The Makeup Mole

The new brand on my radar? Aesop. I can’t believe that I hadn’t discovered them before, given that they are Australian, quirky, utilize the best of the natural world with modern science (I wish more of life could be like that), AND their packaging comes complete with quotes from Serge Gainsbourg, Miles Davis, Winston Churchill and Carl Jung. What’s not to love?

Regular readers of MM know that I don’t often blog about skincare – not because I don’t like it but for me it has to be high performance, worth the price and make the skin look amazing, letting me focus on what I love most – makeup. It’s a pretty big call for most skincare, therefore it doesn’t make it into my kit and I keep on with my good old trusted and true Kiehl’s and Crealine. However of late this is changing, and I’ve found a few new things I like – which goes to show there’s always something new and fabulous around the corner!

So back to Aesop. I have been using the Perfect Facial Moisturiser, the Fabulous Facial Oil, and the B & Tea Balancing toner, and I love them all. The Perfect Facial Moisturiser isn’t greasy, which I like, and has Vitamin C in a base of hydrating oils including jojoba, rosehip and shea butter. It’s the perfect base for makeup so I use it in the morning.

The B & Tea toner is quite a departure for me as I haven’t used toners for years since a product who shall remain nameless was left on a cotton ball when I was fourteen and stripped my antique dresser BONE WHITE, which made me rather wonder what on God’s good green earth it was doing to my sensitive teenage skin. So it was with some trepidation I gave it a go, and found it to be refreshingly pore cleansing without being painful. I don’t use this one every day, just when I feel like I need it if my skin gets a bit congested (when I *ahem* haven’t been following my skincare regime as assiduously as I should). It is alcohol free, with Provitamin B5 and antioxidant Green Tea, and Sodium Gluconate to assist with cell turnover.

And the Fabulous Facial Oil? Well this guy is also wonderful as a base for makeup as it moisturizes the skin’s surface without being too greasy. It contains juniper berry, ylang ylang and jasmine petals to hydrate and detoxify patchy skin, but leaving the skin matte. It’s a favourite of one of my favourite makeup artists, Lucia Pieroni, so I couldn’t resist giving it a whirl. I also love their distinctive brown glass apothecary style packaging – it looks so chic in your bathroom!

Aesop was launched in Melbourne in 1987 by Dennis Paphitis, with the idea of using plant based ingredients with effective man-made ones. As wellness and the interest in natural products combined with anti-aging science has grown, Aesop has shown itself to be a brand with both intellect and personality. The company’s reference points are life itself – “how we should be living, eating, exercising and caring for ourselves” says Dennis. An unusually broad remit for a skincare brand but one you can see in their newsletters and marketing where they focus on films, music, the arts and wonderful quotes.

They have recently opened their second store in Paris at Rue St Honoré, in addition to the many stores they have all over the world, from Switzerland to London and Hong Kong. Indeed, arguably the world’s coolest shop, Colette, (and my favourite Parisian department store, Bon Marche!) stocks their products.

For more information visit www.aesop.net.au

PS Have just given Aesop an A+ for including a recommendation on their website for The Magnificent Ambersons, Orson Welles darkly genius movie about an American family, and one of my favourite movies of all time. Love LOVE this brand! Brains and beauty, my favourite.

PPS Because I can’t resist the opportunity to talk about Orson, other great Orson Welles movies are obviously the cinematic classic Citizen Kane but also The Third Man, a fabulous mystery set in post-war Vienna.

I’m breaking some rules by posting this now, but I just couldn’t wait any longer… Usually I wait at least a month when testing mascara, to make sure that it keeps performing as expected. If it’s a crappy mascara, I check that it’s still flaky/smudgy/giving me tranny lash, and if it’s a good one I like to make sure it’s not a high performer for two weeks and then a dud (which has happened before, you know).

