Marc Jacobs makeup now available in the UK!

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It's been a long time coming but the entire Marc Jacobs makeup collection is now available to buy in the UK! A small selection has previously been available in the London Mount Street store, but the whole range can now be purchased in Harrods or online at www.harrods.com.

This is great news for those of us who have been lusting after products like the Le Marc Lip Creme Lipsticks or the new Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara. Since the range's launch in 2013 it has been readily available across the pond in Sephora but this is the first time the full range has been accessible in the UK.

Personally it's this rather beautiful La Parisienne eyeshadow palette I'm after...

Shop the full collection at www.harrods.com/brand/marc-jacobs-cosmetics/

Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay – blush, lipstick and lip liners

Having brought you news of the Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay eyeshadow palette back in November (you can read about that here), I am pleased to say that the collection has been expanded and now includes a blush palette and a selection of lipsticks and lip liners.

The blush palette contains six shades of blush/bronzer/highlighter; Cherry, Easy, Angel, Lo-Fi, Hush and OC. Much like the eyeshadow palette the packaging is beautiful and although I haven't tried it, I have been informed that the colours are very versatile and will work well on a variety of skin tones.

Blush palette, £35

The lipsticks come in a fantastic range of colours, although they might not be for everybody as they mostly bold (with the exception of one nude) and mostly in varying shades of red. But hey, this is Gwen – what did you expect?! The lipsticks are in a variety of finishes too; I believe the nude is a sheer shimmer while several of the reds are matte. There are six lip pencils to complement the collection.

Lipstick, £16
Lip pencils, £14

www.urbandecay.co.uk

Have you tried any of these products yet? If so we would love to know what you think!

Getting ready for 2016 and your favourite YBBF posts...

Happy New Year! The first week of January is well underway and we are starting to look at the year ahead. But first we thought we would take a little look backwards and share the nine most popular YBBF posts to date, from new launches such as the Vice 3 palette and the Preen/Nails Inc. collab, to product reviews from Kiko, Balance Me and more. So if you are new to our blog why not check out some of our most-read posts from the last eighteen months.




1) Champagne, Cupcakes and the Official YBBF Launch Party
2) Urban Decay release Vice 3 palette
3) Personalised Hoola Bronzers by Benefit
4) Bellapierre Coral Cheek and Lip Stain
5) Welcome to Our Beauty Blog!
6) Preen by Thornton Bregazzi Collaborate with Nails Inc.
7) Best Beauty Advent Calendars 2015
8) Balance Me – Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm
9) Kiko Color-Up Long Lasting Eyeshadow

Looking ahead to 2016, we are planning some changes for the blog based on the posts that you have enjoyed most and the things we are excited to share throughout the year. We would love to hear your opinions, so please feel free to get in touch with comments, suggestions and even requests for product reviews. You can email us at info@yourbeautybestfriend.co.uk or get in touch via social media. We are both busy ladies with day jobs, but we would love to spend a bit more time this year getting to know you all and finding out how we can continue to make YBBF as useful and enjoyable as possible.

INSTAGRAM @your_beauty_best_friend
FACEBOOK Yourbeautybestfriend KayandJen
TWITTER @YourBeautyBF

We will be continuing to post every Tuesday and Friday, but you can also get every new post sent directly to your inbox by putting your email address in the 'Follow By Email' box at the top of the page.

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you all a very happy 2016!

xx

Christmas Reviews and Sales

Now that Christmas is over and the subsequent sales are under way, I thought I would share a few of my favourite beauty treats that are currently available for great prices.

Emma Hardie's 'The Midas Touch Tutorial Box' is a product design marvel. It comes with video screen, which shows tutorials. Yes, of course it's unique and eye catching, especially as there are buttons to press to select the tutorials, but the tutorials are really interesting and show the different ways to use the products, even down to the way to use the muslin cloth with the lines of the face. By doing it in the suggested way, the face immediately looks more toned and tight. It reminds me of the way the face looks after a facial. Actually, the music and soft spoken instructions make the whole experience very spa like! 

