Burberry Spring/Summer 2016 Runway Palettes

This week we're loving Burberry Beauty's limited edition Spring/Summer 2016 runway palettes! These beautiful highlighters are inspired by the use of lace in Burberry's SS16 show and are ideal for adding a dewy glow to the high points of your face.

Pictured above are White No.01 (left) and Nude Gold No.02 (right). At £45 they aren't cheap but if you're searching for the perfect highlighter or a beautiful gift for a friend, these might well be for you.

As they are limited edition they are likely to sell out fast, so hurry if you want to get your hands on one!

Available from www.net-a-porter.com

Images via Vogue.co.uk

Barry M's Showgirl Mascara

If you are looking for a quick fix mascara that isn't expensive and gives volume to the lashes, then Barry M might have what you need.

When taking an weekend break, I picked up 'Showgirl' at the airport and as it cost under £5, I was happy to throw it away before returning home (we took hand luggage only). 

Mostly, it was good and although I wouldn't repurchase it as an everyday mascara, I would if I needed a travel beauty companion, as it was long wearing and did volumise the lashes. 

PROS: 

• Long wearing without fall out. 

• Cost 

• Volumised the lashes 

CONS: 

• Difficult to remove 

• Didn't lift to lashes as much as other brands 

• Felt quite thick and heavy 

www.barrym.com 

£4.99 

Make Up For Ever 'Pro Sculpting Face' Palette

I often find that powder products are too much and make my skin look dry. With central heating being switched off to cranked up and moving from outside to inside, skin becomes a bit fed up.

That's why I wanted to find a product that I could use as quickly as a powder but that would add a look of luminosity and as if my skin was hydrated!

I know contouring is going out of style but, quite frankly, anything that will help define my hamster-like chops is well worth doing.

After looking at Kevyn Aucoin's 'The Creamy Glow Duo' palette and reading some reviews that complained about blending, I decided to try Make Up For Ever's 'Pro Sculpting Face' palette. So far, so good.

The way that I use it is with a 'beauty blender'.

I don't do the popular trend of painting stripes on the face and blending them in – no one has time for that. I use a damp or dry 'beauty blender' (it works well with either) and lightly dab it into the product and onto the face. It's quick, easy and efficient. Basically, it contours without making the face look two-toned.

THE PROS:

• The selection. I love that the palette has a brightening cream and a shimmer to enhance the highlighting process. 
• The palette comes in light, tan and dark to cater for different skin tones and, although that isn't a huge selection, the light palette works perfectly for my skin tone and would work for lighter and darker skin tones than myself. 
• The blush is a beautiful coral colour and blends beautifully. 
• The shimmer is delicate and doesn't cover the face in glitter particles! 
• The contour colour is dark enough to create the contour but doesn't look like you have rolled in mud. However, less is more and check that it is properly blended. 
• The palette has made my skin look less dry and I have currently given up using my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, which is saying something, as I have been using that religiously for over a year. 

THE CONS: 

• The product can get a bit messy – not on you but on the packaging. Not enough for the colours to intermingle but enough to tell that it's been well used! 

£29, www.debenhams.com 

Bobbi Brown Afternoon Tea at Balthazar

If there's one thing we love as much as makeup, it's a good afternoon tea. Anything that combines the two is an instant win right?

Following in the footsteps of the Berkeley's fashion-themed Pret-a-Portea comes Balthazar's Bobbi Brown Afternoon Tea. This year Bobbi is celebrating the brand's 25th anniversary and she has teamed up with Balthazar's head pastry chef to create a selection of cakes inspired by some of her most iconic products.

The tasty selection includes a Champagne Infused Rhubarb 'Shimmer Brick' and a Praline & Mango-Passion 'Foundation Stick', to name just a couple.

As if that wasn't enough, the beautiful Vintage Red for Balthazar Lip Colour has been created to mark the anniversary too!