But this guy – well it’s got me so excited I’m only halfway through the testing period and I love it more every day, so I had to tell you all. It’s the new YSL Faux Cils mascara. I’ve used Faux Cils before and liked it as the product is quite slick and allows you to build without clumpiness. But this new dude, well it’s in a league of it’s own! Whatever they’ve been doing at YSL Beaute they just need to continue right on doing it. I love everything about it.

It’s really black, so it falls into the Carbon Black mascara category, but without a hint of blue in it, which can make us fairer types look punched out. It has a lovely big brush but with lots of surface area on it, so you get to every lash. Also, unlike Diorshow (another large brushed mascara), it doesn’t get gelatinous in the tube. Honestly I have bought brand new Diorshow before and the first time out of the wand it looked like I had nuggets (yes, nuggets, it’s the only way to describe it) of road tar on them. I may as well have given my money to a homeless person for all the good it did my lashes – and then at least my karma would be shiny – so I’m no longer a Diorshow shopper.

Best of all? it’s really hard to get clumpy. The result? You get thick AND long lashes, which is super rare in one product. You can go back in and add more at the base without it getting on your lid, it stays all day, no flaking OR smudging, and the smell makes me swoon. It’s like wearing little bursts of French perfume on your lashes. What better way to start your day?

So this is my new weapon in my mascara arsenal. A word of caution though – it is beautifully easy to remove but because it’s a slippy mascara there is a lot of product on those lashes (even if it doesn’t look that way). A nice gentle makeup remover – currently I’m loving Chantecaille’s Camomile Eye Makeup Remover – and LOTS of cotton balls is the way forward. But it’s a small price to pay for dream lashes.

YSL Faux Cils in Noir Radical is available now in the UK, US and Australia.
Visit www.yslbeautyus.com for further info.

Estee Lauder is one of those brands that have really re-invented themselves over the last few years. They used to be a bit granny – that’s where your mum and your grandma (and in some cases, great-grandma!) shopped for their rouge and lipstick, but no longer. The quality of the products is still there (because they have that in spades), but it’s now a nanna-free zone. The advertising is much more glamorous, with spokesmodels like the beautiful Hilary Rhoda and the unbelievable looking Constance Jablonski, and their first Asian model, Liu Wen. And this year they have a new International Makeup artist in the form of one Mr Tom Pecheux, he of the constant flow of Paris Vogue covers, years as Mario Testino’s favourite makeup artist, runway artist regular and makeup artist to Madonna, Nicole Kidman and Kate Moss amongst others. The urbane Frenchman is a perfect addition to the brand, and I love the look of his first collection, Blue Dahlia. He says “Makeup is such a fashion accessory – I’d like to highlight that part of the brand, and also bring a playful touch to the franchise.”

However! I’ve been using Estee Lauder judiciously in my kit for quite awhile as I love the finish of their products – this is still makeup for grown ups, even if it is being ushered into the new millennium. I had my first proper taste of their range at the Swarowski Fashion Rocks show in London a couple of years ago (Estee Lauder sponsored it), and I was actually really blown away by the quality. It was a huge show with a zillion models and celebrities in very full makeup looks, and their products held up amazingly. Ever since then I’ve been a fan.

One of my favourites from Estee Lauder is their eyeshadows which are super finely milled, blend deliciously and used in conjunction with others in the range give a gorgeous finish and are just lovely, flattering colours. I definitely prefer them to their eyeshadow quads from the core range, which are not the same texture as the singles. The colour pay off in the singles seems to be much better, and less powdery – plus the mattes are really matte and the shimmers are just shimmery enough. Shimmer to make you pretty, not look like an escapee from Crazy Town. And the metallics? Well they’re off the charts – love, love love these particularly in the deeper colours like purple and charcoal.

Each shadow feels like pretty little Lucite seashells in your hand, so they definitely give you that feeling you’re using something luxe, although as a makeup artist I do find they get quite heavy when you’re stacking them up and carrying them around (as one does). Word on the street has it that Estee Lauder will be re-launching their single eyeshadows later this year in the form of 48 new Pure Colour eyeshadows with finishes ranging from matte, to satins, luminous and metallic. And if they’re anything as good as the ones I have in my kit I’ll be queuing up to get to them!

