Blog Favourites

My readers are not commenters. Yes I'm talking about you. This is fine. I know you are there and frankly, I'm not a commenter either. But you do send messages and it is so nice to know what products I've recommended that you've bought and loved. I really appreciate this as I find the business of recommending things for people to spend their money on a bit worrying. I mean what if you hate it? Luckily that is yet to happen but I though it might be nice to give a mention to the products that I consistently get messages about. Those products that have made their way into readers routines and stayed there.

These are in no particular order except for the first one. When it comes to feedback the first one in this line-up is the one that I hear most about people loving and repurchasing. This isn't a competition but if it was then entry number 1 would be the winner - by far.

Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser - Quick Review

One of my favourite products from this year in action

Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Tinted Moisturiser

Read my original review here

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

Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Tinted Moisturiser

As you know I am completely in love with Origins so I was really pleased when they released a product that got the attention it deserved (I hope the sales matched this!). The GinZing Energy-Booting Tinted Moisturiser was the base of the summer and although it's definitely Autumn here in the UK I'm still wearing this pretty much every time I have any base on at all.

Now this is limited to who can wear it - anything from ivory to olive should be fine, anyone darker than that you are going to find it ashy even if the colour is basically fine. This comes out of the tube white and changes colour as it is applied to the skin. You can use your hands to apply it though I prefer a brush (you could of course use a sponge applicator or Beauty Blender too). I find that it tends to show a tide mark on the neck if you are not careful so a brush is good for blending.

Estee Lauder EE Cream

I was trying to be organised-ish before the baby arrives and was going through my (huge) list of things to review (not as huge as my list of things I want to try) and realised I never actually reviewed the Estee Lauder EE Cream. I did a Quick Review video of it and then raved about it to anyone who would listen soooo much that I felt like I'd reviewed it to death. I haven't. So here it is.

I'm dubious of the whole BB, CC, EE cream debacle. Surely they are all just variants on tinted moisturisers? Well yes they are but with specific claims and the Estee Lauder EE cream claims to even skin tone (the EE stands for Even Effects apparently). This 'even-ing' claim coupled with my life-long quest to find the perfect tinted moisturier is what initially led me to buy it and I have to say at first I was a little disappointed. Yes I love this product but why oh why does it only come in three colours? The lightest colour is very pale on me and the medium would be far to dark. I got the lightest and it will be fine until I get any sort of tan. However, I do love it enough that I may buy it in medium so I have the option of mixing the perfect colour throughout the summer.

The next thing you have to get used to is the light coverage. Yes this does even the skin tone but it is a very light coverage so prepare yourself for that (and have some concealer to hand if you think you'll need it). I use concealer even I use a full coverage foundation so for me this was pretty easy to adjust to but what is so lovely about this product is it's blendability and finish. You can really work this into to the skin so you get exactly the coverage you need where you need it and every time I wear this I get comments on how great my skin looks. Every. Single. Time.

It's price is a little expensive for what it is - yes I'll pay it because I really like the product - but considering you can get a Chanel foundation for £32 this is quite an outlay for a tinted moisturiser. It does have a good whack of SPF in it though. I like to wear a high SPF on my face in the summer - 30 at least - so I find it quite frustrating when my make-up has a SPF 15 because I don't like to build SPF's in case they cancel each other out. So I either use a separate SPF and can't use the make-up product or use the make-up and worry about sun damage. Not so with this that's to it's SPF30.

This is one I would definitely recommend trying before you buy but I do recommend trying if you are looking for a new base/tinted moisturiser and want something light with a dewy finish. Really beautiful and long-lasting.

What You Need to Know - Estee Lauder EE Cream

• £34 or US$40
• 30ml
• SPF 30
• 3 colours available (!) - light, medium and deep
• Available in the UK from Look Fantastic, Estee Lauder, House of Fraser, Debenhams, Feel Unique
• Available in the US from Sephora, Macy's
• Watch my Quick Review here

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser

This is one of those products where I feel like maybe I've got a duff tube, or was given the wrong colour, or I must have the worst skin ever. Skincare goddess Caroline Hirons swears by it, the Space NK girls who sold it to me raved about it and promised me I would love it, it has 5* reviews everywhere I look but I find Just Skin totally frustrating.

Why did I buy it? Well I wanted an every day tinted moisturiser that was going to make me look and feel great but natural and glowing with minimal effort. I don't have bad skin though I do have a bit of redness so I thought I could get away with a light coverage. I'd heard so many good thing about the Chantecalle Just Skin that I thought I would take the risk and splurge the rather eye-watering £58 required and was really pleased when there was a Chantecalle make-up artist in Space NK to colour match me.

Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser

Ugh what a massive disappointment, especially as not so long ago it was my Product of the Week, but when it ran out on 27th December I couldn't believe it.

I bought this when we were in New York at the end of October. It was about US$55 for 1oz (approx. 30ml - it's about £45 in the UK hence why I got it in New York) and I used it a couple of times a week since then - a little of this goes a long way and it's really blendable so one of the reasons I love, it's a pretty full coverage tinted moisturiser. Why oh why then has it run out two months later. I have foundations that are older than my marriage because they just last for so long. There is no explanation for this unless I got a dodgy half-empty bottle and Hourglass are firmly ignoring me on twitter.

