, and to celebrate National Brow Day (today, October 2), they launched the Limited Edition Blockbuster Brow Set. Yes, it’s another brow set from Benefit, but it’s a brilliant one – and great value. It actually launched last month, but it’s...
Shiseido launch new collection and new Global Colour Ambassador
SHISEIDO is not a brand that I keep up with, but its colour game has always been strong and this AW is no exception. The latest colour collection is vibrant, and full of brilliant products in excellent colours. The brand has also just announced a new Global Colour Ambassador – Patrick Ta. “Shiseido ...
Chanel launch two new Rouge Allure Matte Lips
Chanel launches two new matte lip products this week – Rouge Allure Liquid Powder and Rouge Allure Velvet Extreme – and if you like matte lips, and Chanel, you are going to love these. Chanel’s Global Creative Makeup and Colour Designer, Lucia Pica, continues to explore matte colours and textures with...
Bobbi Brown Camo Luxe Collection
This new CAMO LUXE Collection from Bobbi Brown is a bit of a leftfield move, no? It’s all about leopard this season, but if camo print is your thing, you’ll like this – and the palette is as lovely as always. So, lets start with that. This lovely Camo Luxe Eye & Cheek Palette (£49.50) palette has six...
MAC Cosmetics tops the Instagram beauty brands
If you’re on Instagram, you probably follow at least one beauty brand. And if you’re on Instagram you are one of one BILLION active users worldwide (as of June 2018). So it’s no wonder brands love this platform,and recognise its potential to engage existing and new users to like, share and feel encouraged...
Guerlain AW18 Collection
Guerlain’s new AW18 makeup collection has three colour products in it – a new blush, new lipsticks, and a new, innovative, eyebrow pencil. The collection doesn’t have a name – the press info just calls it Fall 18, which gets my goat in itself. Last time I looked this season was autumn in UK…please, ...
Clarins Joli Rouge & Black AW Makeup Collection
Clarins has just launched a small, but perfectly formed mini AW Makeup Collection. There are only three products in it, but it’s super-cute and the packaging is adorable. The Joli Rouge & Black Collection introduces a new lipstick – the Joli Rouge Gradation (£22) which is the Joli Rouge, reinvented ...
Dior's new Rouge Blush
We’ve all heard of matching our nail and lip colour – but our blush and lip colour? That’s a new one, but it’s a thing, according to Dior – and the new Dior Rouge Blush is how to do it. Rouge Blush by Dior’s Creative Makeup Director, Peter Philips, comes in 27 shades, drawn from the colours of the legendary...
Be Bold with Kiko's Dark Treasure Collection
KIKO Milano’s A/W 18 collection is out soon – and it’s a beauty. The Dark Treasures collection is huge – almost too big to talk about, but I will try. There are LOADS of products in it – from skincare to makeup, to tools. The innovation here is makeup that contains active charcoal cleaners, one of the...
Clarins NEW Skin Illusion Foundation
I love a new foundation, and I love Clarins, but I don’t love the post right now, as I am still waiting on my press sample of this to arrive, and I am itching to try it. EDIT: My foundation arrived and I am going to stick my neck out and say it’s great. This is not a foundation for you if you like a...
Colour Correction with new Erborian CC creme
I have mild rosacea and I do suffer from flushing (mainly with heat or alcohol) which is very frustrating. I’m always looking for new correcting products., and this latest one from Korean brand, Erborian, is the latest I’ve tried. The Erborian CC Red Correct is changes colour on contact with your skin...
Va-Va Plump your lips with Buxom
Buxom has launched another new lip product – this time it’s a plumping, shiny, liquid lip colour – the Va-Va Plump Shiny Liquid Lipstick. I’m a matte lipstick fan, so when this landed on my desk last week, I wasn’t sure about it. I have tried it, and there are three things I want to share with you about...
Madonna - Red Lipstick Queen!
Happy Birthday Madonna, 60 today!! If there is one thing I associate with Madonna more than anything, it’s red lipstick. She was my red lip inspiration. She was the one who got me into it, aged 14, when I used to sneak it on at school, and remove it later. Leos Don’t Apologize for taking the Road less...
Moody Blues - Gorgeous Blue Shades
It’s been a wee bit wet this last week, but let’s not dwell on that – it’s August, and somewhere the sun is high in the sky and someone is diving into the glorious deep blue sea! August makes me think of hot summer holidays, and in turn that got me thinking about blue skies and seas – and my favourite...
Clarins launches makeup brush collection
Clarins launches its first ever makeup brush collection later this month – and I can’t believe there’s never been one before. It is small, perfectly formed, and worth the wait! Clarins has launched brushes before, but singular, never in a collection like this. The brand launches six makeup brushes in...
NEW Benefit Brow Contour
Is it just me, or are we actually TOTALLY obsessed with eyebrows? They are certainly big beauty news, and Benefit is the world’s number one brow brand, so, if a new product is coming, it’s coming from them. Benefit has so many eyebrow products, it’s hard to know where to start – and here comes another...
Smashbox Petal Metal X Vlada Collection
This collection from Smashbox launched in July, and I first saw it back in early Spring. Rose Gold was EVERYWHERE back then, and I guess it’s still having a moment. This 16 piece curated collection was co-created by Instagram star makeup artist, Vlada Haggerty, she of the ‘drip lip. Rose Gold is her...
FREE lipsticks from MAC
It’s not a scam, MAC genuinely is giving away loads of free lipsticks this weekend. They’re mostly being handed out in their stand alone stores, but you can also nab one online. MAC is celebrating its authority in the lipstick world – hey, who invented iconic red, Ruby Woo?! I also think it might be...
High Summer Spa Deals
How good has this summer been? It’s been so warm, it’s hard to imagine summers that weren’t like this! But summer can’t last forever, so why not treat yourself to a big beauty deal that you can enjoy when it’s maybe not quite as sunny as it is now – if that ever happens! Have you ever tried a smoothing...
Clarins launch new matte Joli Rouge Velvet
Matte lipsticks. There’s no letting up to this trend. Now Clarins has launched a matte version of Joli Rouge to add to your choices. Joli Rouge Velvet is a reinterpretation of the brand’s iconic Joli Rouge, in a new matte version. The idea here is that it gives a matte finish, but still retains all ...
Bare Minerals NEW Complexion Rescue Defense
This is a big launch for bareMinerals – a moisturiser that protects against the modern phenomenon of ‘Blue Light Damage’ – the Complexion Rescue Defense Radiant Tint Protective Moisturizer. What is Blue Light Damage? Well, research says it occurs hanks to our obsession with #selfies and social media...
IT Cosmetics launches into Glasgow Boots
American brand IT Cosmetics landed in the UK last year, and this week their first Scottish counter opened at Boots in the Glasgow’s Fort shopping mall. This Saturday, from 11am to 4pm, you can go along to the counter, meet UK Ambassador Rose Gallagher, and join in the fun – there will be free makeovers...
Terry Barber x MAC Eye Palette
MAC fans, this is a beauty! BUT… it’s only available at Selfridges. So, get you to a shop, or go online – it’s Limited Edition, but still available. Oh yeah, it’s an Eye Palette. And a gorgeous one at that. It’s called the Eye See x 15 Eye Palette, and has been created by Terry Barber, MAC Director ...
Sporty Beauty
I’m not really very sporty. I like to watch sport, but taking part? Not really me. However, I have undertaken a charity thing this summer which means I have to run. A lot. (You can find out more about that here if you want) Now, being a beauty writer, editor, and, above all, fan, I am not one for just...
SMASHBOX LIMITED EDITION PHOTO FINISH SCENTED PRIMER WATERS
There are some beauty products you need – mascara, lipstick, blush, maybe a bit of concealer. And some you don’t. You probably don’t need the new Smashbox Limited Edition Photo Finish Scented Primer Waters in your beauty regime, but you might want them. These new 3-in-1 face primer and setting sprays...
International Kissing Day Lip Prep!
It’s International Kissing Day tomorrow – did you know? So, if you fancy smooching/snogging/necking/tashing on, then you better make sure you’ve done some lip prep – an there are loads of ideas and offers on 5pm Spa & Beauty. Also, you need to make sure you have your favourite lipstick at the ready ...
Guerlain's Terracotta Sahara Jewel Bronzer
It’s summer, and that, beauty fans, means a new bronzer, agreed? So, if you haven’t bought one already, then you might want to splash out and grab yourself this beautiful Guerlain Terracotta Sahara Jewel bronzing compact. This giant compact is almost too lovely to use. It’s set to be a collector’s item...
Are you pool ready? Summer beauty buys!
Love Island. Pool party. Loads of shimmer and shine. We’re in. But not Dr Alex’s sunburn, okay? He really should know better. Here’s our pick of some of the best summer beauty available this year. Don’t get mugged off! THE BODY Keep your body hydrated, moisturised, add a bit of shimmer, keep it cool...
Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude Eye Shadow Palettes
Bobbi Brown is synonymous with palettes, and even though the makeup artist herself is no longer with the brand she founded, it’s still bringing out perfect palettes like these two Nude on Nude Eye Shadow Palettes. There are two Nude on Nude palettes – Bronzed Nudes Edition, and Rosy Nudes Edition. Each...
Get Insta-ready with Charlotte Tilbury's Beauty Filter Collection
Hands up who doesn’t love a filter on a photo pre Insta-posting? I don’t believe you! We all do it, well, I know I do! But maybe we’d need less filtering if we were using products from Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Filter Collection? She’s not daft that Charlotte, tapping right in to the zeitgeist with...
Lip Stains and Lip Balms for summer from Clarins and Buxom
I’ve been trying out two new lip products recently – a stain and a balm, from Clarins and Buxom, respectively. Clarins launched its new Water Lip Stain in May, and Buxom launches its new Power Plump Lip Balm next month. The Clarins Water Lip Stain (£19) is an interesting one. There are a few things ...
Brows, brows, brows!
Frida Kahlo is as famous for her monobrow as her art. Her art was mostly of herself, right enough, so that famous brow featured a lot. She created it with a little help from a Revlon brow pencil – you can see it, and a whole collection of her belongings, including makeup and clothes, at the current ...
Clarins Sunkissed Summer 2018 Collection
Ooh, super cute Clarins! Clarins has gone all tropical with its Summer 2018 collection – well, kind of. Okay, there’s a flamingo or two on the compact, but, it’s pretty, and that’s enough to get excited about, right? Said flamingoes are on the Limited Edition Bronzing & Blush Compact (£31) which is ...
Benefit say Hello Happy with new foundation
The first thing I thought when I saw the new Benefit Hello Happy foundation was how non-Benefit it looked! The shape of the bottle reminds me of Clinique’s packaging on some of their bases, although it’s a little less rounded. And obviously there isn’t a cute happy face on the Clinique bottles! The ...
Classic Beauty Salon Treatments
Inspired by Bobbi Brow’s #CantLiveWithout campaign, highlighting classic Bobbi products – we wrote about this on the blog this week – I decided to pick a few classic beauty salon treatments available on 5pm Spa & Beauty. We’re all creatures of habit, and we all love to indulge ourselves with our favourite...
Bobbi Brown Classics You #CantLiveWithout
Bobbi Brown has cleverly curated 10 of its best-selling products that you just #cantlivewithout, and rolled out this campaign across the country. I am a massive fan of Bobbi Brown. I was shocked when Bobbi left the company recently, but it’s good to see them championing products she created, as she ...
New Concealers from Laura Mercier and Clinique
Concealers seem to be having a moment of late – quite a few have recently landed on my desk. The latest two come from Clinique and Laura Mercier. Laura Mercier launched its Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer (£24) earlier this year, a medium to full coverage concealer, with a natural, luminous...
Viva Cuba by Laura Mercier SS18
Laura Mercier’s SS18 collection is inspired by the “soulful ambiance of the Cuban culture…Alive with energy, the music and clashing patterns of street art” It’s all earthy matte bronzing shades, liquid illuminating pearls, and shimmering sheen for eyes (although there are no new eye products in this...
No7 Matte Liquid Lips new shades
Boots No7 has just added three new shades to its Matte Liquid Lips collection – all of them nudes. Nudes are big news this summer, thanks in no part to the (real life) Duchess of nudes, Meghan Markle. The new Royal rocks a nude lip, and, whilst I don’t, I can see the appeal. For an easy summer look,...
Be Sporty and Shimmery this summer with The Body Shop
Fitness and wellbeing is a massive part of modern day culture. Athleisure is a trend, juicing is normal, and there are more forms of yoga than anyone could ever need. And the beauty industry has cottoned on to our burgeoning desire to hit the gym/class/streets and exercise, and companies are creating...
Sandal Foot Prep
I was shamed on social media this week by an old colleague who commented on a sandal image I had shared on Instagram and Facebook – with BARE TOENAILS. He expects more from me, and I admit, I let myself down. How could I expose the world to the sight of my uncared for toes. And he hasn’t even see the...
Diego Dalla Palma Summer 2018 Cruise Collection
Italian beauty brand Diego Dalla Palma is always worth a look. The brand, from Italy’s fashion capital, Milan, is stocked in Marks and Spencer Beauty here in the UK. Launched in Milan in 1970, it has a wonderfully retro feel to it, and is much more than just makeup – with skincare and haircare in the...
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess 2018
It’s most definitely summer when the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection lands on my desk. Yes, I know it’s not officially summer yet, but nothing makes me want to book a holiday more than a sniff of the gorgeous Bronze Goddess scents. “Layer on sunlit shades, solar cool potions and ocean kissed ...
Bright Beauty Tools at Superdrug
I popped into Superdrug last week, and I spotted these bright coloured beauty tools. Now, I am a sucker for anything bright and bold, particularly in the primary colours, and I had to have them. There were more, but I stopped at seven – not sure why, as they were on a 3 for 2, but there you go. In my...
Reveal magazine Bargain Beauty Hotlist
We all love a beauty bargain, right? Well, you will definitely want to get your hands on the latest copy of Reveal magazine today then. Reveal has announced the winners of the Reveal Beauty Hotlist – the first and only media awards that recognise the best beauty products under £10. The expert judging...
Catwalk inspired beauty deals
Beauty trends come from the catwalk, and last September, fashion week makeup artists and hair stylists created all the beauty – and hair – trends you’ll be wanting to wear now for the SS18 shows. So, if you want to get ahead of the crowd, here are a few of our favourite – and where to book in for offers...
Blush and Highlight with Benefit and Bare Minerals
Two new blush/highlighters landed on my desk recently – Benefit’s Gold Rush Blush, and Bare Minerals’ Crystalline Glow Bronzer and Highlighter Palette. Blushing and highlighting is big news this summer. Bare Minerals‘ new palette does it all. It’s a limited edition, three-shade palette that will add...
Brow time with MAC
Brows. They’re big beauty news. And bigger. But not huge. Let’s hope the days of over-bold, HD brows are over, agreed? But I do love a bit of a structured brow, and, therefore, a brow product. MAC has launched two new products that will hit counters next week. One of them, the Shape & Shade Brow Tint...
Benefit launch Bold is Beautiful 2018 charity campaign
Benefit announced details of their fifth annual Bold is Beautiful charity campaign today. The global philanthropy program raises donations to support partner charity organisations that empower women & girls, helping them be BOLD, BELIEVE in themselves and ACHIEVE their full potential. Benefit Cosmetics...
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Stunna Lip Paint
I’m not just a little late to the party with Fenty Beauty – I actually completely missed the date! Sometimes, even being a beauty writer with 15 years experience behind you doesn’t get you on the right lists, and I missed the Fenty Beauty launch at Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh last year. It was an early...
Smashbox NEW mascara and liner
I love a mascara, and I love an eyeliner, so trialling these two new Smashbox products has been fun – and, I’m pleased to say, they’re both decent! Mascaras are hit or a miss, right? There’s always some smudging involved, no matter what they say. Unless they are tubing mascaras – like Clinique’s Full...
Sparkle with Bobbi Brown's new Eyeshadow Sticks
BOBBI BROWN’S Long-Wear Cream Shadow Sticks now come in a Sparkle formula – and it’s great. This new formula is infused with multi-dimensional pearls that give a ‘prismatic’ finish. That in turn brings a sparkle effect to the eyes. I’ve been trying the shade, Gilded, a gold colour, and the sparkle is...
Plump your lips for International Kissing Day
It’s International Kissing Day this Friday. Let’s dwell on that, rather than the fact it is Friday the 1th, yes? So, time to get those lips ready for some smooching. (Or good enough to smooch, even if you don’t want any kissing going on this weekend!) Read My Lips Scarf, £28, Oliver Bonas Lip fillers...
NEW bareMinerals BAREPRO Concealer
I’ve not used any other concealer since the launch of the Bobbi Brown Instant Full Cover Concealer last year. As luck will have it, as my tube of it is about to run out, this new BAREPRO Full Coverage Concealer from bareMinerals has landed on my desk. Unlike the Bobbi concealer, which is a liquid with...
Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful 2018
Every year around International Woman’s Day, Bobbi Brown launch their Pretty Powerful Campaign – this is the sixth year of the campaign which was originally targeted at promoting confidence in women through natural beauty. It’s evolved into a philanthropic project aimed at empowering women to ‘be who...
Buxom's Big Tease Mascara
BUXOM launch a new mascara next month – the Big Tease Mascara. It’s officially a plumping mascara – which means volumising in beauty speak. Buxom say it’s their ‘most volumising, statement-making mascara yet’. That’s thanks to the brush and the formula. The mascara brush is so important. In this mascara...
New Makeup Bag?
Hands up who needs a new makeup bag? You’ve probably not thought about it for a while, but that mucky old thing needs replacing now! How often do we actually look inside our makeup bag to see how grubby it has become? I know I don’t look often enough. Usually not until bits of red lip pencil, or a broken...
Spring in Capri with Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown launches its Spring collection in March- Spring in Capri. There’s a bit of a Southern Italy trend in beauty this Spring Summer – Chanel’s Neapolis collection is inspired by Naples. The island of Capri sits in the Bay of Naples and this collection is inspired by the island, its classic Italian...
Lips and Eyes from Sisley
Sisley are a luxury beauty brand, and although expensive, it’s nice to treat yourself – or a loved one – now and then. If you feel like doing so, Sisley has two new products to choose from – Sisley Phyto Khol Star Eyeliner Pencil (£36) and Sisley Phyto Lip Twist Matt (32.50). The Sisley Phyto Khol liner...
KIKO Milano Free Soul Spring Collection
If you’re looking for fun in your beauty buys, then KIKO Milano is your go-to brand. And the new Free Soul collection is jam-packed with fun products to create a bright and bohemian look. Gold liner for lips or eyes, pink mascara, adaptable bronzing products, and peel off eyebrows! All housed in gorgeous...
Benefit's new BadGal Bang Mascara
Benefit’s new mascara promises to boldly go where no mascara has gone before! Okay, it doesn’t, (and that’s a Star Trek reference in case you didn’t get it…) but it was released with a round of spectacular space style events – and it’s not just a gimmick. The formula features aero-particles, which are...
Red Lips for Valentine's Day
There’s no better beauty statement than a bright red lip! I am a massive red lipstick fan, and if you want to do Valentine’s Day beauty right, make it red! Here are our top ten fabulous red lips to choose from! Everything from liquid mattes, to matte, to gloss, to chunky pencils, and Charlotte Tilbury...