The products are gorgeous and include Moringa Cleansing Balm (see review), which is the best cleansing product that I have used to date. Dry skin is transformed and makeup is quickly removed.

I am yet to try the Midas Touch Serum and Age Support Face Cream but the Serum tutorial made it look like some kind of skin medication, where it is strategically placed on specific points of the face, so I'm excited to work that one out!  

The Midas Touch Box is £99 and an online exclusive. However, in the sale, Feel Unique are offering the Morninga Cleansing Balm for £32.30 and the Midas Touch Box for £69.30 

www.feelunique.com 

Space NK is one of my favourite shops and their gift boxes are a lovely present. However, in the 50% off sale, the products are even better! REN, Aromatherapy Associates, By Terry, Diptyque and others are included. Hurrah! 

www.uk.spacenk.com 

Debenhams are also doing some amazing perfume deals, especially perfume gift sets. Soft, floral scents, such as Marc Jacobs Daisy collections, Thierry Mugler, Jimmy Choo and Gucci are all down in price. It is also doing some amazing makeup deals, including Urban Decay and YSL. 

www.debenhams.com 

Amazon are doing deals left right and centre. This Christmas seemed to be the year of the watches in our house and I am particularly fond of the Daniel Wellington collection. I like the masculine, no nonsense design, which doesn't look overly manly for women, with a classic design. 

The watches have gone down from £159 to approximately £78, so it's an amazing time to nab a good deal. 

www.amazon.co.uk 

Happy shopping everyone! 

Too Faced Spring 2016 collection

No sooner have I got my head around the fact that yes, it is December, and yes Christmas is well and truly on its way... than spring collections start to appearing! And this is one we have been definitely been waiting for.

Here at YBBF we are a big fan of the Too Faced Chocolate eye shadow palette, not only for the excellent quality of the eye-shadows but also for its delicious chocolate scent! So we are very happy to announce its follow-up that launches today as part of the Too Faced spring 2016 collection.

The Chocolate Bon Bons palette is £35 and contains 16 shades in a range of matte and shimmers. These are mostly very wearable everyday neutrals but there are a few candy-inspired brights thrown in for good measure. Best of all it boasts the same chocolaty fragrance as its predecessor!

Other highlights from the collection include the Love Flush Blush Wardrobe and the Mr. Right Perfect Powder Brush. Although I can't vouch for this brush's performance just yet, if it's half as impressive as the design I will be a very happy bunny.

In case you needed any further persuasion to do a little Christmas shopping, Too Faced now ship directly to the UK from their website. This makes life a lot easier as you can check out all the prices in pounds too. Too Faced also receive huge brownie points for the fact that all of their products are cruelty free.

Happy shopping!

For the full collection visit www.toofaced.com/new-collections

Christian Louboutin Lipstick Collection

Following the success of Christian Louboutin's nail polish last year, the shoe designer's next foray into the beauty world comes in the shape of a lipstick collection. And this being Louboutin, these aren't any old lipsticks, they come with some seriously elaborate packaging and a £60 price tag to match. The majority of shades are contained in gold packaging with the signature colours in black.

The collection is inspired by the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti and the Art Deco movement and comprises 38 beautiful shades in three different finishes: Silky Satin, Sheer Voile and Velvet Matte. The range of colours looks pretty impressive and I have no doubt the quality will be equally impressive. In fact the only thing I am unsure of is the little loop on the cap. While I understand that they are intended to be objects of desire as much as lipsticks, I have seen promotional images where they have ribbon looped through and can be worn as jewellery... Now I might be alone on this one, but I think that's a very quick way to cheapen a high end product!

Regardless, I am excited for these to hit the shops next month and find if they are as impressive as they look.

Christian Louboutin Scarabée nail polish

You might recall our excitement last summer when Christian Louboutin nail varnish turned up at Selfridges, accompanied by an exclusive David Lynch film. Well a new limited edition collection has now arrived! These beautiful nail polishes form part of the designer's Scarabée collection and the multifaceted jewel tones are inspired by the iconic Egyptian Scarab beetle.

