Too Faced Let's Play Doll Sized Palette

I love these 'doll sized' palettes. I thought I wouldn't but I bloody do. I chose this one as its got colours I don't have similar too and would suit my green eyes but I think I'd happily get the set. 

Cruelty-Free Brands

 There are loads of great websites out there dedicated to cruelty-free beauty - Cruelty-free Kitty is my go-to. But I've created a phone-savable cheat sheet of brands for anyone who wants to save it to refer back too. 

Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream

 Anyone else find it really difficult to find a good moisturiser? One that ticks all the boxes. Me too. I try to avoid silicones in my products and I'm pretty much silicone free but I'll freely admit that my favourite moisturiser is Origins Make a Difference Plus + which not only contains dimethicone but is also not technically cruelty-free (they are owned by Estee Lauder). 

I've also heard not great things about Honest Beauty but on the hunt for some new products I bought the Hydrogel Cream based on good reviews, price and ingredients and I've been using it for 3 weeks now and you know what? I really like it. 

How to use the Champagne Glow Drops from LimeLife by Alcone

I am not really into highlighters but I have used these Champagne Glow Drops pretty much daily since they were launched. Out of the three colours these for me are the most versatile for all skin tones and skin types and give a glow to skin whatever the age.

LimeLife Perfect Liner - LMB Cult 60 Products

Pip & Lil

I get asked what reusuable, sustainable cotton pads I recommend, a lot. Not just for those who are conscious of waste but for anyone with sensitivity who find flannels too much for their skin, often reusable face wipes are a game changer. And I've tried a fair few in my time and they have made a huge difference to my face but also the ones from Pip & Lil are by far and away the best I've tried. They are incredibly soft, wash well (without any shrinking), and are handmade by Sarah from her home in South London. 

Peacci Nail Varnish

It's rare for me to get excited by a nail varnish. Frankly I'm rubbish at applying them and they always chip but there is a new nail polish in town (well new to me... they could have been around a while and I am in love). 

Danessa Myricks Light Work Palette

I don't even know who I am anymore. I just bought an entire palette of highlighters, and not just randomly, I got one that everyone is talking about. And so far I love it. No I haven't had a complete personality transplant and started highlighting the end of my nose but for some glow on the cheek bones and cupids bow these are just stunning. But that's not my favourite way to wear them - these are just beautiful on the eye lids especially if you are a fan of the glossy lids trend but can't stand anything sticky on your eyelids.

For those with darker skin tones Light Work Palette II has deeper tones that won't come out ashy on the skin. These aren't the cheapest palettes in the world but the pans are large and I mean, I feel like I won't ever need to buy another highlighter. A little goes a long way and I like to apply this with a soft fluffy brush (I use this No. 19). Now personally I think it's hard to beat a cream highlighter but you get a different kind of finish with a powder and I'd go as far as to say that for a powder highlighter I'm not sure these can be beaten.

What You Need to Know 

• 6 colours
• Soft powder formula
• Vegan and cruelty-free
• Available from Guru Makeup Emporium  and Tilt Makeup

Modern Apothecary

I love a small brand that does a few products really well and Modern Apothecary is one of those. Their products are formulated using Cacay Oil which is naturally full of Vitamin E, Linoleic Acid and Retinol so it targets signs of aging, dehydration whilst providing a huge antioxidant boost to the skin. Research has shown that Cacay Oil can improve firmness, hydration, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, reduce redness and sensitivity.

I've been using three of their four products for the past couple of months and have really loved them, especially the Total Face, Hair & Body Hydrator and the Skin Elixir. A little of both goes a long way which makes these incredibly reasonably priced - the Skin Elixir is £19.95 and the Face, Hair & Body Hydrator is £14.95. And it's really lovely to work with such an ethical company.

Morning Skincare Favourites

My skin is looking the best it has done in years and I’m pretty sure these products are the reason why

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Superdrug B. Multi Acid Pads
Garden of Wisdom Hyaluronic Acid
LimeLife Dew Date
LimeLife Perfect Sunscreen 

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself

Come and join the Facebook group for more Live tutorials, tips and tricks - Corinna Harrod’s Beauty Inside & Out or send Corinna Harrod a friend request and I'll add you to the group. 

Garden of Wisdom Vitamin C 23% Serum & Ferulic Acid

Not a very catchy title but the serum itself is wonderful, as is the whole Garden of Wisdom brand, but more on them another time. This Vitamin C is the strongest you will find, is combined with ferulic acid which will improve it's stability and is the real deal for those wanting help with skin tone, antioxidant benefits and pigmentation.

