The Makeup Mole

I have been naughty everyone, and slack – in fact, a bad beauty blogger. Whilst I was off swanning around Fiji, relaxing by the pool and reading trashy true crime novels, I’ve let you all down massively. I haven’t told you about a little gem that I found recently which immediately found it’s way in to my kit, and that is only available for less than two more weeks!

I saw that on my Twitter feed that the new BECCA collection is out very, very soon and I felt chastened – here’s me all relaxed and happy whilst my poor readers are missing out on finding out about one of the nicest brown shadow eyeshadow palettes I have seen in ages. I was planning to do a post on Best Brown Eyeshadows, and I started… but I couldn’t choose. There were just SO MANY of them. Earthy taupes and decadent chocolates, rich plum browns and coppery biscuit tans, minky, milky browns that make your eyes pop, and shimmery taupe-y browns that make you sigh. Where does one start on a post like that? So I didn’t, embalmed in my post-holiday glow. And so Lost Weekend would have stayed the Lost Weekend.

Inspired by the earthy colours of the Australian bush, you can see how gorgeous it looks here in the campaign images. The brown is the stand-out colour for me as it’s a rich caramel but more on the grey side, not too yellow so it’s beautiful blended through the crease or as a soft liner. There is also a lovely pink-y flesh tone that is gorgeous as a base colour, and a similar pink that has a hint of shimmer through it that pulls the two other colours together in perfect harmony. They are the best neutrals I’ve seen in ages, so for a natural look for every day, this is my go-to palette.

Get the Lost Weekend…before it’s gone for good.

www.beccacosmetics.com

I’m back from my lovely tropical holiday and I am ready to rumble! I went makeup-free for a week, swam in the sea every day and did nothing but read books on my Kindle and lie in the sun, so after a week completely beauty-free, I’m itching to get back into my kit and get back to work! Here’s what’s new on my radar.

Becca Eye Tint

I’m a big fan of BECCA Cosmetics, and have been since they started, over a decade ago now. I love their ethos of beauty being based on beautiful skin, which when the company began was quite revolutionary. Hence all their formulas are lightweight and sheer, but still with more than enough pigmentation to do the job at hand (witness their heavy duty concealers that provide undetectable coverage, and the Shimmering Skin Perfectors that look like gorgeous skin, not sparkly face highlighter – both firm MM faves!)

My latest addition to my kit? BECCA’s Eye Tint in Baroque, a perfect flesh colour beige, like the colour you wish your eyelids were (if one was partial to such daydreams, and if you’re anything like me I know you’ve had that thought!) The Eye Tints are tiny little squeeze tubes of colour which are beautiful either on their own, or layered together, or as a base for powder shadow to give the powder shadow a boost and staying power.

Right now I am loving a gorgeous, effortless face that looks like you’re wearing nothing at all but that Mother Nature likes you very, very much. I’m pairing the BECCA Baroque Eye Tint with curled lashes, Chanel Bronze Universel, the sheerest whisper of foundation and concealer, and a slick of Lucas’ Paw Paw Ointment on the lips. Maybe I never really left the beach?

www.beccacosmetics.com

Lately I’ve been getting into lashes. Not a single shoot I’ve been on recently has been lash–free. Whether it’s Ellen Von Unwerth show girl lashes (courtesy of Shu Uemura), or flirty demi-lashes to elongate a smoky eye (thank you Ardell), I’ve been pulling out my lash bag time and time again. And it made me start thinking – I’ve never posted about lashes before. Time to start!

I have a few brands I like to look at when I buy false lashes, and Lord knows I seem to do that on a regular basis. You never know when you might need some Swarowski trimmed lashes, some Viktor and Rolf bottle-green marabou numbers or my latest acquisition, neon green handpainted and woven ones from the latest, incredible Shu Uemura collection called Ethnacolor Scope. You’d be amazed how often the opportunity presents itself!

Over the years I have been collecting lashes from all over the world and thankfully they’re now a lot easier to find than they used to be. Before you’d have to go to theatrical shops like Screenface or Charles Fox in London, Paris Berlin in Paris or ACMUSE in Sydney to find interesting lashes. Don’t get me wrong! These theatrical shops still are a veritable treasure trove for false lash fiends and should not be neglected in the quest for the perfect lash. But now you can also get great lashes at your local drugstore or chemist, and at every price point which is important when you’re experimenting.

Shu Uemura have a fabulous service called the Tokyo Lash Bar where you can choose a set of lashes and they will fit them for you, and explain how to do it which is a wonderful way to get started.