Valentine's Day Beauty Buys
It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow – so here are some love-themed beauty buys – buy for your gal, buy for yourself, buy for your mum, your gran, whoever! Use this Hallmark holiday to spread the love to whoever you want it, with an unexpected treat. How much would that brighten someone’s day? KIKO Milano ...
UV Pantone Color of the Year beauty
Normally I get quite excited by the Pantone Color of the Year when it’s announced. This year, I was a bit ‘meh’. I’m not sure I love purple that much, and UV is a shade of purple. Apparently it is much more than a shade of purple – as you can see from the company quote below. It’s so much more than ...
Dior New Lip Glow shades and formulas
Dior launch two new shades of their popular Lip Glow this month – and two new formulas – Matte Glow and Holo Glow. The new shades of Lip Glow include Raspberry and Ultra Pink, and the new formulas come in Matte Pink and Matte Raspberry and the Holo Glow comes in shades of pink/purple tones. Dior Lip...
CYO Cosmetics launches at Boots
There’s a new budget beauty brand in store – all the way from the USA. C.Y.O launched in Boots stores this month, and nothing in the collection is over £7.50! Its budget beauty, aimed at teens and twentysomethings, but actually accessible for everyone, with products for everything, from loads of lip...
MAC's new Metallic and Holographic Lips
There are two new lip tends for this season – holographic and metallic. Trust me, you heard it here first, you will be wearing both or either of these come February/March! I’ve tried both MAC’s new offerings, and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the Grand Illusion Glossy Liquid Lip...
Chanel Neapolis: New City SS18 Makeup Collection
Chanel’s latest makeup collection – Neapolis: New City – is bright, beautiful and bold – like the city which inspired it, Naples. Chanel’s Global Creative Makeup and Color Designer, Lucia Pica, hails from the Italian city, and took inspiration from every corner of it to create this brilliant, yet simple...
MAC Studio Waterweight Concealer and Powder
MAC launched their Studio Waterweight Foundation in 2015. I have to admit that I have never tried it. I’ve been a bit off the MAC radar in the last few years, to be honest, but three years after that launch, MAC are adding to the Waterweight collection with some new products. The Studio Waterweight ...
Blue Monday, Blue Lipstick?
Today is Blue Monday. We’re all meant to be down in the doldrums, full of the January blues, having failed at all our New Year resolutions, generally full of self-loathing. Ouch! I sincerely hope nobody feels like that, dear readers, it’s really not that bad! It’s going to snow this week – is that not...
MAC's Lunar New Year collection
The only negative about this collection from MAC is that it is exclusive to Selfridges, which means it will be nigh on impossible to get hold of. But, if you do, you won’t be disappointed. To celebrate the Chinese New Year – which falls on February 16 this year, and 2018 is the year of the dog – MAC...
Lipstick Queen Girls Will Be Boys Unisex Lipstick
When I told my husband about this new ‘unisex’ lipstick from Poppy King’s Lipstick Queen he looked confused. “Surely ALL lipstick is unisex,” was his response. “If I wanted to wear lipstick, I could wear any lipstick, no?” And he’s right. I don’t get this new launch from Lipstick Queen. I can see the...
Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector new shades
Clarins launch two new shades of their Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector for spring… at the end of this month. Yes, the spring collections are almost here, and this is the first to land on my desk for 2018. Yes, okay, it’s not a collection as such, but spring is in the name! These two new shades are ...
Bobbi Brown's new Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF15
Here’s something to cheer you up this January -a new Bobbi Brown foundation! I love a Bobbi base, and this new Skin Long-Wear Weightless Foundation SPF15 is a full-coverage base, with a natural finish. It offers mattifying coverage that is breathable and weightless, and will never appear cakey or flat...
Through the Decades with Eylure
It’s Hogmanay soon, and as we see out another year, we’ll all be reflecting on the past, as well as welcoming in the new – but which decade would you choose if you had to? In 2017 Eylure celebrated their 70th anniversary, and produced a series of images showing beauty looks through the decades, from...
Get an Extra New Year Glow with Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown launches it’s first collection of 2018 this month, and it’s all about creating fresh, glowing, radiant skin. The Extra Glow collection is a small collection of products, the perfect mix of skincare and colour, and features the ever-popular Extra Illuminating Moisture Balm (£44.50) in new...
Glittery, sparkly, eyes!
I love a glittery, sparkly, eye. If I’m putting eye colour on, I need it to be bold and bright. Currently I have three favourites on the go, and, as I am constantly asked about them when folk see me – in real life, or on social media – I thought I’d share my secrets with you – just in time for your ...
Buxom Plumpline for lips
Buxom’s Plumpline Lip Liner launches at the start of next year, and it’s different. It’s chunkier than a normal lip liner, but isn’t really a lip crayon. It also has a lip brush at one end, which, although useful, I’m not overly sure about. When I first received it, before I looked at the press release...
Benefit launch Porefessional Pearl Primer
Benefit launch The Porefessional Pearl Primer just after Christmas – perfect for the whole Korean K-beauty-led ‘glass skin’ trend that you are going to know all about come 2018 – trust me. The idea behind it is, of course, perfect skin. But rather than the matte perfection we’ve all been after this ...
Stocking Fillers and Last Minute gifts from Aveda, L'Occitane and more...
Need some last minute beauty gifts? Then here are a few to choose from. I love hand cream, and Aveda’s Hand Relief is great. Hand cream is a perfect gift for everyone, and this cute little gift set is just that – super cute. The Limited Edition Renewal For Your Journey Gift Set (£20) isn’t expensive...
Benefit Complexionista
Be a complexionista with Benefit’s latest palette – Complexionista! Benefit is fantastic at creating these palettes, and this one is perfect for anyone who loves a bit of highlighting and contouring. It features some of Benefit’s best loved products – all in one place! And, the packaging is SO cute....
Meghan Markle Nude Lipstick Love
Meghan Markle loves a nude lip – and so do British women it seems. Inspired by the Royal Princess-to-be, nude lipstick sales have gone up by 65% thanks to love for the Suits star. According to new makeup brand, MEMI, founded by 21-year old entrepreneurs Millie Watson and Jack Thompson, sales of nude...
Jade Jagger for MAC
British jewellery designer – and daughter of Mick – Jade Jagger, is the latest celebrity to collaborate on a collection with MAC. Jade brings her love of gemstones and her free-spirit to her small and simple collection which launches next week, and comprises lips, cheeks, eyes and face. Everything is...
Christmas Gifts
It’s December tomorrow, so if you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet, then you better get a move on! Here are a dozen beauty gifts you might like for the beauty fans in your life – just need to wrestle them back from that pesky Elf on the Shelf*! CLEAN Reserve 6 Piece Travel Spray Set, £39,...
Bobbi's gone all Luxe for the festive season
I love a metallic eyeshadow. It’s pretty much the only type of eyeshadow I use. And the new Luxe Eye Shadow from Bobbi Brown is the latest I’ve tried. These shadows come in a trio of finishes, from the high shimmer of Rich Lustre, to the molten foil finish of Rich Metal, to the super-charged sparkle...
Clarins 4-Colour Makeup Pen
Hands up if you loved using one of those four colour pens when you were a kid. Actually, hands up if you still do! I know I do. So, imagine one of those – but with eye and lip pencils in it, instead of biro pens! Imagine no more! Clarins has only gone and created one. Yes, the Clarins 4-Colour All-in...
Sheer Matte Lipstick - it's a thing!
Estee Lauder’s Pure Color Envy Lipsticks come in loads of shades, and loads of formats including SHEER MATTES. Yep, a sheer matte. Seems a bit of a contradiction, right? But, actually, much to my surprise, it works. That’s not to say I love it – but that’s more because I don’t love a sheer lipstick,...
The Body Shop Advent-ure Calendar
There are so many beauty advent calendars out there, it’s hard to see where to start – but let me introduce you to one of three lovely advent-URE calendars from The Body Shop. This gorgeous green box – the 25 Days of Game-changing Advent-ure Advent Calendar – contains 25 smaller boxes, but not just ...
Chanel's Collection Libre Numeros Rouge
Roughly translated that means Chanel’s free red numbers collection – yip, we’ll call it Collection Libre Numeros Rouge! It’s all about – you’ve guessed it – Coco Chanel’s favourite – red lipstick. Mine too. Can’t get enough of it, and this collection is perfect for all red lippy lovers. The iconic red...
Clinique's new Powder Matte Lipsticks
This is a new one – a lipstick which is a powder! Well done Clinique on another innovative launch. The Clinique Pop Lip Shadow Cushion Matte Lip Powder is a whole new way to wear matte – and we are ALL wearing matte! The backstage beauty hack you may know of is, to create a really velvet-like matte ...
Guerlain's Christmas Collection
In his book A Moveable Feast (Paris est une fête), Ernest Hemingway overflows with love for the city of Paris. This year, Guerlain is celebrating the festive spirit embodied by those American Bohemians, like Hemingway, who settled in Paris during the artistic whirlwind of the twenties: magical make-...
MAC Snowball Holiday Colour Collection
MAC’s Holiday Collection (Christmas collection) this year is inspired by ice and snow, and beautiful snowflakes and it’s very pretty. There are LOADs of gift sets too, but we will focus on the individual products in this post, and those at a later date. There isn’t a lot to this collection, but the ...
Tom Ford Winter Soleil Collection 2017
I always love when the Tom Ford Winter Soleil Collection release drops in my inbox. It’s always so pretty and makes me wish I was heading off for some winter sun. I am not, however, off to the winter sun. Nor am I really in a position to spend loads of money on this collection, but, if you are a fan...
Which Lulu (Vaseline) Girl Are You?
Love Lulu Guinness? Vaseline fan? The the LULUxVASELINE collab is right up your street! But which Lulu girl are you? Violet, Lily, or Poppy? This mini collection has three products – Lily Doll Face Hand Cream (£3.65), Violet Doll Face Original Lip Therapy Tin (£2.99), and Poppy Doll Face Tinted Lip ...
Bobbi Brown Caviar & Rubies Collection
It’s November, so it’s officially party season, and Bobbi Brown’s new Caviar & Rubies Collection is perfect for all your party makeup needs. Firstly, the packaging is beautiful. Gorgeous ruby and gold toned compacts, housing pretty metallic and sparkly products. And there’s a new matte in town – a Matte...
YSL All Hours Encre De Peau Base Collection
YSL’s new All Hours Encre De Peau collection is about creating the perfect long-lasting base – it’s in the name, right?! The claim is that this base will stay flawless, with no touch-ups needed for 24 hours. The All Hours Foundation (£33.50) is the brand’s first ‘night-proof’ foundation that will stay...
Bobbi Brown's Crushed Lip Colour
Are you over matte lipstick? Maybe even just a little bit? I have to admit I love it. But I bought yet another tube of Smashbox Always On in Bang Bang red the other week, and, as the weather turned, my mouth just didn’t feel so great. All matte lipstick is drying. And whilst the new mattes – liquid ...
John Lewis and M&S beauty advent calendars
It’s not Christmas without a beauty advent calendar now, is it? There are SO many of them, it’s impossible to keep track. But, I am lucky enough to have two of the best to open this year – roll on December. First up is the John Lewis Beauty Advent Calendar. The retail giant hasn’t had a beauty advent...
Benefit Brownanza Brow Wardrobe
There’s one of the bakers on this years Great British Bake Off who is a bit more style than substance, isn’t there? Steven – he makes amazing cakes, pastries, loaves, etc, and they look so cool, but sometimes they just don’t taste that good. Benefit can be a bit like the beauty world equivalent. Sometimes...
Autumn Beauty Colours
I love autumn – it’s so pretty, agreed? And the colours of autumn transfer so beautifully into makeup – berry lips, russet eyes, and golden highlights. I wrote a post on my own blog last week with lots of lovely autumnal coloured beauty products – and some of my crocheted autumn leaves. Go have a read...
KIKO Milano Candy Split by Giannico collection
I have to say that I have been impressed by every one of the five Vogue Talents collections to celebrate 20 years of KIKO Milano released so far. And this one, the sixth by Nicolo Beretta of Giannico is right up my street…or maybe that should be sweet! Inspired by irresistible desserts and confectionery...
The Tom Ford Lip Color Collection
Tom Ford Lipsticks are a luxury. They’re expensive, there is no getting away from that. They’re packed with rich ingredients, and the packaging is beautiful. They come in a lovely black and gold case, wrapped in an equally pretty box, and the lipstick bullets themselves are debossed with the Tom Ford...
Estee Lauder mark 25 years of their Breast Cancer Campaign
Evelyn H Lauder was the visionary behind the Estee Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign – now the Breast Cancer Campaign – 25 years ago this year. In 1992 pink ribbons were handed out at the brands’ beauty counter around the world, and a year later, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation...
Bobbi Brown BCA Pink Peony Set
Bobbi Brown’s product for the Estee Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign’s 25th Anniversary is the Pink Peony Illuminating Bronzing Powder Set. This lovely set includes a rosy pink shade of Illuminating Bronzing Powder and a Mini Face Blender Brush. The ultra-soft and smooth pressed powder delivers...
Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Campaign Box
If you love a beauty box, then here is one packed with goodies that will make you feel good inside too. The Estee Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign Beauty Box is packed with iconic products from some of the EL brands. For every £25 box bought, £15 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research...
Tom Ford Girls & Boys
TOM Ford first launched his ‘Boys’ range of mini lipsticks a few years ago. It’s been relaunched once since, and now, it’s being relaunched again – and he’s added Girls to the mix. In a time of gender fluidity, it seems Mr Ford likes to distinguish – in lip colours at least. These cute mini lipsticks...
Palette perfection from Barry M
Barry M has recently launched a whole heap of new palettes – and they’re really fab. Who doesn’t love a palette? And with these Barry M beauties, you don’t need to break the bank either. The Meteor Storm Eyeshadow Palette (£9.99) has eight luxurious, highly pigmented shades. They work brilliantly alone...
Get your Glow on with Clinique
Clinique launched a new base this month – the Even Better Glow Light Reflecting Makeup SPF15 – perfect for oily and combination skin. As the name suggests, the idea behind this foundation is to make your skin glow. It’s a lightweight formula, moisturising, and buildable. It’s fine for all skin types...
Victoria Beckham Estee Lauder Scotland launch
Victoria Beckham’s latest collection for Estee Lauder launched this month – and it’s now available in Scotland. You’ll find it in House of Fraser in Glasgow, and Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh. If you haven’t seen the VBxEL products before, then they’re worth having a look at. As expected the packaging...
Benefit launch Punch Pop!
Super cute, super retro, super cool. I love these new Punch Pop! lip colours from Benefit. They’re an antidote to the mass matte trend, and the packaging is just perfect. Pop goes your Pucker, say Benefit, as they aim to coat your lips in a luscious, rich, nourishing liquid lip colour with super shine...
KIKO Milano Asian Touch Isa Arfen Collection
KIKO Milano are killing it with these 20th Anniversary collections, agreed? Affordable, luxe, cute, and on-trend – what’s not to love? The latest – and fifth of seven – is Asian Touch, and has been designed by Serafina Sama, the young designer behind the label Isa Arfen. It’s inspired by the the indelible...
Givenchy Rouge Sculpt
Givenchy launch their Rouge Sculpt in September, a two-tone lipstick, each with one luminous shade on one side, and a graphic contour on the other, to perfectly frame the mouth. The finish is demi-matte, and perfectly defined. And the packaging is beautiful. So, Givenchy’s first two-toned lipstick offers...
Givenchy L'Autre Noir AW17 collection
Black is the new black at Givenchy Beauty this season with the launch of their ‘L’Autre Noir collection. Inspired by French painter, Pierre Soulages, who coined the phrase ‘outrenoir’ or ‘beyond black’, this collection is a celebration of black, which is anything but black. Are you with me?! Noir Revelateur...
Benefit launch Foolproof Brow Powder
I honestly didn’t expect another Benefit brow product this year – but here it is! The Benefit Foolproof Brow Powder is added to a collection that boasts an incredible TEN brow products and all sorts of kits and tools. But there’s always room for one more it seems, and here it is. This new Foolproof ...
NEW Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-LOngwear Foundation
Laura Mercier is the latest brand to launch a new foundation – the Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Foundation. Apparently you can get 15 hours of wear out of this one, and it’s full coverage, but weightless. I have tried it – the shade I had wasn’t the right shade for my skintone, so I didn’t wear it...
NARS Powermatte Lip Pigments
MORE MATTE LIQUID LIPS! They are everywhere this season. This is the AW of the matte lip – and if it’s liquid, even better. This NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment is very liquid – so much so it almost drips off the applicator. So, this stuff is infused with something NARS are calling ‘Fluid Pigment Complex...
Clarins AW17 Makeup
Clarins actually launched their AW17 collection on July 30 – how’s that for early?! It’s also technically their Autumn collection – called Graphik – and it’s just a few products, but there is a fab new eyeliner in there. The Graphik Ink Liner (£21) is an eyeliner pen, with a carbon black pigment, to...
NEW bareMinerals Bare Pro Foundation
Bare Minerals launched a new foundation last week – the BAREPRO Performance Wear Liquid Foundation SPF20. I’ve had quite a few new foundations to try of late, and I’ve been using this one for around a month. I like it. But it’s maybe just a little bit too full coverage for me. It has a natural matte...
Guerlain KISS KISS collection
This lovely little collection from Guerlain launches next month and I also wrote about it for a piece in the Daily Record. If you love glamour and lip products, this is for you. First up, the KissKiss Matte Lipstick (£27.50) – the first hydrating and plumping matte by Guerlain, it’s as intense as a ...
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lash Collection
Estee Lauder is having a lash and lid obsession this autumn/winter with the launch of the Pure Color Envy Lash Collection. It’s been designed to create custom lashes on demand, apparently. Do you want custom lashes? I dunno. Sometimes I think a slick of mascara is fine. But Lauder has other ideas for...
YSL Fall Look 2017
YSL is another brand determined to make us use the word Fall instead of Autumn, with their imaginatively titled, FALL LOOK 2017. But, I will forgive them because some of this is just fantastic. It’s bold and bright, inspired by the halcyon days of disco, full of sparkle. Perfect.It’s out now, so you...
MAC Rollerwheel Liquid Eyeliner
Sometimes, there’s no need for a new version. Otherwise put, no point in reinventing the wheel. So why MAC felt the need to reinvent the liquid liner, with an ACTUAL wheel, I don’t know. MAC, with their new Rollerwheel Liquid Liner, has created a ‘groundbreaking spinning disk applicator’ – which looks...
Beau-TEA-ful! Afternoon Tea Week beauty
This week is Afternoon Tea Week – and there are lots of lovely afternoon tea offers on 5pm – but, if beauty if more your thing, then how about these tea-inspired beauty products! Tea, as a beauty ingredient has all sorts of antioxidant properties, and it comes in everything from moisturiser to shampoo...
Clinique launch new High Impact mascara
The quest for beautiful, long, lush, curly, voluminous, thick eyelashes is real! There’s a new Clinique mascara out this week which was inspired by a Latin American trend where women were using spoons to get a continuous, arched curl in their lashes! I have just spent the last 15 minutes watching videos...
