My blog posting will be taking a back seat for the next few weeks as Christmas and work are taking over at the moment.  I hope everyone is enjoying the build up to Christmas and see you shortly :) x

My favourite blogs

I have been reading makeup and beauty blogs for a couple of years and really appreciate the time and effort people take to do product reviews - I can't imagine not looking up the blogs before I buy any makeup or beauty now.

Here are my particular favourite blogs, which you might also enjoy (in alphabetical order):

A Model Recommends
Ruth is a model who loves her beauty products.  Daily (sometimes twice daily) reviews on makeup and beauty and she also makes excellent videos.

British Beauty Blogger
BBB is a beauty journalist and always gets the scoop on upcoming launches, as well as bringing us the weird and wonderful from around the world.

London Makeup Girl
LMG reviews the niche and small brands, as well as the big ones.  Always an interesting read.

Modesty Brown
Modesty is my go-to woman for her eyeshadow and brush reviews which are always very detailed and an excellent read.

Musings of a Makeup Artist
Kenneth is a top MUA who publishes pictures of his beautiful work.  He also writes about his favourite products.

Please let me know your favourite blogs.

In My Kit

I came across this website at the weekend and thought you might find it interesting.  In My Kit is a website of honest product reviews written by Senior Makeup Artists in the US. The founder KJ Bennett describes how it began:

"IN MY KIT was created in 2005 because I understand how expensive and confusing building your first professional makeup kit can be. There are just TOO MANY products out there. I focused on cosmetics and tools that met or exceeded professional artistry requirements for all media formats (photo, film and video). 
Word got out about this "insider information" and the website began attracting seasoned professionals AND consumers. In less than a year it was being referenced and linked to internationally. In December 2010 it exceeded 1 million unique visitors."

  

Some of the products are only available in the US but a lot of US companies now deliver to the UK. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do.

Sunday Commandments

Thou shalt oil

Don't forget that central heating can dry out your skin.  A good way to combat dryness is to use a facial oil at night time.

Saturday Suggestions

For a super quick smokey eye, apply some dark brown or black eyeliner to the lid, then apply a waxy lip balm on top and blend for a smudgy, rock chick effect!

Man Friday

If you're a man who is interested in trying out new grooming products but don't want to buy full-size in case they are not suitable, then Glossybox for men may be right up your street.

It's a quarterly service whereby you are sent a box of 7 luxury-sized male grooming samples from high-end and specialist niche brands.

All you need to do is register your details (it's £15 every quarter + £2.95 p&p) and every 3 months you will receive your box with the latest care and styling trends.

I receive the women's Glossybox every month and it's great for discovering new brands to test out!

Sleek MakeUP Au Naturel I-Divine palette

Au Natural I-Divine palette

I want to buy an eyeshadow palette of nude colours but am on a budget? Kali

Welcome to Sleek MakeUP who produce great makeup at very reasonable prices - their fabulous eyeshadow palettes contain 12 colours for only £6.49!  The nude palette is called 'Au Naturel I-Divine' and has a mixture of matte and shimmer colours with a top row of neutrals for natural daytime looks (think Bobbi Brown colours - velvety brown, fawn, taupe) and a bottom row of darker shades for a nighttime/smokey look.  The colours in this palette are well thought out and would look pretty good on most skin tones.

The eyeshadows are well pigmented and go on smoothly; I always use my eye primer first and have found they last through the day without fading or creasing (I've not used them without eye primer).  The palette is compact (14 cm x 7.5 cm) and ideal if you are going on holiday as it doesn't take up a lot of space but you get 12 colours to take with you!

Available in Superdrug and Sleek MakeUP online.

No blog post today Readers, will be returning tomorrow,  hope you're enjoying the cold ;) x

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner

Some of you may remember Stila Cosmetics?  They stopped selling in the UK for a few years but now they're back, which is good news as they have some lovely products.

In my October Glossybox I received a Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner £13, which I've been using since then.  It's a push up pencil so no sharpener needed (I like that) and it's easy to apply as it glides onto the eye - I've used it as an eye liner on the lash line, under the bottom lashes and on the water line.  If you want a softer look you can smudge or blend it in with a brush.  The colour I got is called Moray an olive with specks of gold and it's really pretty.  It's highly pigmented so you get an intense colour which lasts all day.

If you find some eyeliners quite tricky to apply I think you will find this one a lot easier.  I am really pleased with this Eye Liner and I will definitely be checking out the other colours in the range.

Available at Boots and lots of other stores.

Pixiwoo Chistmas Tutorial

(Not actual look shown in video!)

If you are looking for some ideas for makeup to wear to a party this festive season, you might enjoy this video by the brilliant Pixiwoo:

CLICK HERE

Sunday Commandments

If you have lines around the eyes do not use face powder in this area as it will accentuate those lines.  If you want to use a powder make sure it's an ultra-fine one such as Mac's Prep & Prime Transparent Finishing Powder.

Saturday Suggestions

A natural alternative to alleviate puffy eyes is to make some strong green tea then freeze it into ice cubes.  When you get puffy eyes wrap a cube around some muslin and carefully press onto the eyes.

Man Friday

For all you guys who are sporting a side parting at the moment, here's a product which you might find useful - Mr Natty Hair Paste £12.  Launched by professional groomer Matt Raine, who states that  "Wearing this in your hair is like being chauffeur driven".  That's quite a claim!

Click here for more info and where to purchase.

Jason Quick Clean Makeup Remover pads

I bought these Jason Quick Clean Makeup Remover pads £7.29 because I like and use other Jason products, mostly their body lotions and shower gels, all of which contain high-quality, natural ingredients not tested on animals (why does anyone need to test beauty products on animals anymore?).

These pads are extremely gentle, do not sting the eyes and leave no greasy residue.  They contain some wonderful ingredients for the skin:  glycerin, aloe vera gel, cucumber extract and chamomile extract and manage to remove a full face of makeup leaving my skin feeling soft and supple afterwards.  In fact, one night I forgot my night-time moisturiser and in the morning my skin felt absolutely fine with no dry areas.

There is only one caveat to these pads - they are simply not big enough!  They are the size of those portable nail polish remover pads, which work on nails but not on faces.  When you use a pad you can only do a third of the face so I think that's why there are 75 in the tub.  Something like the size of the Johnson's Eye Makeup Remover pads would be so much better (30 in a pack but much bigger).

I will still continue to use these pads as I like them very much but if they made them bigger they would be an absolute winner!