I couldn’t resist this 80′s awesomeness – this is a rare Estee Lauder promotional video of supermodel Paulina Porizkova. Quite the contrast to Hilary Rhoda!

This is an instant sugar-rush of perfect rose toned powder to give you just the right healthy flush, and I’m loving it this time of year as it’s the perfect transition into warmer summer makeup.

This is the latest in Benefit’s line of blushers (although they will call them face powders, but blusher it is). Following on from last year’s massively successful Coralista, this I one of those products that might look a little confusing at the counter but you love when you get home.

It has four shades that you swipe together, and the colors themselves look even a bit confusing to a makeup artist, but put all together they give a very slightly shimmered rosy glow to the skin. And it’s not too vibrant for even pasty, winter-white skin (what? Who, me?) The four colors are rose pink (with shimmer), a brighter strawberry pink (with less shimmer), an apricot heading towards mustard AND a cool toned mauve. Sounds hideous right? But swiped together it’s gorgeous and it’s a timely reminder that often it’s the strange colors that can be the most flattering. Because it has the four colors together it will work on a variety of skin tones as well – also a winner. I don’t know what makeup genius came up with this little cheek candy confection, but boy is it working!

Colored mascara is generally a pretty tricky proposition. The idea is that by wearing color on your lashes, it will make your eye color pop – which is great in theory except for the fact that most colored mascaras make you look like an escapee from Fame or like you are completely stark raving mad (or fourteen years old – remembering my teens, that might be synonymous, but anyhoo…)

I love the Le Metier mascara because it’s a beautiful mascara that doesn’t smudge or flake, and you can really build it. It’s not a bonkers mega lash mascara (like Lancome Hypnose or Diorshow), but it has a super fine, full brush that Just. Won’t. Clump. No stripper lashes here! The brush is just the right size to get into the base of the lash and wiggle it around to get extra pigmentation (which is where you want it), and it allows you to take it out to the tip of the lash without weighing it down. Even with multiple coats there is no scary Tammy Faye Baker lash going on.

It reminds me quite a bit of Shu Uemura Basic mascara, which is another great, simple, buildable mascara. But the le Metier is COLORED! I have Aubergine (a blackened plum perfect for green or brown eyes) and Midnight, (a deep navy/black which is a winner on blue eyes). What I love about it is the color is so subtle that it enhances your eye color, without shouting to the world – HEY! I’M WEARING COLORED MASCARA! CHECK IT OUT Y’ALL! ON MY LASHES IT’S 1985! So you don’t have to have 80’s flashbacks (thank goodness, God knows there are enough of those around already, peach lace bodysuits and high waisted acid wash denim anyone?) Like the Chanel Exceptionnel range of slightly colored mascara, this is colored mascara for grown ups. J’adore.

“Oh she’s an Easy Lover, she’ll get a hold on you, believe it, she’s like no other, and before you know it you’ll be on your knees…”

Just because it’s Monday, and it’s rainy, and what’s cheering me up is this super-shiny hot pink gloss from NARS that makes me think of ice creams and roller skates and sunshine. And its name (we all know how much I love the names of NARS cosmetics – if makeup isn’t fun then good Christ, what is it? It sure ain’t neurosurgery), well it’s another classic from our friend in Bora Bora. (Did I mention Monsieur Nars has a south Pacific island? Well he does. A whole island to himself. That’s a lot of eyeshadow!)

