Glossy Box

If winter has left your skin feeling raw and dry then the Darphin flash box by Glossy Box may be the remedy you need.

Professional skincare brand Darphin have been treating skin since the late 50s. Using botanical ingredients especially tailored for a sensitive or dehydrated skin they have produced two different sets each with four minis to soothe, hydrate and nourish those with a fragile skin.

 Each pack also comes in a handy plastic zip bag which you can re use.

Sensitive Skin

Intral cleansing milk (50ml) with Chamomile extract is a tissue or rinse off cleanser.

 Lightweight and creamy it lifts all traces of makeup off easily.

 Intral toner (50ml) with Chamomile should be swept over the face and neck. Removes any cleanser residue and refreshes the skin.

 Doesn’t feel too astringent like and doesn’t leave skin feeling overly tight or dry.

Intral Serum (5ml) redness relief is a water like serum that is instantly absorbed.

 Ingredients help to sooth an inflamed skin and help calm redness.

Lastly apply the Intral soothing cream. Containing no synthetic preservatives or colourants. Although it is a cream it feels more like a lotion on the skin and won’t leave a combination skin feeling greasy.

Hydration Expert

Includes water cleanser to sweep over skin to remove impurities and grime. No rinsing required so good for people who don’t like a lot of fuss. This can double up as your toner also.

 Hydraskin serum is the same texture as for the sensitive skin but contains Pomegranate extract for extra hydration.

The moisturiser is Hydra skin emulsion that is still lightweight (even an oily skin can be dehydrated) and a Kiwi hydrating mask.

 Mask has some amazing natural ingredients including Shea butter, Vitamin E, Kiwi, Mango and Pomegranate.

 Mask is liquid and although it dries off it never sets or cakes.

 After removing this mask my skin looked noticeably brighter and soft.

Both are really nice glossy boxes this month and this would be a great introduction to Darphin products especially if you have sensitive skin and allergic to lots of products. At least you can try before you invest.

Darphin Flash Box is available from 21^st February 2013 and priced at £13.00 each plus p&p from www.glossybox.co.uk

Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation

 
This foundation from Armani is a great alternative to a powder foundation and for those who like their skin matte.

This liquid is really lightweight and even though I found it to be super matte it didn’t feel chalky.

It does dry quickly so work fast but once blended it smoothes out the skin providing a second skin like finish.

One layer buffed in will even out pigmentation and smooth the appearance of the skin. Build up the layers for a fuller cover.

This lasted well on my skin with just one touch up of powder needed during the day.

If you like a matte finish foundation but have a dryer skin I would maybe mix a little of your moisturiser in with this to give it a bit more fluidity over any dry areas.

I really loved this foundation and even though it is a higher price at £38.00 I would say it’s well worth it.

 

However, I didn’t like the style of bottle. It has a pipette style lid. I think this must be because the product is very thin and runny however I found it to be messy and at £38.00 I don’t want to loose a drop!
The pipette is good to put the product directly onto the brush rather than waste it by pouring onto your hand.

The 30ml bottle would last a good few months if using for a natural cover. 
Available in 12 shades that are mixed between yellow and pink based. 
Shade range would suit fair, pale skin through to medium and dark skin tones.

http://www.armanibeauty.co.uk

LFW AW13

                                  L'Wren Scott

“L'Wren Scott's autumn/winter 2013 collection is infused with gold, drawing inspiration from the work of Gustav Klimt. For the makeup, there is a painterly wash of gold on the eyes creating a new alternative to the smokey eye - the gilded eye - framed by a defined brow. Glowing skin is complemented with naturally flushed cheeks and lips to balance the modern opulent look.”

 – Bobbi Brown

Skin: Hydrating Face Cream, Hydrating Eye Cream 

Face: BB Cream SPF35, Retouching Powder

Eyes: Ivory Eye Shadow, 24 Karat Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick, Golden Pink Metallic Eye Shadow, Black Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, Everything Mascara, Extreme Party Mascara   

Cheeks: Pale Pink

Lips: Bare Pink Rich Lip Color 

                                   Holly Fulton
Andrew Gallimore created a grunge inspired dark glossy eye with statement red velvet lip. 

