Instagram Q&A 1 - Part 2

OK part 2. I asked Instagram if they had any questions for me and I got loads of good ones. You can see part one here. I've listed the questions below and any products I've mentioned.

7. Jessie
Eco Tools blenders
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

8. Brooke
Hourglass Brow Arch
Soap & Glory Archery 2 in 1 
Maybelline Brow Drama 
Benefit Gimme Brow 

9. Occy

10. Claire
Origins Gin Zing Tinted Moisturiser
Maybelline Brow Drama
Clarins Instant Concealer
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Bourjois Smoky Stories
Louise Young Eye Trios

How to use an eye shadow palette 

11. Leila
I will answer this eventually I promise

12. Gina
Alcone Anti-Shine
Embryolisse Mattifying Moisturiser

13. Bex
I saw one of these in action the other day and thought this might help with blackheads though it's not cheap (if you wanted one then get in touch with me)
Pixi Glow Tonic

14. Izzy
Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser
Sam Farmer Face Wash
Green People Face Wash
I really like these face cloths
Olay Radient Glow Moisturiser
Sleek Makeup CC Cream

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.

Quick Affordable School Run Make-up

Some of you will be wondering why you need to wear make-up on school run. I salute you. I need to have mascara and concealer on at the very minimum. I don't need to go in with full face every time but I like to have a bit on. Yes it helps being a make-up artist but what I do most days isn't very technical and I thought I'd re-work it a bit to use my favourite high-street products.

Some of us like to have a bit of make-up on when we do school run - but it doesn't need to be Kim K levels and it certainly doesn't have to cost as much. Here's my current go-to make-up it takes five mins and lasts all day. List of products below. Any questions don't hesitate to ask.

If you haven't already then please subscribe to my channel!

Products Used:
No 7 Shade and Define in Cool Mink
Eco Tools Eye Shading Brush similar to this
MAC Smoulder Eye pencil 
Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Clinique Bottom Lash mascara 
Bourjois Bronzing Powder
MUA Pixel Perfect Blush in Coral Spice
Sleek Makeup  Luminous Pressed Powder
Collection Lip Butter in Vintage Rose

June 2017 Favourites

There's something smug making about having filmed a favourites video that can then go up on the last day of the month. It so rarely happens. This month is mostly products that I've used for years and have recently come back to and one new one that is now a bit controversial.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara
MAC Retro Matte Lipstick in Dangerous
Urban Decay with Gwen Stefani Lip Pencils in 714 and Rock Steady
Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder
NARS Sun Wash Diffusing Bronzer
Eco Tools Define Brush (from the Define and Highlight Set)
Eco Tools Microblending Brush


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 separately. 

Eco Tools

Up until recently I had never tried an Eco Tools brush. I had heard they were good but as I had never managed to get my hands on one to feel the fibers I'd just glossed over them rather. And I have to admit that I did bad maths in my head - Eco+cheap= bad quality. But I went to their launch a couple of months ago (so good I vlogged about it) and not only got to touch the brushes but we got a fantastic goody bag with lots of bits to try and tons of info about the brand and now I'm a complete convert. Not only do they seem properly Eco rather than just saying they are there are little unnecessary extras that make this brand great.

2017 is their 10th Anniversary and they've changed things up a bit completely redesigning the brushes and making the packaging more responsible. The brush handles are made from sustainable bamboo and have been slightly changed to make them more comfortable to hold - I have to say the length and weight are very nice to work with. I have small hands so I often find brushes are too long. These are great and means they fit in most make-up bags. The packaging is made up of recycled, natural, sustainable materials - tree-free paper and rPET clamshell (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). You can tell the new brushes as they have gunmetal (or patterned in some cases) ferrules - the old design are a sort of bronze colour.

Holiday Makeup

This is a bit of a long one but having done a blog post on how to pack your wash bag (link below) I thought it might be useful to see what I took on holiday with me make-up wise. I know this is a lot more than some of you but for me this is travelling light!

