As a person with oily skin I was excited to try out this product as it claimed to leave your skin Matte but luminous at the same time.  It sounded far too good to be true, as I usually have to load my skin with a brushing of powder after I apply my foundation.

But, I was super amazed with the results.  It went on effortlessly and felt like I was applying silk to my skin.  I did not need to apply any powder after this product as it felt like it had micro sponges that soaked up any excess oil on my skin.  It has such a gorgeous texture, almost like velvet and it really did leave my skin looking great.  It reduced the appearance of my fine lines and it worked wonders in covering those large pores that I hate so much.  I wore it to work and after a five hour shift it still looked really great, but any longer and I’m sure I would have to reach for the powder for my super shiny nose.

I used a foundation brush to apply, as it really works it in to those fine lines and blemishes.  Only a small amount of this product is needed at a time, and build your look up slowly, no trowels girls, please!  It comes in six different shades so be sure to test a tiny amount on your jaw line to find the perfect shade for you.  This product has a recommended retail price of €15.49 and gets the thumbs up from me

The Colour Range

Rosy Ivory

Golden Ivory

Creamy Natural

Rosy Sand

Apricot Beige

Golden Honey

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It has to be said ladies, the ultimate cherry on the cake for your make up has to be the false eyelashes.  Whether it’s for a party, wedding, girls night out or your debs, the false eyelashes will top off your gorgeous look and will make you stand out from the crowd, unless everyone has the same idea, in that case, you will all look ab fab!

If you are surviving on a budget, then I would recommend the Girls Aloud Lashes at €5.99 from your local chemist.  There are five to choose from so there will most certainly be one to suit your style.  I would advise that you get a good friend to help you apply the lashes, as they can be quite tricky to do on your own and you will often be left looking like you have one lazy eye!

If you find you have an extra bit of cash, then why don’t you pop down to your local beauty salon or lash bar for a more professional look.  Try to find somewhere that uses the individual lashes as they can be tailored to suit your eyes and often look more natural.  Prices will vary from about €15 – €30 so be sure to shop around for the best value.  Before you head in for your appointment make sure to have no mascara on as you want the false lashes to stick to your lashes, and not to the mascara.  This way they will last longer.  You can apply mascara afterwards when the glue has dried, but if you want your lashes to last longer, then do not apply mascara, as the oils in it break down the lash glue quicker.  When you are getting your lashes done, your eyes might water a little as the professional glue used in salons is much stronger than the latex glue you get in over the counter products.

Removing False Lashes:

You should expect these lashes to last about one week.  Don’t use oil based eye make-up remover on the lashes as that will dissolve the glue, unless you are trying to take them off.  Using a cotton bud to cleanse eye make-up off without going near the lashes will extend their life span.  If you are having trouble removing the last few lashes, try working a bit of Vaseline into the roots for a few minutes, or indeed leave a light layer of Vaseline on over night and they should slide of quite easily the next morning.  Home kits usually have small capsules with removal liquid in the packet.  Now go get that camel eyed look for your big night out!

For more read our Ask the Expert: Individual over Strip lashes post.

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This one is for all you ladies who like to have perfectly manicured talons at all times and would rather be caught dead than with a chip in your polish.  It’s a new craze to hit the world of beauty, 2 week manicures!  The brand I am aware of are called Gelish but there are many more available.  It applies like a nail polish, wears like a gel nail, but without the damage to your natural nail plate.

They are cured under a lamp like gel nails, and they last without chipping for 2-3 weeks on the hands and 4-5 weeks on the toes.  This brand have a great choice with 48 colours to chose from, some other brands have less so worth checking that out before you book in!  A great option if you are jetting off on holidays as it cuts down on the need for you to bring nail varnish remover, cotton wool and nail varnish for any touch ups.  God knows the hubby will be delighted that you are travelling lighter for a change!

Shop around for the best value.  Prices range from €15 if added on to a manicure to €30 – €65 if you opt just for the ‘Gelish’ treatment.

Off you go ladies and colour yourselves beautiful!