You can read all about Vitamin C here and Ferulic Acid here - I'd don't want to repeat myself too much but there are very few product featuring either of these ingredients that has really impressed me and this has.

Cruelty Free Brands

Something I've been thinking about for a while but haven't got around to doing is make-up printables. Not that you are required to print them and so I got rather smug and thought that today's post would be announcing the launch of my printables page. But it's not because I'm not the technical wizard I thought I was.

But the first one I will put up is a list of my regularly used or discussed brands and which are cruelty-free and which are not. This is by no means a full list but it's the one that works for me and I thought it might be useful for you.

Hopefully I will be able to update you with joyous news of my printables page soon but for now I hope this is useful - it's an animal testing minefield out there so it's helpful to know what's what. Cruelty Free Kitty is my go-to place to check whether a brand is cruelty-free or not.

emJ Company Make-up Brushes

I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can never have too many make-up brushes. Sometimes I review a product on here and I think 'how many XX do you really need?' but if you use make-up brushes, new ones are always welcome (means you are cleaning less often) and I've been looking forward to these emJ ones for months. It was such a treat to receive some through the post pre-release and I'd like to say that I was sent this as I know the founder not necessarily to review.

I was a little bit anxious. I know how long these have been in the making. It's hard to be critical of something when you know the hard work behind the product but these brushes are absolutely fantastic. Big relief for me. Not ideal for you because you really should get some. I've used all three on myself and clients and they have gone straight onto my recommends list. Everyone I've used them on has asked me the make.

In the Kit - Louise Young Mini Puffs

Small but perfectly formed Louise Young's Mini Puffs may be tiny but they are a must-have in any make-up artists kit. If you have spent time getting skin perfect you don't want to risk moving it if you want to do touch-ups on the eyes but you can put one of these on your ring finger and it's the perfect leaning pad.  They also are the perfect size for doing really precise, delicate touch-ups under the eyes or around the nose or blotting sweat if you are working on set.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I can't believe I've never reviewed this. Maybe I have and I just can't find it. But if I can't find it I'm worried that you won't be able to and well, it's a great product. I was sent it when it first came out which is why I'm so surprised that it never made it onto the blog though may go someway to explaing way Collection don't send me things anymore. My bad.

I recommend the Lasting Perfection concealer a lot because I feel that I seem to be asked about overspending more and more. People spend an awful lot of their money on products that disappoint and with the increased interest in beauty this is only getting worse. And though I love the Clarins Instant Concealer - I don't use it every day. Why should I? I need something quick, easy and cheap that I can slather on in the 2 minutes I get between one of the kids crying, peeing or selfishly needing to be taken somewhere. So more often than not I'll use Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and this is why.

1. Coverage - for the price, and indeed for any price, the coverage on this concealer is pretty amazing.

2. Price - this is an incredible price. I always encourage people to spend to suit their products and though my absolute favourite product is nearly 5 times as much as this if I had to cut back on something this would be the concealer I'd go for.

3. Application - does foot applicator makes this easy to just dot on where you need it and blend with either your fingers or a brush. It doesn't sit in wrinkles and blends well with a buildable coverage should you need it. Apply after foundation or just on it's own on moisturised skin.

4. Longevity - lasts as long as most good concealers, longer than some and if you set it with a powder, well, it should be there all day.

5. Ethics - Collection is a UK brand that is cruelty free (including not being sold in China) though it can't confirm all of it's ingredients haven't been tested on animals as some may have been for medical (not cosmetic) purposes. Brands that don't sell in China are sadly not as easy to find as you may think.

It's not all wonder though - this can oxidise, if in doubt go a shade lighter as this tends to darken with age. This seems to vary from tube to tube as does it's tendency to seep from the lid slightly when you screw it closed. There are limited colours available in this would be lovely to see a wider range. I'm usually a medium 03 - for me to be a medium in anything should tell you how small the colour range is. That being said I have the entire colour range in my kit. It's a good reliable concealer - can cover most things blends well and incredibly easy to work with.

Having just written this I've seen I have reviewed it. The original review is here. I'm an idiot.

