Organic Weekend - Natural & Organic Products Europe Show

So, a couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend the Natural & Organic Products Europe (NOPE) show at Olympia, as a guest of Balm Balm, who you've heard me talk about on several occasions before.

Dedicated to bringing together the brightest and the best of organic and natural products, NOPE is a trade show, which allows brands to showcase their wares to interested buyers and suppliers.  They first introduced a Beauty and Spa section in 2008, and that was the part of the show I was most interested in seeing!

Naturally, I made Balm Balm my first port of call, and having a chat with Glenda, Hayden and the rest of the family was certainly one of the high-points of my day.  I'm delighted that they're expanding their range even further with a new facial collection including a super-light and delightfully refreshing coconut cleansing oil which I'll be talking to you about in a bit more detail in a later post.

I then moved on and had a little chat with the lovely girls at Lily Lilo, who spent some time talking to me about a lot of the new products they have coming up later this year, including mascaras, pressed foundations (really interested in those!) and some balms. The brand has really expanded in the last few years, I'm happy to see, and I'll be giving it a proper look-over in the months to come.

I popped over to Melvita who I'm sure you're familiar with by now! I had a gorgeous hand massage, and a nice chat with their therapists, which was really lovely.  I have some products out with some lovely, lovely guest reviewers at the moment, and they'll be giving me their feedback soon!

At this point, I thought I should have a look at the organic food side of things, however, I was distracted by this:

Yup, Heather Mills-McCartney (as was) doing a cookery demonstration.  I didn't hang around long enough to figure out what she was cooking, whilst I was there she was chopping carrots very s l o w l y and lecturing people on categories of vegetarianism.  And Omega three, for some reason ...

I then popped along and had a chat with Phillip Martin's Organics who have a range of hair care, skin care and cosmetics.  Hailing from Italy (Phillip Martin sounds so Italian a name, dontcha think?), the products reminded me a great deal of John Masters ranges, and they look like they'll be something super-interesting to look out for.

I went and found the Spieza stall and chatted to the girls again after meeting them recently at The Vitality Show, this time I actually got around to trying some of the products! I have to say that I think their rose and chamomile scrub is one of the most interesting products I saw on the whole day. Utilising chamomile stamens, it's an great use of what would ordinarily be considered a by-product of organic cosmetic production!

I also had a chat with Sarah of Pai, I've been trying one of her moisturisers since we met, so look out for a review of that soon, and Sarah has also agreed to be featured on my "Lippie Chat" series, so we'll be hearing more from her soon!

There's plenty more, but this is running long, so I'll bring you the rest next week ...

Clinique Anti-Blemish Foundation

This post is a promotional feature.

Okay, I very rarely feature products before I've tested them, but I'm making an exception for this one. It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Clinique's patent 3-step skin-care system, but I've always liked their cosmetics, and I believe their spot-care range (can you call it that? You know what I mean, I'm sure) is second to none.

Certainly, when I first developed adult-onset acne at around the age of 27 or so, I found that their spot-clearing gel was one of the few things that helped clear my zits up.  I found adult acne a profoundly depressing experience, not helped by some profoundly insensitive friends making jokes about it, and I hated that most cosmetic ranges were either targeted at the already beautifully smooth skinned, or were for spotty teenagers and were simply guaranteed to wreck my already - by that time - hyper-sensitive skin.

Anyway, what I'm getting around to mentioning is that Clinique have brought out an Anti-Blemish Foundation, which promises to feel fresh and natural, AND help clear "blemishes".  What I wouldn't have given for a foundation like this a few years ago! I used to cake (and I do mean cake) myself in Estee Lauder Double Wear, and the heaviest layers of powder I could manage, and hope no one would notice the crater face underneath! Here's a video featuring an independent makeup artist showing some hints on how to use the latest release from Clinique's foundation stable.  Please take a look:



Now, I've noticed that my skin is going through one of it's periodic "insane" stages, meaning a crop of breakouts is, sadly, one the way - I can already feel a couple of humdingers cropping up on my jawline, so I'm going to be giving this foundation a go for a couple of weeks. Want to join me and let me know how you get along - and I'll be grateful to hear from anyone else who's already tried the product! - then click here to buy yours.

Clarins Instant Sunlight Applied (FotD)

It's okay, I got rid of the quiff, look!

Now, I'm sure you're all as sick of the sight of my face as I am right now, so this'll be the last FoTD for a few days, I promise.  I created a slightly more traditional take on a smokey eye with this one - the colours were a fair bit darker in the flesh than they appear here, and there's a lot more gold visible on the skin than my camera can pick up, it seems.  The Cream Eyeliner in the quad has a lot more gold than expected, and it's not quite as creamy as I'd like it to be, meaning it's slightly claggy to apply, but it's a very nice colour indeed, and worth the slightly painstaking application process.  Incidentally, don't even bother using the eyeliner brush they give you in the palette, it's very small, and combined with the not-very-smooth liner, you'll be applying it for hours before you get a visible line.

Oh! Can't believe I forgot to show you this when I showed you the palette the other day!  This is the lipbalm that also forms part of the Clarins summer collection.  Isn't it pretty?  Something to do with jellified oils and, polymers and, er ... something,  but it's basically a clear - literally - lip balm, and it's very very nice. It's not a particularly fantastic lipbalm (you'll have to prise my Sisley Nutritiv from my cold dead hands, frankly), but it is a fantastic looking lipbalm, and as such, it has a place in my Lip Balm Hall of Fame.  I'm wearing it in the pictures above, if you're wondering how it looks applied.  A very soft, gentle wash of slightly glossy colour.  There's also a red and a pink version, but the orange is the most pigmented, I found.  I may have to sneak back and get the others too.

Whassat? Can't hear you!

So, that's three summer collections I've shown you in a great amount of detail now, what's your favourite?

Get A Movie Star Hair Cut!

I've mentioned my love of Cult Beauty - and the Cult Beauty girls themselves! - a few times before.  If you've not had a chance to look around the site yet, please do,  there's a treasure-trove of rare, and usually wonderful  beauty items to be found on there, I've filled (and emptied!) many a virtual shopping basket on the site, and there's always something I've never heard of that pops up and arouses my interest, which is no mean feat these days!

At the moment, they're running a competition to win a haircut from Tara Smith, who is legendary in Hollywoodland circles for her skills.  Don't believe me?  Ask Demi Moore, Anna Friel, Natalie Imbruglia, Yasmin Le Bon, Neve Campbell, Rosario Dawson, Marisa Tomei, June Sarpong (how did she get on this list? - Ed), Angelina Jolie, Teri Hatcher, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nicole Kidman, Angelica Huston, Patricia Arquette, Rosin Murphy or Toni Collette, all of whom she's worked with in the past. She's also done the hair for both the Sex and the City movies!  And you have to admit, she has a pretty fine head of hair herself ... Ordinarily, a haircut with Tara would cost £450 - if you can even catch her in a salon - so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if you ask me.

The downside?  Well, in order to enter all you do have to do is buy a minimum of  five items from Tara's hair care range (and I'm not going to lie to you, that does seem just a little excessive) but the products all cost less than £5, and, whilst I haven't tried it myself (yet!) I have heard good things about the range generally, and excellent things about the Base Coat Serum in particular. Personally, I've been delighted to notice that all the shampoos are SLS-free, which is great for what is, essentially, a fairly budget-priced range. I'll be picking some items up soon, and I'll keep you posted on what I think.

The competition is running for six weeks, and the prize can be taken in London, New York or LA. But, er, there are no travel costs included, sadly!

Will you be entering?  What would you pay for a movie-star haircut?

Estee Lauder - Bronze Goddess Applied (FotD)

There were a lot of comments about the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess collection that I showed you the other day, so I thought I'd show you how that little lot looks applied too.  Yeah, no idea why I thought a quiff was a good idea either, anyhoo, onto the pics:

Again, the pic is enlargeable, with the usual caveats (cold, terrible hair, and so on...).  For reference, I used the Shimmering Sand and Ultra Violet shadows - which blend out pretty well, actually - alongside the Exotic bronzing blush and the Wild Orchid lipgloss, which is beautifully wearable, and surprisingly versatile, bearing in mind it's rather ... er ... scary shade in the tube.  Tastes nice too, light vanilla scent.

Don't worry, I've got other things to talk about as well as showing you my ugly mug (again) today ... back later!

Wherefore Art Thou Organic Wednesday?

A few people have been wondering where Organic Wednesday is ... well, it's gone walkabout!  I was too ill to post much last week, which is why it didn't happen then, but don't worry! It is coming back, just not today, sorry!

That is because I'm moving my organic slot to Saturdays from now on (for reasons far too boring to go into here), and it's going to be called "Organic Weekends". This is mainly because I like having a feature I can still refer to as "ow"! -yes, I am a child, thank you -  OW has been a really interesting feature for me over the last seven months, and it's one I love, so it'll be back, large as life (larger, even!), and with a nice big fat report of how I got along at the Natural Organic Product Show at Olympia recently.  This Saturday 24th April, I'll see you then!

Guerlain Summer Collection Applied (FotD)

First off, let me say that these are some of the worst FotD pics I've ever taken, so let me apologise in advance for the stupid looks on my face!  But I had quite a few requests for a FotD with this collection, and I thought I'd oblige ASAP!

As you can see, I used all four of the main shades to create a subtle smokey eye effect (more visible when you enlarge the pic,which I request you all NOT to do, please! I have a heavy cold and I look terrible at the moment), I also used a liquid liner to give a more defined effect near the lash line.  The colour on my lips is the KissKiss Baby balm in 262 Cherry Summer.

Oh, if you're wondering where Organic Wednesday is, I'll be making a little announcement later ...

Estee Lauder - Bronze Goddess

After my utter disaster with the Estee Lauder Michael Kors collection, I made darn sure I got my hands on this one! I think Estee Lauder are doing really interesting and exciting things at the moment, and this collection confirms it.

Let's have a look at some swatches, I'll start with the eyeshadows:

There are four eyeshadows in this collection, Sand Shimmer, Ultra Violet, Aqua Flash and Molten Bronze.  Sadly, I didn't receive Molten Bronze, so that's why it's not swatched here.  These are intensely pigmented, and will cover your entire eyelid in one swipe of the does-foot applicator.  They can, however, look a little crepe-y if applied too heavily, so I recommend a light hand on the application, and you can sheer them out with your fingertips if you prefer.  However, these last and last, once they're in place!  You will not need a primer, as these shadows are not going anywhere!  I washed this hand three times with soap and water and it still bears traces of the swatches! They will come off very easily with an oily cleanser though, don't worry, you're not going to be stuck with aqua eyelids till the end of time ...

LOVE these lipglosses!  Gloriously fluorescent in the tube, they give lovely sheer brightness to the lips.  The pink (Wild Orchid) has a beautiful blue micro-shimmer to it, and the orange (Wild Coral) has golden micro-shimmers, both of which you'll be able to see more easily if you click on the picture to enlarge it.  Neither feel gritty on the lips, and they last about as well as your average lipgloss.  One thing I will say, is that you don't get as much in the tube as it looks like you do, as you'll see from the top right of the pic - the label fell off mine!

I think, however, that this is the piece I'll be going back for backups of - at least two, I think.  This is the "Exotic Bronzing Blush" and as well as being really cute - have to love those zebra stripes of colour! - it's actually great for giving you a touch of sunkissed colour, without being as "flat" as a traditional bronzer.  Slightly (but not overly) sparkling, it's a real gem.

This is very pretty, a deep, dark purple shade of polish, with pink glitter, it's really very lovely ("Oh, that is super!" MrLippie), it's a trifle on the thick side, almost gloopy, but it's very glossy and beautifully sparkly on the nails.  The wear isn't the greatest I've ever seen (two days maximum without chipping) but it's one of those shades that keeps catching your eye, and just demands that you look at it.  I forgive it all the problems for that.  And I, for one, love the Lauder polish bottles!

I'll be honest, I've not actually plucked up the courage to use this on my face yet (and anyone who read my last post on Zuneta last week will know why!) but it's a wash-off bronzing gel, which, as you can see from my hands there does leave you with a natural-looking glow.


I'll see if I can actually get over myself a little bit soon, and use it in a FotD!




So, as you can see, a wide range of products, some good, some great, but all useable, I think.  W|hat's caught your eye?


Small Print: These products were provided by PR.  Opinions free and unsullied, yadda yadda, yadda. No cake was harmed in the making of this post.

Lifesaving Lipstick?

Might seem a silly question, but some products can help save lives.  This lipstick is brought to us by All For Eve a brand new beauty brand who are donating all their profits to help fund research into gynaecological cancers.  So, not only will this lipstick help you look good, it will do good too. 

I'm posting this tonight, as I've been really pleased and delighted to see that All For Eve won FOUR (a record) CEW Beauty Awards earlier today, Best Beauty Brand,  Best New Bath and Body Product (for their body butter), Best Hand and Nail Product (for their hand cream) and Best Beauty Product for the lipstick I'm showing you right now, which was designed by Daniel Sandler.

And, what a beauty it really is, a blue-based red with wonderful staying power, it's moisturising and beautifully pigmented, and absolutely everyone I know who has one has raved about it.



Here are swatches on my hand, and my lips (as always, pictures are clickable to enlarge):

Other products in the range have been designed by Urban Retreat, Sophy Robson, and Swarovski, here's a little peek:

These products mean business, the people behind this project have worked hard to make these releases as good as they can possibly be (not, sadly, always the case when it comes to charity beauty products) and I think their four awards today show that beauty experts in this country think they've done a bang up job!

Support a charity, save a life.


All for Eve products will be released officially on Monday 26th April.  Will you be checking them out?

Highlighters that double as blushers

When I was featuring (some of) my highlighter stash recently, I mentioned that I owned a few that doubled up as blushers, and I thought I'd show you those too. If you've followed my makeovers in any great detail, then at least one of these will be very familiar to you!

This is my Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Natural Glow which I won in a giveaway over at London Beauty Review quite recently. on the peachy side of natural, this gives great glowy definition where you want it, and is great for pure highlighting when you just want sheen.  The swatch on the right shows all the shades swirled together, but the darker two strips at the bottom are ones that I've used very successfully as a blush shade too.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Apricot.  This isn't one I use much, as I think it needs a bit of tan to make it work properly, so it's one I'm going to make massive amounts of use of this summer, being coral is massive this year!  It's the same quality as my BB Beige shimmer brick, which I never miss an opportunity to use, and I'm sure this one won't let me down either! It's a little more on the gold-y side than the Physicians Formula above, not too sure if that's visible in the pics.

Finally, what is probably my favourite highlighter of all time, Cargo Plant Love Illuminator in Wind.  A swirled (baked) mix of bronze and two shade s of pink, this is something that I find never fails to lighten and brighten even the dullest of complexions. Plus, mad packaging aside, it's also very pretty to look at.  Applied with a light hand, it gives a very pretty flush of colour to the cheeks, but you can also use it to give a sunkissed look, as in this makeover here.

Do you have any multi-purpose blushers and highlighters?  What are your favourites?