Chanel Travel Diary AW17 Collection
I love the story behind Chanel’s new AW17 Travel Diary collection more than the collection itself I think! It’s one of those you read that makes you covet someone else’s job. I want to go on a Californian road trip and create a collection of beautiful cosmetics, inspired by what I see. But could I do...
Make a Statement (Lip) with Bare Minerals
YAY! I love a statement lip. I love red, orange and pink, in the boldest shades possible, and that’s about it! So, this new Statement Lip collection from BareMinerals is just perfect. This collection comes in the best pinks, reds and berries. It’s a pretty simple collection really – it consists of 25...
NARS Steel The Show Fall 2017 Collection
I will only call this Fall 2017 because that’s what it says on the press release. But it’s Autumn/Winter, right? This is not the USA, and it rankles me, that US brands don’t change the terminology on their press documentation. Rant over, here’s the lovely NARS Steel The Show FALL 2017 collection, which...
Illamasqua's Aftermath
Illamasqua launch their Aftermath collection next week – and you better rush to counters soon, because it’s super cute, and bound to sell out. Now, I don’t have a lot of info on it, because I am still waiting on a press release – which is a first, but there you go. Anyway, you can see from the pictures...
AINSEL Lipstick - new beauty brand
I love a new beauty brand – and this one is a lot of fun. Meet AINSEL (deriving from the old English for myself), a new ‘digital beauty brand’. Yep, a digital beauty brand – founded by Millennials – but for whoever wants to be a part of it! The lipsticks – the core of the brand – are formulated and ...
Too Faced launch Melted Latex High Shine Lips
Enough already with the matte. Well, okay, not really, but Too faced has launched something COMPLETELY different for this AW season – their Melted Latex Liquified High Shine Lipstick. And this stuff shines! Being a matte fan before everyone was a matte fan, I was not really looking forward to trying...
Estee Lauder NEW Double Wear Nude foundation
I love a new foundation (although I have found a beauty in Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow), and I have three to try out over the next few weeks. First up is from Estee Lauder. The NEW Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Water Fresh Makeup SPF30 landed on my desk last week, and it’s actually perfect for my holiday...
Benefit's new GoGo Tint
Benefit began with Benetint, back in the 1970s – and this month release their fourth lip and cheek stain – GoGo Tint. This one is a long lasting bright cherry tinted lip and cheek stain, and if you like the others, you’re bound to love this. (I’ve just seen a cute cute cute original Benetint Limited...
NEW Smashbox Be Legendary Triple Tone Lipsticks
Lip contouring – or making your lips look fuller with makeup – has been a ‘thing’ in the beauty blogging world for a while now. Check YouTube, and there are loads of tutorials on how to do it. Most of them invlving a lot of products, and a fair bit of work. Smashbox are here to make it much simpler ...
Summer Beauty Part 1
It’s summer – does that mean a complete overhaul of your beauty cupboard? Well, okay, maybe not, but it definitely means time to indulge in something new for the season – even if it is just a bronzer. There are TONS of gorgeous summer products out there – and many of them holiday essentials – for hair...
Bobbi Brown Instant Full Cover Concealer
Bobbi Brown’s latest concealer hit counters this month – and the tagline is ‘Better Than Sleep’ I’m not sure about that, but it is good. According to Bobbi Brown, it’s like ‘eight hours of sleep in a swipe’ and, after a few rough nights earlier this month, it did the trick. I’m not a massive concealer...
10 easy makeup tips from Mitchell and Macinnes Glasgow
A city centre loft space with bright white walls and shiny wooden floors, Mitchell and Macinnes Makeup‘s studio looks it belongs in a Pinterest decor board. Rhona Mitchell and Sarah Jane MacInnes have an uber stylish aesthetic which is reflected in the makeup looks they create. The photographs of previous...
Escape with Estee Lauder Companies...
Hello Beautiful Escape! This is such a cute little buy from Estee Lauder Companies, featuring many of their top brands, perfect for a summer escape! Housed in a cute tropical print makeup bag, there are products worth £73, and the whole thing will set you back just £25. How fab is that? It’s a great...
Brows by Benefit and YSL
I have quite a brow history, it has to be said, and I have had long spells where they have been neglected. Recently I have been flitting between the Chamomile Sanctuary Spa in Edinburgh, where they are lovingly threaded, and Benefit, where they are waxed and shaped. I love threading, but I also enjoy...
Origins GinZing SPF40 Energy-Boosting Tinted Moisturizer
Origins are a great brand – they have ranges to suit all skin types, and I defy you not to find a product you love once you start trying them. The GinZing range is for all skin types, and focuses on brightening, and refreshing the skin, and is perfect for younger Origins fans too. The latest addition...
Fake tan news!
Fake tan is here to stay, that’s a fact. I’m not a fan, but if there was one beauty trend I would say will most likely never end, it is this. I learned long ago that, pale-skinned and Scottish, even when I did get a hint of a tan, I was never going to have that beautiful olive skin I wished for. I spent...
Pucker up with Fresh for National Kissing Day!
Mwah! It’s International Kissing Day today, so time to pucker up and get kissing! Perhaps not just randomly, though, that might not be the best idea. But if you are kissing then you will need your lips to be in tip-top condition. The latest lip balm to land on my desk is this one from Fresh – who are...
Strawberries & Cream Beauty
Are you watching Wimbledon? It’s such a British institution we can’t ignore it, and so today’s post is all about a Wimbledon favourite – strawberries and cream! Well, sort of! I’ve rounded up some strawberry and cream beauty products to get us in the Wimbledon mood! (Come on Andy Murray!) Paul Mitchell...
Follow the Sun with Bobbi Brown
This Bobbi Brown collection has been on counters for a month or so now, but it’s still worth flagging up to you, because it’s lovely, full of new products, and I have my mind on sunnier climes at the moment! Not that I am planning on going to Antigua, Maui, or Santa Barbara any time soon – those three...
Barry M Matte Me Up Metallic Mattes
OOH, these are a wee bit different now, aren’t they? Barry M’s latest matte lip venture is of the metallic variety! The Matte Me Up Lip Kits come in three shades, and each one has a lip pencil and a liquid matte lipstick. These are fun, and perfect for the summer. The matte look could be a wee bit harsh...
Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour
Rimmel are the latest brand to launch a matte liquid lipstick – the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour. I’ve not tried it yet, and it will have to go a long way to beating Smashbox’s Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick which is brilliant. The lovely Rita Ora looks great wearing shade Plum This Show, one...
KIKO's Active Fluo limited collection
KIKO Milano has launched another of their capsule collections created in collaboration with up-and-coming designers selected by Vogue Talents to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. Active Fluoro – the third of seven collections – is the work of Arthur Arthur Arbesser, a promising international fashion...
Peace Love & Beach Bobbi Brown Summer
Late last year Bobbi Brown left the company she began and was so successful at for over 25 years. It’s a real shame when the heart of a brand leaves, and it will be interesting to see where Bobbi Brown the company goes, without Bobbi at the helm. Bobbi sold to Estee Lauder way back in 1995, but aleays...
Paul & Joe Summer 2017 Collection
Paul & Joe make adorable cosmetics! These lovely pieces from their Summer 2017 Collection are so cute, and totally collectable. How could you ever use them?! Well, okay, I think I could use this lovely new Beaute Gel Blush (£19). It’s an 80% water-rich formula, which delivers a dewy glow to skin, creating...
Benefit go Boi-ing with all concealers
Benefit are giving their concealers a bit of a makeover – and adding a new one to the range. All of their concealers now come under the Boi-ing banner – and there are four in total. Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer is the new kid on the block, Boi-ing Hydrating Concealer is the newly revamped Fake Up, Boi...
Clarins Citrus Collection
Clarins’ new Citrus Collection ticked a few boxes for me, being obsessed with grapefruit, and a big fan of their iconic Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. This little mini summer collection has a citrus scented Hand and Nail Treatment Cream Trio, which is just a lovely gift – to someone else, or yourself...
EsteeLauder Bronze Goddess 2017
Sitting at my desk, looking out at the pouring rain, it seemed a good time to have a look at the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection for 2017. Every year, EL bring out some new products in this collection, and the cult Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche fragrance. I absolutely love the smell of this perfume...
Benefit launch Dandelion Twinkle
Benefit’s Dandelion is their iconic brightening face powder, launched, amazingly, over a decade ago. The flattering baby pink shade gives a rosy glow to skin, and it’s never been off the Benefit best-sellers list since launch. It’s part of a collection of brightening products, which include Dandelion...
Benefit's new Hoola family additions
Benefit have added two new products to their best-selling Hoola family this month – the Hoola Quickie Contour Stick, and Hoola Lite. The Hoola bronzer is the UK’s best-selling bronzer, and this new Hoola Lite is just a lighter version of it. It’s still a bronzer, ir’s still matte, and it’s in the same...
Paul & Joe Spring 2017 - CATS!
I’m not sure of a few things with this Paul & Joe collection for Spring 2017. Some of it might already be sold out, some might not have hit our stores yet. The truth is, I don’t know. The press information is a little vague, and not having had contact with the press office that deals with Paul & Joe...
Organic Beauty Week 2017 - organic round-up
We’re in the middle of Organic Beauty and Wellbeing Week 2017 – so I thought it might be nice to have a wee round-up of some organic beauty brands. This year’s campaign from the Soil Association, who run Organic beauty week, aims to weed out the true organic from the fake. The Campaign for Clarity highlights...
May's TILI Box from QVC
Subscription boxes are a thing, right? Everyone has them, for everything – beauty, coffee, gin, stationery, the list goes on. Beauty boxes are where it started, and they’re hugely popular, but sometimes it’s difficult to commit to a monthly payment – or perhaps we’ve got too many monthly payments coming...
By Terry's Tropical Sunset
Here’s another ‘totally tropical’ beauty offering for 2017 – this time from By Terry, who give us a ‘Tropical Sunset’ They also give us one of the loveliest palettes I have seen for a while – and actually there are two to choose from. The Sun Designer Palette (£65) has six gorgeous shades in it of blusher...
Kat Von D Beauty arrives in Scotland
If there is one brand many Scots beauty addicts have been waiting for, it’s Kat Von D. Finally, it’s here. Kat Von D Beauty launched exclusively in Debenhams in Scotland last week. I couldn’t make it along for the press and bloggers breakfast, sadly, but I have had a good look at the products, and they...
Buxom launches in the UK
Be bold, be Buxom! From beauty giants Shiseido, Buxom is the latest stateside beauty brand to try to make an impact over here. Stocked exclusively in Debenhams, this brand – with a focus on lips – is a beauty brand with attitude – and one that, with their launch into the UK, is now in over 200 retailers...
Lancome's Matte Shaker Lips
Lancome’s new Matte Shaker lips promise SO much – but, for me, I’m not sure they fully deliver. I love a matte lip. Matte lips have been THE big trend in lipstick for a while now, and there are some seriously great mattes out there. Most recently, I have become addicted to Smashbox Always On Liquid ...
summer.fling by beautyblender
I have to admit that I had never used a beautyblender makeup sponge until this week. Apparently they are a cult classic, and I am missing out. The original beautyblender was launched 15 years ago, so really, I should just resign now. Quit my job, stop blogging, stop being a beauty writer and hang my...
Stila Glitter Underground Collection
LOVE THIS! I feel like I have been on a bit of a crusade of late, to search for the perfect metallic/glitter eyeshadow. I think the metallic eyes from 3INA are right up there, as are Urban Decay with their Liquid Moondust. But… meet Stila’s Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow. WOW. It...
Pore Perfection with Clarins
Benefit don’t have the monopoly on minimising pores (see yesterday’s post) – Clarins have introduced a new Pore Perfecting range this spring, for the non-Benefit fans out there. The French brand has launched two new products – Pore Perfecting Foundation, and Pore Perfecting Kit. This duo of products...
Benefit's Porefessional pore minimizing makeup
Benefit launch the latest product in the Porefessional line this month – pore minimizing makeup. It’s essentially a foundation, or let’s call it a base, with corrective powers, namely pore minimizing of course! I adore the packaging – it’s what Benefit do best, turning a simple beauty product into something...
KIKO Milano Tropic Heat with Lietmotiv
KIKO Milano has the tropical vibe this summer, with their new limited edition capsule collection, designed by Leitmotiv. Who? Er, it’s an Italian brand, designed by fashion designers and creative geniuses Juan Caro and Fabio Sasso. Tropic Heat is the second of the seven capsule collections created ...
Clarins Summer Collection
Despite it being FREEZING outside this week, the beauty companies’ summer collections are already on counter. So, if you need a summer-style pick-me-up, then go have a play! Clarins Summer 2017 collection launched earlier this month, and there isn’t that much to it – just three Limited Edition products...
Tom Ford Soleil 2017
Okay, this is the new Tom Ford Soleil 2017 Makeup collection – as much as I know about it. I wasn’t actually shown the lip balms, or even told about their existence, so I have no info on those, or price info. And apparently there is a mini Paradiso collection also available, according to the blogosphere...
Eyes on MAC - new eye palettes
Eyeshadow is probably one of the least-used items in my makeup collection, but one thing I just love, all the same! I have TONS of them. And lots of them are MAC – they are the best, right? When I do eyeshadow, I tend to go for one of two or three different looks – a smokey eye, a glittery cream, or...
MAC Fruity Juicy Collection
MAC launch the Fruity Juicy collection at the end of this month, and if you love bright, bold, tropical print, then this is for you. I have to say it’s more about the packaging than the products with this one. There are lovely products, as ever, but I don’t see anything obviously new and exciting standing...
NEW Clinique Chubby Plump & Shine Liquid Lip Plumping Gloss
Clinique have a new Chubby! It has another of those infuriatingly long names – officially known as Clinique Chubby Plump & Shine Liquid Lip Plumping Gloss! This one is a liquid lip product, and is a high-shine gloss which will make lips appear filler, smoother and more plumped. It’s one of those ‘no...
Estee Lauder's New Pure Color Love Lipstick
ESTEE LAUDER has launched a whole new line of lipsticks – 30 of them to be precise, in loads of colours, and loads of finishes. The new Pure Color Love range has to have something for everyone. There isn’t really a lot I can say about these lipsticks, and I’ve only tried one of them – one of the nude...
Chocolate Shades for Easter
Afraid of eating waaaaaay too much chocolate this Easter weekend? Fear not, beauty fans – here’s another way to get that chocolate fix – with gorgeous chocolate shades for eyes, lips, and more. I have to admit that brown is a difficult lip colour for me. I think it reminds me of the 90s too much. And...
Clinique's BIY Blend It Yourself Pigment Drops
Clinique have aced it again in terms of innovation, and, again, IT’S SO SIMPLE! All hail the just-launched BIY Blend It Yourself Pigment Drops. I LOVE this innovative product. It’s a teeny-weeny bottle of pigment that you add to your favourite moisturiser for your preferred makeup finish. if you want...
Prime Time with Estee Lauder
Estee Lauder launch a revolution in priming this month with their Double Wear 3 Minute Priming Moisture Mask. They also launch The Smoother Universal Perfecting Primer to add to their primer family. I wrote a feature for the Daily Record all about primers recently- read the article here – and most makeup...
NEW Sisley Phyto Blush Twist
I love a ‘stick’ product. Anything I can just sweep over my face, or quickly fill my lips in with. Clinique obviously led the revolution when they launched their Chubby Sticks a few years back, but plenty have followed suit. Sisley launched a lip crayon, and eyeshadow stick, and now a cheek version ...
Harvey Nichols Big Beauty GWP
If you are going to spend over £195 on beauty products from this week, then make sure you do it at Harvey Nichols, and on three or more pieces. That way, you qualify for their big beauty Gift With Purchase, which this year is a beauty, if you’ll pardon the pun! Beauty addicts you are going to love this...
Peachy Keen Too Faced Collection
Too Faced’s Sweet as Peach collection is cute – and if you like scented cosmetics, then it’s definitely for you. I find the scent a little bit cloying, but I adore the packaging. The Creamy Lip Oil Lip Gloss (£16) comes in eight shades, with fab names like Papa Don’t Peach. I love that one. I’ve tried...
Rimmel Volume Shake Mascara & Brow Shake Powder
I wonder how many more different mascaras will launch over the years? I have seen so many in the years I’ve been a beauty writer, I’ve forgotten half of them! Vibrating mascara wands, layered mascaras, combs instead of wands, silicone, fibres, all sorts… Rimmel has now launched another new mascara –...
NEW Boots No7 Airbrush Away Sheer Foundation and Powder
Boots No7 has added two new products to their Airbrush Away collection – which I have to admit I didn’t even know existed! But welcome, Airbrush Away Sheer Finish Foundation and Translucent Finishing Powder. The No7 Airbrush Away Sheer Finish Foundation (£16.50) is a sort of hybrid between primer and...
Greenery Beauty
Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2017 is Greenery. Its a lovely, fresh, spring shade, and it inspired this post – exploring some Greenery Beauty. A refreshing and revitalizing shade, Greenery is symbolic of new beginnings.Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of ...
40 Shades of Foundation, from Lancome
To celebrate 20 years on the market, Lancome has relaunched their Teinte Idole foundation in an incredible 40 shades – accompanied by a fantastic ‘My Shade, My Power’ campaign. Teninte Idole Ultra 24h is now Teinte Idole Ultra Wear, in a new bottle, with the same high coverage formula. The foundation...
Bobbi Brown launches Havana Brights collection
Inspired by the vibrant colour palette and energy of Cuban capital, Havana, Bobbi Brown’s latest collection, Havana Brights, is, well, bright! Of course, there is a palette at the heart of it – more on that later, but there is also a brand new product in the Art Stick Liquid Lip (£21.50). I have yet...
Let YSL Shock you!
YSL have launched another version of their Black Opium fragrance – Black Opium Floral Shock. This one also comes with a makeup collection at the same time. Its not a massive collection. There’s a brow marker (which scares me), and a double ended shadow stick thing, and the new ‘The Shock’ False Lash...
Lily-Rose Depp, Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss, and stickers!
Just how lovely is Lily-Rose Depp? With Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp for parents, it’s not a surprise really is it, that she’s such a gorgeous girl, and now she’s the new face of the new campaign for Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss. Actress Lily-Rose Depp is already the face for N°5 L’EAU, and her youthful...
Splurge or Steal Beauty: Foundation
Splurge or Steal? You decide! This week – foundation. SPLURGE Name: Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Luminizing Fluid Foundation Claims: Shiseido reckon this is a foundation innovation – a proper foundation/skincare hybrid. An intelligent, luminizing foundation that infuses hydration, and synchronizes with...
Bare Minerals Invisible Bronze + Glow
Bare Minerals launch two new bronzing products today – perfect for the start of spring – its on its way, I promise! The bareMinerals NEW Invisible Bronze and NEW Invisible Glow combine to create the perfect bronzed skin, on top of the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream. The baked...
Clarins Tender Moments for Mother's Day
Clarins launch this really cute, loving little collection just in time for Mother’s Day. So, show your mum how much you love her, with something from the Tender Moments collection. And it’s good! Well, the blusher is anyway. The Skin Illusion Blush (£16) comes in three shades, and is so easy to use....
Morris & Co Love Is Enough Collection and Bags
Fancy buying yourself a little treat this weekend? How about a new cosmetic bag? I just love cosmetic and toiletry bags, and these two Morris & Co from Heathcote Ivory bags, in the new ‘Love is Enough’ print are beautiful. The delicate leaf patterns, balanced with a traditional typeface, are based on...
