M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid Foundation

Where would I be without this foundation – I absolutely love it! I must tell you straight off that it has quite a heavy coverage, as some people would not like this. This is an oil-based product so if you are prone to oily, spotty skin it might not be suitable for you. Personally I like this as it hides a multitude of sins and gives a smooth finish to your skin. It also has great staying power, lasting for at least up to nine hours. I apply it using my M.A.C foundation brush, which is much better than using your fingers as it really spreads the fluid evenly. The M.A.C brushes are made from real horse hair so can be washed and should last. If buying this glass bottle of foundation one tip I have for you is to purchase the pump that attaches to the bottle too. Otherwise you end up wasting a lot of the foundation. It also has an SPF 15, which is obviously very important to consider. If you are very environmentally conscious with all of your purchases (which I hope you are), fear not as M.A.C have a recycling policy. If you return any 3 empty M.A.C products you get a free lipstick, I think all cosmetic companies should follow this policy! See our professionals foundation tips on a previous post…

Available at Brown Thomas, Dundrum Town Centre or on-line

Clarins – Teint Eclat Confort (True Comfort Foundation)

This foundation was very impressive and had a lovely silky, smooth feel whilst applying. It just seems to glide over your face and really leaves a luminous glow on your skin. Definitely a medium coverage and, as it describes on the tube it’s “truly comfortable” to wear! It has great staying power lasting from morning to night and thankfully it also has an SPF 15 built in. This would be my second choice of foundation.

Clarins available in many chemists nation-wide, also department stores and on-line…

L’Oreal Paris, Visible Lift (Serum Inside)

This foundation is more suitable for mature skin as it has collagen and elastin among it’s ingredients for lifting and smoothing wrinkles. It spreads quite evenly when using a foundation brush and has a light/medium coverage. The staying power with this foundation wasn’t as long as the foundations above, and I found after four or five hours it had faded quite a bit. Visible Lift has an SPF 17.

L’Oreal available in chemists and most department stores nationwide.

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Well ladies, I?m sure you have all seen the ad on TV for the all new L’Oreal Roll?on True Match foundation. On behalf of all your faces (!) I tested this foundation out for you.

I have to admit, at first I was a bit skeptical about the roll on device. I wondered how exactly you can get into the creases around your nose, under the eyes etc. with a rigid applicant. Fear not, it actually worked perfectly, it just seems to glide over your face and does in fact get into ?fiddley? areas! It is very easy to apply and comes in a neat little case too.

Personally, I found the coverage too light for myself (but I?ll be the first to admit I like to use quite a heavy coverage foundation). If you have a good complexion and don’t need to cover much up, then this could be ideal for you. My advice is give it a go.

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Ireland has a new online Vintage emporium – www.AllThatsVintage.ie

According to the team at All That’s Vintage, the aim of this new site is to ?give everyone the opportunity to put their own stamp on their look, propelling them to instant fashionista status.? The website offers vintage clothing, jewellery and accessories in an easy to shop format.

Vintage pieces available on the site are sourced worldwide from places such as Paris, Berlin and New York and are delivered to anywhere within Ireland and the UK, for standard postage prices. The site offers high quality vintage pieces along with items from designers such as Vera Maxwell, Trifari and Eisenberg.

I had the pleasure of viewing some of the vintage jewelry available on the site in person, and they were very high quality and highly individual pieces. Although the site currently has a small amount of stock listed, this will no doubt grow over the coming weeks and months so it is worth keeping an eye on this site or signing up to their newsletter for updates.

Cameo earrings at www.allthatsvintage.ie for 73 euro.

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Over the past number of weeks I have been using a selection of sun protection products from the LA ROCHE-POSAY range and I must say I am very impressed with each and every one of them. Let me start with the face product – ANTHELIOS EXTREME FLUID 50+ VERY HIGH PROTECTION. Extreme fluid it certainly is so be warned as to how thin a liquid this is but so nice and easy to apply to the face and neck area. Previous products I have used felt as though they dragged on my skin to apply as they were much thicker textures. I am very happy with the protection level it gives me. It is water resistant and is recommended for combination to oily skin types. (There are three other types for normal to dry skin, Tinted Cream SPF50+, Melt-in cream with fragrance 50+ or Melt-in cream 50+ and 30+) It is also available in both 40 & 20 SPF. It is recommended to apply cream thirty minutes before exposure to the sun and to reapply regularly there after and even though it is a water resistant product it is advisable to reapply after bathing.

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Well, it is not very often that I get excited about using a sun protection cream so here is a first for me! I really loved this product from the minute I first applied it to my face and neck. It has such a lovely flowing velvety feel and so easy to apply evenly. It is a non perfumed product which I particularly like. More importantly it is also non-comedogenic (doesn’t cause blackheads!).The packaging is straight forward and I must say I am very impressed with the very informative leaflet enclosed, especially useful to me was the explanation of the difference between UVB and UVF because, as often as I am told the difference I forget just as quickly!

Also, when purchasing this product look out for the very informative brochure LA ROCHE-POSAY have supplied to Chemists concerning ‘Sun Risk Prevention From Mole to Melanoma’. They are also making a donation of One Euro to the Irish Cancer Society when you buy any Anthelios Fluid Extreme 50+ range.

I love the fact that this cream is tinted and lucky for me the light colour of the tint suits my skin which is fair perfectly – so much so that I now use it as a ‘tinted foundation’ but, of course I reapply regularly during the day when outdoors. I have been using this product for three weeks now and find it is giving me excellent protection from the elements! It comes in a 50ml size tube, is water resisant and is targeted at ‘Sun intolerant skin’. So in conclusion all I can say is that I would highly recommend this Sun Protection cream… as it does exactly as it says ‘on the tin’! The recommended retail price for this product is €19.50.

Don’t forget www.my-skincheck.com

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I have been trying out stretch mark creams over the last few weeks. The three products I tried were Vichy‘s new Anti-Stretch Mark Cream, followed by Clarins Stretch Mark Control and lastly Mama Mio Tummy Rub Stretch Mark Oil. Fortunately I don’t have any stretch marks – yet!! Prevention is better than cure and all that so here’s how I found the three products.

Of the three brands my favourite was the Vichy, it applied easily and absorbed into the skin without any residues or mess. It felt soft on application and had a light scent. I liked applying the Clarins at first until I noticed it sits on your skin in bits similar to those left on paper if you use an eraser over pencil! They also include a leaflet with instructions to gain the most benefit but you certainly couldn’t use this cream on any skin that would be exposed without looking like you were peeling. Finally came the Mama Mio, the first thing I noticed was the pleasant fragrance hinting of the wheatgerm ingredients used. This was an actual oil so after application there was no choice but to put on a dressing gown and have breakfast whilst waiting for most of the oil to be absorbed. It’s a nice product but if you don’t like that greasy feeling you get from oils you may want to opt for a cream instead otherwise a great little oil that comes in a really pretty box. Apparently celebs like Victoria Beckham, Christina Aguilera, Milla Jovovich and more have favoured this product.

To summise I’d recommend the Vichy, especially for anyone that is short of time, you just apply and go with no residue to mark your clothes. It should last you a few weeks and costs ?26.

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Normally having lank hair I try to avoid using hair masks but having just had my colour done something was needed to help the hair brush through the tangled mess!

I tried a hair mask by Kerastase this morning, Chroma Riche treatment mask for highlighted or sensitised, colour treated hair and was pleasantly surprised. My hair now feels so silky soft and knot free! Wash your hair as normal then apply the mask through your towel dried hair and leave for about fifteen minutes (according to the girl at the salon you could leave it in over night) then rinse out. If you’ve got fine hair and like lots of body I wouldn’t recommend this mask as it may be too much. If however you’ve been colouring your hair or just find brushing very difficult give it a go, it’s well worth it. I would imagine this product will last for months as you’d probably only need to use it weekly and it does give a salon treatment feel to your hair. Various salons sell this brand but most noted are Peter Mark.

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If you have straight hair that feels lank and lifeless when you use conditioner here’s some good news! Having tried several brands that just left my hair feeling greasy, dull and tangled instead of conditioned I was given Aussie Colour Matter conditioner to try, it’s perfect! It’s a god send after many arguments between hair brush and hair they are finally friends! If your hair tends to be really tangled brush the conditioner through your hair whilst still in the shower and it will work, I promise! Since my hair has now become less knotted I’m just using it through the ends and don’t plan to ever be without this conditioner.

Their blend of Australian wild peach extract definitely delivers on their promise to leave your hair gently conditioned. For anyone that stays away from conditioners because they have straight or fine hair I would highly recommend you give this one a go, even if just through the ends of your hair. I fully intend to try out more of their products going on this product alone.

www.aussiehair.com

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