I spend most of a pool holiday with no make-up on but when we go out I put a little on. I take a few things that I am trying out and the everything else either has to be running out, easy to replace or a mult-tasker.

As always if you haven't already then please subscribe to my channel.

All products are listed below - I've put an * next to ones mentioned or shown that aren't actually used in this video. If you see a product that you like you can always check out the directory on the blog (link below) to see a full review. If there isn't one and you'd like to see it then send me a message!

Blog product directory
How to Pack your Wash Bag

Em-J Brush roll (personal which I don't think she makes anymore)
The Makeup Armoury Canvas Pouch
Rosie for Autograph Cream Eye Shadow Stick (Sparkle & Magic shown)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (in Iced Mocha and Yoghurt)*
NYX HD Eye Shadow Base*
Accessorize Palette from years ago
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit
L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim
MAC Smoulder Eye Kohl*
Lancome Artliner*
Urban Decay Perversion mascara
Dr Jart Premium BB Cream*
Clarins Wrinkle Control SPF50*
Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
Bobbi Brown Corrector in light bisque
Laura Mercier Caviar Eyeliner in Midnight*
Maybelline Better Skin Concealer
Kiko Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush in 02 Golden Peach
Daniel Sandler Waterbrush
NYX Wonder stick
Louise Young Blusher (in Mae and Dolly)
Cover FX Illuminating Setting Powder
Dior Rouge Baume in Lili
Louise Young Lip trio in Enigma*
MUD Lipstick in Lucky*
MAC lip pencil in Whirl
Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Lip Pencil in 714
Ilia Tinted Lip Balm in Nobody's Baby

Brushes:
Real Techniques Blush Brush
Daniel Sandler Waterbrush
Eco Tools Define*
Real Techniques Contour Brush
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
Louise Young LY16
Crown Brush BK38 Round Crease
Eco Microblending
Louise Young LY19
Laura Mercier Smokey Liner *
Eco Tools Angled Crease
Real Techniques Brow
Real Techniques Base shadow
Real Techniques shading brush
Eco Tools Spoolie
Louise Young LY16*
Bobbi Brown Lip Brush
Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Everyday Guide to Brows

This is the first in my new series of Everyday Guides where I tell you the absolute basics of what you need to do for certain aspects of make-up. If you have something you'd like to see then let me know.

One of the questions I get asked most often is about brows and how to just 'fill them in a bit' or 'make them less crap'. Brows are still huge in the world of make-up but a lot of my clients want to know how to make the best of theirs, on a daily basis without looking like they've done anything to them at all.

I wanted this to be a short video but it's incredibly hard to cover everything - you always feel like there will be someone somewhere saying 'she didn't even mention... '. I can't mention everything. This is not a video on how to fill in your brows if they are really sparse. As far as I'm concerned Sam from Pixiwoo has covered that in the video I've linked to below. It's also not a tutorial on how to get really full, drawn-in brows that are so fashionable on Instagram now. That can seriously backfire when done in real life and is, I believe, the main reason I have so many women coming to me asking for brow advice. I am by no means queen of brows, I rarely do anything to mine. This is just the basics - what you can use, my favourite products and how to do it.

All products are listed below and products with a * that I haven't used but have had recommended to me from other make-up artists are listed under that. There are so many brands that do brow products now that again I may not mention ones that you use and love. Do feel free to mention them in the comments.  If anything is not clear then do feel free to leave me a comment either on here or on YouTube or send me an email.

Pixiwoo brows
Pixiwoo Microblading

Tools
Eco Tools Brow Shaping Set (I don't love the angle brush from brows but it's fine for smoky liner. The spoolie is worth the money on its own)
Louise Young brushes (specifically the LY22 spoolie and LY37 angle brush)
MAC 263 Brush
Barbara Carranza Tweezers (also great for applying false lashes) - http://bit.ly/2p2gDjT
Tweezerman Tweezers*

Pencils
Laura Mercier Brow Pencil
Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz
Hourglass Arch Brow
Tom Ford Brow Sculptor*
Nudestix Stylus Pencil and Gel*

