Product Review: Benefit Pore Professional

benefit_pore.jpg First off I want to admit that I don't struggle that much with large pores. Well, at least I think I didn't till I tried this product. It's not that my skin worsesned after use, rather that my nose area seemed so much smoother that made me wonder why I'd never tried a pore product before. The Benefit Pore Professional is a lightweight skin tinted cream that has been created to help minimize large visible pores and provide both concealing colour and a lightweight finish. I wasn't too impressed by the rather dull green packaging, but the texture of the product more than made up for that. Bizarrely silky to touch, it adhered to the skin like a fine sheen of mist, sinking in without clogging, and giving amazing translucent coverage. Pores looked instantly finer and smaller, and the finish was very smooth and soft. They do say that this is suitable all for skin tones, but as the shade is quite fair I'm not sure how that would work. A secondary quality to this is that the packaging is masculine enough for my boyfriend to use it. He was impressed with the finish as well, and amusingly compared it to Olay Anti Wrinkle Filler, as he felt it had a similar effect. Thumbs up from both sexes.


Product Review: Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Collection

Digging into our fall makeup box we're very excited about the Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Collection. Yes, yes, we were seduced by the beautiful image of Hilary Rhoda. But trying out a few of the colors has only improved...


Makeup Bag of the week : Breadcrumb’s Vivien Makeup Bags!

Bedcrumb makeup bags.jpg The very nature of my job means I get to see a LOT of makeup bags, but rarely do I get this excited. The images of the Vivien makeup Purses from Breadcrumb literally had me sit up and go 'ooh' and I think they're so pretty. Each purse is unique and has a different bead detail on the zip, they all come with an adorable keyring and I love how they have little details like postmarks and kisses on the reverse. £15.95 from Bedcrumb


Gossip Girl inspired nail polish from Nicole by OPI

Even if you don't get your manis on the Upper East Side, you can still get Gossip Girl glossy nails with a new collection from Nicole by OPI. There are four shades of blues, greens and silvers with names...


Taylor Momsen is the face of John Galliano’s new perfume

Let me tell you, it was hard to find a picture of Taylor Momsen where she looked remotely classy enough to be mentioned as the new face of John Galliano's as-yet unnamed scent being released this fall. Obviously, a...


Festival Makeup Gallery: The Secret Garden Party

This weekend saw the advent of the Secret Garden Party and many happy ravers descended into the fields of Cambridge to laugh, play and dance their little hearts out. Amongst the many, many revellers, there were some who stood out...


Sneak Preview Gallery: Beauty Delights from Selfridges this Christmas

Christmas may be a long time away but brands are already planning their Christmas Collections. I was invited to a sneak preview of the opulent Selfridges Christmas Press Event and was astounded by the amount of lovely beauty gifts available. From beauty advent calendars to a Benefit Dolls House there's something for everyone. Products will be out later this year. Enjoy! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO START THE GALLERY


Yllume Ultimate Illuminating Complex: A miracle in a bottle

Yllume cream.jpg Pronounce 'ee-loom' this tricky to spell product is the latest wonder cream to hit the UK, and I'm afraid I have to tell you that it 100% works. The cream was created to give your skin more radiance and help prevent prenature aging, and it uses a range of impressive ingredients to do so. Formulated to work as part of a two step rpgranme, the cream is designed to be used in conjunction with their specialist skin supplement, to heal the body inside and out. Due to the fact that I'm not very good at taking pills, I've just been trialling the moisturiser for the last four weeks, and am happy to report that you can get great results without swallowing daily supplements (though I'm sure they help). The first things I noticed about the Yllume Ultimate Illuminating Complex was the amazing packaging. The glass bottle is placed inside a fantastic display tube, which opens to reveal the cream within. The bottle itself is comfortably heavy to hold, and cream is dispensed via a small pump at the top. Shades of pink and white make up the colour scheme, and it looks extremely stylish in the bathroom. The cream has an odd, herby smell, which is difficult to pinpoint. The paraben free formula uses Pomegranate Seed oil & extract, Rosehip Seed oil, so they may be the culprit, but though the smell is distinct it's not unpleasant. The cream is light yellow to look at, but sinks in straightaway, giving the top layer of skin a lovely sheen and making it feel velvety to touch. Dry within twenty seconds, skin feel instantly softer and prolonged use of the cream led to my complexion looking brighter and feeling a lot softer. Yllume uses 95% natural ingredients in its formula, harnessing the great properties of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, to impart the skin with moisture. They've included Hyaluronic Acid in the product to allow the vitamins to penetrate, and I found this cream really improved the texture and appearance of my skin. £115 from Yllume


Edward Bess comes to the UK!

Edward Bess has achieved a lot in his 23 years, a modelling career and a range of makeup that has cult status! Previously only available across the ocean, Edward Bess products are now being stocked exclusively at Zuneta. The3 video above shows you the man himself talking about his range and his vision. It's a bit weird hearing the startling attractive buy androgynous man talk about how he has chosen cosmetics to 'celebrate his image of female beauty', but then he says cute stuff such as his products are 'goof proof', and you forgive him. The range specializes in high quality neutrals, with a selection of eyeshadows, lipsticks and lip glosses. The emphasis is on quality, and the pricepoint reflects this- these are investment products rather than spur of the moment buys. I was quite impressed with how finely milled the eyeshadows were, as taupe and neutral shades had a velvety quality and proved very long lasting. Silky soft to touch they glided onto the skin, and the black glossy packaging was very luxurious. What to watch out for: lipwardbrobe.jpg The Lip Wardrobe, £310 from Zuneta This large glossy box contains 10 lipsticks and 5 lipglosses in a range of shades from nude to red. They're delicately scented with fig which is quite unusual, and they look lovely on the lips. afterglow.jpgAll Over Seduction, £29 from Zuneta I'm a big fan of this highlighter as it allows you to layer it and blend it during the day. A quick sweep gives you cheekbones, whilst more meticulous application can give you great eyes, or defined brows. It works well as a creamy shadow too.


Christina Hendrick’s cat-eye shadow from the Mad Men premiere

I can't wait for the Mad Men premiere Sunday. Sure, I want to know what's happening at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, but more importantly I want to see the fashion, hair and makeup. The ladies gave us a stylish...