Hair and Beauty at London Fashion Weekend

One of my favourite bits of the Vodafone London Fashion Weekend was getting a backstage look at the brands behind Fashion Week, we saw hair makeovers inspired by the catwalk trends at Label.M and Toni and Guy, Label.M were creating fabulous looks one of my favourite being a Brigitte Bardot up do'. There was also lots of beauty happenings with manicures from the Essie team and makeovers by Maybelline who were showcasing all their lovely products including the new colour sensational stripped nudes.

As far as the hair and beauty trends on the catwalk from the trend show the looks were very natural with laid back hair and minimal make up. What hair and beauty trends are you most inspired by at the moment?

The Four Product Face

We've all had that horrible feeling when we wake up and realize we have overslept, it is moments like this when you need a make up routine that will take a matter of seconds to apply. If you are in a rush or just want a low key natural look I would really recommend Rimmel London's BB Cream, this is a recent purchase that I just cannot get enough of, it feels so lightweight on the skin but the coverage is actually really good, this evens out my skin tone, and gives it the right amount of radiance, I have the shade medium and find it to be a good match. For under eyes I've been loving Rimmel's Wake Me Up concealer, this is super brightening and is also great for blemishes so a great two in one. My brows are always in need of a neaten after a nights sleep and Maybellines' Brow Drama is perfect for a quick groom, I find the shade 'dark brown' a great match for me, this product is prefect for adding a hint of colour and keeping brows in place. Lastly is lips, if you are trying to keep things natural then I recommend a simple lip balm so your lips look in good condition without going overboard on colour. Classic Carmex Lip Balm moisturises and nourishes the lips without feeling sticky so it's perfect for a low key look.

The Bold Lip Everyday Face

When it comes to a bold bright red lip for the daytime I like to keep the rest of my make up minimal, for this look the red lip in question is none other than Rimmel Moisture Renew in Mayfair Red Lady, the formula of these lipsticks are great for daytime, they are bold and creamy and keep your lips looking hydrated as well as being incredibly pigmented. I am definitely going to be picking up a few more shades from this range.

For my base I stuck to my current favourite foundation Bourjois Happy Light in shade 53, the coverage is medium, I apply this with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush for a flawless finish and then complete my base with Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer, I am currently on the hunt for a new concealer for under the eyes so let me know in the comments if you have any recommendations. To contour I used my old friend Nars Laguna Bronzer, the colour of this bronzer really suits my skin tone and gives me a natural warm shadow in the hollows of my cheeks, I pair this with M.A.C's Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle, this is the prettiest powder I own and when applied to the cheekbones it gives the most gorgeous glow.

For my eyes I kept it simple with the Bourjois 24 hour Colour Eyeshadow in Or Desir on my lids, this cream to powder finish lasts all day even without primer, and it has a lovely metallic finish which you can build up to be as bold as you like, for this look I also used Bourjois' Liquid Eyeliner in Brown as I find it looks better than black for daytime. To frame my face I used my HD Brows Palette along with a new brow product I am currently testing, the Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown, I haven't quite made my mind up about this yet, it is very subtle so I do find myself still using powder but the brush does help to create a very natural look. 

Have you tried any of the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks yet? Do you have a favourite shade?

Winter Lip Care

I don't know about you but winter really seems to play havoc with the condition of my lips, the combination of the cold and central heating really takes the moisture out of my lips so I have been on operation renew recently and for that I have been using the Lush Bubblegum lip scrub religiously, this smells divine and it has been helping the give my lips a new lease of life, to help keep them moisturised I have been using Maybelline's Baby Lips, I love the Intense Care one as it really does make my lips feel brand new.

Does the weather effect your lips? What are your go to products?

Benefit Brow Shaping Kit

Benefit's Brow Zings is a complete brow kit to keep those unruly brows in check, it contains a handy pair of tweezers for any stray hairs, an angled brush, a blending brush, powder and a wax. The first step to perfect brows is the shape, so use the tweezers to pluck any rouge hairs and then with the hard angled brush and the wax shape your brows as desired, once you have your ideal shape then take the blending brush and the powder and fill in any gaps or sparse areas, this powder will also help set the brows in place.

Now for a brow product I think this is really quite pricey at £23.50 for the kit, I do love the packaging and I think it is great that it includes the tweezers and brushes but for me the overall results isn't much different from when I use Maybelline's Master Shape Brow Pencil, review here and this only costs £2.99 from boots.