Double the Lips with Tom Ford and Benefit
Tom Ford creates beauty products you know you really don’t need, but you CRAVE them. They look SO beautiful you convince yourself you have to have them. The new Shade and Illuminate Lips is one of those – and I have only seen images, haven’t even tried the thing! Saboteur But look at them. They ARE ...
Tom Ford's Shade And Illuminate Expansion
Tom Ford Beauty launched their original Shade and Illuminate Cheek product a few years ago, and have now brought out some new shades. There was a lot of blogger criticism online that the original ‘didn’t contour’ enough, but I don’t think Mr Ford was ever going for a full-on Kardashian contour product...
Lipstick Queen Famous Last Words Liquid Lips
This is Poppy King’s Lipstick Queen’s first ever liquid lip – yep, I was surprised too. Liquid lips that set to matte are everywhere, and at this moment in time I am particularly in love with the Smashbox Always On version – see this post. The Lipstick Queen collection is called Famous Last Words – ...
Chanel Le Rouge Crayon Jumbo Lip Crayon
Chanel launched their Le Rouge Crayon Jumbo Lip Crayon last month – what took them so long!? Everyone has a lip crayon of some kind, right? Clinique fairly started something when they launched their Chubby Stick. Clinique collaborated with Crayola this year for a new range of Chubbies – more on those...
Kiss and Tell with Clinique!
When Clinique sent over this press release for Valentine’s Day, it made me smile. It reminded me of daft quizzes and ‘what your hand lines say about you’ type features I loved in Jackie, Mandy, and Diana annuals as a kid. What Your Kiss Says About You, say Clinique. So, lipstick and paper at the ready...
Happy Valentine's Day Beauty!
Its Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and the beauty world knows it! There are loads of Valentine’s products and offers out there, but I’m concentrating on just a couple. I love this blusher (£9.90) and blush brush (£12.90) from the Kiko Milano Valentine’s collection – it’s cute and fun. And even if you heart...
Red Lips!
I LOVE a red lipstick. It’s a bold, powerful, uber-feminine statement. Worn by wonderful women like Madonna, and Marilyn Monroe, to name just two. It is the original lipstick. It’s the only lipstick for many, and every woman should wear red at least once in her life. But, it is also hard to find the...
Chanel Codes Spring Collection
The five iconic colour codes of Chanel are red, black, gold, white and beige. And the company’s Global Creative Makeup and Colour Designer, has developed a new Spring 2017 makeup collection celebrating, reinterpreting, and deciphering those codes. THERE IS A SENSE OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN WHAT GABRIELLE ...
GALifornia Dreaming with Benefit
Benefit go back to their Californian roots with the launch of this new GALifornia Blush. Founders of the brand, Jean and Jane Ford moved from Indiana to California in 1976 – the summer of love – looking for a new adventure – and boy, did they find it! San Francisco was the hub of California’s hippy ...
Laura Mercier's Joie De Vivre Collection
I had a makeover last week at the Laura Mercier counter in Edinburgh’s Harvey Nichols. The lovely Michael made me over with the brand’s new Joie De Vivre Collection (Joy of Life). I’m not overly familiar with Laura Mercier as a brand, particularly of late, but I do know its a great brand with lovely...
YSL's Spring 2017 The Street And I Collection
YSL’s Spring beauty collection is lovely – no surprise there. I do love YSL makeup, especially their collectable palettes. I know my mum still has a few from years ago in her dressing table drawers, as do I. This year, it’s called The Street and I Collection, which is a wee bit jarring, but let’s go...
NARS NARSissist Cheek Palettes
I’ve been having a bit of a ‘blusher moment’ of late – I find it hard to believe it was a beauty product I used to omit from my regime! Even though I have a bit of a high-flush going on, particularly in the heat, or after a drink, blusher is an essential part of my makeup routine, and so it should be...
Lipstick Chess from Lipstick Queen
It must be hard, being just a lipstick brand, and coming up with new and innovative products all the time. Poppy King, whose brand is Lipstick Queen, certainly does that. But this newly launched collection – Lipstick Chess – is more of a gimmick than an innovative product, I think. That’s not to say...
Sleek Makeup Brow Intensity
Sleek Makeup’s Brow Intensity is, well, intense! Brow products are launched all the time, all pretty similar, but this one is like nothing I have seen before. I am not a fan of the results – way too intense for me, but if you want a new brow product to try, it’s worth a whirl. The innovation comes in...
New Primers and Concealers from NARS
NARS are concentrating on our complexions for the start of 2017 – they launched new primers on January 1, and are following up with a new concealer on February 1. There are three new Face Primers to choose from – to boost it, blur it, and smooth it, say NARS. The Radiance Primer SPF 35/PA+++ contains...
Rita Ora Goes Grey
Rita Ora’s latest collection for Rimmel is all her grey collection, launching in the run-up to the release of Fifty Shades Darker, the 50 Shades of Grey movie sequel. This mini collection is pretty cute, and its no surprise I love it, with grey and red two of my makeup faves. There are five products...
Iris Law new face of Burberry beauty
Burberry launched a new lip product this week, and Iris Law is the campaign star – celebrating her new role as Global Ambassador for the brand. She’s the 16-year-old daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, in case you didn’t know! The Liquid Lip Velvet is another matte cream lip colour (I haven’t tried...
Estee Lauder Double Wear Wipes
Beauty wipes get a raw deal, but they are hugely popular, and it’s not rocket science as to why. Easy and quick to use, they are brilliant when you are feeling lazy. However, make sure you use a decent brand. Throughout most of my 20s I wiped with baby wipes to take my makeup off, and I do not recommend...
Bare Minerals Gen Nude Collection
How do you go Nude? That’s the question Bare Minerals is asking this month, as they launch a HUGE new nude lips collection – Gen Nude. Nude, you see, isn’t just one colour. It’s not just beige, it’s also pink, perhaps peach, and maybe mauve. It’s still never really bright enough for me, but nude lips...
Clinique Crayola Chubbies
Did Clinique see my post in December 2015? Check it out – I paired their iconic Chubby Stick with some iconic Crayola crayons for my Cult Beauty product of the week shot. Did I plant the idea?! Fast forward a year, and here is the Clinique x Crayola Chubby! Yep, Clinique launch a limited collection ...
Bobbi Brown Skin Glow Collection
It’s January, and it’s a bit dull, but your skin needn’t be. Illuminate your world with beautiful glowing skin, and the new Bobbi Brown Skin Glow Collection. This little collection of illuminating and hydrating formulas for cheeks, lips, and skin is the perfect antidote to the January blues. It’s all...
NEW M&S Limited Collection beauty bits
New year, new makeup! It’s time to give your makeup bag an overhaul and get rid of all those bits and pieces you don’t use, and invest in some new products. M&S Limited Collection release a few new products this month – key items that you should have in your bag. First up, a brow palette. I know how...
Clarins DO Contouring!
Clarins launch a contouring palette this month. It’s limited, and I am interested to know what Clarins fans will make of it. Contouring is a massive trend in beauty, but is it on the way out? Perhaps. But there is still a market for it, and this new contouring palette will tap into that. It’s a pretty...
Illuminate your skin for the New Year!
If you’re heading out on Hogmanay, chances are you’re going to feel a little bit under the weather on the first day of the New Year – and that means your skin will be a little lacklustre and tired too. The hangover, I can’t help with (though I do think a fry up and some full fat Coca Cola helps!). The...
Illamasqua's Antimatter Lipsticks
It’s fair to say that one of the big beauty trends of 2016 was matte lipstick. Illamasqua is taking us into 2017 by bucking that trend – slightly – with the launch of their AntiMatter Lipstick. This new lipstick range is a semi-matte range, in 16 fabulous new shades. There are also key shades in the...
Bobbi Brown Red Hot Collection
Ah, Bobbi Brown loves her reds. I never thought I would say that. I’ve been in this game so long, I can actually remember when Bobbi Brown had NO red lipsticks. And, apparently, she launched her brand in 1991 because she was sick of reds! Times change, however, and bold, bright, mostly red, lipstick...
Sisley Beauty Subscription
There are TONS of beauty subscription boxes to choose from. Some are great, some not so, but none are probably as luxurious as this one from Sisley. The French beauty brand launched their subscription earlier this year, and it is a little different to others. You can purchase a six-month, or a year-...
12 Gifts of Christmas - Illamasqua
It’s Christmas! Well, almost. So, for 12 days on the blog, I’ll be bringing you 12 Gifts of Christmas – a delightful dozen that every beauty fan will love! Illamasqua has some lovely gift sets for Christmas, which, if you are a fan of the brand, you are going to love. They focus on the brand’s best-...
Beauty Crackers
I love a Christmas cracker, but let’s be honest, the contents can disappoint. A tired old paper hat, a rubbish joke, and another useless keyring/plasticring/puzzle are not things we need. But the contents of these fabulous beauty crackers – now we’re talking! There are loads out there, and whilst they...
Beauty Baubles
Who doesn’t love a little extra gift at Christmas? I know I do! So, for any beauty lovers you know, a beauty bauble is the perfect little extra. Here are a few cute little tree gifts to choose from. Boots No7 Lip Duo (£8) contains two lip glosses – Deep Pink and Nude Pink, perfect for lip gloss fans...
12 Gifts of Christmas - Charlotte Tilbury
It’s Christmas! Well, almost. So, for 12 days on the blog, I’ll be bringing you 12 Gifts of Christmas – a delightful dozen that every beauty fan will love! Charlotte Tilbury’s festive collection is all about the Legendary World of Parties – she loves a party, our Charlotte! This cute gift set is her...
12 Gifts of Christmas - Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour
It’s Christmas! Well, almost. So, for 12 days on the blog, I’ll be bringing you 12 Gifts of Christmas – a delightful dozen that every beauty fan will love! Today, our gift comes from Elizabeth Arden, and includes the iconic Eight Hour Cream. I love this multipurpose beauty balm, full of restorative ...
12 Gifts of Christmas - Tom Ford
It’s Christmas! Well, almost. So, for 12 days on the blog, I’ll be bringing you 12 Gifts of Christmas – a delightful dozen that every beauty fan will love! Today’s gift is a luxury that we’d all be over the moon to receive, I am sure! It’s the Tom Ford Lip and Nail Gift Box. You choose which lipstick...
Stocking Fillers
Stocking Fillers! What are they? Little things? Or big things? Maybe your stocking will be filled with novelty treats, or maybe just one or two choice items, stocking filler-sized. I’ve chosen a few of my favourite beauty stocking fillers, from the cheapest novelty items to a few more expensive pieces...
12 Gifts of Christmas - Nails Inc
It’s Christmas! Well, almost. So, for 12 days on the blog, I’ll be bringing you 12 Gifts of Christmas – a delightful dozen that every beauty fan will love! Nails Inc have some fantastic gift sets this Christmas – it was hard to just pick one. This one won out though, thanks to the cute Peace.Love.Kale...
Madame La La Bronzing Ball
I do love a multi-tasking beauty product, so I’ve been enjoying giving myself a bit of a winter glow with this fab Madame LA LA Bronzing Ball. Madame LA LA are an indie British beauty brand, inspired by LA. This is no ordinary bronzer either. As well as being in a half sphere, so you can just apply ...
12 Gifts of Christmas - Benefit
It’s Christmas! Well, almost. So, for 12 days on the blog, I’ll be bringing you 12 Gifts of Christmas – a delightful dozen that every beauty fan will love! First up, Benefit. I’ve chosen their Girlesque set – one of this year’s lovely doll-head tins, jam-packed full with Benefit goodies. Girlesque is...
Spellbinder Shadows from MAC
MAC’s new Spellbinder eyehadows are, wait for it, magnetically charged! The formula is amazing – none of this shadow will fall out of the pot – or off your eyelids! Each shadow contains black, ionised pigments, which are “magnetically charged, fusing the loose powder together, so it magically maintains...
Black Friday Beauty
We can’t escape Black Friday – it’s finally here, so let’s just join in! There are fabulous deals all year long on 5pm of course, but today is the uber-deal day for many brands, and putting cynicism to one side, some of these beauty deals are pretty good. Here’s a round-up of a few deals that I think...
The Queen Lipstick by Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte Tilbury is undoubtedly the queen of the makeup world at the moment, but she pays tribute to the actual Queen with this lovely pink-red lipstick. Introducing, The Queen, a very royal matte lipstick, in honour of Britain’s longest reigning monarch. This Limited Edition matte lipstick, The Queen...
Elegant Touch Party Nails
People still wear sticky-on nails! They do. I do, from time to time, I even wore one – just one – on my ring finger at my wedding – see the picture! Elegant Touch make great false nails, and they really don’t ping off, honest! Of course, nothing beats a proper salon manicure, and there are plenty of...
NEW Tom Ford Lips and Boys
The idea of a lipstick named after a boy is quite funny, right? I still laugh at the brilliantly bonkers Tom Ford Lips & Boys collection – and now there are 25 more to giggle at! I’m a wee bit confused by this, because last November there were 25 new boys added to the original 25, and that would make...
Maybelline Lip Paints
These are not brand new, but they are the perfect antidote the matte lip – if you want one – which is everywhere at the moment. Maybelline’s Colour Drama Intense Lip Paints will give you a high-shine, statement lip, in one quick sweep. Or, you could get creative and layer a few different colours for...
Beauty Advent Calendars
There was a time when there were just a few beauty advent calendars out there – now? There are DOZENS of them. It’s actually almost impossible to collate them all. So, I have picked 15 for you to have a look at, with varying prices and designs. Bear with me, this is a LONG post! First up is this year...
Festive Nails, Birthstone Nails
I love a new nail polish. When I was younger I used to change my nails pretty much every night – clearly had nothing much else to do! I love a Shellac manicure occasionally, and going to the salon for any sort of manicure is an absolute treat (and there are plenty fab 5pm salons to choose from!), but...
Elizabeth Arden Preen Gift With Purchase
It always seems quite an old-fashioned thing, doesn’t it, a Gift With Purchase ((GWP), at a beauty counter? In a world of subscription beauty boxes and discount sites, like our very own 5pm, and the like, it seems like something from when I was a teen, back in the 1980s. But who doesn’t love an incentive...
NEW Bare Minerals Bare Pro Foundation
I am not a lover of powder foundation. I’m not a lover of face powder. I have never really been a fan of BareMinerals powder foundation. But…their latest addition, the new Bare Pro, has made me change my mind…a little! I remember the first makeover I had on a BareMinerals counter – and not for good ...
Benefit Brow Starter Kits
Remember when Benefit launched a million brow products earlier this year? Well, now they’ve sorted them all out for you, and popped them into cute little brow kits in even cuter tins. (Who doesn’t love a tin?!) Benefit launched all the brow products you could ever need and then some back in June this...
Lottie Tomlinson Matchbox for Nails Inc
Nails Inc are expanding out of just nails and into skincare and makeup, and the latest product is Matchbox – a collaboration with makeup artist, and celebrity sibling, Lottie Tomlinson (sister of One Direction’s Louis, if you didn’t know!). It seems that the 80s trend of matching your lips to your nails...
Bobbi Brown, Wine, Chocolate and Go Sober October!
The irony wasn’t lost on me when this lovely collection by Bobbi Brown landed on my desk last week. I’m in the last week of Go Sober October for Macmillan, and my sponsored sobriety is becoming more and more difficult every weekend! Not having a drink this month has been tough, and when this lovely ...
The Frog Prince (lipstick) Story
Last year I wrote a post about a green lipstick that wasn’t actually green – it was Lipstick Queen’s Frog Prince lipstick, and it was – and is – a massive hit. As well as it being Lipstick Queen’s best-seller, it’s Space NK’s fastest selling single shade of lipstick of all time! So, here’s the next ...
Clinique's new Superbalanced Foundation
Clinique have just launched another new foundation, called Superbalanced. I’ve probably tried pretty much all of Clinique’s foundations over the years, and liked some more than others. I don’t generally use Clinique bases these days, but I gave this one a go for this review, and it’s pretty decent. ...
Nails Inc - The Reflectors
Hands up who loves a metallic nail? I know I do, but the more glitter, the harder it is to get it off. There is actually nothing enjoyable at all about some glitter and metallic polishes out there. But, this Nails Inc mini collection – The Reflectors, is pretty decent. My favourite is Kings Cross Road...
Autumn garden shades of beauty
Autumn is surely the prettiest month, colour-wise. All those gorgeous browns, reds, and berry shades, and the last of the greens, as the plants and trees change and shed their leaves. So, I decided to take some of those autumn colours in make-up form and shoot them in an autumn garden. Gorgeous greens...
October Breast Cancer Awareness Beauty Launches
It’s not just the Estee Lauder Companies that campaign and raise money and awareness for breast cancer charties in the beauty world. GHD annually launch limited edition pink versions of many of their tools, and have so far raised £9 million for breast cancer charities across the globe and this year ...
Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign 2016
It’s October and that means it’s breast cancer awareness month, the month when loads of beauty companies launch lots of ‘pink’ products, and donate to various breast cancer charities. Estee Lauder started the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign back in 1992, with the creation of the pink ribbon, the universal...
Nails Inc Nail Fuel Collection
I love this little collection from Nails Inc. Who knew nail polish could be so GOOD for your nails?! My nails need all the help they can get, so I am loving all of the nail potions here. This little set us packed with all the vitamins you need for healthy nails. Designed to nourish and restore nails...
Clarins Autumn Winter Makeup
I’m a bit late with this, it sort of passed me by for some reason. Not like me, as Clarins are definitely one of my all-time favourite beauty brands. I can’t live without their black Instant Liner liquid liner. Best. Product. Ever. But let’s talk today about their AW16 collection. It focuses on the ...
TOM FORD Waterproof Foundation/Concealer Review
I think foundation is probably the single most important beauty buy you make. Getting the right base is vital to the rest of your makeup and it’s one product I am consistently asked advice on. So, any new foundations, I love to try them. This week I’ve been using the new Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation...
Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder
Estee Lauder have launched their much-vaunted Victoria Beckham collection and, well, from what I have seen of it, it’s very nice. It’s hard to comment further because I have only seen images of this collection – samples were sent to selected press, but even after all my years in the business, I didn...
Benefit's Roller Lash in Brown
Who remembers Benefit’s Roller Lash mascara launch last year ? We blogged about it, and since then it’s rivalled They’re Real as Benefit’s best mascara, and is the UK’s number one best-selling prestige curling mascara. So there! Now, they’ve launched a brown version of it, and it’s fab! I do love a ...
MAC NEW Liptensity Lipstick
MAC launched a new lipstick yesterday which promises to be THE lipstick to have this autumn. And there are LOADS of colours to choose from. MAC Liptensity pushes the boundaries of colour, say the brand, thanks to the expertise of Tetrachromat Maureen Seaberg, who has the genetic ability to see up to...
Lipstick Queen Smokey LIP kit.
Yes you read that right – Smokey LIP, not smokey eye. Lipstick Queen – that’s Poppy King- has launched the Smokey Lip Kit, which creates a deep, dark, autumnal, smokey, lip by layering lippies. The kit contains two lipsticks – one of them the Black Lace Rabbit, a sheer black lippy with gold flecks through...