Mascaras
Maybelline Brow Drama
Benefit Speed Brow
Illamasqua Brow Gel
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel*
Diego Dalla Parma Volumising Eyebrow fixer*

Powders
MAC eye shadows (Omega, Cork, Charcoal Brown, Brun)
Louise Young Essential Eye Palette

Gels
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade*
Diego Della Parma Water Resistant Cream Brow Liner*

Face of the Day - 7th April 2017

It's rare for me to do the same make-up every day. However, for the past couple of weeks with illness, pregnancy, building works and various other things I kept reaching for the Louise Young eye trios as they are so quick to use and work so beautifully. So that's the main feature of this face of the day.

I had moisturised with my Clarins SPF50 Anti-Wrinkle cream beforehand - which I suspect may not be helping with my skin at the moment. However it works well under make-up if you give it time to settle in and sometimes I like a high SPF on my face. I also don't do anything to my brows in this because I filmed a brow video straight after which will be up in the next couple of weeks as part of a new series.

If you haven't already then please subscribe to my channel and leave me a comment either here or there! All products are listed below as are any previous reviews, videos, posts mentioned.

Basic Brush kit blog post

Clarins SPF50 Anti-wrinkle cream
Louise Young Eye Trios (Festival and Studio 54)
NYX HD Eye Base
Louise Young LY19 brush 
Real Techniques Shading Brush
Crown Brush Crease Brush
L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim
MAC Smoulder Eye Kohl
Louise Young LY16 Brush
Elizabeth Arden Double Density Mascara
Daniel Sandler Invisible Radiance Foundation and Concealer
Charlotte Tilbury Retoucher
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
Laura Mercier Camoflague Powder Brush
Eco Tools Micro Blending Brush 
Cover FX Translucent Powder 
Louise Young LY13 Brush
Ilia Multistick in Tenderly
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush and Mood Exposure
Ilia Illuminator in Sway
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light 
NYX Gloss in 22 Natural

The Basic Brush Kit

I've been thinking about this post for a while but the problem is I love make-up brushes so it's really hard for me to not get carried away. What I thought would be useful was a list of all the brushes I would use to make up a basic, personal brush kit. Lots of brands do brush sets (Louise Young, Bobbi Brown and Real Techniques to name but three) but quite often if you are not a make-up artist or super into make-up you end up with a brush or two you don't really use (if this has happened to you let me know the brush and I'll tell you an alternative use for it!). 

When Launches Go Right - Eco Tools 2017

As the beauty industry has taken off launches are now happening all the time. It's always lovely to be invited and most of the time I don't review or mention them because, well how interesting is it to hear about an event that you didn't attend?

But every now and then a launch will be really well organised and set-up and the one I went to on 30th March in London for Eco Tools was just that. The event itself and the products we were given to try inspired to do this vlog when I got home.

Sorry for the breathlessness and the dark lighting. So nice to feel like a brand is genuinely interested in you finding out as much as possible and wanting you to fall in love with their products. It worked - I'm totally inspired, enthused and have started testing them already. Reviews to follow.

Thanks so much to Eco Tools and 3 Monkeys | Zeno for the invitation and for the fab time.

If you haven't already then do subscribe to this channel, check out my blog www.londonmakeupblog.com and come and say hi on social media where I am @corinnaharrod

You can check out the full range of Eco Tools brushes here - http://bit.ly/2nicck2

Concealers

When I first started wearing make-up concealers came in a lipstick-style bullet. Chalky in texture and very limited in colour they were ok for covering a spot if you had a whopper. They were pretty pigmented and unblendable.

Now a lot of clients I work with, especially those over 35, have not kept up to date with how concealers have evolved. Often using a heavier coverage foundation and skipping the concealer altogether which makes it hard to get a natural finish. I often get asked how to get dewy skin without losing coverage and I always recommend a lighter, dewier foundation and a good concealer. They've come on a long way since the 80s/90s bullet. Now you can get the coverage you need, where you need it whilst still keeping a light coverage everywhere else.