Have you tried Benefit's Brow Zings? Do you think it is worth the money?

Brow Taming: Maybelline Master Shape

I'm more of a powder gal when it comes to filling in my eyebrows, but after watching a recent Tanya Burr tutorial where she used the Maybelline Master Shape pencil I thought I would cheat on my HD Brows pallet. The problem I have with pencils is I find the overall finish a little harsh and unnatural, but the consistency of this pencil is really waxy, which gives it real staying power and gives an undetectable filled in brow. I love the brush at the other end of the pencil, combing through after filling in softens the brows and blends all the hairs with the product. Unless you are gifted with Lily Collins esque eyebrows I really recommend this pencil for keeping those brows looking full.

Are you more of a pencil or powder gal when it comes to filling in?

The Cult Product: Maybelline Baby Lips

Unless you live under a rock then you will definitely of heard of Maybelline's Baby Lips, as far as cult products go these are surprisingly cheap at £2.99 each, but what makes these lips balms a cult product? Since these came over from the US of A these lovely balms have been plastered all over the beauty blogs and people can't seem to get enough. I have been trying these out now for a few weeks so I thought I would give you my thoughts on Baby Lips. Intense Care and Mint Fresh are both clear moisturising lip balms, Intense Care has a wonderful honey scent and Fresh Mint smells of .. well mint, both of these do a great job of providing a good base for a drying lipstick, these also contain SPF 20 for that all important protection. Cherry Me, Peach Kiss and Pink Punch are all tinted and give gorgeous sheer colour, Peach Kiss is a subtle nude shade with a hint of sparkle, Cherry Me and Pink Punch are both wearable pink shades. The tinted ones are great if you are looking for something that is going to give you colour and intense moisture all in one.

Have you got your hands on these yet?

The Face Duo

After getting into the lighter coverage swing of things with the 'You Rebel Tinted Moisturiser' (Review Here)   I decided to try a BB cream, I haven't really read much hype about the Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector but it claims to even skin tone, blur lines and imperfections, give a healthy glow, improve hydration, and provide some sun protection with SPF 15 .. that's a lot for one product!

So here is what I thought about the BB cream, it comes out of the tube very thick, almost foundation consistency, however once you start blending this in with your fingers it does feel a lot lighter. I picked up the shade Medium after swatching it in Boots. The colour is perfect for me when I am slightly more tanned. As I said I use my fingers for application as I think a brush isn't really necessary ..... can you tell I am keeping it minimal here?

I find the coverage to be light, it still allows my freckles to show through but it does cover up any redness which is great. I skip my usual moisturiser when I use this as I find it to be very moisturising. Overall I love this new purchase and after wearing it a few times now i can safely say it lasts a full day at work before any touch ups are needed and it really does give that healthy glow to my skin.

Next up is something I didn't think would be appropriate for me as it involves the words Anti Age ... I know what you are thinking, I am only 21 but the Maybelline Instant Anti Age The Eraser Eye perfect and cover is the perfect concealer. It contains Goji berry which cares for the eye area, it covers dark circles and brightens the under eye for a "I definitely got my eight hours sleep last night" look and best of all it doesn't sit in those pesky fine lines like heavier concealers do, I am in love!

A perfect duo made in make up heaven I would say! Have you tried these yet?

Thought I would include a picture of these in action too:)

On The Go Make Up Essentials

You know the feeling.. You have gone to work in a hurry, overslept, or just completely forgotten to do your make up, which may be ok with you but then you realize you have a lunch date and are looking a bit worse for wear? No fear.. the back up supplies are here!

Now we don't need to go overboard here, we want something that says natural and fresh so I am starting by a good brow tidy up, for this I use the Barry M Clear Mascara and Eyebrow Definer, this is great for neatening up those face framers. Looking tired? Try the Maybelline Instant Anti Age The Eraser Eye concealer, this brightens the eye area and covers any dark circles, it also doesn't sit in any of those little fine lines. This can also be used to conceal any redness or blemishes.

The next step is a little bronzing powder and my weapon of choice is of course the Nars Laguna powder, which gives a nice natural contour and warms up the skin tone. Need a little powder to banish un-wanted shine? I turn to the Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Banana, I find this is very light and not at all cakey if I apply it with the Real Techniques powder brush. Finally I apply the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous for a 'my lips but better' shade.

Now you can fully enjoy that lunch date knowing you look great!

What are your touch up make up staples?