Choosing a pair of lashes can be daunting at first as they all look the same, but different – and understanding how they will make your eyes look at first can seem an impossible task. This is why I recommend trying a few cheaper options from the chemist until you find a style that you like. Generally the thicker and denser the lash, the more “fake” it will look. Wispy, feathery lashes tend to look more like a lush set of real lashes, so it depends what your makeup style is. Strip or half lashes are great for a night out, and for undetectable day time lush lashes, cluster lashes are my favourite (I like Ardell and MAC cluster lashes). As always, Pixiwoos and Lisa Eldridge on YouTube are a good place to look on the web if you’re curious to see a few pairs in actions first. Pixiwoos in particular use lashes A LOT.

A good eyelash glue is a must – my favourite (which I’ve posted about before) is Duo Lash Adhesive, available from theatrical shops or MAC. Another good option for those who are allergic to latex is Illamasqua’s non-latex glue, which has a free mini-bottle of glue with every pair of lashes.

Brands to try:

Drugstore – Ardell are the world leaders in lashes. Pamela Anderson has been wearing them (since birth probably), and if anyone knows a good fake lash it’s Pammy Anderson! Speaking to her makeup artist awhile ago she told me Pam doesn’t go anywhere without at least two full sets – that’s a lot of lash action.

High-End – Lots to choose from. MAC do a lovely selection of false lashes, and I have yet to meet one of their lashes that I don’t like. Illamasqua also do beautiful lashes and some very interesting, dramatic styles you can’t find anywhere else. Their Creative Director Alex Box is a Lash Queen, and many’s the time I’ve helped her create a bespoke lash out of her special bag of tricks!

Shu Uemura make the most phenomenal and spectacular fantasy lashes with a special collection every year. This year I love their Tutu Laceflare lashes, but they also do beautiful more basic lashes as well. They aren’t cheap but with lashes this gorgeous who needs new clothes? In fact if your lashes look amazeballs, you don’t need any other adornment at all. Just a wink and a smile.

So this really is the wonder eraser for the under eyes. Of all the concealers I’ve tried, this one covers with just one dab, so it’s perfect for those early mornings when your undereye circles look like they just want to go back to bed and curl up for a few more hours sleep. (A bit like their owner). But! Before you go racing off to invest, there are two drawbacks that you need to know about.

It only comes in three shades, so it’s nor for everyone. My skintone is literally the colour of Barbie (as in, melted plastic pink), so it’s perfect for me and this lives both in my kit and in my personal makeup bag, since it’s just so quick and easy. But you really need to be able to try it on to ascertain whether its amazingness is going to work on your skintone.

Also be careful not to overdo it – it’s a very creamy (yet covering) formula, but if you just blob it on, it can get a little bit goopy. Also it does need to be set with a loose powder to prevent creasing later on.

Having said that, if it IS a good colour on your skintone, it’s phenomenal as an everyday concealer. The little pot will last you a lifetime of early morning starts and undereye blitzing, and a little dab really will do ya. This truly is Erase Paste.

www.benefitcosmetics.com

I have dinosaur paws at the moment, with hands that feel as rough as a stone mason’s. Not the best look when you use your hands for your living! Enter some serious hand hydration by way of Jurlique Rose Hand Cream. It has Safflower Seed Oil and Macadamia Oil too soothe even the most wizened claws, and it smells like a rose garden (not a rock garden).

I love Jurlique skincare – it’s an Aussie wonder brand that grows all its own plants on farms in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, and the quality of everything I have tried from them is just beautiful. I am also using their Love Balm lip balm a lot at the moment, as it’s very hydrating with Olive Oil, Soybean Oil and yet not too shiny (so it’s also great on shoots, especially if you’re doing male grooming! Lucky I have two).

I decided yesterday whilst looking at my super dry hands, thanks to too much handwashing (OCD anyone?) that I’m just not spending enough time pampering. So if your paws are feeling more Stone Age than Betty Rubble’s, get your mitts on this.

Estee Lauder is really a brand that I’ve been avidly watching the last year or so. They have been re-inventing themselves from a luxury heritage company that was getting a bit dated to a brand for a much younger, fresher, cooler consumer, whilst still keeping the history and refinement of the brand’s legacy.

It started with the appointment of Tom Pecheux, their new International Creative Director and master-mind of their last few collections, which have, without exception, been absolutely gorgeous. His latest one Wild Violets, is no exception.

