European Collection

In February, I travelled to Europe for three weeks so, naturally, had to cull my considerable beauty collection into a single (thankfully, fairly large!) cosmetics bag.

I always love "in my bag"-type posts so I thought I would share what I settled upon. 

Complexion: 

• Lancome Teint Miracle foundation.
• By Terry Touche Veloutee concealer. (Lovely liquid consistency with full coverage.)
• By Terry Teint Terrybly pressed powder. (Flawless, satiny finish.)
• By Terry Teint Terrybly Soleil in Exotic Bronze. (Matte with a glow... who thought it possible!)
• Nars Blush in Orgasm.
• Tom Ford for Estee Lauder Face Sheen. (This is beautiful, but long discontinued.)

Eyes: 

• Kevyn Aucoin Eyeshadow Palette #1. (This is no longer available in Australia - and the US website does not ship internationally - so I will be devastated when I eventually use it all up).
• Estee Lauder Liquid Eyeliner. (Also discontinued, but my favourite liquid eyeliner of all time.)
• By Terry Mascara Terrybly. (Lengthening, volumising and defining - no clumpy or spider-y lashes in sight.)
• MAC Powerpoint in Duck. (Gorgeous on the lower lashline for soft, matte definition.)
• Kevyn Aucoin Expert Brow Pencil. (HG.)

Lips: 

• [top picture] Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy with By Terry Gloss Delectation in Creamy Fig. (Prettiest, creamiest lipgloss of all time.)
• [middle picture] Chantecaille Lip Chic in Violetta. (The texture of these lipsticks is divine.)
• [bottom picture] Chanel Rouge Coco in Camellia with Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss in Diamond Rose. 

Since the trip, most of these products have become my daily staples - particularly Teint Miracle, Mascara Terrybly  and Touche Veloutee.

What are your travel essentials?

Tweet

Makeup Trickery: K.I.S.S.

We all know what KISS stands for. Keep. It. Simple. (Stupid.) A quick flourish is all it takes to elevate a simple makeup look to "wow" in an instant. Here are just some examples.

1. Luminous skin. Nars Orgasm Illuminator, a lovely peachy-pinky-shimmering concoction, is one of my all-time favourite makeup products. Just wear alone, underneath foundation or mixed with foundation or tinted moisturiser for a warm, healthy glow to rival Blake Lively's beautiful complexion.

2. Curled eyelashes. Using an eyelash curler before you apply mascara will give you a gorgeous wide-eyed look. I love Utowa Eyelash Curler, which curls the lashes "up", rather than "around", for a more natural effect, aka Miss Bosworth.

3. Bold eyebrows. Camilla Belle is the undisputed Queen of Brows. See how they frame her face so beautifully? Nars Eyeshadows in Bali (for brunettes) or Blondie (for blondes) are perfect for achieving a full, flawless shape. 

4. Peachy cheeks. When we apply foundation, concealer and/or powder, we take away all of the natural rosiness of of our complexions. Peachy-toned blush restores freshness and vitality. I love Chanel Joues Contraste in Espiegle.

5. Wear a bright lip. A glossy pop of colour on the lips can perk you up any day of the week, at any time. To mimic Jess Hart's lovely watermelon shade, go with Chantecaille Lip Chic in Zinnia - my summer staple.

What are your favourite quick, easy makeup tricks? Please share!

Tweet

In my bag

My lovely friend Jessica (who writes at her blog The Belle Lumiere) sent out a twitter request for beauty bloggers to do a "what's in my bag" post... which reminded me that I had taken pictures of the contents of my handbag a few weeks ago and completely forgotten to post about it.

In my bag, clockwise from top left (and proceeding in a spiral-y shape):

• My beloved, battered blue Chloe handbag, which I bought on sale in Paris.
• My far less battered black leather Prada purse, a Christmas gift from my parents last year (to appease me for not taking me to Italy with them... but taking my younger brother!)
• Cutler and Gross sunglasses. Everybody asks me about these. I think you can buy them on Net-a-Porter.
• My mini Mason Pearson hairbrush, from Adore Beauty. I have long, thick hair so it is best for touching up, rather than untangling. (My enormous Aveda Paddle Brush is ideal for that tall task!)
• (Moxie tampons.)
• Hourglass Oxygen Mineral Powder Foundation in No 3. I love this for a few reasons. 1. It has the coverage of a powder foundation, so is lovely for both touch-ups and foundation application on-the-go. 2. It feels light on my skin. 3. It doesn't make my skin look powdery. 4. The mirror swivels around - so I can use it as a compact mirror when applying my other makeup products too. 
• One of my favourite lipglosses, Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss in Diamond Rose. It gives such a pretty, soft pink lip colour, with subtle opalescence.
• The best eyebrow pencil in the world, hands down: Kevyn Aucoin The Expert Brow Pencil in Brunette. One end houses a soft, browny-taupe coloured crayon that mimics natural-looking eyebrow hairs and makes it incredibly easy to achieve the perfect brow shape and density; the other has a little comb to tame stray hairs. Genius!
• As you can see, my By Terry Rose de Rose Sheer Liquid Blush in Fresh Rose is severely depleted; that is because it is so beautiful. Just one pump, swirled onto the apples of my cheeks and temples, gives a fresh, rosy glow, instantly. I will savour it until the last drop.
• My Diptyque Solid Perfume in L'Ombre Dans L'Eau is a Christmas present I bought for myself. L'Ombre Dans L'Eau is described as a "bouquet of roses and blueberry leaves" - fruity, floral and green notes emanate. It is gorgeous and fresh and universally flattering.
• Nars Duo Concealer in Custard/Ginger is a lifesaver. If you have tried the Nars Concealer in a lipstick tube and found it too dry, you will find this formula much creamier and more blendable. I use it under my eyes, on blemishes and around my nose. 
• My holy grail of makeup brushes, Nars Yachiyo Brush. I use it for powder, blush (including powder, liquid and cream), bronzer, highlighter... everything! It is so soft yet dense enough to contour and provide definition. Plus it is light and compact enough to carry in the smallest of handbags and clutches. 
• Chantecaille Biolift Concealer in Cream is an extravagance (AU$100 for a little tube) but I really, really love it. It has a moistuiser inside that makes it perfect for dry under-eyes, and softly illuminates, deflecting away from dark circles. I use this over the top of my Nars concealer for an extra pick-me-up.
• Sadly, my Diorskin Shimmer Powder in Amber Diamond crumbled during the time between the above picture was taken and writing this post. As I wrote in the post below, it is a stunning bronze-toned highlighter that gives the most beautiful, radiant cheekbones.
• A T2 Oolong Tea teabag. 
• Zoe Foster put me onto Aveda Hair Potion and I have never looked back. Applied at the roots of my hair, it gives a sexy, undone, tousled look to freshly blow-dried or straightened hair.
• Tic Tacs.
• Tatcha Aburatorigami Blotting Papers are whisper-thin, gold-infused papers I use prior to powdering to take away any shininess accumulated during the day. 

So there you go! It seems like a ton of things, now that I have listed them all...

What do you keep in your handbag? Will you blog about it too? 

Tweet

How to pull off a daytime red lipstick

And another note to let you know that a guest post of mine has just been posted at my favourite online beauty magazine, PRIMPED. The link is here, if you are so inclined: How to pull off a daytime red lipstick.

Also, I have received some lovely messages about this blog since the launch. Thank you for all your support!

Tweet