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Maybelline New York have sent us their Autumn Winter 2010 make-up trends which should help keep us up to date without breaking the bank…

After a month-long merry-go-round of catwalk shows, the Autumn/Winter 2010 collections are over!  Autumn’s brand new beauty trends are blissfully straight-forward and universally flattering.  Not everyone can afford fashions newest It items but a slick of lipstick in the right shade offers an instantly wearable way for women to get a so-this-season style update.  Add a nude eyeshadow, a luscious flick of liquid liner and a pretty pastel manicure and you’re ready for your close-up.  Here, Maybelline New York’s Celebrity Make-Up Artist Fiona Jolly, explains the key looks for Autumn/Winter 2010.

Go Nudist

Product must-have: Maybelline New York EyeStudio Mono in Silken Taupe (rrp €5.97)

We’re not recommending you throw away your clothes – just strip back your make-up!  At the shows, chic shades of caramel, camel and beige were accentuated with rose lips for a look reminiscent of Calvin Klein’s early Nineties minimalism.  But for 2010, Fiona Jolly notes that “This time around the nude trend has a 21st century twist, using modern shimmer and shine, as seen at Balmain and Preen.”

There was also beautifully bare make-up at Carlos Miele where nude skin and NEW Lash Stiletto Voluptuous mascara [rrp €11.94] created an innocent look.  Maybelline New York’s Spanish Make-up Artist, Gato, was inspired by “sophisticated women” and blended nude and sand shades on the cheeks, using Pure.Cover Liquid Mineral concealer [rrp €8.99] as a highlighter.  That’s multitasking!  Just dot it over your cheekbones and then blend. Although Gato warns that, “this is not a look for little girls,” going nude is one of the most wearable trends this season.  Fiona Jolly advises that, “concentrating on your makeup’s texture – and eradicating colour – will create the ultimate elegant finish for the Go Nudist look.”

According to Fiona, “the chicest way to go nude is by smoothing on Dream Creamy moisturizing foundation [rrp €12.34].  Groom your brows!  The easiest way is to use a clean mascara wand and brush them upwards to give your face an athletic edge.”  Sweep dark grey or chocolate shadow into the outer sockets of your eyes and smudge a neutral taupe across the whole eyelid.  If you’re doing night-time nude, smear soft shimmer over the lid (Fiona swears by EyeStudio Mono in Taupe and Chocolate Chic [rrp €5.97].)  “Using a creamy pencil inside your inner eyelid will make the whites of your eyes appear brighter,” says Fiona, who also suggests a slick of natural gloss on the lips citing that, “neutral lip gloss is a girl’s best friend!  Just make sure you choose a shade that works with your natural skin tone.” To finish off this look, use the NEW Colour Sensational Pearls in Cashmere Rose [rrp €10.45] over the lips.

All very affordable prices and a great way to buy in to the seasons trends if budgets don’t allow new wardrobes!

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Do I even have to elaborate?  Yes, you guessed it, the dreaded in growing hair.  It is the bane of our otherwise perfectly groomed bikini lines.  But, I have discovered a solution!  Avon solutions plus Total Radiance Skin Refining Clay Mask.  Yes, it was originally intended for use on oily, spotty skin.  But as I was sitting one evening, face thickly packed with this fabulous mask, I saw in the ingredients list that this product contains salicylic and glycolic acid.

Salicylic acid works from the outside dissolving dead cells that block pores and hair follicles.  Glycolic acid penetrates deep into the dermal layer of the skin, encouraging new cells to grow, thus pushing blockages and dead cells out of blocked pores.

So I applied some of this mask to my bikini area, as I do suffer with pretty bad ingrown hairs.  The next day my bikini line was as good as new!  So now, every time I have a bikini wax I wait the obligatory 24hrs, then apply my wonder mask, leave it on for 20 mins, and viola – no more pesky lumps and bumps.  Trust me girls, it works a treat!

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As someone who is ALWAYS allergic to mascaras (other than Clinique), I approached this product with caution and some cold wet soothing cotton discs!  I needn’t have bothered with the discs as this is one of the rare times that mascara other than my old reliable didn’t irritate my eyes.  At first the theory was ‘it’s only been a couple of hours… days… ‘ but no bleeding of the eyes occurred.

