A Girl's Best Friend - Top Products for Perfect Skin!

Here are some top products for hiding any tale tale signs that may give away any late nights out on the town!!!!!!!

Eyes -

Benefit Eyecon

This cream is amazing, it has a fading action which will help your eyes appear brighter & fade any fine lines as well.


Also from Benefit - Lemon-Aid. A product I use many times myself & can be used as a eye primer with or without make-up, it will hide any redness or discolouration on your eyelids, giving you a fresh healthy look regardless of how many late nights you've had!

Face -

If you want to brighten your complexion in one easy go & get instant results then opt for Nars Brightening Serum, it erradicates any dull lifeless appearance to the skin & gives you an instant youthful glow! Worth every penny!!!


Another instant fix for tired over-worked complexions is Rimmell's Recover Foundation, it has a brightening formula that gives your skin an extra glow, covering up any evidence from the night before!

Bourjois Ombre Stretch Shadow - Review

The latest offering from Bourjois is their Ombre Stretch shadow, it has nylon micro fibres that create a fabric like effect so it will blend easily. I found that while it did blend out softly it didn't actually blend that well with other shadows used, particulary when blending a lighter colour above towards the brow (if using one of the dark shades that is). The brush that comes with it quite good & a lot better than most applicators that come with shadows, best to use a proper 'fluff' brush though to get the best effects. Another small down side is that at the inner corners of my eyes I noticed the shadow seperated slightly & the pigment ran a little, it was the purple shadow & small streaks of pink appeared which never normally occurs, so it's not all that great when in contact with moisture... But still a lovely effect & easy to blend on it's own, so over all worth a try. £6.95 from Boots.

Top Lipstick - Bare Escentuals

Recently tried & tested from one of our top magazines Bare Escentuals Lipstick gets top marks for a long lasting & luscious colour on the lips!
It has a nourishing blend of exotic oils, natural waxes, and plant extracts to perfect it's moisturising effects, the lipsticks use only minerals as colour, so no chemicals which can irritate & dry out the lips. It glides on easily with a smooth application, plus it's long wearing & your lips will stay hydrated and soft as if you have lip balm on!
Also pink pouts are all the rage this season so try out their new colour 'Berry Glace' (£12)

Keira Knightly & Sienna Miller at the Edinburgh Film Festival

With the launch of the Edinburgh Film Festival Keira Knightly & Sienna Miller took to the red carpet for the premiere of their new movie "The Edge of Love'. Both looked stunning as usual & Keira sported a very dramatic smokey eye effect which gave a striking finish to her over all look.

Here's some top tips on how to achieve a sultry smokey eye worthy of any red carpet! -

First of all ensure you have cotton buds at hand as these are your top tool for finishing off this look!

1 - Use a matte eye shadow & opt for a dark brown & black such as Mac Shadow in Brun & Carbon -
2 - First of all apply a primer base to the eye to hold the shadow as it will be a heavy application.
3 - Gradually build the colour, add the dark brown first & blend over the lid & into the socket line.
4 - With a blending brush blend outwards at the outer corners to soften the edges & bring it outwards for a dramatic finish (use circular motions for this)
5 - With your black shadow blend it into the outer corners of the eyes & again blend outwards.
6 - With a pencil brush use the dark brown & take it under the lower lash line to create a heavy finish then do the same with the black.
7 - With your cotton buds blend all round the eye ensuring the edges are soft & blended.
8 - Finally take a black kohl eye pencil & line the top lash line & into the inner lower lash lines & the inner corners so the whole eye is defined, this will create a dramatic finish to the look.

One other tip - as using these colours can be a bit messy, best to either place some loose powder under the eye to catch any excess shadow or do the eyes first, then your foundation!

Top Slimming Creams - Are They Worth it?

With our summer holidays growing closer & closer the emphasis really is on to try & get beach-bod confident!! We're all suckers for the cheats way to do this, even if we are all members of our local gym & the sales of slimming & firming products quadruples at this time of year!!
I've been looking at what are heralded as the top slimming creams made by cult brand Rodial, they'll set you back a cool £95-£100 so are they really worth it??
Firstly Tummy Tuck, this is proven to reduce the abdominal area by 2-3cm in 8wks, it has fig extract and neuropeptides which break down fatty cells and boost the cell metabolism & help slim & tighten the abdomen. Next is the Body Sculpture which is a slimming & anti cellulite gel & will reduce the hip & thigh area by 1cm in one month, it says it breaks down fatty deposits, stimulates tissue drainage, firms & tones your skin. The testimonials are good with customers seeing a difference in the tone & firmness of the areas treated, however as soon as you stop using the product this difference will no doubt diminish, so not a long term solution to body confidence really.....
Whilst I think these products are good to assist with the summer diet & help give you some confidence on the beach, I think when it comes to spending £100 to loose 2-3cm in 2 months then perhaps cutting down on sugary snacks, drinking more water & getting out for 30min walk each day as well as a quick 10 Sit Ups might be better idea for the same results!?

Best Toner - Darphin Purifying Toner

This fab toner, which now comes with the seal of approval from several beauty editors, works wonders to give you beautiful fresh clear skin!! It rejuvenates the skin, reduces pore size as well as removing dirt & make-up in one go, also it clears up blemishes in a matter of days & will prevent a build up of excess oil on the skin. All in all an excellent product & great for giving you the perfect complexion for your summer tan! (£18)

Max Factor Colour Collection Lipsticks

Max Factor along with top make-up artist Pat McGrath have put together a fantastic range of lipsticks to suit all skin tones, so no more trial & error with unflattering colours!!

Here are few golden rules when choosing any lipstick -

Fair Skin - Go for subtle pinks tones, cool beiges or if opting for red make sure it is blue toned, avoid lilacs & purple shades.
Olive Skins - Opt for peach tones to warm beiges & pinks, avoid bronze or gold as these can make the skin appear sallow.
Dark Skins - Warm browns or deep burgandy & plum, avoid pale frosted tones.