The other addition to the line is the eagerly awaited Pure Colour lipstick, part of their Pure Colour line that has re-formatted single eyeshadows, nailpolish and gloss. These lipsticks are beautiful. Hydrating, comfortable with a lightweight feel yet great pigment pay-off, they are what girls now want to toss in their handbags. It’s exactly the type of lippie you can wear every day. Even in the deeper colours (my favourite is the deep wine-red Plum Couture), it glides on like there’s nothing there, provides amazing colour and best of all, your lips look shiny and supple, and stay that way.

I’ve long been a fan of Estee Lauder lipsticks – Vanilla Truffle hello! So gooooood for a nude lip, and the Crystal lipsticks which are like tasty little bonbons that you just want to eat, and now Pure Colour is here I feel like it’s an Estee Lauder festival at my house.

I’ve just had a big decanting session for my kit (something I do every season to take advantage of all the gorgeous new colours out there), and although cutting up high end lipsticks makes you feel like a murderer, I now have a brand, spanking new selection of mouthwatering new lip shades. Time to get lippy!

www.esteelauder.co.uk

So I can now die a happy lady. The ONE thing that used to disturb me about my kit was my nasty bottle of chemist dry soap – I have bought it in Paris, and London and the US, and no matter what brands I tried, it just never looked chic. Because when you have all your lovely bottles and tubes of La Mer and Kiehl’s and Chanel laid out, it was always jarring to have a tacky little bottle of Aqium or Purell stuck in the middle. It screamed “Here I am! I’m a hand sanitizer!” Not the first thing I want to jump out at a client when they look at my work table.

But now my prayers have been answered – and at the risk of my blog turning into an Aesop infomercial, it’s the good people at Aesop who have answered them. It’s an alcohol based hand wash to cleanse and refresh hands – so it’s the Chanel of Aqium basically. And best of all – it comes in their classic brown bottles, but, wait for it, IT’S PLASTIC. So there’s no carting glass around (which, whilst chic would also be heavy, and let’s face it, potentially dangerous). And it’s only 50ml, so it’s perfect for planes, or throwing into your handbag for a little on the spot refresher wherever you are. Clean hands without water! And I don’t know about you guys, but I get increasingly germ phobic as I get older. It all started on the Paris Metro when I saw a guy scratch his nose – except he had no nose, it had been eaten away by some devastating disease. Poor man – but then he wrapped that itchy finger back around the Metro pole and I nearly passed out at the thought of what detritus he was leaving everywhere. So at the risk of sounding all Howard Hughes, hand sanitizer is my friend.

This one smells gorgeous, and has Mandarin Rind and Rosemary Leaf in it, plus unlike its nasty chemist counterparts, it contains moisturizing agents to ensure skin is left clean but not dehydrated.

So now my kit looks classy AND clean. Delish.

www.aesop.net.au

Ladies, it’s time to start planning Spring makeup. Enough with the heavy coats and the tights and the legs that are so dry they look like Victoria Beckham’s new alligator purses, enough, ENOUGH!

It’s time to start thinking about the season ahead, the one where you will be warm and you can wear clothes that make you feel like sunshine. To that end, today’s recommendation about what you will be needing, is a new lipstick. Not just any old lipstick though, and I’m sorry to do this to you at the beginning of the year when you’ve probably got your credits cards, quite literally, on ice, in the refrigerator, but I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do. This lipstick has me in its thrall, and it ain’t cheap.

Namely True Coral, by Tom Ford. I have blogged about these incredible lipsticks before when they launched, but it’s time to rhapsodise again. This lippie will spoil you for other lipsticks. It is rich, opulent and delicious. Its formulation is just so beautiful that it practically applies itself – one coat and you’re done. It gives you lips like Elizabeth Taylor sipping a mai tai in Acapulco in a caftan – gorgeous and 60’s in the best possible way (are you proud of me? I didn’t mention Mad Men once yet. And I won’t – except to say oh my God are you watching Season 4?? It’s unbelievable).

I love everything about this lipstick – the packaging is original, classic, elegant yet still cool, much like Mr Ford himself. It’s for grown up women, and I can guarantee this lipstick will be going nowhere near a festival this year. As for the colour? It’s a true, perfect Technicolour coral, one of the many colours that will be huge once Spring kicks in with a vengeance. It makes me dream of sunshine and palm trees, cat’s eye glasses and tans, cocktails and swimming pools. Oh and alright then, Don Draper. But don’t hold it against me.

Tom Ford Private Blend lipsticks are available from Harrods and Selfridges in London, and David Jones in Australia.

But this is a lipstick that could change all that. I’m ready to bust out some colour and head to Acapulco way…