Glow Mist

Pixi by Petra Glow Mist

The Mistery of glowing skin...

For fresh and glowing summer skin, its definitely worth investing in a face mist.  They're everywhere right now.  Whether it's to cool skin down in the heat, or to create that catwalk dewy look, a facial mist is a must!

One of the best ones I have found is Glow Mist by Pixi by Petra - cousin of the amazing Glow Tonic.  It's enriched with 13 natural oils plus propolis, aloe vera, fruit extracts, and argan, which nourishes, instantly hydrates, and instantly makes skin look brighter.

before and after shaking 

I have been using this for a few months now, and cannot imagine life without it.  I shake and then spray before applying makeup, everywhere apart from my t-zone, because it can be quite oily.  The results are amazing, it does all of the above, as well as giving my skin a luminous golden glow.  If you don't have oily skin, I would recommend spraying it to set makeup, as it looks incredible over foundation. You can use it in flight to prevent dehydration, or even without any makeup.  Glow tonic is not only a summer beauty product, I can wait to use it to brighten winter skin.

Available from Pixi Beauty 

£16.00

Strobing - the new contouring!

MAC STROBE CREAM

Im not a huge fan of contouring.  Controversial right?  I know its amazing and it structures the face, and Kim Kardashian does it, but I personally can't seem to master the look on my own face.  I don't like wearing too much makeup, and too be honest, I am a little lazy.  

Strobing on the other hand, is the new beauty trend, which structures the face by highlighting certain parts of the face, requires less makeup, makes your skin look fresh and radiant, and most importantly, it will definitely not make you late for work! 

Illuminating your cheekbones, brow bones, nose, cupids bow etc with a highlighter is easy, and can be done with a powder or cream.  Another way you can highlight skin is through your primer. 

There's a beautiful girl in my office who always looks exceptionally radiant every time she wears her MAC Strobe Cream, so I thought I would give it a try.  

Radiant and dewy skin is my life mission... well one of them, I usually use an illuminating primer before my foundation to 'get the glow' normally in a golden tone so I was interested in its results.  

As you probably already know, MAC Strobe cream has been around for a while now.  I had associated it as an essential product for makeup artists on shoots, which had put me off buying it as I though it left an unnatural finish. I was a little wary about putting something so bright on my skin too, but the results were soooo good.  It gives dull and tired looking skin a instant boost and completely blends in with my foundation.  The formula is white, with iridescent particles to enhance the the effects of light on the skin.  Do not be put off by this, it works on all skin tones, and blends in really well under foundation. In fact, it looks amazing on really pale and black skin.

 I would even use it as an every day moisturiser as it's radiance enhancing qualities makes it ideal for makeupless skin.  

MAC Strobe Cream contains powerful botanicals which de-stress tired skin with a fully loaded vitamin zap and a mega dose of green tea.  Something I need on a daily bases! I wonder if you can eat it?? 

Available from MAC £24.50

Lifes a Beach

Bumble and bumble Surf Spray

When its super hot outside I really cannot be bothered to blow dry my hair.  Summer grooming is endless, so having the option of eliminating one beauty regime is a definite win.  My hair is bleached, so its quite easy to achieve beachy, tousled (messy) and windswept waves, however, this look can be created from a bottle using Bumble and bumble Surf Spray

Bumble and bumble Surf Spray is designed to thicken and lift hair to recreate that, sexy, salty, just got off the beach look.

I have been interested in this cult product for a while as pretty much every hair stylist I have ever known loves it.  I was under the impression like most people, that Bumble and bumble Surf Spray was for the beach. I used it on the holiday last year and was really unimpressed by its results.  This was because I was swimming a lot and didn't need to fake the beach hair. So, what it actually does is mimic the beach wave look, not create it on the actual beach.

Before discovering this, my bottle had gathered dust on my bathroom shelf, and I was actually gong to give it away.  One morning a few weeks ago, I discovered its amazingness when I was running late (as usual) to meet a friend and didn't have time to blow dry.  The results were incredible.  Since then I have been converted to its magic, and now I'm obsessed with it.  Its perfect for the city girls who want to create an effortless/bohemian/romantic or wild look - that's what summer is about right?  