What You Need to Know - Collection Lasting Collection Concealer

• £4.19
• 5ml
• 6 shades
• Cruelty free
• Other products from Collection: Cream Puff Lip Cream, Lasting Perfection Foundation, Shimmer Shades
• Available from Boots and Superdrug

Veil Cosmetics Complexion Fix

I bought this on a whim and that's how I always make my make-up mistakes. And the worst thing is I was suckered in on something about which I should know better. One of my absolute top make-up peevs is when I ask someone what their favourite concealer is and they say, 'touche eclat'. Touche Elcat is not a concealer it's a cream highlighter which may be fine for those who really don't need a concealer or who have bags and not dark circles but it's going to add lift to anything that you want to cover. Basically the same can be said for Veil Cosmetics Complexion Fix.

Now, I do not have the right colour for me. I have N2 which, I'm assuming, stands for Neutral 2 and what I probably should have is P2, Pink 2 which will be better for dark circles. However this doesn't have enough ooomph for my redness either. First time I tried it I hated it. Didn't like the plasticy packaging and it was basically like smearing vaguely tinted nothing cream over my dark blue circles. Second time, I didn't hate it so much, it sort of served a purpose though not entirely the one I was after. And so it's continued. You can get ok coverage if you build this up but I sort of don't want a product I have to build up. Also it just doesn't last all day

Dr Dennis Gross C + Collagen Deep Cream

Some brands I avoid like the plague, not because I've tried them and they don't work for me (Zelens) but because they're expensive and I'm worried they will work. This careful plan came crashing when a friend bought me a ticket for a Caroline Hirons event at Space NK in Kensington where she would be talking about the brand. The talk was great as was the goody bag and in it was a little pot of the C + Collagen Deep Cream. I tried it and now I'm hooked.

Moisturisers. They're a tricky beast. How much actually goes in? Do they make any difference at all. A lot of the time they are a soothing barrier to the outside world, all well and good but not something you should spunk your skincare budget on (that would be the serum). This has weedled it's way into my affections not only for what it does but for what it doesn't do.

For me a morning moisturiser is far harder to get right than a night time one. If I turn tomato red in my bathroom at 10pm I don't mind. If I have a burning face at 8.45am, precisely the time I'm supposed to be leaving to take Ned to school, that is a bad start to the day. So I'm careful. I used to use my Medic8 C Tetra in the mornings to help post-nightime retinol usage but that's on it's last drops so I vary between the Superdrug Naturally Radiant moisturiser (yet to be reviewed on here) and my trusty Origins Make Difference + Cream which is especially lovely in this cold weather. No I sparingly put this on and love it and it was my most missed product during my week away in Birmingham (doing my Level 2 Award in Facial Skincare).

Skin Owl Maqui Berry Beauty Drops PM

One of my friends is a bit of a skincare obsessive, like me. And like me her skin doesn't like a lot of things but luckily for me our skins like different things so I get a lot of her rejects and one of them was this Maqui Berry beauty drops oil from Skin Owl.

Now, I've said it before and I'm saying it again, it's quite rare for me to have an immediate wow from skincare but I've been feeling pretty wowed by this. I have to confess to not having really looked into Skin Owl before. I'd heard of the brand but with so much skincare available now it's hard to keep up especially when you buy 95% of the products yourself (fact). So I didn't know anything about the brand, I don't think much happens with oils so I just whacked this on one night when my skin felt like it needed a real hit of moisture - the weather has wreaked havoc on my dry skin. Woke up with skin like a baby.

Lord & Berry Kajal

If you don't like your eye make-up to budge then you should probably stop reading. This isn't for you. If you are like me and don't mind everything grunging up again then this could be something you'll love. I read about this a couple of years ago and have been meaning to try it for ages (as I consider myself a bit of a black eyeliner aficionado) - it is loved by almost-a-national-treasure Claudia Winkleman. And though I love her, she's not always the tidiest in the make-up department. I don't think she cares about that.

So, in case you haven't already guessed it. This moves. It glides on beautifully and will also glide around beautifully given half a chance. Eye rubbers step away from the kajal. This is great with some eyeshadow pressed over the top to set it a bit or if you like to smudge up and smoke out your eyeliner. If you wear it on the waterline it will go on incredibly easily, but you will need to re-apply it throughout the day.

Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick

Sometimes it's worth mentioning products that may not be the newest thing on the block but are the best of their kind and the Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks from Hourglass are, as far as I'm concerned,  unbeatable for pigmentation and longevity.

This lipsticks will not be for everyone. They are very matte in finish and properly set after a few minutes so they feel quite dry. This is why they don't move but if you're not used to it or don't like the feel of a lipstick then you'll find them uncomfortable to wear.