Jean-Pierre Braganza

“Gothic but gorgeous.” TERRY BARBER

 Vivienne Westwood Red Label

“Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour, illustrations , Helmut Newton images. ” 

VAL GARLAND

The Vivienne Westwood Red Label look was inspired by playful, unorganised glamour, and the finished look used ombre prints in pink and blue shades. Rock Beauty teamed up with manicurist Marian Newman to achieve an airbrushed finish on the models hands from their nails up to their knuckles.

Best foundations for your skin type

No.7 Instant Radiance-Dry Skin

• Super Moisturising
• Vitamin C and E to nourish skin
• Medium Coverage
• Easily to blend
• Satin, light reflecting finish
• SPF 15
• £12.50

 

 

 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation-Dry Skin

• Moisturising
• Fruit extracts to boost skin radiance
• Medium to full coverage
• Good coverage without skin feeling caked
• Radiant satin finish
• £10.99 
  
  

 

 

Nars Sheer Glow-Dry Skin

• Provides moisture but drys quickly so will not feel too oily for a combination skin
• Medium buildable cover
• Colour tends to be slightly more yellow based
• Radiant healthy glow
• Great staying power
• Photographs well with no flash back
• £29.50

Chanel Vitalumiere-Dry Skin

• Moisturising
• Great for a mature skin
• Medium coverage
• Gives a smooth skin appearance
• Radiant finish
• Photographs well
• Great staying power
•  SPF15
• £34.00

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation-Dry Skin

• Moisturising
• Light/Medium coverage
• Great for un-even skin tone
• Feels lightweight
• Natural skin finish 
• SPF15
• £30.00

Revlon Colour Stay Foundation-Oily Skin

•  Two textures available for a dryer or oily skin
• Oil free
• Medium buildable cover
• Natural matte finish
• SPF 6
• £12.49

 

 

Avon Ideal Flawless-Normal Skin

• Natural finish
• Moisturising but not at all oily feeling
• Medium /full coverage
• Really long lasting
• Oil free
• SPF15
• £7.00

 

 

YSL Le Teinte touche Foundation-Normal Skin

• Medium Coverage
• Natural Highlighted finish
• Feels lightweight
• Long lasting
• £28.00

 

 

 

 

MAC Matchmaster-Oily Skin

• Medium buildable coverage
• Good on an oily skin
• Natural finish- Not too matte, not too shiny
• Lasts well even on oily T-Zone
• SPF15
• Photographs well
• £25.00

 

 

 

 Avon Smooth Minerals-Oily Skin

• Loose Powder Foundation 
• Lightweight
• Mineral derived
• Natural matte finish
• Oil absorbing
• £4.00

 

 

  MAC Studio Fix Foundation-Oily Skin

• Pressed powder foundation
• Medium buildable coverage
• Totally matte finish
• Oil Free
• Perfect for an oily skin
• Photographs well
• £20.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clinique Anti Blemish Foundation-Oily Skin

• Medium coverage
• Doesn't feel chalky or heavy
• Skin clearing ingredients
• Great for a problematic skin
• Natural matte finish
• Oil Controlling
• £23.00

 

 

 

 

Vichy Dermablend and Keromask-Problematic Skin

• Medium/full coverage
• Natural/matte finish
• Great for pigmentation
• Tones down redness
• Good for scarring
• £14.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch us discussing these foundations in the video below....

NYFW Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Jeremy Scott

CAROLINA HERRERA

“Just Beautiful Girls.” DIANE KENDAL for M.A.C

DONNA KARAN

“Back to Donna Karan’s DNA, smoky eye roots with a modern twist.” - CHARLOTTE TILBURY for M.A.C

JEREMY SCOTT

“It’s about a woman who is tired of being a girl and she’s ready for the next step.” KABUKI for M.A.C

NYFW Marchesa, LFW Antonio Berardi

MARCHESA

Revlon Global Artistic Director, Gucci Westman, created a romantic and ethereal look with rosy cheeks and flirty eyes for Marchesa’s Fall 2013 collection.

“To complement Marchesa’s beautiful designs, I wanted the girls to look like Victorian angels that had been frolicing around outdoors.” says Westman.  “I started with flawless, matte skin and added a great rosy cheek. For the eyes, I traced a small amount of black liquid liner across the top lid, used brown liner on the bottom lid, added a thin coat of mascara just to lift the lashes and finished with a bit of a strong brow. The entire look is very refreshing, clean and not too fussy.  I chose to steer away from a traditional red carpet look to make the clothing a bit more accessible for the every day woman.”