I'm fairly sure I had you at 'cake' but if you need any further encouragement, all diners are offered a complimentary Instant Lip Makeup Lesson with a Bobbi Brown makeup artist at the nearby Covent Garden store!

For more information visit www.balthazarlondon.com/bobbi-brown-afternoon-tea

Sephora's Minnie Mouse Collaboration

As we are both massive Disney fans, this news cheered our week! Sephora has announced that it will be creating a limited edition, seven piece makeup collection based upon Minnie Mouse, which will make its debut this April.

Rumour has it that there will be a white and black eyeliner duo, a twenty eyeshadow palette, a luminising blush, a cherry red lipstick and of course, a smattering of polka dots and bows! As Sephora now ships internationally, this means nabbing limited edition collections is far easier.

We can't wait to see Minnie's ideas....about time that she did something without Mickey being involved!

www.sephora.com

Beauty Treats for Valentine's Day

Hearts, flowers, chocolates, cheesey greetings cards... yep, Valentine's Day is filled with predictable clichés. But why not treat yourself or a friend to a gift this year? Here are a few of our favourite beauty treats....

Clockwise from top left:
• Project Sukuroi Gold Smoothing Balm £30
• Beauty Blender in Red Carpet £16
• Aerin travel gold-tone comb £25
• Nars semi-matte lipstick in Jungle Red £21
• Burberry First Kiss lip balm in No.03 £23
• Smith & Cult Lip Lacquer in The Warning £23
• Bella Freud Loving Tuberose and Sandalwood Candle £40

All items available from www.net-a-porter.com

Nude Progenius Omega Treatment

This product was a very lovely Christmas gift and so I hadn't done any research into the product or the brand. To be fair, I was pretty happy with my skincare situation. I was loving my coconut oil and still am, but I wasn't looking for any kind of addition. However, I have been using the Progenius Omega Treatment for six weeks and the combination of this, the Aveda Botanical Kinetics and Coconut Oil is making my skin look very healthy... even when I haven't had enough sleep and been at work for what seems like a million hours. 

THE PROS

• Consistency: It's a very thick oil and because of this, you only need two drops. It's almost like a moisturiser. I put it on the areas that need more moisture, or rather the areas that could do with rewinding a few years, such as my forehead, around my eyes, my laughter lines and chin. 

• Moisturiser/Foundation: As per the instructions, the product can be added to moisturiser or mixed with foundation for a more radiant and hydrated look. 

• Omega Oils: The product is an omega oil treatment and contains omegas 3, 6, 7 and 9. Those fatty acids are plumping my lines nicely! 

• Ingredients: Nude skincare is formulated without: Parabens, Sulphates, Metacrylate
Polyacrylamide, Phthalates, Mineral Oil, Petrochemical, Synthetic Fragrance, Synthetic Color, Urea, Sulfate Detergents, Pegs Silicones, Polypropylene, Glycol Poloxamer, Elastomer, Synthetic Chelating Agents, DEA, Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium,

Their view is that you can have high performing skincare without certain ingredients and the ingredient list can be found on their site. 
 

• Combination: I use the product in the morning with Aveda's Botanical Kinetics Intense Hydrating Rich Creme and Energizing Eye Creme and in the evening with Coconut Oil. My skin has looked at its most hydrated since doing this and the Omega Treatment has been the extra thing that has really helped. Despite the price, I will be re-purchasing this and have stopped using any other serum/oil treatments since using it. 

• Skincare Routine: I will be doing a little trial over the next few weeks and substituting Coconut Oil for Avocado Oil. It will be interesting to see how the Avocado Oil works on its own (it's meant to soften and nourish skin) and then, how it works with the Progenius Omega Treatment. Nothing like a beauty experiment! 

THE CONS

• Oil: Be careful not to put too much around the eyes prior to doing makeup. Your eyeliner will slip right off! I forget and do this regularly! 

• Price: £62 for 30ml. Thank goodness you only need two drops a night. I'll be interested to see how long it lasts. 

www.nudeskincare.com