Illamasqua Extinct Collection
The AW16 collection from Illamasqua launched at the start of the month, and it’s one of those collections that isn’t overly wearable at first glance, but dip into it deeper, and there’s something for everyone! The concept behind this collection, according to Illamasqua Chairman, Joe Corre, is the “parallels...
Retouch with Bobbi Brown
I love these new products from Bobbi Brown. They’re exactly what makeup is all about for me – the artistry of it. This mini collection – the Retouching Franchise – is all about making your skin look retouched, naturally. For me, it’s all about painting, adding, and perfecting your complexion. Whilst...
Tom Ford AW16 Runway Beauty. Grooming. Private Blend
TOM FORD’s AW16 Runway Collection – products for men and women, and a new Private Blend fragrance – has confused me a little bit. It has existing products and new products in it, and it’s just a tiny part of what I believe is to come from Tom Ford this AW, so if I find out more, I will share. In the...
Guerlain Autumn 2016 Collection
Ah, I just love the new Guerlain Autumn 2016 Collection. It’s just so simple, yet so stylish, and so pretty. Made up of just six eyeshadow palettes, two lipsticks, and one liner, you can actually create all sorts of looks, depending on the palettes you choose, from everyday wear to glamorous nights ...
Charlotte Tilbury launches in Scotland
Say the name Charlotte Tilbury to a beauty fan, and they will most likely exclaim with glee. The makeup artist, who launched her own brand three years ago, has become something of an icon in the beauty world, and finally this month she arrives in Scotland. At House of Fraser in Glagow, to be precise...
Chanel's Le Rouge Collection No1 Fall 16
OOH, I love a new Chanel Collection, and this one particularly appeals because it’s all about red. I love red. My hair was red for years. I almost exclusively wear red lipstick, so, Chanel’s new Le Rouge Collection is a treat! This came out in August, but I missed it up until now – how could that happen...
Smashbox Be Legendary - 120 Shades of Lipstick!
What’s that? Smashbox had a great selection of lipstick formulas and colours? Don’t be daft! Clearly they needed to up their game and launch more! Smashbox have just launched an incredible 120 shades of their Be Legendary lipstick. Count ’em! 120! That’s 74 moisturising creams, and 46 smooth mattes ...
Urban Decay's NEW All Nighter Liquid Foundation
Urban Decay launched a new foundation last week – and this one is for those of us who love a LOT of coverage. The All Nighter Liquid Foundation aims to give you a flawless looking complexion that will not let you down – FOR HOURS. It’s waterproof, oil-absorbing, and gives complete coverage with a modern...
MAC and Star Trek Collection
MAC always comes up with amazing collections, and the Star Trek collection does not disappoint. Trekkies will LOVE it, if they are makeup fans too, of course. Okay, there aren’t really any new products -MAC aren’t going where they haven’t gone before on this one… sorry, I had to do it…., but the colours...
YSL launch Vinyl Cream Creamy Stain
MORE lipstick hybrids! YSL launched their Vernis A Levres (Glossy Stain) back in 2012. It was a revelation – it mixed the benefits of a lip stain, a high shine gloss, and intense lipstick. I can remember the press launch, and greedily grabbing the colours to apply in the toilet as we left, and keeping...
Elizabeth Arden Liquid Assets Colour Collection
There is something about a liquid lipstick that just looks SO good; so sexy, so gorgeous. Until I put it on. And then it just bothers me, my hair gets stuck on it, it’s all over the glass I’m drinking from and I smudge it. But, I will still persevere with the new Beautiful Colour Bold Liquid Lipstick...
MAC's Super Fun Good Luck Trolls Collection
Have you seen the new MAC Good Luck Trolls Collection? It’s ADORABLE! Really, it’s all about the packaging – and the trolls – but the makeup is super-cute too – although the green and turquise lip colours are pretty out there! But that’s trolls for you! Who doesn’t love a troll? These cute litte guys...
It's A Strike with MAC
LOOK at this face palette?! How fantastic is this face powder from the new MAC It’s A Strike collection? I just LOVE make up like this – but I never want to use it. The It’s A Strike bowling -inspired collection is fun and very wearable.There are red-based lip colours, eyeshadows that are super-cute...
Elizabeth Arden's NEW Prevage Foundation and Brush
It’s rare to get a foundation these days that is simply a foundation, and this new one from Elizabeth Arden definitely does not fall into that category. The new Prevage Anti-aging Foundation SPF30 is for women who want a gorgeous foundation, an extra layer of environmental protection, and anti-ageing...
The Perfect #Selfie Products
Sometimes, I get press releases that give me a bit of a laugh. Actually, scratch that, A LOT of the time, I get press releases that give me a bit of a laugh. This latest one did. How to get the Perfect #Selfie, it says, with just four products. I know it’s just the PR showcasing their products, but ...
Bobbi Brown open Edinburgh free-standing store
BOBBI BROWN fans get down to Edinburgh’s George Street and into the newly opened Bobbi Brown studio! It’s the second free-standing Bobbi store in Scotland, and you are going to love it! The fab space has everything Bobbi you could ever need! Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the brand began life in...
Sunshine Yellow Beauty
The sun’s been shining for the last few days, and how happy does it make us? I love yellow – so, because the sun is now disappearing again, I thought we’d have some fun with some sunshine yellow beauty! Here’s a few beauty products -yellow, or in lovely yellow packaging, to bring a little bit of that...
More Matte Lips - this time from Clinique
Matte is DEFINITELY the new black, to use fashion parlance in the beauty world! Matte liptick is everywhere, and everyone has one. Last week we looked at Boots SEVENTEEN’s new mattes, this week it’s the turn of Clinique. Clinique’s new mattes are in lipstick and liquid form. So, there’s the Clinique...
Clinique's latest mascara and eyeliner
I always love a new mascara, and this the first one I’ve had drop on my desk in a while. From Clinique – who are, in my opinion, masters of mascara, it’s the new Lash Power Flutter-to-Full Mascara. It’s particularly special this one in that it it a multi-purpose, adaptable mascara, to suit the mood ...
Illamasqua's Solidarity Collection for Sophie Lancaster
Illamasqua launch a mini collection this month in memory of teenager Sophie Lancaster who was brutally beaten to death in 2007 simply for the way she looked. Sophie, and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were set upon by thugs in her local park, because they were Goths. Her mother, Sylvia, set up the Lancaster...
Illamasqua News
Lots happening at Illamasqua these days, with PETA recognition, new #Illaxpress lessons, and recently I refamiliarised myself with their skin bases – Hydra Veil, Matte Veil, and Radiance Veil. But first, the exciting news that Illamasqua are now PETA recognised. Since the brand launched in 2008, they...
Boots Seventeen Mega Matte Lipsticks
There is only one look for lips right now – a bold, matter than matte look, and now you can achieve this in 12 fantastic colours with Seventeen’s new Mega Matte Lipstick launch. Out today, these lipsticks are perfectly matte, but with a creamy formula, so no flaking or drying. Perfect selfie-ready lips...
Elizabeth Arden Megan Hess Gift with Purchase
I love a beauty GWP that features a smart makeup bag. I think most of my makeup bags are from such promotions. This one is a really lovely collaboration between international fashion illustrator Megan Hess – who has worked with the likes of Prada, Dior, Balmain, etc, etc – and Elizabeth Arden The lovely...
Kate Moss Rimmel 15 collection
It’s been 15 years since Kate Moss first started working with Rimmel, and to celebrate, the brand have launched a special-edition lip and nail collection in the supermodel’s favourite reds and nudes. Since 2001, Kate has been the perfect muse for Rimmel. Always embodying the edgy styles and soul of ...
Taylor Hill the new face of Lancome
Taylor Hill is the new face of Lancome. The Victoria’s Secret Angel is one of the new breed of supermodels, and a huge influencer. It’s no surprise then that Lancome have signed her up, even if her last Tweet does feature the F-word – albeit starred out! The big beauty houses are keen to attract new...
Estee Lauder Double Wear NudeCushion Stick
Estee Lauder’s Double Wear is one of their best-selling and most loved foundations. It comes in various formats, and now as a Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick Radiant Makeup. And this is like no other Double Wear at all. This stuff blends away to the perfect nude coverage. It’s pretty sheer, but it’s ...
Summer Beauty Essentials
Summer is here! For a few days at least, so get those summer beauty essentials bought! You might need them again this year, and we should all be changing up our beauty routine in the summer months anyway. For Face, Body and Hair, there are loads of fab products you should try – these are just some of...
Lottie Tomlinson and Nails Inc
Lottie Tomlinson is the sister of One Direction’s Louis, but you knew that, right? She’s 17, and is already a model, makeup artist, youtube sensation, and influencer, with a massive social media following. So, it’s no surprise brands want to work with her, and her collaboration with Nails Inc on their...
Nina Nesbitt for W7 Cosmetics
Edinburgh singer, and one-time squeeze of Ed Sheeran, Nina Nesbitt is the new brand ambassador of budget beauty range, W7. Nina is no stranger to modelling – it was her career before she became a singer- and she looks super cute in the brand images. She’s wearing a fab leather jacket, and the brand ...
Nails Inc Neon Nails
I’m not sure I need neon nail polish in my life, but I had a go at it, of course! Nails Inc Neons are bright. They’re even brighter thanks to a special ‘Neon Activator’ which you apply before the polish. First off, use a base coat, then apply a thin layer of the Neon Activator, which is a white polish...
Clarins launch Limited Beauty In Bloom Collection
This is a lovely little collection of Limited Edition versions of some of their hero products. The Clarins Beauty in Bloom Collection has given the products a lovely floral twist. There’s a Hand and Nail Treatment Cream Trio (£25), beautifully presented in a leaf print pouch, and each 30ml tube contains...
Urban Decay launch Vice Lipstick
Urban Decay have more lipsticks that you will ever need! The newly relaunched Vice Lipstick comes in 100 shades. Yes, that’s ONE HUNDRED! How can we ever choose just one? At £15 a pop, maybe we can stretch to two?! Gorgeous Ruby Rose looks stunning in Metallized Big Bang, but which would you choose?...
Bobbi Brown Sunset Pink Collection
Bobbi Brown knocks out these collections, right? I do love them though. I don’t necessarily wear all the products, but I love the packaging of this brand. I love the sleekness and simplicity of it it. And the products are good. This latest collection, the Sunset Pink Collection, out July, is inspired...
Bobbi Brown The New Classics Lipstick
In my 1993 press photo, my lipstick is a deep, deep, berry red. The shade? Bobbi Brown’s Raisin. Created in 1991, Bobbi Brown’s original lipstick line was created by Bobbi when she was a freelance makeup artist. Raisin was just one of her shades, featuring a unique brown base she developed when she ...
Bobbi Brown's Instant Confidence Stick
Bobbi Brown launched her Instant Confidence Stick this month, and I’m not sure I love the name to be honest. I don’t know if I think a little stick of makeup primer can give anyone instant confidence, nor should it. Maybe you’re absoutely confident and fine without it?! But, if you feel the need to ...
YSL Touche Eclat Le Teint Awakening Foundation Review
Foundation is probably the one thing that people ask me for recommendations for more than anything (mascara is right up there too). But choosing a foundation is a very personal thing, so I would always say go to a counter of a brand you like, and ask to try a few. The beauty market is flooded with foundation...
Master Your Mascara with New CID Cosmetics
We all wear mascara, right? Applying it is like second nature, most likely, but are you making the most of your mascara? Are you applying it properly? You might think you are, but we’ve asked an expert to give us the mascara masterclass. The low-down on how to get the most from your mascara, from New...
Bourjois La Laque Gel NEW polish
BOURJOIS launch a new alternative at-home to gel nails next week, La Laque Gel. GEL nails have to be the most popular nails around. As someone who loves to change her nail colour, I’m not the biggest fan, because being stuck with the same shade for a few weeks does annoy me. However, on the occasions...
Go Totally Tropical with Bourjois
Bourjois’s summer collection is everything I want from fun summer makeup. The Totally Tropical collection is on-rend, with anything and everything tropical being huge this summer (even more than usual, because aren’t flamingos and palm trees pretty perennial in summer trends, anyway!?). It consists ...
Beach Colour Beauty
Beaches – gotta love them. All glorious golden, shimmery sands, deep blue seas. and pure blue skies. Oh yeah, and the big , bright yellow ball of sunshine to finish the picture! Summer beauty utilises all these lovely beach colours in eye shadows, powders, glitters, nails and more. So. I decided to ...
Illamasqua's Hypnotica Collection is Fun!
Makeup should be fun, right? Essentially, we’re creating art on our faces – they are called makeup ARTISTS after all. Therefore, I am absolutely in LOVE with Illamasqua’s new collection, Hypnotica, and in particular their brilliant Sketch Sticks. These fabulous big crayons of makeup are like sophisticated...
Kiko Milano Trend Collection - and Store News
Italian beauty brand KIKO MILANO has started appearing everywhere of late. They’ve been around since 1997, and have over 700 stores worldwide, but only launched fully into Scotland at the tail end of last year with their first stand-alone store in Glasgow’s Fort Shopping Centre. The brand is now set...
Coconut Nails from Barry M and Nails Inc
You’re just drinking coconut water? Ugh, you’re so 2015! It’s the latest musthave beauty ingredient, don’t you know?! Two brands are popping it into nail polish now! First up, Nails Inc, and their Coconut Brights Gel Effect nail polishes – the hydration boost your nails have been waiting for. Nails ...
Elizabeth Arden Sunset Bronze
Ah summer beauty, I do love it. Lots of lovely new collections with shimmery shades, bronzers, and all-round healthy looking glows! Elizabeth Arden’s summer beauty collection is the lovely Sunset Bronze. Inspired by the breathtaking summer sunset, Elizabeth Arden introduces the new Sunset Bronze Limited...
New Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-In-Stick Shades
Nothing cheers you up better than a new lipstick , right? It’s actually a fact, that in hard times, sales of lippy go up. It’s a fast, easy, and relatively cheap way to update your look, and in the summer, I like to move to a more sheer lipstick when I’m on holiday, during the day at least. YSL’s Rouge...
Urban Decay's Alice Though The Looking Glass Collection
If you love Urban Decay, then you are going to love, love, LOVE the new Alice Through The Looking Glass palette, out later this month, to coincide with the release of Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass film. You’ll need to be quick too. When Urban Decay launched their Alice in Wonderland Book ...
Tom Ford SS16 Soleil Makeup Collection
It’s that time of year, when all the summer beauty collections land on counters, and we all start dreaming of tropical beaches, hot summer nights, and shimmery sparkly, sheer, summer makeup. And that’s what Tom Ford are offering with their new Soleil Color Collection. There are some lovely new products...
Future MAC
I’ve been playing around with the fabulously futuristic Future MAC collection for a week or so – and I love it. It’s the next generation of hyper-luminous Mineralize products for eyes, lips and skin, and has some really fab, quirky pieces, and some very wearable, lovely products. My absolute favourite...
Illamasqua's Metamorph
Illamasqua’s Metamorph collection is quite tame by their standards. The brand say it is ‘celebrating the evolution of nature and it’s systematic, seasonal rejuvenation’. It’s doing this by accentuating fresh skin and defined brows; embracing beauty in its most natural form. So, this collection IS quite...
Bobbi Brown Beach Nudes
There’s something about Bobbi Brown Cosmetics that makes them work so well for summer. Maybe it’s fresh-faced Kate Upton in the campaign images, but Bobbi Brown and beach just seems to gel. The new Bobbi Brown Beach Nudes Collection is more of the same, really. There’s nothing overly exciting about ...
Benefit's Bold Is Beautiful Project 2016
Benefit launched their global philanthropy program, The Bold Is Beautiful Project, last year, and, after outstandingsucess, they’re back for a second year. Launched to spread the feel-good approach to beauty beyond the boutiques and counters, Benefit’s campaign raised over $2,900,000USD globally in ...
NEW Smashbox Lipsticks
SMASHBOX have been focusing a lot on the lips of late. They recently relaunched their Be Legendary lipsticks, with lots of new colours, and various formats. They also launched a brilliant beauty transformer, Insta-Matte, which turns cream lipstick to matte, which we blogged about last month, and they...
Shine, be gone! Clinique's new Blotting Powder
The dreaded shine. We’re not talking that dewy, luminous look we covet and try to achieve with makeup, but just that good old-fashioned shine we just seem to get – from the oil in our skin, or on thoe summer days (usually abroad!) when we heat up a little much. But, shine, be gone, thanks to Clinique...
MAC Versicolour
MAC have launched a new lip colour formula this month – called Versicolour. It’s a fusion of gloss and stain, which MAC say ‘melts onto lips for a full-on glassy shine that lasts and lasts and lasts’. I’ve not tried these yet, but the colours are stunning- and they’re permanent! And I adore their campaign...
Clarins Sunkissed Summer Makeup Collection
Yes, it’s not quite summertime yet, but the summer beauty collections are landing on counters now. So, let’s start with the lovely Clarins Sunkissed collection. There’s actually a lot to this collection this year, which as ever has a gorgeous compact at the heart. The Limited Edition Bronxing & Blush...
Touche Eclat Neutralizers
YSL launched three Limited Edition Touche Eclat Neutralizers earlier this year, and I have just got my hands on the Vert Green version. Neutralizers are complexion correctors – toners that eliminate the tones we don’t want on our skin – redness, pinkness, sallow tones, that kind of thing. Back in the...
Beauty Transformers!
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an alchemist, and love playing about with all things makeup and skincare, then you’re going to love these new beauty transformers from Clarins, Illamasqua, Autograph M&S, and Smashbox. Clarins were the first to produce the fake tan booster product, launching their facial...
Seventeen are non-touring, not contouring!
What on earth does that mean, I wondered when the press release landed on my desk – Move over Contouring, Hello Non-touring!, it proclaimed. According to SEVENTEEN at Boots, using highlighters to enhance your natural features – the non-touring trend – is simple, guaranteed to give you that all important...
Clarins Urban Oasis in Edinburgh
If you are in Edinburgh this week and this Easter weekend, then escape to the Clarins Urban Oasis at the bottom of Castle Street, at the west end of Princes Street, for a pamper. It’s a brilliant innovation from Clarins, marketing at its very best. I spent around 40 minutes there this week, and it was...
Bobbi Brown x Balthazar Afternoon Tea
How fab does a Bobbi Brown afternoon tea sound? If you’re in London this year then you can find out exactly how fab it is, by heading to Balthazar, where this special afternoon tea is happening. “Balthazar is one of my favorite restaurants, and it just happens to be located two blocks from my office...
Clinique Chubby Foundation & new Boots No7 base
I LOVE a new foundation. I love wearing a base, and have absolutely loads of them, for all different occasions, times of year, climates, etc. So, I’ve been happily trialling two brand new bases for the last few weeks. First up, and on counter yesterday is Boots No7 Beautifully Matte Light Foundation...
NEW Nails at Autograph M&S beauty
I love a new nail polish. I have literally DOZENS of bottles in a drawer, thanks to my job, of course, but even before I was a beauty writer, I was a nail polish junkie. Of course, they don’t last forever, so you are allowed to treat yourself to a new one now and then. I also love having my nails done...
Brows Are It say MAC!
