Haircare Hero

I've mentioned before that I can't abide product-heavy hair so I'm always a bit wary when trying new hair products. However as summer has been playing coy lately, the Weatherproof Styling Froth* from Philip Kingsley has been amazing at keeping the frizz away.

Applied to towel-dried hair and then styled as normal, it holds the shape of my naturally wavy hair (I've tried it on both waves and straight styles) even in rainy or humid conditions (when I usually end up looking like Side Show Bob), without ever feeling crispy or sticky. As much as I hate the heavy feel of some hair products, I've found foam products to be drying in the past so I was particularly pleased that this left my hair feeling soft and healthy.

The formula contains antioxidants, conditioning agents and UV protection so it will be ideal when the sun eventually does show its face. It's a definite haircare staple for me as I've finally stumbled across something which gives a little control and smoothness without feeling heavy or drying.

The RRP is £15.75 for 150ml which seems very reasonable to me (as it expands!) and it's available from Escentual.com and FeelUnique.

Follow me on Twitter - Youtube - Bloglovin' - HelloCotton - Facebook - Pinterest

*PR Sample

Current Go-To Eye Combo

This is a bit of a review and current-go-to-makeup post in one. A few people have asked me what I thought of the Maybelline 24 hr Color Tattoo cream shadows and now I've finally managed to get my hands on a couple I thought I'd let you know (after numerous trips to Boots only to be met with nasty, smushed tester pots and no new stock).

Obviously they're a super-hyped product and they've been out for a little while now, so I probably don't need to go into too much detail, but these are very similar to MAC Paint Pots but a fraction of the price at £4.99. There aren't as many shades on offer in the UK and they've also changed the names for the UK market (but I believe the colours are the same...also why change the names but not Anglicise the spelling on the packaging?!). 

I picked up 'On and On Bronze' and 'Immortal Charcoal'. I've had the most use from the bronze shade and I've pretty much worn it everyday since I bought it. A little bit smudged across the lid, with MAC's Groundwork Paint Pot to blend it out through the crease and plenty of mascara is the perfect lazy girl's eye combo. As you can see from the swatch, you can get a more opaque effect if you so wish. I haven't had any creasing issues with either of the Color Tattoos I purchased (if it looks like that in the photo...that's just my lovely wrinkly eyelids...whoopee) and they last really well. Again I haven't and won't be testing them for 24hrs, but after an average 12-16hr wear they look just fine. 

I have been told they dry out easily, but I've also heard that about MAC Paint Pots and never personally found it to be an issue. If that's a concern, try a little bit of cling-film on top of the product before putting the lid on (Saran wrap for those across the pond) and storing the pots upside down.

Follow me on Twitter - Youtube - Bloglovin' - HelloCotton - Facebook - Pinterest

Brow Grooming

Royal and Langnickel spoolie*, polyester thread, Vitry tweezers, Cosmetics a la Carte brow ink*, Louise Young angled eye brush, MUA clear mascara.

This is a very picture heavy post, so I'll try to keep the nattering to a minimum. You can watch this post in video form here, but I thought a post might be useful too. I'm by no means a pro but hopefully it's helpful if you have unruly brows like me!

Trimming: With small scissors and a spoolie, slightly trim any hairs that fall outside of the natural brow line. 

Threading: Take a piece of thread about 10 inches long, tie the ends together in a double knot. Hold the loop with the knot behind a finger or thumb (just so that it doesn't get caught in the twists) and twist the thread about 7 times so that you have a twisted area of about 1cm. Open and close alternate hands to make the twists move along the thread like this:

Not closing the alternate hand completely will give you more control over the twists. Move the twists in the opposite direction to the hair growth (so towards the centre of your face on the edges of brows and downwards in the centre).

Tweezing: Unless you're super brave or adept at threading, I suggest using tweezers to grab any stray hairs very near to the brow.

Brow ink: To fill in any major gaps or add length to the end of the brow.

Eyeshadow: To fill in smaller gaps and add definition. I'm using MAC's Copperplate.

All done!

Follow me on Twitter - Youtube - Bloglovin' - HelloCotton - Facebook - Pinterest

Highlights

Excuse the unimaginative title, but I was talking to Tami about NARS Albatross the other day, and thought it might be useful to have a little swatching session of my highlighter collection (the makeup variety - although I am a bit of a stationery nerd so I can do a post about my favourite Japanese pastel highlighter pens too if you so wish...). 

I currently have six on the go, and looking at the swatches I think that is totally necessary. They're all quite different. Right? RIGHT?! My current favourites are the No7 Vital Enlightening and MAC Extra Dimension Whisper of Gilt, both shades look quite natural on my yellow-toned skin. That said, they all get roughly equal usage so I would happily recommend any of them. 