As for the actual mascara it went on easily with no clumping or excess product on the brush.   The brush is slightly curved in the shape of the lash line and the holder itself is boxed widening at the brush end.  The consistency is nice and thin so there’s no wastage wiping it on a tissue and it doesn’t clump on the lashes.  It definitely did accentuate the lashes making them longer and thinner which was great leaving a very natural finish.  By the end of the day it didn’t look as fab as at the start but because it’s so thin and light weight you can top it up without looking like Aunt Sally.

Over all this mascara gets the thumbs up and would be recommended to those looking for a natural finish minus any clumping. Value for money on this one with a RRP of €11.99.

Flutter power: 8/10

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What a fab Summer we are having, it’s a much welcome change to the torrential rain soaked days of the last few years.  So obviously there is a lot more skin on show and if we are showing off more skin we have to have it beautifully tanned, fake of course!  And to go with our beautiful tans is the gorgeous colour, coral.  It looks fab with tanned or sallow skins and if you find that you are not quite brave enough to wear a coral piece of clothing, you can just add a splash of the colour by using nail polish or a lip colour.  Three of my fave pieces in this colour are:

Jessica Coral nail polish, €14.99 from all good salons.

Avon lip plumping lipstick in Crystallised Coral, €7 from your local Avon representative.

Essence return to Paradise lipgloss, €2.29 (bargain!) from your local Essence stockist.

So ladies, now you have absolutely no excuse to trail behind on this fresh Summer colour trend.

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Ok, so we don’t actually want to you get the glum look but check out Chezza’s nails.  Love it, sophisticated evening time to party look that can’t be that hard to recreate at home minus the room full of pamper people!  The nail varnish Ms. Tweedy wears here is actually from Nubar and is from their Autumn Winter collection.  They are predicting blue as the new hue!  As this is an eco friendly varnish it’s a hit with the celebs already and apparently Lily Allen is also a fan of this brand.

Anyway, this varnish will cost you €9.50 and if you prefer something a little brighter than Cheryl’s Navy blue they also have the Mali blue.  Use a wooden orange wood stick dipped in nail varnish remover to clean any mishaps from around the edges.  Don’t forget your base coat as this WILL stain your nails a nasty yellow and throw on a lick of top coat to give it an extra shine.

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Q: I have dark circles under my eyes, help!  What can I do?

A: Dark circles under the eyes are caused when tiny blood vessels are weakened and then rise to the surface, making them more visible and appearing as dark circles.  People get them when they are run down, do not have a sufficient diet, are tired or stressed.

To combat dark circles you should first look at your diet and try to eat plenty of food high in vitamin K such as spinach, broccoli, cabbage and asparagus.  You can also combat this problem from the outside using an eye cream with added vitamin K.  I would recommend a product from the Dermedique range called ‘vitamin K gel’.  It is a clear fragrance free gel that is suitable for even sensitive skin.  The vitamin K penetrates deep into the damaged blood vessels under the eyes and strenghthens their walls, making them sink back down into the skin where they will be no longer visible as dark circles.  I would also reccomend that you keep any eye cream in the fridge as the cool temperature then has a tightening effect on the skin, great for those unwanted bags!  Also, try to get out every day for a walk as exercise and fresh air will help.

While you are trying to combat the problem use a good concealer.  La Roche-Posay have a great one out as do Rimmel, remembering to go a shade lighter than your skin tone.

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Well, for me personally I’d have to say nay I’m afraid.  But, only because I like to wear my eyeliner pretty heavy and quite thick and the nib on this particular liner is pretty tiny.  Don’t get me wrong, I do think it’s a great product; it goes on well, it lasts smudge free for the day and it does not irritate the eyes.  I think it is really only suitable for a fresh day time look as above, or for someone who likes to keep it very natural.

It also took me ages to figure out how to actually get the nib to come out, but eventually I realised it’s a twist up nib.  It comes up a tiny bit at each click, but for someone like me who wears heavy eye make up every day, stay clear.  I don’t think it would be a good investment for heavy users, I myself would probabbly go through one a week!  Imagine how the goths would feel!  I would probably bring it on holiday to the sun.  You know when you are walking around soaking up the rays and you just want that fresh, sunkissed look?  Well, this product would be ideal with a dab of clear lip gloss and a sweep of some bronzer on the cheeks, perfecto!

The recommended retail price for this liner is €7.59 which is good value for money for anyone looking for a thin finish liner.

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