MAC has just launched a brand new brow collection with everything you will ever need (other than your own threader/waxer/plucker) to keep your brows on point! Brows shape your face. You need them! MAC Senior Artist Cher Webb told me over lunch recently that she would take brows over mascara and lipstick...
Go Pop with Clinique!
Clinique have launched two more ‘Pop’ products this month – the Pop Lacquer Lip Colour + Primer, and the Clinique Lid Pop. The Lid Pop is almost too beautiful to use, and will end up in the drawer in my house, alngside the Cheek Pop I have never used! The Lid Pop is a beautiful floral moulded eye colour...
ZAC POSEN for MAC
This is a MAC collaboration I really like- another one! There is something uber-chic about this collection, and if you are a MAC addict, then you need to get it in your life now! New York designer Zac Posen, known for his timeless, yet dazzling designs, has collaborated with MAC on a collection that...
Bourjois Souffle de Velvet
Bourjois have just launched a new matte, with a difference. The new Souffle de Velvet is a ‘sheer matte’ which sounds like a bit of a contradiction of terms, but that’s what it is. It delivers a blushed lips effect, and is light, easy to wear, and is enriched with hydration-guarding agents. It has a...
MAC's Flamingo Park
This new collection from MAC is FABULOUS! This spring collection is all about gorgeous, punchy pinks, and it’s kitsch-tastic! The campaign images are so cute, evoking the collection’s sweetness. The products are great – and there are loads of them! Where do we even begin. I included a couple on my pink...
Rose Quartz Pinks
Pantone’s Color of the Year this year is actually two – Rose Quartz and Serenity – that’s baby pink and baby blue to you and me! But there’s more scope for wearable makeup with Rose Quartz, so that’s what I am bringing you today – gorgeous, wearable, pale pinks, for cheeks, lips, eyes and nails. Let...
Ellie Goulding for MAC
I am not the biggest fan of Ellie Goulding. I don’t really like her voice, and she, well, she kind of just irritates. However, I am a fan of her collection with MAC. It’s lovely. It’s very, well, Ellie Goulding. Very nude and neutral. But…I really like it. It’s a surprise for a bold, bight, red-lipstick...
Girl Meets Brush
This is an interesting new concept from makeup artist Lynne Mills (co-creator of the Miss Flicklash lashes – eyelashes with a liner flick – which are now made by Eyelure). Essentially, it’s makeup brushes, but, with a twist – buy the brushes AND the expertise, in actual, real-life, form. Lynne’s aim...
Bobbi Brown Red & Pink Valentine's Day Collection
Pink or red? Red or pink? Or both? That’s the dilemma at Bobbi Brown this Valentine’s Day with their lovely, bright, bold Red & Pink Collection. Perfect for the most romantic day of the year (apparently), the Red & Pink collection is well, yep, you’ve guessed it, pink and red products! There are six...
Mariah Carey for MAC
I put the TV on the other morning and found myself face-to-face with a very smooth looking Mariah Carey, flashing a GINORMOUS engagement ring at the Breakfast show presenter! The day before, I had been discussing Mariah with the MAC PR team, as the ultimate diva songstress has collaborated with MAC ...
Clinique Kiss It Better 2016
Clinique’s Kiss It Better 2016 campaign is underway, and the products produced this year for the charitable cause are just lovely. Clinique partners for the twelfth year running with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity for the KISS IT BETTER appeal – raising money to fund research into the...
Tom Ford SS16 Runway Makeup Collection
For true makeup aficionados, a new Tom Ford collection landing on counters is a moment of joy. And this one includes a BRAND NEW PRODUCT! I can’t contain my excitement. Well, okay, I can, because I’ve not actually seen it yet, but from what I have seen and heard, the new Tom Ford Patent Finish Lip Color...
Summer with Miss Sporty
Teenagers are much more makeup-savvy than I was, back in the 80s, right? Most of them are blogging, or vlogging, with huge followings. But a regular teenager can’t spend loads on makeup brands, so what’s out there for beauty budgets? How about Miss Sporty? The Coty brand is specifically targeted at ...
Tea & Nails with Crabtree & Evelyn
New nail polish is always a good thing, and at Crabtree & Evelyn, there are lots of lovely new spring shades to choose from. Oh, and whilst you’re at it, how about some detox tea?! I had completely forgotten that Crabtree & Evelyn did teas and infusions (and biscuits, and sweets, and jams, but let’s...
Max Factor's #GlamJan #WearYourRed
I’m maybe a bit late to the party with this one, but have you been enjoying a #GlamJan? Max Factor have been trying to get us to embrace the glamour all month, by simply wearing the most glamorous of beauty products – red lipstick! Using the hashtag #WearYourRed, alongside #GlamJan, it’s been a very...
#UDxGWEN Part Two!
Yes, that means more Gwen Stefani and Urban Decay makeup is now available. You didn’t think they’d stop at just one eye palette, did you? The Urban Decay team didn’t spend all that time with the pop diva for just that palette, gorgeous as it is. So, here it is #UDxGWEN Part 2. And it’s fantastic. I ...
Clarins new Lipstick and Lip Base
Clarins are launching two new products perfect for getting your lips ready for any Valentine’s Day smooching! New Joli Rouge Brilliant Lipstick and Instant Light Lip Perfecting Base both launch this month. The Instant Light Lip Perfecting Base will make lipstick last even longer. It’s a transparent ...
New brands at M&S beauty for 2016
Marks & Spencer Beauty has been a big hit, and this year seems more brands launch into M&S beauty halls across the country, and even more online. Josh Wood, Coriolis, Pulsaderm, Micro Pedi/Nail, Amerliorate, Magnitone, Eyeko, LGFB Make up brushes, Fillerina, and Alpha H are all new to M&S. So, who are...
Hello Kitty by OPI
I am a HUGE Hello Kitty fan – have been for years – so this new OPI Hello Kitty Collection made me smile. Yes, it’s not that exciting, just nail polishes with Hello Kitty images on the bottles, but the colours are nice, OPI is a great brand, and if you need a new polish and love Hello Kitty, then why...
Eyes Open with Bobbi Brown's latest mascara
Revlon may have launched a whole mascara collection to start 2016 – see this post, but Bobbi Brown has just launched one more to add to her growing mascara family. The Eye Opening Mascara actually landed on counter on December 31, so maybe some of you have already trialed it for the new year? Bobbi ...
Revlon's new Mascara Collection
Yes, you read that headline right, Revlon isn’t just launching ONE new mascara, but a whole COLLECTION! All the mascaras you could ever need (and more), all at once. You don’t have to buy then all, of course – just choose the one that does what you want done to your lashes the most. So, the five mascaras...
Chanel's Spring LA Sunrise Collection
If you need an incentive to get to the end of January, then here it is in makeup form. Chanel’s LA Sunrise collection – out at the end of the month – inspired by mornings in the US West Coast city, is so vibrant, bright and alive, it made me just want to sit and stare at imagery of LA on the internet...
Elizabeth Arden's Flawless New Year start
Elizabeth Arden start the year with a new primer that promises to make you look five years younger. I’m not sure that can actually happen, but let’s look at the primer in question. Elizabeth Arden Flawless Start Instant Perfecting Primer, out this week, fuses skincare benefits with cosmetics, and smoothes...
bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer
It’s wee bit of a sneak peek into the future with this one, but bareMinerals will launch a concealer to complement their bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation next year. bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer will launch in February, continuing the trend for hybrid skincare/makeup which has...
Cult Beauty - Clinique Chubby
Whilst it’s always great to celebrate new launches in the beauty world- and there are more than enough of them to do that on this blog every week – there are some cult beauty products we just love to celebrate. Classics that have stood the test of time, maintained their best-selling status, and products...
Eight if you're late! Last Minute Gifts!
Still got Christmas gifts to buy? Don’t worry, you still have a little bit of time! And here’s a wee bit of help with my ‘Eight if you’re late’ round up of beauty gifts! If you have a teenager to grab something for then you could do a lot worse than Japanese fashion brand Superdry’s beauty range. They...
Star Wars Space Age Nails
The new Star Wars movie is out this week (in case you hadn’t heard…), and the Star Wars tat memorabilia is everywhere. I was browsing Instagram the other day, and saw LOADS of amazing Star Wars nail art posts, like this one, below. For all my Star Wars lovers! #nailsbykimmie #utahcounty #handpaintednailart...
Beauty Stocking Fillers
Still not got all your Christmas shopping done? Maybe you just have those few wee bits’n’bobs to pick up now, but are devoid of inspiration? It happens! That’s why I have rounded up a few beauty-themed stocking fillers for you! First up, this cute litte sponge from The Body Shop! Hang him on the tree...
Rimmel's Holiday Star Collection
It’s Christmas, so it’s time to bling it up a bit with the old makeup, and give a bit of glitter a go. Or just try a festive red lipstick for a change? Rimmel have put together this lovely Holiday Star look which is festive, bling-ish, but also pretty understated. How lovely does Georgia-May Jagger ...
Christmas Beauty Gifts
Christmas. Just another 15 sleeps to go! And that means only 15 shopping days left too. So, if you’re still looking for gifts, then here are a few for the beauty fans in your life – no matter what type of beauty fan they are… Lets start with THE HOME LOVER. We all know one of these – candles and diffusers...
Get X Factor Louisa's Look
Reggie and Bollie might be fun, but surely 17-year-old Louisa Johnson has to take the X Factor title this weekend? The teenager with the huge voice has blown the rest of the out of the water. And she looks great too! We caught up with X Factor Makeup Designer, Julia Carta, who talked us through how ...
Glitter Nails from L'Oreal and Mavala
It’s December – and that means you can officially wear glitter anytime, anywhere! The festive season isn’t complete without a little bit of sparkle, and there’s nothing prettier than glittery, sparkly nails. I’ve been using two cute little top coats/polishes of late, from L’Oreal and Mavala. The reason...
Bobbi Brown Sterling Nights Collection
This new collection from Bobbi Brown came out about a month ago, but if you haven’t seen it yet, have a look – it’s lovely for this time of year, and it has some interesting new products in it. Sterling Nights was inspired by a recent trip Bobbi had to South Africa, and the jewel-toned hues and star...
MAC Berry Black Friday
It’s Black Friday, and that means shopping madness takes over the world. There are loads of Black Friday deals out there in the beauty world – far too many to mention. Not to mention the great deals on 5pm Spa and Beauty every day of the year. So, I’m sort of passing Black Friday by on the blog, for...
Smith & Cult Nails
There is so much to love about this new nail polish brand I’ve recently discovered. New to me,and new to Space NK in the UK this August, Smith & Cult is from the US team behind the beauty brand, Hard Candy – remember that?! Hard Candy was/is a pretty cool cult brand, so it’s no surprise that Smith &...
Urban Decay Vice 4 and Gwen Stefani
Urban Decay are known for their palettes – amazing collections of brilliant eye colours from neutral nudes to bold brights and everything in between. Recently they launched Vice 4 – more on that one later. But let’s talk about their Gwen Stefani collaboration… Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani lands later ...
Tom Ford Lips and Boys are BACK!
Tom Ford launched his LIPS AND BOYS collection last year around this time, but it was only available in limited places, for a limited time. This year, he’s brought it back, expanded it, and expanded where you can get it! Lips And Boys are mini Tom Ford Lipsticks, all named after men in Tom’s life. Men...
Cult Beauty - Chanel Rouge Noir
Whilst it’s always great to celebrate new launches in the beauty world- and there are more than enough of them to do that on this blog every week – there are some cult beauty products we just love to celebrate. Classics that have stood the test of time, maintained their best-selling status, and products...
YSL Christmas Kiss & Love
YSL’s Christmas 2015 collection, Kiss & Love, which launched last week, is simple. I already discussed the Limited Edition version of the Touche Eclat in the Cult Beauty slot last week. The rest of the collection is also lip imprint embossed, very pretty, and, er, very small. Which is actually a good...
Cult Beauty - YSL Touche Eclat
Whilst it’s always great to celebrate new launches in the beauty world- and there are more than enough of them to do that on this blog every week – there are some cult beauty products we just love to celebrate. Classics that have stood the test of time, maintained their best-selling status, and products...
Autumn, Chanel-style!
Chanel have created two gorgeous collections for the last part of 2015. Their autumn colour collection has been on counter since the end of August, but I haven’t featured it let, and I can’t let it pass. Tomorrow we’ll explore Christmas with Chanel, but first autumn… Les Automnales celebrates the shades...
Beauty Advent Calendars 2015
Forget the chocolate, or the even more retro pictures behind the windows of your advent calendar – we want beauty products! And full-size ones too! Where there used to be just one or two beauty advent calendars to choose from, there are now, well, loads! Here are eight of the best! Clarins Beauty Advent...
Preen Elizabeth Arden Gift with Purchase
If you love a beauty gift with purchase, and you’re a fashion fan, then you’ll like the latest from Elizabeth Arden and their fashion favourites, Preen. Their festive Gift With Purchase collaboration with the brand sees Preen design another cute makeup bag, which is filled with Arden goodies. Originally...
Tom Ford Noir AW15 Makeup
I have to confess that I love a dark festive makeup collection. I’m not a huge fan of pale at the best of times, but when the weather turns, and the nights get shorter, and we all start thinking about our festive parties, I think a good old smokey eye, a lot of glitter, and a bold red lip are the perfect...
Halloween Beauty Bits
It’s Hallowe’en this week and I am ridiculously excited – far too excited for an adult! I shared my favourite spooky Halloween makeup tutorials last week, and today it’s less frightening than that post, I promise. Let’s start with something completely non-spooky from Oskia Skincare. The only Halloween...
Winter Skincare
The clocks go back this weekend, signalling the end of British summertime. Of course, any ‘summer’ we had ended a while ago, right? But have you changed your skincare routine accordingly? What you use in the summer is probably not good enough come the shorter nights and colder days of the autumn/winter...
Halloween Makeup Tutorials I Love
So, I’m having a Halloween party – yay! I love Halloween, and dressing up, well, horribly. As I got married this year, I thought my husband and I would make the perfect Zombie bride and groom (don’t worry mum, I’m not going to wreck my actual wedding dress!). The theme of fancy dress for my party is...
Cult Beauty - BeneTint
Whilst it’s always great to celebrate new launches in the beauty world- and there are more than enough of them to do that on this blog every week – there are some cult beauty products we just love to celebrate. Classics that have stood the test of time, maintained their best-selling status, and products...
Pretty Eye Palettes
Eye makeup is amazing, but it’s one thing that I tend to only really go big on on ‘special occasions’. It’s quite an effort, and, if you’re not in the mood, a bit of a chore. But a new eye palette is a piece of makeup to die for – an absolute treat. So, here are four fab eye palettes I’ve been having...
Bourjois Fuchsia Mania
I LOVE this fab campaign image for the new Bourjois Fuchsia Mania Collection. It’s so 80s-tastic, it takes me right back. Fuchsia Mania is four versions of fuchsia, from bluish reds to purples, with four new shades and four highlighted ones, in two lip finishes – Rouge Edition, and Rouge Edition Velvet...
Luxe Lip Color from Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown has just launched some lovely new lipsticks – Luxe Lip Color. Featuring gorgeous, sumptuous, gold packaging, and a luxurious new formula, these are, to paraphrase (or totally plagiarise!) a well-known brand’s slogan, not just any lipstick…! This new formula delivers treatment benefits as...
Breast Cancer Awareness Beauty
October heralds the beginning of a month of pink products in the beauty world, as Breast Cancer Awareness month begins again. The charitable initiative provides you with the opportunity to buy some lovely Limited Edition products with the knowledge that you are donating to a worthwhile cause. So, let...
Clarins Christmas Essentials Eyeshadow Palette
Clarins launch this year’s Christmas (Yes, we know, but it is October this week!) eyeshadow palette next month, another ten-shadow palette perfect for every autumnal and festive look you could ever want. The Clarins Essentials Christmas Palette includes matte and satin finishes of mineral powder eyeshadows...
Avon and Rimmel new mascaras
It’s mascara time! Mascara must be the second beauty product I have tried the most of (behind red lipsticks!), as there always seems to be a new one launching. Recently I have been faithful to the Max Factor Masterpiece mascara that launched back in October last year. But, duty calls, so I have been...
Kiko Milano Rebel Romantic Limited Edition collection
If you haven’t discovered Italian makeup brand, Kiko Milano, then you must! It’s a lovely brand, really luxurious-looking, and yet the prices are pretty budget. Kiko has been around since 1997, and, having had family in Milan since 1992, I have seen it over there. But it wasn’t until the last few years...
New Brushes from Bare Minerals
Bare Minerals have launched a few new brushes to their range, which sees them as the No1 makeup brush brand in the UK. Being a powder-based brand, that’s not surprising, as most of their products need applied with a brush, and one of the new brushes launched is the Beautiful Finish brush (£26) for use...
Clarins revamp Joli Rouge Lipstick
Clarins have revamped and relaunched their Joli Rouge Lipsticks. The lipsticks have been revamped with a new moisture-enriched formula, and there are now LOADS of shades to choose from. The colour on these lipsticks is great – it has a little bit of shimmer about it, a lot of pigments, and a lot of ...
Tom Ford Color Fall/AutumnWinter 15
Last month I blogged about the new Tom Ford AW15 Flawless Face products – now this is the second part of the ‘Fall 2015’ Color Collection – the colour! Now, there are a few new products in this collection- and a few ‘repromotes’ – which just means bringing existing colours more to the forefront again...
Vamplify Lips with MAC
Vamplify is the newest Lip Gloss by MAC, launched, probably their most dramatic lip gloss yet. Loaded with high-powered pigments it really does give full-on colour. You only need one swipe, and your lips are loaded with colour. It’s also very nourishing and moisturising thanks to natural oils in the...
Bobbi Brown goes Greige
Greige. It’s not the first time the beauty industry has used this hybrid name- a mix of beige and grey – to describe a shade. Back in 2010 we were all painting our nails various shades of Greige, a sort of mushroom/taupe shade, thanks to Chanel and their nail polish. The Greige Collection is a curated...
MAC Haute Dogs
Ha! I love the name of this collection from MAC, and the campaign images are just brilliant. So, if you are a canine lover, you’ll love this post – full of Haute Dogs. And you don’t get more high-fashion in a dog than an Afghan Hound or a Poodle, right?! MAC’s fun collection is actually very, very sophisticat...
MAC Viva Glam with Miley Cyrus II
Miley Cyrus returns once again as MAC’s Viva Glam campaign spokesperson. The star look very, well, blonde, in the new campaign images for the launch of her two products for this year’s charitable launch. So, Miley has launched a super-sexy bright orange lipstick and a co-ordinating lipglass with sparkling...
Sara Hill Makeup
This latest launch is a good one. It’s the makeup range by lovely Glasgow makeup artist Sara Hill, who I have known for a good few years now, and who is one of the hardest-working and successful women I know! Sara has been a makeup artist for 17 years, worked on countless campaigns in the beauty industry...
Kim Kardashian, Elizabeth Taylor and Cleopatra...
What do Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Kardashian West have in common? Well, most likely nothing, really, but, thanks to US super beauty website / shop / edit / magazine / amazingonlinebeautythingIvejustdiscovered, VIOLET GREY, the three are linked together in a pretty gorgeous makeup cover story...
