Makeup for the new season

gosh-aw16 - 1Mentioned many times before, but always worth reiterating: every season, GOSH launches something that stays it me until the next season. Fact.

This time is no different. Over dinner at the beautiful Sea Containers at one of my favourite London hotels, the Mondrian, GOSH unveiled their AW16 collection and they have a fabulous lot, which is already available to buy!

The new collection focuses on the Nordic/Danish raw beauty of nature. Key ingredients include bladderwrack seaweed, a brown algae that grows along the Danish coast and boast healing and regenerative properties.

Not long ago, I talked about the makeup/skincare hybrid trend, which is growing in the beauty industry; GOSH AW16 really invests heavily on this.

gosh-aw16 - 6I’ll start with my favourite product in the collection, the Overnight Primer Oil Essence. It won my heart just for being an oil. However, it is an addition to the massive selection of primers that GOSH offers.

It is meant to prime your skin overnight, by regenerating it to receive makeup in the morning. This oil is packed with antioxidants, fatty acids and caring oils, including French lavender, blackcurrant seed, argan and jojoba oils.

Great for using alone or combined with our your favourite moisturiser, it’s light and applies so well, being absorbed by the skin in seconds.

In the morning, skin is plump and radiant; repeated use has anti-ageing properties and help strengthen the skin. And the price is fantastic: only £14.99 for 30ml.

gosh-aw16 - 8Still on the makeup/skincare territory, comes the Foundation Plus+. With a dewy coverage, this foundation and concealer in one also provide nourishment from liquid sea minerals, hyaluronic acid and bladderwrack seaweed.

The coverage is excellent, but the result is very light and natural; it blends really well. Durability wise, it will take you through a work day, and it contains SPF 15 for extra protection.

It comes in five shades and costs£9.99 for 30ml.

gosh-aw16 - 9Also for the face, there is the super practical Contour’n Strobe Kit. A massive disc with a pretty highlighter, a soft blusher, a pretty bronzer and a great contour shade, for only 12.99.

Comes in two colours and it has everything for a sculpted look. The pigmentation is great, the consistency too; blending is easy-peasy.

gosh-aw16 - 5Moving on from skin, I have to talk about the Giant Pro Liner. This chubby eyeliner might seem impractical, but it’s a blessing for thicker lines – the way I like mine. The tip is just thin enough o produce a decent flick.

Colour wise is super black and lasts very well – no smudging or melting.

gosh-aw16 - 4 (1)More on eyes, the Lash Sculpting Fibre Mascara contains fibres in its formula that attach to the lashes, offering super volume and length.

The brush is shaped to aid that by lifting, curling and lengthening the lashes. The formula is creamy, non-drying and does not smudge.

It sells for £9.99 and also contains their star ingredient bladderwrack seaweed.

gosh-aw16 - 3What about brows? Covered! Also with fibres, the Brow sculpting Fibre Gel is a all-in-one brow product, offering colour, filling, setting and boosting.

The little brush is great to shape and the final result is natural and full. Comes in two shades and costs £6.49.

gosh-aw16 - 2Of course, their superb Velvet Touch lipstick range gets some autumnal matt additions: Cinnamon, Cranberry, Grape and Purple.

All very wearable and I cannot say enough how much I love the Velvet Touch range, a superb value at £6.99. I’m not stranger to this range; you can read my full review here; they are always with me!

Always worth mentioning that, apart from the lipsticks (which contain beeswax), all the products are vegan, and most do not contain perfumes or parabens.

