Deprived

I think I would recommend getting a puppy to anyone contemplating children. I am exhausted. Little Mouse does not like being left alone at night and therefore howls the whole time. We have been getting 3-4 hours sleep since we got her. I got told I looked like a harrassed new mother when I came into work this morning. Luckily she is incredibly sweet. xx

Belt Tightening

I've been feeling slightly uninspired of late as the recession really has hit our house and my usual product treats have all but dried up. I then realised that this blog was not solely set up for the purpose of reviewing things so I really have no excuse and should pull my finger out (as my mum would say).

The good thing about having to tighten our belts means that I am finally using all the bits of make-up and tubs of cream that I've had for ages, used twice and then forgotten about having moved on to the next thing. So, poverty has driven me to fall in love with some things all over again and experiment more with how I use them. I realise that maybe I'd got stuck in a make-up rut and I really should be keeping my hand in with different trends.

One product I'm now using most days is Bourjois Suivez mon Regard eye shadow in Illuminateur. I had a massive love in with these years ago and then, as usual, got distracted by something else and never really used them again. Illuminateur is a lovely whitey, silver colour so really good for subtle everyday use or as a base for smokey eyes. It goes with everything so it's really useful if you're trying something a bit daring with other colours but want a safe base. I have this in brown, pink and blueish white too so I'm definitely going to start using those colours again too.

I've also unearthed my not-so-old Laura Mercier bronzer which is great for building up a bit of colour on your face and is easily adaptable depending on what time of year it is. And I'm trying to keep my obsessive mascara buying under control by using the many I already have. This may sound normal but I have at least ten that I've used a bit of and then just got distracted away from by a newer one that I 'must try'. I'm finishing off my Max Factor Masterpiece Max which is one of my top three favourite mascara's, and I've unearthed a L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagene which looks new and I think I used once and then thought it was probably one of those ones that was better having been left open for a couple of months. It's not bad! Not one of the best and you do need an eyelash comb to get some of the clumps out. I'm quite enjoying these trips down memory lane xx

A Little Distraction

I know I'm forever making excuses for my massive gaps in posting but I think you'll see that this is a pretty good one. This is Mouse, she's been my little distraction for the past few weeks, not because she's actually with us yet (she's only 5 weeks old) but because I've been like an expectant mother fretting and too excited to sleep. She arrives on 29th September and I just can't wait but before then I will to get a grip and do a proper post soon! xx

Laura Mercier - Secret Camoflage (Make Up 4 - Top 10 for 2010)

For the last year I've been using Benefit's Erase Paste to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. Although a lot of people I've spoken to seem to think otherwise, I really like it, it's easy to apply and does the job and seems to stay on pretty well. However, I kept hearing about the wonders of Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage and eventually splurged out and got it.

It's ok. Only ok. Maybe I'm not using quite the right brush (although I am using a concealer brush... just not a Laura Mercier one) but it just seems to be very drying and hard to apply. It seems like a lot of hard work for something that doesn't give quite the coverage of other products I've tried. I do think that maybe it looks slightly more natural maybe than the Erase Paste - I mean you are supposed to have a contrast in colour under the eyes. But the coverage near the inner corner gets blotchy and it has really dried out the sensitive skin here.

Space NK

My very good friend from university, Miss M, is getting married in October and yesterday we went to Space NK for her to get a make over to try out different products. When I got married I went to Laura Mercier in John Lewis purely because the girl there had beautifully done make-up which I always think is a great advertisement. The great thing about Space NK is that they stock different brands so I feel that you are more likely to get shown the best of all of them rather than being told that one particular brand is the one to have. The main reason to go for a make over I think is to properly try out products that you just wouldn't normally get to try.

Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation

Miss M, like me is a big fan of black eyeliner and flicks at the side of the eye but, unlike me, she rarely wears foundation, blusher or much on her skin apart from the odd bit of concealer. As she says getting the right look for the skin is the most important thing for big events and photographs. If you wear eye make-up everyday then you basically know what looks good on you but getting the right products for your face can be a minefield.

The recommended foundation (which Miss M, after long deliberation at its £52 price tag, did end up purchasing) was Chantecaille Future Skin foundation in Porcelain. It is a lot of money but comes with built in primer which is a big bonus for events when you want your make-up to stay put and look fresh without needing touch ups. You can pay £25 or more for a separate primer so I suppose you could see that as contributing to the price for this. I personally like my foundation to give me some colour - this is because I have pale skin but a lot of freckles so a darker foundation works well to make my skin look more even. Miss M prefers a lighter look which works really well on her skin and this (applied with a brush) looked fantastic. I was taking test pictures and you could really see the difference. It's an oil-free gel foundation so gives a lovely light-reflecting dewy look without having a greasy finish on the skin.

Nars Multiple

To stop the shine in photographs though we used so Laura Mercier translucent pressed powder on the t-zone, chin and undereyes just to give a more matt finish - also purchased by Miss M. Nars Smudge Proof Eye Shadow base was applied as a colourless primer to the eyelids - another great trick for keeping make-up where it should be and looking fresh. And light gold/brown eye shadow applied which was very nice although as I said earlier we were keen to see the products you can't really try out unless you are having a make over. Although she's usually a fan of black eyeliner we decided brown would be softer and can be smudged to give a more smokey effect if needed. On the top under the lashes we used Laura Mericer eye liner in brown which you apply using a wet square topped brush. This gives great definition without putting anything on the top of the eyelid. It looks tricky to apply but is actually really easy and worth the effort.

Chantecaille Faux Cils Mascara

For me there were two other stand out products. The Nars Multiple used as blusher (as the name implies it can be used pretty much anywhere) so easy to apply and such a gentle colour that it's possibly the most natural blusher I've seen!! And the Chantecaille Faux Cils mascara which smells of rosewater and gives thick, long lashes. Both of these were resisted by Miss M (and me) at the time but about an hour later she had planned to make a return trip on pay day to get these. The mascara is a whopping £31 but it's the next best thing to wearing false lashes - a real wow factor mascara. Both of these are now on my wish list! As is the Laura Mercier smudge brush which they didn't have in stock. Great for smokey eyes and that 'I-always-look-this-fantastic-when-I've-just-got-out-of-bed look'.

It was really exciting to be able to try out these products which I'd often picked up in shops but hadn't wanted to fork out for unseen. I really recommend getting a make over if you want to try before you buy. Yes it's slightly embarrassing sitting somewhere while someone paints your face but it's worth it and if you take a friend it's definitely not so bad!! xx