ANTONIO BERARDI

Make Up by Revlon Global Artistic Director, Gucci Westman

‘I created a luminous base on the skin using the new Revlon Skinlights in Pink Light with my Baby Stick in Pink Passion to create a flawless, porcelain effect on the girls. The focus of the look was the bright crimson lip with the rest of the features being very non-intentional and simplistic.’

Images Courtesy of Starpix for Revlon

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for lips!

My lips have been horrendously dry this winter, I've tried a multitude of products from the very cheap to extortionately priced.

Then the postman brought me the answer, this lip balm from Dr Lipp.

Originally designed as a balm for the nipples for new mothers to use to soothe their nipples after breast-feeding,

This thick balm in a 15ml squeezy tube is 100% natural with no taste or fragrance.

Very rich in texture it gives a moisturised, colourless sheen to the lips.

It sits on the lips for a few minutes until it sinks in and does feel a little tacky.

It is made from medical grade lanolin. 
Lanolin comes from excreted sheep sebum and is found in their wool.

Lanolin always gets mixed reviews but love it or hate it, these days it is considered by dermatologists to be one of the safest products to use on your skin.

Lanolin has so many similarities to the lipids in our own skin that our bodies absorb it easily.

 

You can see from the picture this is not a soft creamy balm but a thick solid formula.

Safe enough to use on other areas of the body including dry elbows, cuticles, flaky skin patches and of course sore nipples!

A handy little staple to keep in each of my handbags.

Priced at £11.00

Check out www.drlipp.com for stockists

Especially for this Valentines day Dr Lipp has come up with this cute campaign to spread the love on this romantic day.

Dr. Lipp invites you to blow a kiss to that special someone this Valentine’s Day! Click here and spread the looove

NYFW A/W'13 Oscar de la Renta

Revlon Global Artistic Director, Gucci Westman, created four diverse makeup looks to complement Oscar de la Renta’s Autumn/Winter ’13 collection during New York Fashion Week.
 
“Each of the four looks represents a different type of girl: gypsy, sophisticate, urban chic and East Asian jet setter. The one common thread is purity. I created a look that highlights the innate beauty of the face from the eyes to the lip to clear, shiny skin.” ~ Gucci Westman
 
REVLON PRODUCTS TO GET THE LOOKS:

LOOK 1: Dark Eyes (Gypsy)
Eyes:Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour EyeShadow Quad in Seductive, £7.99
Lips:Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry, £7.49

LOOK 2: Bright Lip (Urban Chic)

Face:

Revlon Baby Sticks for Lips & Cheeks in Pink Passion from The Spring/Summer ’13 Collection by Gucci Westman, £6.99 (available April 2013)

Lips:

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in It Girl, £8.99 (available April 2013)

LOOK 3: Bold Red Lip (East Asian Jet Setter)

Lips:Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Cherries in the Snow, £7.49
Eyes:Revlon ColorStay Crème Gel Liner, £8.99

LOOK 4: Nude Shine (Sophisticate)

Face:

Revlon Nearly Naked Makeup, £8.99

EYES:

Revlon ColorStay 16 Hour EyeShadow Quad in Brazen, £7.99

Revlon Grow Luscious Lash Liner in Espresso, £6.29

LIPS:

Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Nude, £6.29

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede in Front Row, £7.99 (available April 2013)

Images Courtesy of Starpix for Revlon

NYFW A/W'13 Kaufman Franco, Derek Lam, Victoria Beckham, Rag & Bone

KAUFMAN FRANCO - Revlon Global Artistic Director, Gucci Westman, paired bold smokey eyes with luminous skin to complement KaufmanFranco’s Fall ’13 collection.

“I was inspired by Brigette Bardot, and classic Parisian women from the 60’s, so this look is all about the eyes,” says Westman.  “I combined smoky grey shadows with ultra heavy black liner and piled on extra lashes for a mysterious and sultry look.  To contrast with the gritty texture on the eyes, I kept the girls skin soft and pretty and gave their lips a natural flush.” Gucci Westman

Images ‘Courtesy of Starpix for Revlon’.