Holiday in a Bottle
Holiday in a Bottle? Yes please! The sun’s shining on and off now, but we’re still dreaming of sunnier climes, and holidays, right? And then this little beauty arrived – Time Bomb Holiday in a Bottle. It’s the perfect little bottle of sunshine, when there is none. It’s not a stain, not a self-tan, or...
Recent Rimmel launches
Rimmel have recently launched a few new products, so here’s a quick update. Look out for a lot more to come in September/October too. Rimmel are definitely up there with some of the high-end brand when it comes to launches! First up they’ve just launched these new and improved Magnif’Eyes Mono Eyeshadow...
Tom Ford Fall 2015 Flawless Face
Tom Ford launches his ‘Fall’ 2015 range in two parts – the first part, the Flawless Face. But let’s call that Autumn Winter 2015 or AW2015, as we’re not in the USA…Flawless Face is a small capsule collection of three new products – Powder Foundation, Skin Illuminating Powder, and Complexion Enhancing...
Double Lining with Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown’s latest makeup technique, Double Lining, comes straight from New York Fashion Week. Bobbi works at NYFW and is constantly inspired by the makeup artists she works with. This technique has been perfected by Bobbi and those artists, and is a pretty interesting and new technique that we can...
H&M Launch Beauty Range
H&M will soon launch their new, exhaustive beauty range, full of products from haircare, to makeup, to nails, body care and styling. H&M’s sister company, & Other Stories already has a huge beauty range, some of which I have written about before, and now H&M follow suit with a range that will include...
Colour Your Way with Boots No7
Today sees the launch of a new colour cosmetics campaign from Boots No7, using contradictory statements about colour and feeling -think ‘serious pink’ and ‘quiet red’. No7 say it’s inspired by the belief that women use cosmetics to bring out how they’re feeling, not to cover themselves up. No7 want ...
Multi-Purpose Products
I love a multi-purpose product. Especially in the summer, or on holiday. Let’s be honest, there are probably plenty of us who have used a bit of lipstick on our cheeks at some point, yeah? But there are actual multi-purpose products out there, mostly for lips and cheeks, that are perfect for slinging...
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy new eyes and lips
There’s a lot going on down Estee Lauder way at the moment – new launches galore! Let’s start this week with four brand new products, for eyes and lips. First up, Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Eye Defining Singles eyeshadows (£20). This is a collection of 27 eyeshadow singles ranging from the softest...
Bobbi Brown's Telluride Collection
So, in Bobbi Brown’s last collection, Sandy Nudes, there was a Telluride bronzer. I was wondering what on earth the name meant, and well, whadda ya know, it’s a place! Not just any place, but one of Bobbi Brown’s favourite places, a pretty little ski resort in Colorado. And it’s pronounced Tell-You-...
Clarins' Charity Bracelet offer
Part of my summer holiday ritual is to stack my wrists with bracelets – friendship bracelets, silver bangles, you know the kind of thing. I don’t wear bracelets much any other time of year, but I love the look in summer. So, when I saw Clarins’ latest online offer, I was all over it. Buy a product, ...
Maria Sharapova's Beauty Faves
She might be out of this year’s Wimbledon, but tennis star Maria Sharapova can now make a trip to Harrods to stock up on her favourite beauty brand – SENSAI. The US tennis ace loves this premium Japanese brand, and she and her US based makeup arist, Andie Markoe-Byrne regularly use the products. “Our...
What's Your Line, Clinique?
Clinique are inviting you to discover ‘What’s Your Line?’ with their latest collection focusing on the eyes. There are four new products in this little mini collection,all of them allowing you to create both simple and dramatic eye looks for any occasion. 1. Clinique’s new Skinny Sticks (£15) are two...
Off to Le Disko with MAC...
MAC have reinvented the disco for this summer – well, okay, they’ve not really, they’ve just added a Le before it, and changed the C to a K. But – they have invented a pretty amazing Studio 54 inspired shimmery, summer make up range! Le Disko, on counters in July, is bang on-trend this summer, with ...
Get festival ready at Boots!
It’s festival season, so that means getting a little festival beauty kit together. For many of us, going to a festival is the perfect excuse to shake off the norm and go a wee bit crazy with our makeup. If that means just changing our lip colour, that’s fine! Festivals mean fun. According to research...
Fake Bake Beauty At Home
Fake Bake isn’t just about tanning you know. The Scottish-based beauty brand has launched three new lines – in skincare, body treats and makeup – and a whole new home party shopping concept. Let’s have a wee look at the products first, starting with the makeup collection, Scream & Pout. All the essentials...
Eight Hours with Rachel Stevens
Elizabeth Arden are doing quite a cool social media promotion right now, called #My8Hours, related obviously to their iconic Eight Hour Cream (which I love!). They’ve enlisted the support of eight inspiring women from varius professions, and they’re giving an insight into their life -and thair beauty...
Little Miss Makeup Bags
How cute are these Little Miss makeup bags from Truffle Shuffle?! The quirky online store has loads of fantastic products – go have a look. I love a new makeup bag, and these are just very cute and fun. I can’t decide which one I love most. Are you Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Chatterbox, Little...
NEW M.A.C Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation
I’ve been deliberating over what foundation to use on my wedding day for months now. I am doing my own makeup, and whilst I want some coverage, I don’t want to wear much more than my usual base. Bridal makeup is a key part of any bride-to-be’s planning. So many brides choose makeup artists, and completely...
MAC Wash & Dry Summer
MAC’s Wash & Dry Summer collection has been on counter since May, and is a Limited collection – so if you haven’t snapped up bits of it yet, they’re probably sold out already. However, I still wanted to cover it, because it’s so lovely – bright, bold and fun. The campaign images have a retro feel, with...
YSL Saharienne Summer 2015
GORGEOUS.One word to describe this lovely new collection from YSL for summer. I could give you a few more as well – bold, innovative, wearable, trend-setting. You get the idea: I love it! The yellow nail polish is my absolute favourite, and I have had so many compliments when wearing it. But I digress...
MAC Is Beauty
Here’s another new collection from MAC – this one is a beauty. Well, actually it IS Beauty. MAC is Beauty, on counter yesterday, is deliciously delightful! It is full of rich pastels, gorgeous brights, and more shades of Fluidline eyeliner than you’ve ever seen! The campaign imagery is retro kitsch ...
Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess 2015 Shimmering Nudes
It’s that time of year again – Bronze Goddess time. I always feel very summery when the classic Estee Lauder summer collection lands on my desk. This year, we’re breaking it down into a beauty collection, and a fragrance collection, as there are three lovely products in the fragrance collection this...
Creme de la Mer's NEW Reparative Skin Tint
Creme de la Mer fans will love the NEW Reparative Skin Tint SPF30. Creme says it is ‘far beyond a BB, and light years past a CC’. I’d say it was pretty similar to both of those. It gives you a healthy tint, whilst simultaneously working to repair and protect the look of your skin. I’ve used this for...
Clarins' Aquatic Treasures for summer
Clarins’ summer collection captures the textures and shades of the sea. It’s not, however, what you might expect, with stereotypical aqua blues, etc, etc. It’s actually much lovelier than that, with gorgeous bronzes and golds to reflect the silky sands, and iridescent shades to mirror pearls on the ...
Boots No7 Summer Collection
Summer Collections are coming out thick and fast now, as we wait for the weather to at least pretend it’s summer for a full day or two! Boots No7 Summer Collection isn’t hugely exciting, I have to admit, but it’s very wearable, and if you like muted tones, you will love it. It blends a few bright pops...
Green Lipstick Fairy Tale...
Let’s start the week with a fairytale, shall we? A tale of very different women and their quest for that seemingly elusive, perfect, lipstick. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin… Once upon a time, in a land far far away, there lived a beautiful queen who longed to find the perfect rosebud...
Make Up Forever with Debenhams
New launch alert! Make Up Forever will launch into Debenhams next week, only one store at first, but also available online to those of us outside London. The brand isn’t new, it’s been around for 30 years, offering high-tech formulas – essentially professional products for everyone. I’ve not seen this...
Beauty ... & Other Stories
Hands up who wants an & Other Stories store in Scotland! I thought so. Loads of us! It’s a great fashion store with great collaborations, or co-labs, as they like to call them. The most recent, launching today is with Rachel Antonoff, and I’m here to talk about the beauty part of it, which features ...
Rimmel Wake Me Up Mascara
So, this is a new one from Rimmel – the first ever eye-awakening mascara! Whatever that is… Well, after my hen day at the weekend, I need anything to keep my eyes open, so I was game to give this a go. The new Wonder’full Wake Me Up Mascara, to give it it’s full title, awakens your eyes, delivers clump...
Bobbi Brown Sandy Nudes Collection
It’s officially time to think about summer. The sun is (sometimes) shining, and Bobbi Brown have launched a gorgeous summer collection – Sandy Nudes. May signals the unofficial start to summer, and I’ve certainly spent a fair bit of time recently thinking about sandy beaches. Bobbi Brown’s Sandy Nudes...
YSL Summer Splash
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Three ways to describe the new YSL Summer Splash collection, which can be broken down into three simple product launches. All beautifully advertised by the stunning Cara Delevingne. First up, there’s the Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levres Pop Water (£26). That’s a new version...
Something Blue?
Imagine if I turned up at my forthcoming nuptials with blue lipstick as my ‘something blue’?! Well, I can if I want, thanks to a fab new mini collection from out-there beauty brand, Illamasqua. To Be Alive is the one of the more quirky collections which Illamasqua like to release now and then. Created...
Elizabeth Arden does the 1970s
The 1970s is a BIG fashion trend this summer – think flared jeans, smock tops and macrame bags. And with that 1970s style, you need to have 1970s makeup. So, this is Elizabeth Arden’s guide to how to achieve the look of the decade. The 1970s makeup moved on from the dark eyes and pale lips of the 1970s...
The Body Shop All Eyes On You
If you find yourself in an eyeliner rut, then The Body Shop is here to help! They’ve just launched a whole new range of all sorts of eyeliners for whatever style you like. Whether you prefer a pop of colour or opt for a feline flick, The Body Shop has it covered with their new range. The range consists...
Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation
Another new foundation? Yes, but this one is a wee bit different. Inspired by her holistic approach to beauty, Bobbi has created a luxe hybrid foundation, the perfect blend of skincare and makeup. Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF40 ‘beautifies from the inside out’ with super-charged serum ingredients...
Rimmel's Sweetie Heart Matte Pastel Nails
If you’re anything like me, you’ll have had enough sweet things over Easter to last a lifetime. BUT…I found something very sweet that doesn’t make me feel sick at the thought! Rimmel’s Sweetie Heart Matte Pastel Nail Colour Collection! This little collection of candy-coloured polish has been in stores...
Philip Treacy for MAC
Top milliner Philip Treacy has created a simple, yet powerful beauty collection with MAC. Complementing three amazing headwear creations, the make up collection consists of bright colours, and strong lines. The focus is on eyes and lips, and a simple highlighting of the face. The key items are three...
Clinique's New Pop Lip Colour + Primer
It’s probably hard for Clinique to follow the HUGE success that was, and is, the Chubby Stick. Who hasn’t copied the chunky lip balm crayon since it was launched a few years ago? But the beauty industry demands new and innovative products all the time, so enter Clinique’s latest – the Pop Lip Colour...
Tom Ford Summer 2015 Soleil Collection
When this new Tom Ford Summer 2015 Soleil Collection landed on my lap last week, I stopped ehat I was doing and sgtarted a mad internet search for a summer holiday. It IS summer, in lovely, sleek, white packaging. It made me think of luxury holidays I can only dream of, but wherever you head this summer...
Kate Middleton's Favourite Eyeshadow!
Ever wondered what the Duchess of Cambridge used to get that smokey eye she’s so fond of? Well, wonder no more. Sources have revealed that the future Queen is a big fan of Urban Decay’s classic Naked eyeshadow palette. We knew Kate liked to do her own makeup, but we thought she was a big Bobbi Brown...
Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Review
Bare Minerals have evolved as a brand SO much from when I first became aware of them. I was never a fan of that classic mineral powder makeup. I always felt it sat in my pores, enhanced my lines and wrinkles, and was drying on my skin. I wasn’t a big fan of their last liquid base launch, BareSkin Foundation...
Chanel's CC Cream
Here’s a lovely new Chanel product for you; the CC Cream. Yes, CC Creams are still around! Chanel’s is offering the ‘strength of simplicity‘, and by that they mean five actions in one single step. I kind of wish they had used their interlinked iconic double C for this, but maybe that is taking it too...
Bobbi Brown’s Pretty Powerful Pot Rouge
Bobbi Brown’s Pretty Powerful Campaign for Women & Girls is in its third year – and once again the fund-raising product is a Pretty Powerful Pot Rouge. Pretty Powerful II – a lovely pink shade – has an RRP of £19 and the FULL price from each sold, less VAT, will be donated to Smart Works. Smart Works...
Jo Malone Rock The Ages
Jo Malone’s latest collection is, I’d have to say, more for the collectors than the purists. Granted, there are a few lovely new fragrances within this collection (and good old Pomegranate Noir), all dressed up in cute, ribbon-adorned bottles, but it seems sort of transient to me, for such a big launch...
Bobbi Brown is HOT, HOT, HOT!
I LOVE this latest collection from Bobbi Brown, inspired by Kate Upton’s home state, Florida. I first went to Florida when I was 16 years old, and was overwhlmed by the bright colours, the bright sunshine, and those flamingos! Flamingos are everywhere this season – homeware, fashion, jewellery – if ...
Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel
THE BROW IS NOW. That’s the message from Illamasqua and who are we to argue? Eyebrows are big news – and we mean literally, as well – the bigger the better for some. Maybe barely brushed brows, are your thing? Or are you a Scouse brow fan? Whatever brow you love, Illamasqua can deliver, with their brilliant...
Estee Lauder's AW15 Joseph look
London Fashion Week isn’t just about the clothes you know. The beauty side of fashion week is HUGE. As a beauty writer, my Instagram and twitter feeds are FULL of beauty news from London during fashion week, and this Estee Lauder look at the Joseph AW15 show caught my eye. Why? Because it’s SO natural...
Emma Stone's Oscars beauty look
Emma Stone is so hot right now. Jennifer Aniston lifted her up on the red carpet. Does it get any better than that? Okay, she didn’t win an Oscar, but the Revlon Brand Ambassador was definitely the style winner at the 87th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood last night. She looked STUNNING in her beautiful...
Tom Ford Noir Extreme and mini Private Blends
What will your weekend smell like? Mine will smell of booze, pubs, good food, maybe the odd cigarette, and the much more fragrant Tom Ford! Tom Ford fragrances are my absolute favourite – expensive, but worth it. They smell heavenly and they last forever. I’m told there is a new Private Blend coming...
Urban Decay Spring 2015
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Urban Decay makeup, so it was good to get my hands on their Spring launches (which actually launched at the end of January). I’m not a sheer lipstick fan, and I don’t normally do nudes, but, when I experiemented with a very dark smoky eye last week – see more here –...
Clinique Kiss The Bride Lipstick Collection
Getting married is fun, and a little bit mad. After getting engaged at Christmas, I’m now dipping my toe (and pretty much the rest of me, the wedding being in June!) into the madness that is wedding planning. Some things are fun (Hello Kitty bridal party toys anyone?) and some things are well, a little...
Sisley launch new Eyeshadow Quad
Sisley’s latest makeup launch is their Phyto 4 Ombres – two lovely eyeshadow palettes with a bold, bright harlequin design to the cases. Each palette has four shades in it – there’s two very different palettes, the nude toned Dream palette, and the bolder Mystery palette. Each palette is £57, and I ...
Valentine’s Make Up Tutorial: Contouring
Our customer care advisor Julie Marie got a sexy Valentine’s make up look from Stefanie in Sculptur David Lloyd Centre in Anniesland.Here’s the second part of the tutorial and something a lot of people struggle with – contouring!For make up offers from Stefanie at @ Sculptur starting from £10, click...
Valentine's fragrance - feisty or floral?
Yay, it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend. That means love hearts, flowers, romantic meals, maybe proposals of marriage, and if not, well, at least a new perfume, right?! But are you a feisty fragrance kinda gal, or do you prefer a more feminine, floral scent? We’ve picked four of each and given them a...
OPI Fifty Shades of Grey Nail Collection
OPI is celebrating the release of 50 Shades of Grey, the movie, this weekend, with a lovely collection – the Fifty Shades of Grey for OPI Mini Nail Lacquer Pack. This lovely pack contains six polishes – five gorgeous tones of grey (two are really more silver) and one bright, rich red. The red, because...
Fifty Shades of Grey beauty
Yes, that movie is released this weekend! Finally, the Fifty Shades of Grey fans get to see Christian Grey on the big screen. And it gives us an excuse to explore a much-maligned shade – grey! Grey is a great shade in beauty. Makes a brilliant base for nail art, gives excellent smoky eyes, and, well...
CHANEL ROUGE COCO LIPSTICKS
A lipstick is my absolute favourite beauty item of them all. And the more luxurious, the better. I’ve always been a sucker for a Chanel lippy – I’ve had countless shades of red from Chanel over the years, and loved them all. I wish they would bring back New York Red, but we can’t have everything! Rouge...
Lancome Miracle Cushion
Lancome’s latest makeup launch is not a foundation, nor a compact – it’s a cushion! The Lancome Miracle Cushion is a genuine innovation in beauty, and stems from Asia, where women’s demands for new product formulas and textures offer a constant source of inspiration. ‘Complexion make-up’ – that’s base...
Estee Lauder Pure Envy Shine Sculpting Lipstick
Spring summer beauty means sheer lips, agreed? There seems to be a sort of unwritten rule somewhere that when the sun comes out (even just a wee bit) we should all forgo our matte lipsticks for something sheer. I’m not buying that as a ‘must-do’ beauty rule, written or not. I love a good matte too much...
Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick
Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick – how’s that for alliteration!? Bobbi Brown’s best-selling Shimmer Brick has a new rival! This brilliant brick takes multi-tasking makeup to a whole new level, for a fresh take on shimmer. It has the warmth of a bronzer, the pure colour of a blush, and the luminosity of...
Kate Moss for Rimmel and Comic Relief
Rimmel London are an official Red Nose Day 2015 partner, and to celebrate have given their Kate Moss lipstick a Red Nose Day makeover! Red Nose Day is on Friday March 13 this year, and what better way to join in the fun and donate, beauty fans, than to wear a slick of good old red lippy?! The last Red...
YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil Lip Oil
So, just after one lip oil, along comes another! This time, from YSL, and it’s a bit different from the Clarins one we blogged about yesterday. YSL’s Volupte Tint-in-Oil captures colour in oil – no mean feat, apparently. Oil is a tricky element to capture, and oil and tint naturally repel each other...
Tom Ford Spring 2015 Colour Collection
Tom Ford is, of course, first and foremost, a fashion designer. So, his Spring Colour Collection in beauty has strong links to his SS15 clothes collection. Full of dark leathers, smoky dirty eyes on the models, messy grungey rock-chic hair, and dark, dark, dark shades, with hints of metallics, his Spring...
New Clarins Lip Oil
Clarins launch another innovative product next month – the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil. It’s a Limited Edition launch, and is a new addition to Clarins’ renowned treatment oil heritage. Following on from the iconic face and body oils created by brand founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins as intensive...