You can get the whole new collection, and much more from GOSH at Superdrug, online and in selected stores.

signature1

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Highlighting with theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

thebalm_maryloumanizer_highlighter_review - 1Oh how a love a good highlighter. I use it every day; subtle for work and amped up for going out. Regardless of its intensity, it is always present.
I had been dying to try theBalm products for a while, as a friend in Brazil, Joana Freitas, a makeup artist, has great things to say about the brand and had raved about this product in the past.
When it came to Debenhams, I knew it was only a matter of time. Luckily for me, inside the fabulous Debs’ end of the year party goodie bag, I found the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter staring me in the face.
thebalm_maryloumanizer_highlighter_review - 2The colour is great, it is a warm golden beige, with just the right amount of shimmer, a bit different from anything I tried before, which are usually peachy, pinky or white-ish/yellow gold highlighters.
It blends like butter, has a good pigmentation and last well, I find perfect for everyday as is quite discreet, giving a lovely sheen, catching the light very well and effortless to put on.

Plus, the cute and cheeky vintage inspired packaging gives it extra brownie points with me, although in general, the compact, with a mirror, is super simple and without a lot of weight to it.

I really love this highlighter and although I have an extensive collection, this one certainly has a place among the others.
thebalm_maryloumanizer_highlighter_review - 5You can get theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer at Debenhams, for £17.50 online and in selected stores.
It is super popular, so might be difficult to pin down. Cindy-Lou is a lovely rose and Betty-Lou is a warm bronzer that you might want to try too.
signature1
This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Shine and shade with the gorgeous Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit palette

hourglass_ambient_lighting_edit_palette_review - 1Can Hourglass do anything wrong? From what I can gather, the answer is no. I am flooded with fear every time I approach the counter as I know I am about to part with a great chunk of money.

With the Ambient Lighting Edit palette is no different. In fact I knew it wouldn’t as last time they brought out an ambient lighting trio, I was very close to buying it.

This one has six amazing products – a powder, two highlighters, two blushes and a bronzer.

The powder, called iridescent Strobe Light and is new to the brand, gives that airbrushed effect, it’s almost translucent for my skin tone, with a glow sheen to set and tune skin to perfection.

I have to admit that this is only good for me when my problem skin is having a good day as it doesn’t conceal much.
hourglass_ambient_lighting_edit_palette_review - 4The highlighters are beautiful; a subtle, non-glittery shine that catches and reflects the light beautifully.

Dim Light has a peach undertone to blur and highlight and Diffused Light is pale yellow, or white-golden to boos clarity and conceal redness.

Both work very well. hey are so subtle that you will only realise they are hard at work when the light catch it. Beautiful and long lasting too.

hourglass_ambient_lighting_edit_palette_review - 3The blushers are marvellous. Mood Exposure has a soft plum tone and is fused with Mood Light powder, for extra brightening. I didn’t think would go with my skin, but it’s my favourite.

Luminous Flush is a champagne rose shade combined with Luminous Light powder, to add a candlelit glow.

The fact they are marbled with some of the powders created a gorgeous colour which is subtle, multi-dimension and multi-tasking. They are very pigmented, extremely blendable and complimentary to the highlighting powders.

The bronzer, Luminous Bronze Light, was my biggest surprise. A medium tan shde is fused with Luminous Light, for a very soft and warm glow.

hourglass_ambient_lighting_edit_palette_review - 6It is subtly glittery, it has good pigmentation (a little goes a long way!), applies well and makes for a decent light contour.

Every single product in this palette is very wearable. The compact is gorgeous and a pleasure to whip out of the makeup bag, although not that small. It is great for a day to night transformation or touch ups in the day. Hourglass says the colours are complimentary to all skin tones.

The deal breaker with the Ambient Lighting products is their Photoluminescence Technology, which filters out harsh light and refine the appearance, as if the skin is glowing from within and not the surface. Hourglass products are free from parabens, talc, fragrance, nanoparticles and gluten.

  Is it with the £65 price tag? If it’s within your budget, definitely yes. I thought I was going to regret. Well, I didn’t, especially when I picked it up at the beautiful Liberty London.

signature1

Bronde, strobing, baking and clown-contouring: are they really new?

feature1Recently we have seen “new” beauty “trends” popping up everywhere: strobing, bronde and clown-contouring.

Continue reading