(Clockwise from top left:  Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiane Cream in Rose Gold, MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl, MAC Extra Dimension Mineralize Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt, No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter Powder, NARS Highlighting Blush Powder in Albatross, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle)

(L-R: No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter Powder, MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl, NARS Highlighting Blush Powder in Albatross)

(L-R: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle, Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiane Cream in Rose Gold, MAC Extra Dimension Mineralize Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt)

Follow me on Twitter - Youtube - Bloglovin' - HelloCotton - Facebook - Pinterest

NOTD: LEX Tuilleries

I was browsing blogs a couple of weeks ago when I spotted this polish on Samariums Swatches. Sarah had layered OPI's Care to Danse? on top and I thought the results were so pretty that I went on a hunt for both. 

LEX Cosmetics are a pretty cool brand. The polishes cost $10 with anywhere from $1 to $3 being donated to a charity. What's more you can submit your idea for a polish, including a name and, if voted for, it could be created. As you might have guessed, Tuilleries is named after tulips (my favourite flower second only to peonies). The colour story is included on the website:

'First, tulips are one of the first signs that spring is really, truly, finally here! Second, they always remind me of my mother..... I would love to have a color that can represent her in every way: in beauty, in color, in her favorite things, and in her uniqueness. My color would be light pinkish-red with glass-like flecks of silver, red, pink, and orange within it to showcase the depth of both tulips and my mother.'

Tuilleries consists of red, white and purple glitters suspended in a sheer pink-mauve jelly. The forumla is great, application is easy and it is free from formaldehyde, DBP and toluene. Proceeds from the Tuilleries polish go to lung cancer research. 

I must include a massive thank you to Jessica from Getting Cheeky, who helped me get my grubby mitts on this as unfortunately LEX don't ship to the UK.

Follow me on Twitter - Youtube - Bloglovin' - HelloCotton - Facebook - Pinterest

Met Gala Trend Spotting

Dewy skin + lashes: Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara

Subtle smoky eye: Diana Agron  and Marion Cotillard (loved her entire look)

Burgundy lips: Camilla Belle and Kate Bosworth

Talking of which...Leighton Meester and Rachel Zoe were also sporting burgundy lips - with not quite as much success. I honestly don't wish to be mean, but Rachel looks like an extra from a bad 80s vampire film on the hunt for her next victim (and don't get me started on the dress). As for Leighton, she's normally a safe bet for this kind of thing, but she looks like she came out worse from a fight with a tin of Ronseal. Her dress really suited her, and she usually carries off a dark lip beautifully, but there's just too much going on for

What did you think of the outfits and makeup?

[photo source]

Follow me on Twitter - Youtube - Bloglovin' - HelloCotton - Facebook - Pinterest

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Masacara

(one coat)

Meet Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Stretch Lengthening mascara*. Bit of a mouthful, so we can just call it my favourite (ever?) mascara. 

The first thing I should probably address is that the photos do no justice to how black this mascara is, but I didn't want to edit the photos too much...I'll leave that to print media! As a result the effect is not quite as impressive, so you'll have to just trust me on this one.

The ends of my lashes are blonde, ombre if you will, so they are longer than they appear without mascara (lengthening or not), but they are most certainly not as long as they look with a coat of the ETK mascara. It gives the sort of (non-spider-y) length that I look for. Armani describe it very well as 'a high definition fringe in a single sweep'. It leaves my lashes long, but fanned out, slightly volumised and still somewhat natural looking. Unlike the L'Oreal False Lash Telecopic, it holds a curl and lasts all day without smudging or flaking. 

The brush is semi-flat, meaning you have dense bristles along two edges to grab and coat longer lashes, but also two shorter bristled sides to coat smaller lashes without smudging mascara all over your face - I didn't have any issues with clumping either. There is also a light, natural floral scent that I can't quite put my finger on. It's somewhere between rose and peony but it doesn't irritate my eyes at all. The end of the wand is slightly weighted too...it's the little things! 

It feels luxurious, and so it should because the price, as you could probably guess, is the real let down. High end mascaras from Dior, YSL etc. seem to hover around £22-23 but the Eyes To Kill Stretch Lengthening mascara is slightly more at £24.50. For me, it is worth it and I'm planning to use up all my current mascaras (I always seem to have multiple average ones on the go) and purchase this one. It out-performs all of my other mascaras without needing any titivation to sort out clumps/smudging/flaking. It's just luxe but highly dependable.

Available from Selfridges.

*PR sample

p.s. If anyone trolls Makeup Alley for reviews like I do...whilst I was looking up the price, I spotted it scores 4.6/5 on there. It seems I'm not the only one who adores it.

Follow me on Twitter - Youtube - Bloglovin' - HelloCotton - Facebook - Pinterest