So for this reason I have to say - save your money, don't buy this, there are lot and lots of other lovely foundations and tinted moisturisers available that will give you what you pay for. Yes the quality of the product is good but for that price I expected this to last me much, much longer.

Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser - Product of the Week

When I first bought this in New York I was a little dubious. It came highly recommended from everyone I spoke to in Sephora but it seemed slightly cakey to me. This week however I've been in such a rush all the time that I've just been slapping it on with my hands and that seems to be the way to do it. A great medium to full coverage tinted moisturiser Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser is perfect for those who need that little bit more now autumn is finally here. I know I do.

What you need to know - Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturiser

• £45 
• 6 shades
• SPF 15
• Medium coverage
• Warning - this does not last long 
• Available in the UK from Space NK, John Lewis,

Marks and Spencer Limited Collection Tinted Moisturiser

I am usually impressed by Marks and Spencer's Limited Collection make-up range but the most recent product I've tried, the tinted moisturiser, has been a disappointment. It's not fair to say 'big' disappointment because at £5 it is incredibly reasonably priced for any make-up product, and in fact, at that price I don't know what I was expecting.
There is a choice of two colours, light and medium, I chose light always assuming I am going to be on the paler side of any foundation choice (you can see my skin colour in my videos). But the coverage from this tinted moisturiser is non-existent. Maybe I should have gone for a medium, or it could be that my skin is just too patchy and pigmented and well... old for this particular product but although it feels nice and moisturising on the skin it does nothing else really.

This could be a great product for really young skin and those who really don't need much coverage at all. I'd be incredibly interested to hear from anyone who has tried and loved this product - it has some great reviews on the Marks and Spencer's website so it could just be me. Let me know if you've tried it and what you think.

Maybelline BB Cream

Regular readers will know how I feel about BB creams (to summarise they are pretty good as a cheap tinted moisturiser/light foundation but they do not get rid of blemishes or having any of the attributes of the original Asian BB creams...) but I still use them pretty much most days because there are just so many on the market that I want to try them all to see if I can find the perfect alternative to a more expensive tinted moisturiser, especially when it's hot and I don't really want to be wearing anything on my skin at all.

A lot of the BB creams I've tried have been ok but I've found one that I love and have been wearing everyday and will definitely be coming on holiday with me (and to the hospital when I have the baby). For me the new Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream knocks all of the others out of the competition. It's a reasonable £7.99 for 30ml and rather than focusing on the the 'blemish' in BB it offers an 8 promises that I actually agree with. Imperfections look blurred (yes they do but the coverage is light enough that my freckles still mostly show through), a natural looking glow (very natural but not too glowy like the Garnier one), fresh feel (yes), compliments skin tone (well I've so far only tried the Light on me but it does match well), skin looks smooth (yes), hydrates (not the most hydrating by definitely not drying), protects with SPF 30 (which is the minimum I want on my face in the summer), oil free and non-greasy (incredibly smooth and light).

OK so only a few of those really match the whole BB ethos and the others are just positive attributes but I'd rather that to a massive lie about how it's going to sort my skin out. It's smooth, light finish is what really does it for me. My red patches are covered pretty well but it doesn't feel heavy and is quick to apply. If you go onto their website now you can order a free sample so you can try it for yourself.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

I've wanted to try this for ages but I've always been trying out other things (like the famous BB creams) but I decided that our trip to South Africa was the perfect excuse to finally get some Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser and see whether it really is worth all the hype.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser - you can see a little leaking out

I've used, and loved, Laura Mercier products for years and even wore the primer, foundation and creme shadow for my wedding, but none of her products seem to be as universally popular as the tinted moisturiser. Everyone from professional makeup artists to brides-to-be that I've had consultations with seem to be devotees which is pretty impressive considering the stiff competition from other, sometimes cheaper, brands.

One great thing about it is that although it has an SPF of 20 it doesn't flash back in photos so it's great for using on brides who don't want or need a lot on their skin. It is easy to use, evens out skin tone and is really completely weightless. The change in climate made me a bit spotty in South Africa and this tinted moisturiser managed to cover them pretty well (I did use a concealer) but didn't aggravate them further.

BB Creams - do not be fooled!

This is a post I've been planning for a long time. BB creams seem to be everywhere and I was initially really confused as to what they were as they all seemed to promise different things. The 'BB' seems to stand for Blemish Balm mostly although sometimes it's billed as Beauty Balm and they are basically based on the real BB Creams that are huge in the Asian market and have been for sometime.

However, just because they are based on these creams does not mean they do the same thing at all. In fact, they really don't. The original BB creams soothe and regenerate the skin and help with blemishes, pigmentation and even out skin tone. They supposedly do the same thing here but they really don't.

Liz Earle Skin Tint

For those of your who are able to swan about on holiday without any make-up on but may want a little something for the evenings Liz Earle has just the thing. Having been at the forefront of natural skin care for years she's now branching out into 'colour' and the skin tint is the first step. It's an incredibly lightweight, blendable and easy to apply SPF15 foundation that gives fantastic coverage. I wore this throughout the summer when I needed something but didn't want to slap a lot of foundation on and thought it was great.

When I was on holiday in the South of France I actually found that after a day of sitting in the sun, sweating away I wanted it to be even lighter than it was so mixed it with a tiny amount of my normal moisturiser and it still gave complete coverage which was fantastic. Really love this product and can't wait for more in their new make-up range. xx