Estee Lauder Little Black Primer...with Kendall Jenner
Never mind the Kardashians, we’re keeping up with the Jenners this week! Wednesday’s National Television Awards anyone? Kim Jenner looked great, but can we forgive her for Georgie Shore? Really, it’s not that hard! (Mind you, can we forgive anyone for Geordie Shore?!) Anyway, over to Kendall Jenner,...
Benefit's new Roller Lash Mascara
I missed the press event this week, but ta-dah – here’s the new Benefit launch of the year – a brand new mascara – the Roller Lash Mascara. With the phenomenal success of the They’re Real mascara, you’d be forgiven for wondering why they bothered launching another. But, hey, they’re a beauty brand, ...
Beyond Perfect Skin with Clinique
After a year or more of BB, CC,DD and even EE creams, it seems the beauty world has returned to good old foundations – and high coverage ones at that. Last week I reviewed Clarins newest formula, this week it’s Clinique’s new 2-in-1 Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer. This latest addition to the...
Hello Cheekbones with Clinique!
Contouring. If you’re a beauty fan, you will be hugely familiar with that word. We’ve blogged about contouring before, and here we are again, with Clinique launching three new products next month that will create perfect cheekbones, and contoured areas of your face. Clinique’s new contour products come...
Estee Lauder New Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil
So, this is another launch that isn’t a brand new product, but an upgraded, improved version. Estee Lauder have just made their Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil a lot better. Which is great. But how have they made it better? Well, it’s the same popular formula, with some added extras. It now includes...
Smashbox Primer Water
I was a little bit sceptical about this latest launch when I first saw it last year. Essentially, it’s water. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water launches next month, and it’s a spritz of, well, water, which will prime, hydrate and give radiance. Essentially it’s the iconic Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation...
New from Rimmel
Rimmel London have three new products launching at the end of the month – look out for them, they’re all goodies. First up is their latest mascara –Scandaleyes XX-Treme Volume & Length Mascara (£6.99). Rimmel mascaras are great value for money and this is no exception. It has a brush that is a new one...
Clarins Garden Escape
It’s that time of year again – new Spring collections are landing on beauty counters, to brighten up our January. First to land on my desk was the new Garden Escape collection from Clarins. The French beauty house has created a gorgeous Spring collection inspired by a radiant garden. The Limited Edition...
My 2014 Beauty Favourites
Hundreds of products go through my hands every year in this job. I don’t blog about them all, I don’t love them all. Some I like, some I really don’t; some work for me, and not for others, and then there are those I love! People always ask me what my favourite products are, and although I do have small...
Smashbox Double Exposure Palette
When I first saw this palette last month, I thought ‘wow’. It’s a heck of a palette, beauty fans. And, the cleverest bit of all? It’s all in the name. It’s called the Smashbox Double Exposure Palette because 14 shadows transform into 28 with just a little water. And, they really do transform, remarkably...
New Lip Pencils from Bobbi Brown
A lip pencil is one of those essentials that I always seem to be on the hunt for. They disappear, like socks, and kirby grips. Where do they go? I will be keeping a tight hold of any of the new Bobbi Brown Lip Pencils which went on counter this month. Bobbi has expanded her lip liner offering by adding...
Boots No7 Christmas Makeup
Three little parcels under my office tree – all full of lovely Boots No7 makeup for the three Christmas looks the Boots brand have created this year. No7 have put together three quite different Christmas makeup looks, and invite you to create your look, and show it off on social media with the hashtag...
Dear Santa ...Christmas Beauty wishlist!
What beauty gifts are on your Dear Santa letter this year? There are so many fantastic beauty gifts to choose from, I whittled my list down to, er, 11 (I couldn’t decide between the Benefit gift sets!) and here it is! Is there anything on mine that takes your fancy? Let’s start at the top! How fabulously...
Smashbox Contour Kit
I am not, and probably never will be, a big fan of the Kardashians. They’re not really on my radar, if I am honest But, of course, you can’t completely escape them, can you? And one thing I have paid a wee bit of attention to is how their love of contouring sent that particular makeup trick to the top...
Zelens launch colour range
Dr Marko Lens is the consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon behind the brand, Zelens, a brilliant skincare brand with products which combine natural ingredients with expert science for great results. Now, he’s branching into colour with the Zelens Active Colour range – but this is makeup with...
Tom Ford Christmas Colour
Tom Ford has some new makeup on counter this month in his ‘Holiday Colour’ Collection. There aren’t many new products at all – just a few eye colours and lipsticks, but the overall effect is as stylish as you would expect from Tom! The idea is to use these new products alongside existing Tom Ford products...
Eyelure at Marks and Spencer
Eyelure are another brand now available at the ever-expanding Marks and Spencer Your Beauty. Eyelure repackaged and revamped their products recently, and the packaging is great. It has an almost masculine vibe to it, don’t you think? A sort of vintage, apothecary style. But what of the products? Well...
Bobbi Brown Scotch on the Rocks
Bobbi Brown’s winter collection is Scotch on the Rocks. Not that it’s reminiscent of Scotland, in any way, but rather inspired by legendary Lauren Bacall, the screen siren, who passed away earlier this year. We wonder if love of her life, Humphrey Bogart has scotch in his glass, in this festive family...
Clinique's Nutcracker Suite
Clinique’s sugary-pink Christmas collection is inspired by the world-renowned Christmas ballet classic The Nutcracker. “The collection was inspired by the characters, costumes and scenery of the performance,” says Janet Pardo, Senior Vice President Clinique Global Product Development. “The tulles and...
Paul & Joe Autumn Winter Beauty
Paul & Joe Beaute are one of my absolute favourite beauty brands – but more to look at than use! Don’t get me wrong, the products are great. But they are, as you may expect from a fashion brand, an absolute joy to look at! The general product packaging is lovely – gorgeous glass, retro shapes, and pastel...
Don't have fright brows with Paul and Joe!
It’s Hallowe’en and this article I found on my Facebook feed last week gave me a real fright. it’s about awful make up, but the most awful thing in every image to me seemed to the eyebrows! It reminded me of this list from a few years back – check out how BAD these eyebrows are! Why do people get it...
Clarins Eye Palette & Christmas Crackers
Clarins release another huge mineral eye makeup palette for Christmas, and this is actually a lovely gift for a Clarins fan, or an eyeshadow fan. And, what I love about it is, the eye makeup comes out, and you can use the banded box for trinkets, or other bits of makeup if you like. Cute. The palette...
Hallowe'en Beauty news - Illamasqua and more
Yes, yes, it’s Hallowe’en this Friday, I am sure you are all very aware of that. No matter what you are doing this Hallowe’en – whether you like basic scary makeup, or a full-on Hallowe’en high glamour makeover, or just a subtle nod to the season, there are products out there for you. First up, Illamasqua...
Shimmering Skin from Becca
If you want subtle shimmer rather than full on sparkle this Christmas, then the Becca Holiday 2014 Collection is for you. Just launched into Space NK stores, and QVC, it’s not really much of a collection in just three pieces, but it is just lovely. The Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlights Kit (£20) ...
Max Factor Masterpiece Transform Mascara
I honestly think the most launches every year in the beauty industry must be for mascaras. There seems to be an infinite number available, and a new one is always being launched. The latest one to land on my desk is Max Factor’s Masterpiece Transform Mascara which launches mid-October – so now really...
Glasgow Street Beauty 09/10/10
We’ve been out on the streets of Glasgow looking for beauty looks we think are worth sharing. Here’s our roundup for this week. We loved Vicki Anderson’s subtle ombre as well as her lashes and eye make up. Vicki gets her hair down at Paul Allan Hairdressing. Another gorgeous subtle ombre from Eloise...
Beauty News with Olay, Jo Malone, M&S & Bourjois
So much beauty news comes into my inbox each week, so I thought I’d condense some of it here into a little Beauty News round-up! Katie Holmes looks beautiful… * Katie Holmes was the face of Bobbi Brown, and I’m not sure if she still is or not – I don’t think so, considering she is now the very first...
Rouge Allure Gloss from Chanel
Chanel have recently launched a new lipgloss – Rouge Allure Gloss -which is much more than just a gloss. Of course. Beauty brands can’t just launch a gloss anymore, or a lipstick, or an eyeshadow, no, no, no. Every new product seems to be multi-functional, with amazing ingredients, to make it stand ...
Nanshy Makeup Brushes
It’s all very well buying the latest makeup – but if you don’t have the right tools to apply it, what’s the point. Yes, sometimes a quick smudge with your ring finger works for a wash of eye colour. But there comes a time when you really need to invest in some proper makeup brushes. Brushes are expensive...
Think Pink beauty for breast cancer awareness
It’s October, so in the beauty world that mean time to think pink for breast cancer charities. These days it’s more than just the beauty world that embrace the ‘think pink’ style in October, but it began in the beauty world in 1992, as the late Evelyn Lauder founded The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast...
Bobbi Brown's Smokey Nudes
It is fair to say that Bobbi Brown has embraced colour in the last few years. But nudes are her thing. And I do wonder how she consistently manages to reinvent the nude look, and come up with best-selling new products, that are, essentially just a twist on the last. The latest nudes range from Bobbi...
Scottish Beauty
Scotland is all over the news this week, and today we go to the polls to decide our country’s future in the Independence referendum. Let’s leave the politics behind, but celebrate our fantastic little country, by celebrating Scottish beauty! Here are a few of my favourite Scottish beauty brands out ...
Bobbi Brown Skin Weightless Powder Foundation
YES! It’s another foundation! It’s all I seem to be reviewing at the moment. This latest is from the queen of bases, Bobbi Brown, and it’s a compact powder foundation. Bobbi Brown Skin Weightless Powder Foundation is a bit different to the others I’ve been trialling of late. I have quite a lot to say...
bareMinerals bareSkin Foundation
Yep, it’s another new foundation! This one is quite interesting, because it’s a liquid foundation, from bareMinerals. Mineral makeup is powder, right? Well, yes and no. bareMinerals is a long-time detractor of liquid foundations so how do they justify bringing one out? Er, like this. Okay, I’m not actually...
Illamasqua Once
The latest autumn collection to land on my desk recently was the Illamasqua Once collection – and how pretty is Once?! The idea behind the collection is the beauty of old and new. Decadent and lavish, dabbling with rich textures and autumnal, delicate colours. “Once is the beauty of the burnished, eroded...
Smashbox Love Lips
Two new products have recently launched at the Smashbox counter -both for lips. I am REALLY excited about the first one, the Always Sharp Lip Liner. I was stupidly impressed with the Always Sharp Eye Liners when I saw them last year – and wrote about them here. But as I actually wear Lip Liner more ...
Bobbi Brown launches Ask Bobbi App
Bobbi Brown has launched the new ASK Bobbi App, and it’s pretty good if you’re a big beauty fan. I’ve had a play around with it, and there’s a lot you can do. Discover recommended products, expert advice, how-to’s and you can shop straight from the App, via bobbibrown.co.uk. Features on the App include...
Boots No7 launch Match Made Lipstick Service
Mmm. This is one beauty launch this week that saw a raised eyebrow in your beauty blogger. Boots No7 Match Made Lipstick Service reminded me a little of ‘having your colours done’, my absolute first pick for Room 101! I despise everything about this philosophy. Who on earth is anyone to tell me what...
New Foundations from Estee Lauder and Clarins
Foundation is BIG news this autumn/winter in the beauty world. It seems like everyone is launching a new base product – and all with new technologies and claims. More and more, foundation is becoming an integral part of a skincare routine, not just a makeup base. Estee Lauder and Clarins are the latest...
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy
Estee Lauder’s AW14 colour collection is all about the eyes – more specifically all about the new Pure Color Envy Sculpting EyeShadow 5-Color Palette. There are a whopping TEN of them in all sorts of gorgeous colour mixes for the perfect eyes. There are dramatic shades, accentuated with timeless nudes...
Tom Ford Fall Color Collection 2014
More gorgeous Tom Ford makeup! It’s such a luxury, but if you love makeup, save up and treat yourself to some of this – it’s worth every penny! The packaging is decadent, the makeup quality is fanastic, and Tom Ford’s vision is beautiful. For the Tom Ford Fall Color Collection 2014, think light and ...
Collection Etats Poetiques from Chanel
I have already fallen in love with the imagery from Chanel’s AW14 beauty collection, Etats Poetiques inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s fascination with the art of poetry. And, I think I am now falling in love with the collection. It is a very romantic, pared down collection, with washes for lips, barely...
YSL Fusion Foundation
YSL launch their Fusion Foundation today (exclusive to Debenhams, until August 20), with a mass of science behind it, apparently much of it the same as the science NASA use. This is not a new claim int he beauty world but it seems to be a true one this time, as Jane Cunningham from British Beauty Blogger...
Tom Ford's Flawless Complexion collection
This is Tom Ford’s new Flawless Complexion collection. “As human beings, we all respond subconsciously to symmetry. It is a universal beauty standard. A symmetrical and balanced face is considered beautiful in our society,” says Tom Ford. I get the feeling Tom Ford likes symmetry in everything, don’...
Clarins go all Ladylike for Autumn/Winter
Clarins want us to come over all ladylike for Autumn/Winter this year, with their new collection – Ladylike! Focus is on the eyes, and the feel is elegant with a strong, but soft, character. The big news in this collection is that they are bringing out their hugely successful 3-Dot Liner in a Limited...
Brows from Shavata, Clarins and Joan Collins
Eyebrows shape your face. They also keep the sweat out of your eyes. They can be thin, bushy, shaped, messy, thick, whatever. But, according to eyebrow guru, Shavata, they should always be groomed! And preferably at one of her counters, of course. I had my brows done at the new Shavata counter in Edinburgh...
Estee Lauder John Lewis 150 Gift offer
You’ve still got a week to get this gorgeous Gift With Purchase (GWP) at the John Lewis Estee Lauder counters. Estee Lauder is celebrating 150 years of John Lewis heritage with a lovely gift with a gorgeous makeup bag designed especially for them in the John Lewis Design Studio. The print features an...
Revlon Moisture Stain
Revlon have a new lip product out in August – the Moisture Stain. It’s a sort of gel-stain which is highly pigmented, but non-drying, and hydrating. They’re infused with Vitamin E and Aloe to help with that hydration. I’m amazed at the amount of new lip product formulas that come out almost monthly....
Clinique's new Chubby Cheeks and Baby Chubby
It’s been the worst kept beauty secret, but FINALLY Clinique’s Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm arrives on counter at the end of this week! They’ve been available online for a few weeks now and are already amassing a cult following. Clinique revolutionised the beauty market when they launched their Chubby...
YSL Black Fetish Collection
It’s sunny outside, summer is here, and we’re all feeling, well, summery, so … it’s a great time to talk about Autumn /Winter makeup! I know, I know, but the Autumn/Winter beauty collections hit the counters in August, and this one hits in July! So let’s start this week with this GORGEOUS collection...
Bobbi Brown Goes Bright!
Wow! That’s my only reaction to the new Bobbi Brown Blush & Rich Lip Color Shade Extensions. Wait until you see these colours! Inspired by requests from fans and makeup artists, Bobbi Brown is expanding her Blush and Rich Lip Color collections with what she is calling her ‘pick-me-up’ shades. I think...
DKNY MYNY with Rita Ora
That Rita Ora gets about the beauty world, doesn’t she? Not long after creating her own range of lips and nails for Rimmel, she’s now the face of DKNY’s latest frgrance MYNY whcih is out next month. All about New York, this new fragrance has a message as universal as it is personal – be a part of New...
Illamasqua Nudes
Illamasqua are renowned fortheir bold, out there, avant garde style – full of bright colours and bold formulas. This is the brand that brought you this green lipgloss! And their new collection for summer is, well, NUDES! I was a bit shocked when this landed on my desk, but I didn’t dismiss it out of...
Joan Collins Summer Makeup
Joan Collins launched her own line of cosmetics earlier this year, and I blogged about them over on my own site , Beauty Bombshells. Joan is undoubtedly a Bombshell, still looking fabulous in her 80s! For summer, available in July, she’s launching a few new additions to her collection, including a couple...
Dr Hauschka Summer Makeup
The little independent chemist round the corner from me stocks Dr Hauschka, and every time I am in waiting for a prescription, I have a sniff and a try of the lovely creams and lotions. Recently, I noticed they also stock Dr Hauschka makeup. I have to confess, I didn’t know there was such a thing! But...
Surf & Sand from Bobbi Brown
Bobbi Brown’s Surf & Sand collection is Bobbi’s perfect summer beauty essentials for creating an effortlessly chic beach look. I’m not sure I want to head to the beach with a full face of makeup, but I can see where she is coming from… This lovely collection is, however, perfect for those summer evenings...
Beauty News!
* It had to happen – we’ve had BB creams for skin, and hair, and now US brand Orly is to launch an industry first – a BB cream for nails! BB, or blemish balm, creams have been one of the biggest things in the skincare market of late, bridging the gap between moisturiser and foundation and are popular...
Our Gillian meets Olly Murs
Our Health & Beauty Manager attended the Donna Mortimer Ballantyne Charitable Trust Ball on Saturday. She got all glammed up for the star studded event in aid of Kilbryde Hospice. First she got her lashes and make up done at Kiki’s Powder Room. Then she got her hair done at Amy’s Hair Corner. She got...
Cheap and Cheerful from Miss Sporty
Miss Sporty are one of those uber-cheap brands you probably walk past in Boots and Superdrug, if, like me, you can be a bit of a beauty snob. But we’re actually missing out on some excellent bargain buys. New for this summer, Miss Sporty has a few excellent, fun, good quality products – that are just...
#3 Andrea's Wedding Looks: Hair & Make Up Lounge
This week we’ve been sharing wedding looks for our 5pm bride-to-be Andrea. Yesterday we told you about the Grecian style from Miss Barton’s and on Wednesday we shared her vintage look from VIP Hair & Beauty. For her third and final wedding look, Andrea visited Hair & Make Up Lounge in Glasgow city centre...
TopShop and Red Lippy Project for Cervical Cancer Awareness
This week the beauty world is encouraging us all to do something I do every day – wear red lipstick! The Red Lippy Project is a charity initiative supporting, and raising awareness of, cervical cancer. As part of Cervical Screening Awareness Week (June 8-14), the Red Lippy Project are collaborating...
Smashbox Be Legendary Lipgloss
Smashbox’s latest lipgloss – Be Legendary Lipgloss is inspired by red photo gels – the red transparent films placed over lenses and lights to create colour effects in photos by illuminating areas in washes of colour. Davis Factor – one of the men behind the brand – had an assortment of red photo gels...
Clinique launch Soft Matte Lipsticks
It’s a colourful Friday in this office! First up we had Bobbi’s new nails and bright lip colours, now it’s Clinique’s turn with these brilliant Long Lasting Soft Matte Lipsticks. I’ve had my hands on one of these for weeks now, and every time I use it I realise how good it is. This is Clinique remember...
Pedro Lourenco for MAC
Coming soon! This gorgeous range for MAC Cosmetics, by young Brazilian designer Pedro Lourenco is beautiful. It’s chic, classy and has something, I think, for everyone. Bold, daring colours are juxtaposed against soft nudes, all of them encased in gorgeous limited edition packaging. For the eyes there...