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Read MoreMy Beauty Picks For A Hot Summer
Guys, I think its official. We’re having a good Summer - wooop!
I can’t blooming wait! More sea! More sun!! More gelato!!!
Changing your makeup and skincare for Summer can be a great way to edit what you have, throw out or give away some things you simply don’t use and update your skincare and beauty products. I recently had a good clear out, and had a plastic bag with old mucky lipsticks and half used cleansers. I put the products I like, but don’t use frequently enough in the cupboard near our bathroom (we have a v small house) and re-organised my beauty storage into lips/makeup, skin and hair. I used clear sandwich bags to pack all my makeup into, dividing into cheeks, lips and eyes. This is making me feel quite proud and jolly, as whenever I look over I get a rush #nailinglife.
With this clear out, I’ve had space to usher in a few new things, which I’ve tried recently, and reckon would be great for a Summer regime. It's very normal just to want to mix things up with a change of season and now is the perfect excuse. Easy, light and quick is what I want in Summer - although I might find a few of these slip into my routine for next year.
Moisturiser: Clinique Moisture Surge
My mum had this cream when I was young and I adored it. She was a firm user of Clinique for YEARS. The pink tub alone makes be go all nostalgic, and I still am a fan today. I think that this is a great summer cooling moisturiser for maybe when you’re a little bit burnt out or sweaty and need something light and refreshing. This is a very hydrating, soothing product that smells a bit like baby powder but for me holds lots of good memories and I still highly rate it now. Clinique is a younger brand, and won’t give you the extras (aka Rentinol) that more sophisticated products might, but it is perfect for that light and breezy non-sticky summer glow moisturiser. I've used this almost every day in the last few weeks and its really perfect for these hotter days. A must!
Cleanser: Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil
While I still think my Margaret Hema Cleanser is the best best best cleanser on the market, I must say I thought this was a nice wee alternative I'd certainly recommend. This cleanser is very useful to store on your sink. It has a pump that works excellently to get the product out fast and somehow starts out like an oil before transforming into a foaming like cleanser. I think that this practical element along makes it worthwhile as a Summer cleanse. I’ve used for this practical purpose alone (plus it has a satisfying smoosh noise). Just chuck in an overnights bag and go. Simple, light and easy, it will help get off last nights makeup and it a gentle and effective cleanser. Now down to the beach!t
Mask: Clinique Pep-Start Mask
This mask is a little weird but I am all for a little madness in my masks. Masks, for me, are like shoes - I can never have enough. Personally, this is more of a fun one for if you’re going out and just want to whack something on for two minutes and then rinse before makeup. It’s quick and light, but is superficial, rather than deeply hydrating or purifying. However, not all skincare has to be serious. Its gel to bubble texture is loads of run and very satisfying on the skin from a sensory perspective - who says everything should be serious! If it doesn’t sound like its for your, this could be a gorgeous Christmas present for a niece or little sister.
Mascara: Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye
My favourite beauty writer, Salli Hughes has called this a “Fabulously dense, carbon-black mascara that helps lashes hold their own against shadow.” As usual, I wholeheartedly agree with her (Sali, tweet me!)! I found there was a bit of smudginess under the eyes after a few hours when I first applied this mascara, as I have hooded eyes. However, my recent lash lift has helped with this and it delivers a tres pretty eye-look. A lovely choice for Christmas when you want something full but without the spidery look.
Lipstick: Tom Ford Bronze Soleil
This is a pinky rose gold lipstick with a metallic finish that will make beauty lovers sigh. Its a great natural shade with a little shimmer for a sparkly Christmas party. It lasts well, staying on my lips for four and a half hours, and was hydrating without feeling clingy. A great light, breezy, reminding me of Ibiza *or what I think Ibiza is like* that I’ll have stashed in my Cranfield’s Rattan bag all Summer long.
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Read MoreA Lipstick Love Affair
Lips are an evocative pair of things. You can tell a lot about a person because of their lips.
They say eyes are the window into a person's soul but lips are the door to their being and feelings. A kiss can change how you feel about someone all at once. A sneer can crush you and leave you in no doubt about what someone thinks of you. This is why we have such a love affair, as both men and women, with lipstick.
If you ask a man about eyeshadow, most will look blank. But ask about lipstick and they’ll definitely have an opinion; whether they like red, nude or gloss.
Similarly, most girls remember their mothers putting on lipstick, above any other makeup. The concentration, the pursing of the mouth. It conjures up all kinds of nostalgic feelings. There is an anticipation to lipstick, the need to impress, which another makeup like powder simply doesn’t excite.
Girls wear lipstick for themselves. It is a kind of shield against the world - one that at the door of our being can say a lot about our frame of mind - hard or soft, vulnerable or bold. I wear lipstick to make me feel better about starting the day, particularly if I am feeling low or weary.
This personal relationship we have to how we mouth off to the world is at the core of a new line of luxury lipsticks from Tom Ford Beauty, available in Wellington at David Jones - the Boys + Girls collection.
I was sent some from range to test out, and got to researching why this set of lippys plays upon the names of boys and girls. They’re not random; they’re each named after a person who its creator has a strong connection to. The first series, which came out last year, had each gorgeous named after men in Toms life who inspired him (the ones in the black tubes).
There are 50 Boy Shades and 50 Girl shades. The boy shades are more matte and the girl shades are sheer and shimmery.
This year, he released a second set named after the women who mean the world to him, encased in ivory. With names like Violet and Rosie and Naomi. Similar to the mystery of wondering what my mother was thinking when she’d put on her lipstick as a little girl, I found myself wondering whether Naomi meant Naomi Campbell or who Valentina might be. Part of the attraction of these lipsticks is certainly their packaging and marketing, creating mystique and romance.
The lipsticks themselves have a beautiful creamy texture, soft as velvet. Each is made with soja seed extract, Brazilian murumuru butter, and chamomile flower oil which feels as divine as it sounds. Even though they’re little and clutch-sized, they pack a punch when worn, with great roses, purples, fuchsia and coral, lasting with precision, languishing on your lips well into the night.
Lipstick for me is meant to be about putting on an elegant fanstasy from a tube, a little shot of magic, exactly what Tom Ford is trying to capture and best known for. He’s giving us a story of his own muses and men. Playing with the Tom Ford Lipsticks, trying them on, testing their colours was like being a child in a dress up box. Who did I want to be? Sometimes, we need the fantasy to help lift us when we are down. Perhaps I am Sofia? Or maybe Violet? Yes, definitely Violet. That’s who I am today…
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