Favourite Brands?

I get asked a lot what my favourite makeup brand is, and it's such a difficult one to answer!  There are so many brands out there, and they all do something well that picking out just one for praise is almost impossible.  Well, for me it is, anyway.

But, I guess, if I had to pick just one brand that I'd use for the rest of my life, that brand would be Chanel.  Yes, I'd miss my Lancome mascaras and Bobbi Brown tinted moisturising balm - my other desert island items, those - but my collection already contains a lot of Chanel. Foundations, blushers, eyeshadows, pencils, mascaras, lipsticks, glosses, perfumes, bathing potions, nail varnishes ... the list goes on! It's probably my most "complete" collection of products from any brand.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, then you'll know that I went a bit crazy and bought several Rouge Cocos when they were released recently, but I was very happy to realise that I'm not the only person who thinks they are fantastic, alongside a lot of other bloggers, lots of makeup artists have discovered their greatness too.  There are a few videos about the lipsticks floating about, but these are my favourites:

First of all, Peter Phillips talking about the inspirations behind the range, and how it came into being:  (can't figure out how to embed this one, I'm afraid).

This is the utterly fab Mary Greenwell showing three fabulous looks with three different shades:


And finally, this is Lisa Eldridge (who I met and chatted with last Friday, and I'll be telling you more about that later this week), showing how to use one Rouge Coco in four different ways:



Tomorrow I'll bring you some pictures of my favourite limited edition palettes from Chanel which I've picked up over the years, and will be bemoaning the fact that I've used and abused them instead of keeping them pristine and clean ...

What's your favourite brand?  Why?

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.