Here's my air dried Surf Spray hair  

How to be  mermaid/surf girl...

 Simply wash your hair, spray onto the ends, or the roots (if you require volume) and let it air dry.  Easy.  

If you're a semi beach/city surf girl like me, and prefer a little more of a refined mess - blast your roots only with a hairdryer, to set your fringe and parting, or use a diffuser to dry.  Surf Spray works better on semi dry hair. I would finish the look with serum to add shine and prevent any potential frizz, but too be honest the extracts of sea kelp add shine and manageability leaving it looking super soft and shiny anyway.

Please note, results will vary depending on your hair type.  I get asked how I achieve my look all the time, but seriously, all I do is wash it, semi dry and add an oil because its naturally wavy.  Anyone with straight hair or curly hair would have to add additional products, and styling.

Available from Selfridges, Boots, Liberty, and Bumble and bumble 

£21.50 (125ml)

Ingredient - Ascophyllum Nudosum Extract: moisturising; elasticity, luster, softness, body, less flyaways

Macrocystis Pyrifera (Sea Kelp) Extract: shine, manageability

Magnesium Sulfate: astringent

Gold Dust....

NARS DUAL-INTENSITY BLUSH

Yesterday was the hottest day in 9 years!  Amazing!  Did a few hours in the sun turn you into a golden sun goddess?  If not, head to your nearest NARS counter for their new Dual Intensity Blush Collection.  They will transform your skin from plain, to a holiday in Spain in seconds!

I absolutely love these blushers. Its been a while since a makeup product has excited me like this. Everything from the packaging which is a black, rubber embossed case to the silky weightless formula is perfect. They are an instant sun fix for all skin shades as they come in 6 different colours from gold and bronze, to pinks and reds.  


Close up of my Jubilation Blusher 

The blusher itself can be used with a normal brush, and dusted onto the skin for a healthy glow, using the highlighter.  Or it can be used with a wet brush to intensify the colour, yet leave a translucent, second skin finish.  Its luxurious, and highly pigmented yet weightless - perfect for the hot weather.  When creating this product, NARS used exclusive Translucent Prismatic Technology which features pearls and pigments, perfectly suspended in a transparent soft base to allows for multi-dimensional effects making it highly versatile.


Here's the blusher on my skin, the images on the right is how they look blended, using the fingertips

I have actually used mine as an eyeshadow too.  I wet a brush, or apply with my finger depending on how much of a rush I'm in, and apply to the lids finished with a slick of mascara.  It's super fast and easy to apply anywhere, on the tube, or even the beach. ... 

Available in these featuring NARS, Liberty and Selfridges

£30

From straw to silk...

Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment

It's been a month since I have become super blonde, and even though I look after my hair fairly well by using good products and minimal styling tools (I blast it with a hair dryer, until its damp, then air dry) it still needs a major treatment once a month.

Every four weeks, I treat my locks to a little R&R (I like to call it hair rehab) by feeding it with the Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment.  This creamy bronze liquid is fortified with a rare and powerful natural ingredient - pure Ojon oil (from the Ojon nut) which is known as nature's powerful golden elixir, rich in essential lipids similar to those found in healthy hair.

This cocoa and chocolate smelling product has a similar consistency to coconut oil, which is really hard at room temperature, but super oily and slippery with added heat.  To activate the treatment, place in your palms and rub it until it melts.  You only need a small amount because its very concentrated.  If your hair is like mine, double the dose!  Massage though unwashed and dry hair, and leave it for 15-20 minutes.  You only need to treat the ends, so a good tip is to tie your hair in a ponytail and massage through.  I would not recommend massaging this into your roots or scalp.  It would be difficult to wash out.  Sometimes I use it in the sauna at the gym, or in the bath to help it work faster.  The heat really does help penetrate into the hair.

After one treatment my hair is always so soft and healthy.  The colour is noticeably more vibrant, and its so silky and smooth - not a dull brittle, frizzy strand in sight!  It really does magic hair from straw to silk.

