New YSL Fusion Ink Foundation

This new foundation from Yves Saint Laurent is "A game-changer in the beauty world". Quite a bold statement Stylist magazine, but when you consider the supposed 24 hour flawless coverage, it has sparked some serious excitement and anticipation in the beauty community. 

The ultra light consistency and guarantee that the product will stay in place from morning to night suggests that this foundation will be comfortable to wear and not feel like cement has been applied to last through the day. Hurrah. 

The 16 shades correspond with The Touché Éclat foundation shades and it is available at various beauty retailers for £30.50. For more information visit www.yslbeauty.co.uk

www.debenhams.com

www.selfridges.com

www.boots.com

Sephora Cream Lip Stains

From top to bottom, No. 1, No. 3, No. 5, No. 6, No. 8.

My boyfriend and I had a culture packed holiday in Italy this summer. Having toured The Sistine Chapel and Vatican, we set out to look at The Trevi and have a sit down on The Spanish Steps. It was then that I noticed people were carrying Sephora bags. I literally stopped dead in the street and began harassing poor Italians as to where Sephora was located. It turns out there are three. We visited two (only because I didn't realise there was a third!) and I picked up a selection of Sephora Lip Creams.

POSITIVES

• Pigmentation

• Long lasting 

• Consistency 

• Colour does not bleed 

NEGATIVES

• Can be a little drying- I wear a lip gloss over them, usually a clear gloss and that sorts the issue. 

• Colour can transfer onto teeth so do the whole finger in mouth trick (I realise that I'm immature but that's made me smirk.) 

From left to right, No. 1, No. 3, No. 5, No. 6, No. 8.

www.sephora.com

Kiko Colour-Up Long Lasting Eyeshadow

A few years ago, my sister hosted Christmas (she did an excellent job, despite the Turkey incident. God bless her). Any who, in our stockings, she had given the girlies Kiko quads, which were really pigmented and beautifully rich colours. Since then, I have been meaning to try more products.

Fast forward a few years to this year's summer hols. I found a shop in Florence and bought three cream shadow sticks. They are amazing. I can do a smokey eye in less than two minutes and the colours stay put. Admittedly, I do wear a primer. 

POSITIVES

• Creamy consistency – it applies smoothly and does not pull at the eye lid at all. 

• Applies evenly. 

• Does not need much blending. 

• Pen shape means that it's easy to apply colour to the crease. 

• Base colour/highlight colour is not too sparkly but does brighten. 

NEGATIVES

• Darker colour a bit glittery but not enough to be an issue. 

It was such a shame that the staff in the Florence Kiko were rude. Rossana was clearly having a bad day! She lightly threw cotton pads that I had used to remove make up swatches at me and gestured towards a bin that I had not seen. When I apologised for my dappiness, she just stared at me and then when giving me my change, she rolled her eyes and looked away.... meanwhile I scrambled to gather my change. I doth believe that she is not a morning person! Quite frankly, it was pure comedy. 

However, Rossana aside, I will be looking at more shades and am likely to buy them up. Currently, they are the only eye shadows that I'm using. Full marks to Kiko. Hurrah all round.

www.kikocosmetics.co.uk

Christian Louboutin nail colour now at Selfridges!

It's an exciting day in the beauty world as the Christian Louboutin nail colour range finally arrives at Selfridges. The signature 'Rouge Louboutin' takes its colour inspiration from the iconic soles of Louboutin's stillettos – very apt considering the red soles were originally created using his assistant's nail polish!

The full collection consists of 30 shades grouped into three families: Pops, Noirs and Nudes. At £36 they aren't cheap, but the packaging is suitably glamorous, with a lid inspired by the spiked Ballerina Ultima heel, the highest Louboutin heel ever made at 20.5cm. The Ballerina Ultima was created for a 2007 photography exhibition in collaboration with David Lynch, and Lynch has also created a film to celebrate Rouge Louboutin (see below).

If the reviews I've read so far are accurate, the finish is exquisite and the colour long-lasting.There might be 30 shades but let's be honest, it's the Rouge Louboutin we all want to get our hands on first. A classic red nail polish is a fashion staple and it doesn't get more iconic than one that was three years in the making and is the epitome of luxury. Sign me up!

www.selfridges.com
www.christianlouboutin.com

YouTube videos by skincare guru Caroline Hirons

So this isn't exactly news, as admittedly I've been meaning to post this for a couple of months now, but better late than never right?!

For those of you as interested in beauty products as Kay and I, you may well be familiar with a certain lady called Caroline Hirons, an absolute guru of all things skincare. Her blog is full of product reviews, practical advice and 'cheat sheets' on topics such as Anti-ageing, Beauty Industry Jargon, Top Tips For Great Skin and Cleansing Routines. (Beware, if you've ever considered a cleansing wipe an appropriate part of your skincare routine you are about to feel some serious shame....)

Kay and I might be able to share our opinions on things we have tried and tested but this woman is a professional – she really knows her stuff. Best of all, she is funny, honest to the point of ruthless and gets to the point without the saccharin rubbish that so many blogs are filled with.

Therefore we were happy bunnies when we found out that she was posting videos on her YouTube channel! So far she has filmed a handful of videos with the lovely Ruth Crilly from A Model Recommends, including SPF Favourites and Budget Skincare. We look forward to many more!

Check out Caroline's blog at www.carolinehirons.com and YouTube channel here