There are three iridescent shades, which change colour depending on the light you are under. "They can look beautiful and reflective under the bright sun but also look like a precious jewel by night", says Louboutin.

The accompanying press images of the legendary designer exploring Egypt are nothing short of genius....

According to the Louboutin website these nail varnishes are so highly pigmented and glossy that in just two coats they achieve the effect of 20 layers of traditional lacquer! A bold claim... but then again, when has Louboutin ever let us down?

£36 each, www.christianlouboutin.com/uk

Balance Me - Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF25

As you know by now, we are always looking out for products that are natural yet effective, however sunscreen can be a tricky one. Products containing spf typically contain a variety of chemicals but as much as we like natural products, sun protection is one area where we aren't taking any risks! So if there is a natural way to protect your skin from the sun then we are all for it.

A couple of days ago an email landed in my inbox about the Natural Protection Moisturiser SPF25 from Balance Me and although I haven't tried it yet I felt it was worth sharing. Balance Me is known for its fantastic products that contain almost entirely natural ingredients and I haven't been disappointed with anything I've tried yet. (You can read our review of the Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm here.)

According to the website this moisturiser is 'deeply hydrating, plumping and smoothing whilst protecting skin from sun and environmental damage, premature ageing and pigmentation.' So far so good!

What's in it?

An innovative natural titanium dioxide-based sun filter blocks out UVA and UVB rays. I'll need to do a little more research to understand exactly what that means but I trust Balance Me! Other ingredients include*:
- Hyaluronic acid
- Blackberry leaf extract with essential fatty acid-rich rosehip
- Camellia
- Kukui nut
- Jojoba Oils

This combination should smooth and firm the skin whilst shielding it from the sun, which sounds like a winning combo to me. I think I might just have to put in an order and try this one, in which case I'll write a full review, but in the meantime if anyone has already tried it I'd love to hear your verdict!

£26 for 40ml or £9.50 for 10ml from www.balanceme.co.uk

*You can find a full list of ingredients on the website

Christopher Kane for NARS collection – Neoneutrals

Designer collaborations seem to be announced on a daily basis of late, but when an innovative designer like Christopher Kane joins forces with a powerhouse like NARS we certainly deem it newsworthy! Kane's shows are undoubtedly one of the highlights of London Fashion Week and he has been working with with Nars on them since 2012. A collaboration was the obvious next move and for Summer 2015 they have released the Neoneutral collection which, as the name suggests, consists of 10 complementary products in nude and neon shades.

Although some of pieces look extreme, such as the Starscape blush, they are in fact very flattering shades if you use a light hand. The lip glosses above are £19 and (from left to right) in shades: Nucleus, Mezmer, Glow Pink and Nebulous.

Above, clockwise from top left:

• Duo eye shadow in Parallel Universe, £25
• Blush in Silent Nude, £23
• Blush in Starscape, £23
• Shimmer eye shadow in Outer Limits, £18

Below is the Illuminating Multiple in Violet Atom.

The Christopher Kane for NARS collection is currently available exclusively to Selfridges and will be available on NARScosmetics.co.uk from 15 May 2015 and nationwide on 1 June 2015.

Clinique Great Skin Lab launches at Covent Garden

Clinique have launched a pop up store in Covent Garden's piazza. The store assists with skin care needs by analysing skin in swanky digital pods. Then, after you've been all 'technologised', I am told that you are given samples of moisturiser that are best suited to your analysed skin. I love freebies. 

After that, clever Clinique people talk to you about your everyday skin routine. There is a chance to sneak a peak at (and hopefully try) the new face brushes and Sonic Facial Soaps. I'm not too sure what Sonic Facial Soap is yet but it sounds all space-agey!

The experience does not stop at skin care. There is fitness advice, nutrition and the expertise of Clinique's founding dermatologist, Dr Orentreich. 

The Lab launched on Friday and will be open Monday-Saturday, 10am-8pm and Sunday, 11am-5pm. 

www.clinique.co.uk

#GreatSkinLab