Sorry for the silence since before Christmas. It was a fabulous time in the Miss B household and I have to say that getting back into work took more mental and physical exertion than I would have predicted. But I've conquered the first week back (bonus and pay-rise free) and woke up this morning for the first time since the 1st not feeling too much like death. So HAPPY NEW YEAR. I hope you all had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year and lets hope 2007 is as good, if not better, than 2006. I have to say I'm hoping for the latter.
So back to it for me and I think the story that I have noticed most this weekend (hard to miss when its on the front page of a lot of papers), is the Kate Middleton/Princess Di connection. Palace lawyers are trying to protect Kate from the paps and the tabloids for fear of her encountering the same problems as her boyfriends mother who was infamously 'chased to her death' by the paps. However, Princess Di, although constantly pursued always came across wonderfully in the papers. Even during a scandal she kept her grace. Can Kate do the same?
I have to say I think its a bit of a shame that the lawyers have been bought in already. Yes, there are rumours of engagement but Princess Di (no matter what you think of her) was a special woman. A Queen of Hearts no less. However, when receiving a parking ticket in Chelsea last week we did not have the fuming 'do-you-know-who-I-am' royal girlfriend. Instead, Kate looked slightly miffed but then smiled sweetly and got on with it. I realise that at times the paps have got completely out of control, however, there has to be a certain amount of press involvement for any one getting involved with a royal, and I'm sure this would be the case even if Kate herself was of royal blood. It kind of comes with the territory.
I think a decision has to be made. To get on with it and accept that whatever you do will be of interest to the press but then they will lose interest if you don't do anything hugely exciting. Or get out while you can. It sounds harsh but I think when it comes to being involved with royalty, once you've made your bed you're pretty much going to have to lie in it. But if you are going to be photoed at every event, even the receiving of a parking ticket, how can you look your best for minimum effort, because lets face it, its not always necessary to slather it on when going down the shops for some milk.
I've said it before
and I'll say it again.
Benefit's Lemon Aid is fabulous whether you have five hours to do your make-up or five minutes. You can either use it as a base or you can use it almost as a shadow - you can put your eyeliner straight on over the top. Although I love No 7's Opal eye shadow. For something extremely subtle the Body Shop's eyeshadow in Buttercup is barely there but gives a nice shimmer. No 7's Oyster is also really soft and goes perfectly with brown eyeliners. If you are going for the lighter eyeshadows (which will keep your eyes looking bright in case of a run in with a photographer) a brown eyeliner is best. It defines but isn't quite so 'look-at-me' as my old favourite the black liquid liner. Benefit's Eye Sketching Pencil in Sable is perfect for this and comes with a sponge tip for smudging and blending. Miss S who is queen of the subtle make-up recommends
Clinque Cream Shaper for Eyes in Brown Sugar. It accentuates without being to OTT.
I always recommend Masterpiece mascara (and probably always will til someone tops it) but Pump Up the Volume by Bourjois which is fabulous. As I've said before it needs to be open for a little to settle but then it does exactly what it says on the packet. A good pair of eyelash curlers never go amiss either, Courtney Cox swears by them!
Depending on what your skin type is I am of the opinion that if you can get away without foundation then go for it. If you can get away with just a light tinted moisturiser instead that too is a bonus. However, how often have you looked at photos of yourself and wished you'd spent another hour with your make-up. The flash inevitably means that all the flaws are highlighted so a nice smooth foundation of light tinted moisturiser is definately the way forward. Again I'd recommend Rimmel's Cool Matte Foundation is great especially
if you damp your sponge before application. Its really smooth and will not end up making you look like Jodie Marsh at an awards ceremony.
With or without foundation
Benefit's Dandelion blusher is great. It gives a healty glow rather than a hot flush. As with all blushers, however, it is necessary to go lightly!
Benefit's High Beam is also great. Unlike other skin shimmers it is really sublte and can be worn during the day without fear of making you feel like a disco queen! I like to use it on the cheek bones and just under the arch of the eyebrows. This will (or should at least!) add to the healthy look.
Now lips are always a problem. I tend to try and obey by the rule 'dramatic eyes
or dramatic lips' but as we're going for the all over fresh subtle look then you can't do much better than Clinique's Glosswear Lipgloss in Nude. It gives you a bit of shimmer and a bit of a plump but, as the colour implies, is a far cry from the Christina/Gwen post box red! But for those who can't stand the inevitable hair-in-gloss-and-then-on-face incident, Bourjois
new Doctor Glamour lipstick comes in Rose retabli is great.
Benefit's Benetint is also good but
must be applied lightly (unless you are going for all out red lips in which case it is brilliant on its own or as a base) as it is a stain rather than a lipstick. It now comes in a handy 'pocketpal' format with the stain at one end and gloss at the other. I received this for Christmas thanks to Miss J, so I can now have the real thing in my handbag.
Good luck in front of those cameras ladies (and boys). Believe me I need all the help I can get!! xx
Skin is a tricky mistress and even something simple like rehydrating dehydrated skin can be tricky. These are my favourites for when I'm doing a skin rehydration bootcamp but too much of a humectant (like hyaluronic acid) can draw moisture from deep in the skin towards the surface so if you have a dry skin type you may want to watch your usage on this.
A lot of you are using this and loving it but I always think it helps to see it in action if you are debating whether to make a purchase. I thought filming part of this on my phone was clever until I realised the quality just isn't that great but hopefully you can see that it gets all the make-up off - I wear a lot of black liner and mascara.
I bought this hoping to have found a great high street Vitamin C product but was disappointed. I don't like giving skincare bad reviews, and this isn't really one, as everybody has different skin - this just didn't do it for me but a lot of people have been asking me about it.
You probably know we have been having a heatwave here in the UK. I usually get cross with the term heatwave because, well it's summer, it's just summer not a heatwave, but 33 degrees celcius is pretty much as hot as the UK gets so I'll let it through this time (and even include it in the title of this video!).
As you can probably tell I am in the middle of a horrendous cold while filming this. It makes me a bit vague. This is my morning skincare routine - basic, gentle products that will soften the skin, prep it for the day and not irritate. Everything is listed below. 
– use a “small amount on fingers; pat onto eyes; remove with cotton wool pad soaked in water – squeezed out. It’s great for sensitive eyes and really gets the make-up off properly – better than 
and 
which acts as a shield between your skin and your eye make-up and then prevents streaking and fading. I really want to try this out. For a morning treat Mumma B recommends – 
