Estee Lauder Zodiac Powder Compact - Pisces

Estee Lauder Zodiac Powder Compact - Pisces - £65 here.

As we enter the month of Christmas, I thought I'd share an early Christmas present that I received from Estee Lauder, the brand that I work for. All Beauty Advisors were gifted a Zodiac Powder Compact in their star sign and a gorgeous Aspinal of London bracelet. I probably prefer the compact out of the two but that is just typical me!

The compact is quite small and thin, it features two fish and my birthstone which is Aquamarine. It comes in a velvet pouch, which I like because it protects the outside from scratching and gives it a really luxury feel. The powder inside is Lucidity, a gorgeous finely milled pressed powder in 06 Translucent. The compact being small makes it handy for touch-ups during the day as it fits snugly in my make-up bag, the texture of the powder is perfect for multiple touch-ups as it is so light that it will never get cakey.

The compact is beautifully made and I was so chuffed to receive such a personal gift as an employee.

This powder comes everywhere with me and I have really been enjoying using it!

Probably the best thing about the compact is that it is refillable so I can keep using the gorgeous casing forever!

What do you think of the Estee Lauder Zodiac Compacts?

YSL Touche Éclat Foundation in BD50 Review

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Foundation in BD50 - £29

I have been meaning to do this review for a few months now as I have been really enjoying using this foundation. The YSL Touche Eclat Foundation is a light to medium coverage very dewy foundation which brightens the complexion and gives your skin a lovely glow.

The packaging is really something too - the glass bottle with gold top looks gorgeous on any dressing table and despite being glass is fine for travelling with (for me).

No make-up (Christ!)

Wearing nothing but YSL Touche Eclat Foundation in BD50

The shade is perfect for me, not too dark and not too light, pretty spot on.  You can see from the above photo that the foundation is very dewy and I always like to set it with powder to make sure it lasts longer. I do this with all my foundations as it can wear off on me without. 

Full face done and set with powder!

Despite setting it lightly with powder my skin still looks radiant and the coverage is enough just to even out skin tone and minor blemishes - it did a great job at tackling a scar from a blemish on my cheek which I didn't go over with concealer!

If you like a light to medium foundation with a dewy finish then this one could be for you! It feels really lightweight when I have it on and lasts quite nicely throughout the day.

Have you tried the Touch Eclat foundation?

(P.S I'm wearing:

Blazer - Primark

Shirt- Sparke & Fade

Necklace - H&M)

Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in 6 Warm Natural

Just a quick post about the powder I picked up the other day while shopping in London - the Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder. 

I can never just 'pop' into Selfridges, I always ends up with a purchase, although I was quite proud that I only picked up this one product. I had been wanting to try this powder for ages as I was looking to replace my current 'handbag powder': Mac's Mineralize Skin Finish. I love the Mac powder, however I was looking for something colourless, with a translucent formula that was light and perfect for a quick powder during the day that wasn't going to make me cake up or look too 'full coverage'.

I also wanted a powder with a mirror in it, so I can see what I'm doing while I'm powdering instead of having to use a separate mirror.  I picked up the shade Warm Natural 6 which is absolutely perfect. I was going to order one online without being shade matched as they are translucent, however I thought it best to be matched up in person to avoid too much of a white cast. 

The powder comes in Bobbi's sleek black packaging and comes with a powder puff which I don't tend to use. I've been using this powder with my Real Techniques Powder Brush as it's large and distributes the powder lightly and evenly. I have been loving this powder since I got it and have been reaching for it daily. It's also great for setting your foundation and concealer quickly if you're running short on time and don't want to faff around with loose powders. Just a quick sweep through the t-zone and under the eyes. 

This powder hasn't caked up on me or become too heavy despite sometimes re-applying throughout the day. A thumbs up from me!

The Sheer Finish Pressed Powder can be purchased from any BB counter and on their website.


What's your favourite face powder?

Beauty in a flash: 10 minute on-the-go make-up for busy gals!

Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day to do a full face of make-up, may it be you've woken up late and are rushing out the door or you have to pop out suddenly in a hurry and want to make yourself look a bit fresher and more polished!

I've collated my favourite quick and easy tips on how to get as polished as possible within 10 minutes and put it into this blog post for you to try out yourself - I'd love to know how it works for you!

What you need:

• Hydrating moisturiser
• Hydrating eye cream
• Brow pencil
• Eyelash curlers
• Mascara
• Powder (Non-translucent)
• Big fluffy powder brush
• Your favourite blusher
• Hydrating lip balm

1. Apply a hydrating moisturiser to prep your skin, you want to look plumped, healthy and glowing. The way to lovely looking skin is all about being hydrated. Follow this with a hydrating but not heavy eye cream. Tip: For maximum hydration, look for products containing Hyaluronic Acid. I used Clarins HydraQuench Lotion with SPF15 and Emu Oil Well Moisturising Eye Cream - both contain Hyaluronic Acid. Make sure your moisturiser always contains a SPF - it's so important.

2.  Make sure your brows are neat and tidy. A polished look can be ruined by bushy or unkempt brows. Pluck any strays and wrestle them into a neat shape with your fingers (or a spoolie if you wish). Lightly feather in some colour and shape using an eyebrow pencil slightly lighter than your brows (you don't want scouse brows!) Use your fingers to brush through them afterwards to make sure the colour is all even and natural looking. Brows are so important as they shape the face, don't spend long just make them look shapely and natural. I used Mac's Brow Pencil in Lingering. (It's so good that I urge you to go out and buy one NOW).

3. Curl your eyelashes from root to tip for a dramatic wide awake look. Long, curled eyelashes will transform your face and make you look wide awake. I used Shu Uemura eyelash curlers. Follow with lashings of mascara, 2 coats on top lashes and 1 coat on bottom lashes. I used my all time favourite Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara.

4. Next, you want a face powder full of colour - not transparent. Use a big fluffy powder brush to sweep into your powder and dust lightly all over your face. Not too much powder though - this step is just to even out your skin tone without the use of a proper foundation or concealer. To conceal darker areas like under the eyes, concentrate on those areas slightly more but with a light hand to keep it looking natural. For this I used my Real Techniques powder brush and Mac Studio Fix Powder. This powder is great when used for a light dusting as it's very pigmented and evens everything out in one thin coat to save you looking dry and cakey.

5. After powdering, use your favourite blush to inject some colour and life into your cheeks. You've evened out your skin tone to a nice, flat colour, but without adding a blush or bronzer, your face can lack life and look a bit dull, not to mention lacking shape and contour.  Use your fingertips to grab some blush and carefully apply it along your cheekbone by dabbing and blending. A powder or cream blush is fine. By applying it to your cheekbones, it's doubling up as a blush/contour - this will give your face a bit of dimension and slim down your face. 

6. If you find the blush isn't as even as you'd like, take your fluffy powder brush again, pinch the bristles between 3 fingers so the bristles becomes thinner and more dense. The brush is now the perfect shape to run along your cheekbones. Use this in a slanted back-and-forth action while sucking your cheeks in to buff the blush out into a smooth wash of colour. I used Laura Mercier Second Skin Blush in Peach Whisper.

7. Lastly, pick your most hydrating and shiny lip balm to smooth any chapped, flaky skin and add shine. I used Blistex MedPlus for lips.

Extras: If you have any extra time or products, add a cream highligher to brow bone and top of cheekbones for a glow, I'd use Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow in Rose Gold. Use a light-reflective concealer in a correcting shade (salmon or peach) for dark areas under the eyes if you need a little extra help with darkness, I'd use Clinique Airbrush Concealer in 02 Medium. Lastly, over the top of the lip balm I'd apply a juicy neutral coloured lipgloss like Mac's Cremesheen Glass in Richer, Lusher for fuller, juicier lips.

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So those are my top tips for getting polished, fast. Let me know what you think!

Apologies for my absence.....LOTS more coming soon!! Promise :-)