My hair after the treatment

£34.50

Available from Ojon and Boots

New Makeup brand Bagsy launches today

NEW MAKEUP BRAND BAGSY LAUNCHES IN THE UK

Last week I went to the launch of an exciting new makeup brand called Bagsy which is a capsule collection of beautiful and practical makeup essentials perfectly designed to fit inside your handbag.

After spending many years creating products for some of the top luxury beauty brands in the world, British born Bagsy have decided to do it for themselves and create a collection that is small, beautifully designed, and easy to use.  Great news for someone like me whose bottomless pit of a handbag contains the entire beauty section of a department store.  I carry everything I wear on a daily basis.  Just in case... I carry powder, foundation in small pots, extra lipstick, perfume, eyeliner, pretty much doubles of everything I own.  My bag weighs a ton.  The great thing about these products is that they are small, light and designed to suit all skin tones.

Bagsy Launch at the Hamyard Hotel

Each product has been crafted with attention to detail and the packaging is colourful and quirky.  In particular, I like the blusher box that opens up like a panetonne box, as well as the slogans on the bronzer and eyeliner (all below).  I was told at the launch by its founders that they wanted to steer away from the black packaging (their current clients who they cannot name) found on most beauty counters and create something vibrant and fun.

The makeup is pretty luxurious and high in quality as they do already manufacture for the leading luxury brands they have the insights into formulating the best products.  A few of my favourites are below.  The Pretty Cheeks blusher is not as vibrant as it looks and contains gold shimmer which comes through once it has been blended.  The Wow lips is a high impact glossy lipstick containing nylon and sperical powders which stays on the lips and hydrates.  The Kabuki brush is perfect to blend, comes in a little pouch and can be throw into the handbag.  The delicious smelling Lip Cacoon does what the bottle suggests by nourishing and protecting using ingredients such as beeswax, and shea butter.

Pretty Cheeks (£16) Wow Lips  (£12) Kabuki Brush (£15) Lip Cacoon (£7)

Also, the Pretty Eyes eyeshadow can be easily blended, lasts all day and comes in four colours.

 Beautiful Eyes in Caffeine Fix (£14)

Ray of Sunshine is perfect for the summer.  The packaging is super cute, which kind of makes me want to never use it.  It creates a matt look which is a natural glow to any skin colour.  It is available in a lighter and darker shade.

Ray of Sunshine (£18)

I have my eye on the double sided highlight and concealer Wonder Wand below.  Use one side of this dual-sided highlighting and concealing crayon to cover blemishes and dark circles and the other to illuminate the top of cheekbones.

(£18)

Available from feelunique.com

Fifty Shades of Clay

KIEHLS RARE EARTH DEEP PORE CLEANSING MASQUE

As I lather my face with this beautiful and creamy clay mask by Kiehl's, I realise I need to tell you all about how great it is.  I have been using this Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque twice a week for years now - Sunday night for a detox and deep clean (after a busy and hectic week/and fun weekend) and Wednesday night as a boost to keep up radiance.  Its incredible, and does what most face masks do which is to detox the skin of surface impurities, such as excess oil and dirt and minimises pores, but unlike other clay masks, it's really gentle and nourishing.  Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque contains Amazonian White Clay, Oatmeal and Aloe Vera which makes it gentle on the skin.

The container is huge, so a small amount goes a really long way.  The clay itself has no fragrance, which makes it seem more natural, and the texture is super creamy.  Once the mask has been applied to the skin, it quickly absorbs (but not too quickly) and continues to stay in the skin without flaking and crumbling.  I would recommend this product to every skin type, but in particular, for people with sensitive, combination, and oily skin - its a powerful product which is equally really kind.  After the first couple of uses, the results are really visible.  People with large pores, blackheads and those who breakout frequently will see a huge difference.  This clay mask really does refresh skin, making it look bright, more refined, clean, and radiant.

£21.50

Available from Kiehls, Selfridges, Liberty, and Space NK