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DEREK LAM  - Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux led a team of 13 makeup artists to create the stunning look on 27 models.

Makeup: Tom Pecheux for Estée Lauder
Nails: Jin Soon Choi for Estée Lauder
Photos: Courtesy of Estée Lauder

“The beauty look Derek Lam and I created for the Fall 2013 show is a sophisticated, minimal urban hippie – playing off of Derek’s inspirational mood board and the textures and colours of the fabrics in his collection.  The focus is on the eyes and the lips.  I placed a highlight of metallic shimmer in the centre of the eyelid, to make it appear very flat, like a two-dimensional painting on a canvas.  The saturated stain on the lips is very strong and intense –  a mix of brown, maroon and burgundy.  The skin is very fresh and iridescent, a satin-matte texture,”said Tom Pecheux, Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director, who used Estée Lauder makeup to complement Derek Lam's stunning collection.”   - Tom Pecheux

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VICTORIA BECKHAM - Makeup: Diane Kendal
                                             Team: M.A.C Cosmetics
                                             Nails: Marian Newman using M.A.C
                        
Inspiration: "Fresh Young Skin" - Diane Kendal

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RAG & BONE - Revlon Global Artistic Director, Gucci Westman, juxtaposed the masculine designs of rag & bone’s Autumn / Winter ‘13 collection with a soft and feminine makeup look.

“I wanted to create a look that was super girly and contrasted with the masculine feel of the collection,” says Westman. “The focus of this look is definitely the eyeliner.  I added a bit of a modern twist to a classic 60’s look by using a gel liner across the top of the lid.  I kept the rest of the look simple and paired it with natural and luminous skin. I love how the whole look is a bit retro, but still fresh.” - Gucci Westman

 

New York Fashion Week A/W 2013

Facecharts and images from M.A.C Backstage at New York Fashion Week

                                                        Kenneth Cole by Romy Solimani

                                                                   Jen Kao by Yadim

“In your room, by Depeche Mode was the inspiration for this season’s collection: The imaginative use of texture, refined colour palette, and innovative cuts supplied plenty of inspiration.”

                                                                          Kabuki @ Sally Lapointe

“A very chic, super fashion, spooky woman. She’s couture, she’s fashion, and she’s a bit crazy.”

Tom Pecheux @ Altuzarra

                                

                                                                      “Chic Gothic”

                                                    Charlotte Tilbury @ Cushnie et Ochs

“A bad ass Art Deco Eye.”

Val Garland @ Monique Lhuillier

“Empowered, fresh, strong, youthful and beautiful.”

 Charlotte Tilbury @ Prabal

Nicole Miller by James Kaliardos

D.J.V Beautenizer Mascara

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Djv mascara is the top selling mascara brand in Japan. It comes in two varieties called Volume Lash and Fiberwig LX.

The brush is slim and long and comes in 8.2ml. The brush teeth are spaced evenly and the bristles feel soft rather than a tough rigid brush.

The actual mascara feels creamy and looks glossy and has quite a strong perfumed scent, although not unpleasant.

Sam has been using this mascara a lot recently in her tutorials and absolutely loves it.

 This mascara is not for people who like the natural look. It separates and defines lashes amazingly.

 Build the layers up for a thick dramatic look. Djv claim this will have your lashes looking like a manga character and we agree it does make the lashes look almost drawn on.

Panthenol and a silk protein condition the lashes and allow lashes to still be flexible and move.

It lasts well on the lashes with no caking and fall down.

Before

Volume Lash After

 

The second of the mascaras DJV Fiberwig. This is 7.9ml with a slim line curved brush. The brush also has separated teeth that comb through the lashes with ease.

Creates a liquid to film texture and packed with tons of nylon fibres that grip onto the lashes to lengthen and thicken. Buildable but do this while the mascara is still wet to avoid clumpiness.

 Slightly more of a dryer formula than the volumising mascara.

Separation is good and lash length looks extended.

Same fragrance as the Volume Mascara.

 Product stays on well with no drop down.

Before

After fiberwig LX

To remove both mascara's I would advise using an oil based make up remover so you are not pulling at the lashes. 

Both mascara's are £18.00 each and available on http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk