NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Light 1 Siberia

Foundation is bloody hard. I want something for when I am at work. A product which applies quickly, evenly, can double up as a concealer, and which lasts. I apply my makeup at 6.00am, I am out of the house by 6.30am and don't have any opportunity for touch ups and barely time to look in the mirror. I have a skin which is on the oilier side of normal but too much powder and I look like a piece of old leather. So it has to be the right shade, sit happily over my myriad of skin care layers and last, lasting is important, oh and I would quite like that it doesn't oxidise, in fact scrap the "quite like" I do not want it to oxidise.

Of course I have tried NARS Sheer Glow in the past, and have been complemented on it's skin enhancing abilities when I have worn it, but bizzarely I abandoned it, I think that it was because of the shade thing. I have fair skin, I am not the fairest of the fair and I have redness and brown patches, hyperpigmentation, old freckles, whatever you want to call it, I have several shades on my face which I want to unify. I originally bought Mont Blanc, but it is now too pink for me and I look permanently, well pink. As I have aged I have become redder, and when I was shade matched, the opinion was for a shade which was too dark and too yellow (Deauville I think) so I went with what I though and bought Siberia.  And yes it is a pale primrose yellow, but it cancels out my redness.

It lasts really well - above is a close up after a good 8hrs of wear - it does last longer but there is a paucity of daylight at this time of year in UK. Yes I look quite shiney but I have learned that when one is older and oily that is better than powdery old leather.

The pump, I feel is a must when one purchases but I wish that it  came with an integral pump with a lid.

Last week I went to Paris and I bought...

Last week I was in Paris. The last time I was in Paris was more than thirty years ago on my honeymoon - we drove through it and my OH was gripped with diarrohea and had to stop at a pharmacy and came out with extra large sanitary pads, the least said, the better.

However this time was a much needed family holiday and it was great, lovely weather, amazing architecture, polite, helpful people and just deep joy all around.

I was content to do what everyone else wanted to do with the proviso that I would be going into as many pharmacies as I could. I wanted to go to CityPharma in St.Germain and I managed that on the last day, so what I bought is a mixture of CityPharma purchases and other pharmacy purchases, yes some are available in the UK and until the end of October Escentual has 1/3 off all French Pharmacy brands, so the prices are not hugely cheaper especially with Euro - Pound exchange currently, but it was such fun.

I will review each product properly as time goes on but currently am just loving looking at them.

More products that I have used up in the past couple of months

So, more products that I have used up in the past couple of months - probably over the summer if truth be told.

Sunday Riley Blue Moon Cleansing Balm - I have gone through two full sized tubs straight and have given myself a bit of a rest from this product, not because I have fallen out of love with it, but because I love it too much, and I zip through it if it was going out of fashion. For my skin, it just works, it is nourishing and hydrating. I have another pot to see me through the winter - my original thoughts here. £46 for 100mls

Margaret Dabbs Foot Hygiene Cream - another regular purchase for me, although for some reason I haven't lately, maybe the cooler weather. What I like about this product is that it removes and then prevents build up of dry skin on the feet by simply massaging it in everyday. Original thoughts here £18 for 100mls jar

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - I never got Bioderma, it just didn't suit me. This is cheaper and more effective. To be honest I only ever use it after my main makeup remover to check everything is off, it is almost a redundant step, and often it leaves my skin a bit too wet, almost an unwelcome cold and wet wakeup call after my soothing massaging of my current cleansing balm/oil, but sometimes I want the extra insurance, especially if I am going to follow on with a mask of some sort.

Omorovicza Copper Peel - I am very dubious about using any sort of abrasive exfoliant nowadays, my skin just can't take it any more and my thread veins have a nasty resemblance to ice skates on an ice rink. This is a two-phase product, a green paste applied all over and quickly followed by the clear gel which makes a sort of foam. There is no irritation at all, and my skin looks brighter, end of. £90 for 16 tubes, I use less than a third every couple of months or so.

Omorovicza Gold Eye Lift Cream - A very lovely, very nourishing eye cream. I find that Omorovicza does light but dense textures very well. I am not sure that I would repurchase this eye cream because I found my samples of the Blue Diamond Eye Cream by Omorovicza more suited to my needs. I can't find this on the Omorovicza website so maybe it is no longer available.

Nude Advance Renewal Eye Cream - I do have a bit of a thing about eye creams. This one is a repurchase several times over because it does slightly tighten, comes in a pump, is light enough to use am, but rich enough to use pm £48 for 15mls.

Products I have used up in the past couple of months

A few cleansers and a day moisturiser.

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser - I used this am only. It is quite zingy, and maybe it is a bit too zingy for my skin. I used the Refreshing Cleanser with great success, and that maybe simply due to the smell, Refreshing is grapefruity and Purifying has a slightly more astrigent note to my nose. It is £49 for 125mls, and lasted me about 4 months of am only use.

Omorovicza Hydra Melting Cleanser - this is a delight, a sheer and utter sensorial pleasure from the heavy jar to the bouncy gel texture, to the light herbally scent (for me Omorovicza does the best scents of all skincare lines). Read Ruth's review, for an indepth review. I have repurchased this because I love it. £65 for 100mls, I used this am, pm, pre and post makeup removal, for makeup removal, when I wanted a lift...

Oskia Renaissance 360 Anti-Ageing + Brightening Supreme Cream - I bought this because I needed a day cream and this seemed to fit the bill, but then I bought another day cream from another brand and sort of forgot about this and then felt I had to start using it because it wasn't cheap and so I started to use it in a bit of a grump really. But the product won me over. I have a tendancy to favour thick dense textured moisturiser and forget that maybe a lighter textured cream would be better for my oily skin, this is lighter and almost serum like in texture but is very hydrating. It sinks in but not without trace and allows for layering of sunscreen and primer. It worked very well for me over the summer. £65 for 40mls.

Votary Cleansing Oil - Original thoughts here. I was really suprised by how much I liked using this after being a die hard cleansing balm user, it removes makeup and is a delight to use. It also lasts ages and ages. £45 for 100mls.

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm - supersized, this is a whole 100mls rather than the 50mls jar that I have previously used and spoken about here. It is a very nice treatment cleanser really. It removes makeup but is too special for that I think. I use it intermittently when my skin or my sanity needs extra comfort. £80 for 100mls

Chanel No 5 L'Eau

So I only have a sample of this. I don't get on with the original Chanel No 5, be it EDT or EDP, sadly it dislikes my skin and becomes a hot stuffy mess of that spicey pepperyness of old books in direct sunlight.

And it really does make me sad because I love the idea of this fragrance and its instant recognisability. I have tried it in all forms and can just about cope with the body lotion and suprisingly the deodorant, which is incredibly effective for a deodorant rather than an anti-perspirant, but even the hair perfume is a bit too much.

But this, well it has a lightness and a freshness which seems to sit more happily on my skin. I love a good perfume and this maybe the next one for me.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick "The Queen"

This is a rich, deeply pigmented bright pinky red. Is it magenta? Not really to my mind, it has enough warmth I suppose to save it from slipping into a berry which is what I think of as magenta.

I was delighted to purchase this, as all of the Matte Revolution lipsticks from Charlotte Tilbury, it applies very creamily, straight from the bullet, no drying throughout the day.

As I wore it more, I was reminded of another shade of lipstick that I wear. Tom Ford Cherry Lush and I have swatched the two side by side below.

And they both have that bright pinky redness.

Here it is on my lips below after a couple of hours of wear and a cup of tea or five. A sadly out of focus enlarged photo but at least the colour can be seen.

Currently £23 from Charlotte Tilbury - I think it is only available from the website, I took a punt on the shade and it paid off. There are pictures of it on various skin tones which is a help.

Harvey Nichols Biggest Ever GWP

I read about this on Caroline Hirons blog  on Tuesday of this week. Hummed and hawwed about it for a couple of days, ordered it yesterday before 3.00pm for free express delivery and it came this morning.

Ruth from amodelrecommends has listed the items here  and I have llisted them below with my attempts at finding the prices around from my internet trawl. Some things I have left off because I cannot find them, some things are not full size, others like the EOS lip balm are a limited edition so at a higher price. It comes to around £568 with my reckoning. There is a Cloud Nine £20 off voucher which I haven't included and an Environ £20 voucher which I haven't included and that would make it up to £600. HN state it is £600 worth.

Foreo, Luna Play = £29

Ouai Deluxe Dry Shampoo, 40ml = 130G is £20 so ~£7

Delarom Aqualixir, 40ml= £57

Erno Laszlo Hydrogel Mask = £65.40

Starskin Kelp Foam Cleanser, 50ml = £21.95

IDC Regen Express (serum)  = £40.95

111 Skin, Nocturnal Recovery Cream, 15ml= 50mls is £160 so 30mls = 80 so 15mls = £40

Mario Badescu, Drying Lotion = £13

Dr Hauschka Bath Essence = 10mls = ~ £3

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, 7ml= 15mls = 23.50 so 7mls = 11.75

Environ – £20 off treatment voucher

Revitalash sample 1mls = ~ £18

Show Premier Dry Shampoo/Finishing Spray = £16

Rodial, Dragons Blood Eye Mask = £39

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash, 60ml = £7

Cowshed Hand cream, 50ml = £8

Strivectin Next Generation Eye Concentrate, 7ml = 30ml = 58, 15mls =£29 so 7mls ~ £14.50

Cellex C Hydrasmooth Moisturiser, 30ml = £47.50

Moroccan Oil Treatment Oil, 15ml ?

N V Perricone Face Finishing Moisturiser, 30ml = 59mls = £59 ~ £30

Regenerate Toothpaste, 14ml = £10

Nexxus Nutritive Shampoo 89mls= ??
Nexxus Nutritive Conditioner 89ml =??

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer =  £12

Kiki Health Magnesium Oil, 125ml = £12

True North Lip Balm SPF50 = ??

Konjac Sponge Pore Refining Sponge = ?£8

James Read Sleep Mask Tan 25ml =  ~£12.50

Macadamia Healing Oil, 10ml = ~ £4

Agua de Colonia Bath & Shower Gel,40ml = £5

R.O.C.S. Sensation Whitening Toothpaste = £5

EOS Lip Balm =  £19.50 (limited edition)

Trilogy Vital Moisturiser, 20ml =  ~ £10

Anatomicals Face Mud Mask =  £1.50

The bag is fabulous - I have shown it below filled with the items so one can see it in context.

To purchase one needs to spend £195 on at least 3 items from the Beyond Beauty section.
Here is what I bought.

Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream

So I finished every last drop of this pale turquoise gel/cream moisturiser. Well I left a little smidge to swatch in a vain attempt to show texture - fail.

I bought this with no thought other than it is by Sunday Riley, I like her stuff, I have money to burn - actually I didn't have money to burn but I bought it anyway, such is life.

I have listed the ingredients below - after Caroline Hirons's extremely helpful post on ingredients, I only ever look for phenoxyethanol which is reassuringly second to last.

This is a very "wet" feeling moisturiser and I was fearful that it would sit on my skin am and make application of foundation/concealer problematic, so I restricted use to pm only. But this was an unnecessary precaution, it has sat happily on my skin, am and pm, and indeed adds an extra burst of hydration if applied later pm before bed rather than applying a heavier, richer cream which tends to make me feel too oily.

It is £65 for 50mls and I bought mine from SpaceNK. I would buy it again, but maybe it is more a spring/summer weight of moisturiser rather than an autumn/winter one.