Plus it’s a top excuse to post one of the best songs to come out of the 80’s – for your viewing pleasure, I give you Phil Collins’ Easy Lover. Worth watching just for the scary 80’s hairdresser halfway through and the power-mullet of the roadie, plus Phil Collins giving it some true rock-star style from the decade that taste forgot – in golfwear. In a helicopter. Awesome. And it’s a rocking tune to go with a rocking gloss. And did I mention that it’s raining, and it’s Monday? Enjoy.

myface.cosmetics- blingtone

This week I was taken through the whole Myface range of makeup, and the more I’m trying from this brand, the more I’m liking it. I’ll be posting about other Myface products in the coming weeks, but on Friday shooting London It girl Yasmin Mills (who is already naturally so gorgeous), I used lip gloss in Lip Pop and a touch of the cult product Blingtones on the eye to give her gaze a hint of shimmer, and honestly, this product has to be tried to be believed.

It’s crushed pearls – yes, real crushed pearls, in an oil base, and it is a totally new technology for eyeshadow – Kay and I have never seen anything like it. What it means is that with one finger swipe of product you can create sparkling, glistening lids instantly. When it’s on, it looks so shiny it appears wet. “Oooh!” I hear makeup artists around the world squeal. How we love a bit of wet look shine (I know, there’s a tacky joke in there somewhere, but this is a makeup blog people, keep it clean). To get this effect, until now we relied on either using shimmer shadows or pigments with a wet brush, or adding Vaseline or eye gloss once the powder shadow was on, but with Blingtones you just swipe it on with a finger, for instant, glamour eyes. And the effect can be just a touch of pixie dust or full on metallic foil. It comes in a range of colors – silver, gold, deep purple, amazing teal blue, bright blue, white and beige copper.

Can you tell I’m smitten? I have a feeling I’ll be using these bad boys all the time. They are perfect to throw in your handbag or your desk drawer if you’re going out that night to punch up your look, and they don’t need a brush – they actually go on better when applied with your fingers.

The only thing I would say is that the pearl particles are so fine it does drop under the eye somewhat, so I would recommend doing the eyes first, before your foundation, then using some sticky tape around your finger to pick up any fall out, before proceeding with the rest of the makeup. (This is also a great trick if your smoky eyes start out more panda than pretty!)

And the best part? It’s available at Boots – yes, Boots the chemist. I so rarely get excited about anything I buy at the chemist (unless they’re in Paris, or the US has some ace stuff also), that to find a range at drugstore prices that has anything I want is already an achievement in itself.

You can check out the full range at www.myfacecosmetics.com

Until the 25th of February Myface cosmetics is offering a free concealer with every Myface foundation, available throughout the UK at Boots Chemists.

Kicking off the New Year in lash-tastic style, this is my latest favourite mascara. I have to be honest and say mascara is the one product I am reeeeally disloyal to. I’m talking a total mascara ho – I generally have one that I’m using when I want to be sure that I don’t look like a stripper left in the rain (black raccoon eyes at work, not so much), and a whole slew of wannabes waiting in the wings that I’m testing. I like to test them for at least a month as some of those dudes outperform at the beginning and then turn dry and gunky, others may not dazzle the first time out of the tube but on the 2^nd and 3^rd try (once the formula has settled a bit), they can be fab. So, bottom line is, you never know, and the there’s always a mascara somewhere out in the world you haven’t tried.

So, explanation over and the newest addition to my mascara family (after an exorbitant TWO MONTH testing period), is Bobbi Brown’s Extreme Party mascara. I wasn’t expecting much to be honest because although Bobbi is known for lots of great makeup products, generally mascara isn’t one of them – but I was really pleasantly surprised. It reminds me a bit of DiorShow without the silly jumbo brush thing going on. I know lots of people love the oversized Dior brush, but if your eyes tend more to the baked bean size (ahem) than grapefruit, I find it’s a little unwieldy. The BB Extreme Party brush gets in and kind of feathers the lashes as the brush grips at the root, and doesn’t deposit too much product at the end, so your lashes look longer, thicker, blacker and …well, just really nice actually. And it’s pretty buildable – more coats looks nice and it doesn’t flake throughout the day.

So even if in the sad month of January you don’t have any Extreme Parties to go to (I know for me it’s more like Extreme Tracksuit at the moment), still this mascara will do your new year lashes a power of good.