I'm back!

You'll have to bear with me whilst I deal with the post-honeymoon blues, but in the meantime, here are some holiday photos ...

The Maldives is one of the most beautiful places on earth, if you get a chance to go, take it.  This was, without doubt, the best holiday I've ever had.

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So ...

The sharp-eyed amongst you might have noticed that I've been having a bit of an unexpected break from blogging recently.  Truth be told, it's been an extremely long, and busy year.  A (very) happy one in the main, but frankly, I'm completely, totally and utterly exhausted.  I've had no time off for six months bar one day last month, and I'm in the middle of the busiest period of the year at work so blogging has had to take a little backseat for a while. I've been keeping my weekends free for my tiny nervous breakdowns!  Seriously, I'm that knackered, I can't even bring myself to do my usual drunk-tweets during X Factor ...

However, I do still have lots of things to write about, I'm still full of ideas for the blog, I'm just a little short on time and sleep right now, but I will be back!

Next month. 

In the meantime, in a few days time I'll be here:

Finally taking my long-delayed honeymoon!  Hard to believe I've been married the best part of a year already, and I'm only just getting my holiday!  So forgive the radio silence for a week or two, and I'll be back, bigger, brighter and bossier than ever.  Soon. 

Eventually.


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Merry Christmas!

Shurrup, the clocks have gone back, haven't they?  That means Christmas is right around the corner, in my world.

A few weeks ago, I innocently tweeted about my "Christmas cupboard", and it was picked up on by Tesco Mobile.  We had a little twitter conversation, about the holiday season, and, whilst I fairly quickly figured out they were up to something, I couldn't figure out what. Turns out they had a big surprise up their sleeves!  To find out more, click and watch the video below (it's pretty amusing):


 
We're still picking the glitter out of the soft furnishings ... but you can see what else Tesco have up their sleeves by following their #AnytimeUpgrade hashtag on Twitter ...

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Lulu's Time Bomb Complexion Cocktail

I've ignored Lulu's skincare up until now.  I don't really know why, but I just find celebrity tie-ins rather gimmicky, and ordinarily I'd prefer to buy my skincare from certified skincare professionals rather than ex-popstars, but that's me being a snob, I guess.

Complexion cocktail is a lightly viscous pale pink liquid, which is packed full of hydraluronic acid and vitamin B12, it's designed for tired, dehydrated skins (which has been a bit of a theme this week if you've been paying attention) and I think it's a bit more of a treatment than a daily toner.  I think it would be excellent for sorting out hungover skin.  Which I never have, of course. EVER.

I use this after my Clarins Gentle Exfoliating toner, and it soothes cools and refreshes whilst adding a shot of moisture before I follow it with Hydraluron, Aquarysta  and my normal moisturiser.  I really like it.  It's great for adding a shot of moisture when you need it, and if I could change one thing about it (besides the pea-green container, which is rather hideous), I'd put it in a spray bottle to make it easier to refresh your skin with the product during the day.

Lulu's Time Bomb Complexion Cocktail costs £24 for 100ml from the Timebomb website, or you can get kits containing a full size of the product from £35 on QVC.  I might even investigate the range further, myself.

The Fine Print: PR Sample.

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Lipstick Queen Metals - Wine

 

It's always a thrill when Lipstick Queen releases a new range, and this is a slightly interesting departure for the brand: a frosted "metallic" finish.  Three shades will be available when the lipsticks are released in November, a nude, a red and a wine.  I'm a HUGE fan of LQ's wine shades (having worn both Saint and Sinner Wine to a nubbin this year), so this was a nice lipstick for me to get hold of.  Let's take a look:

daylight

flash

Metal wine is a deep and cool, but bright burgundy shade, packed with tonnes and tonnes of metallic particles.  It's not really a shimmer, and it's definitely not glitter, it's also not a chrome finish either.  It IS quite metallic though, look:

I was a bit worried that the colour would look "frosted" on the skin, and therefore instantly transport me back to 1986, but I needed have worried.  The lipstick is pigmented and rich (and unscented), and it is slightly more sophisticated than I would have expected from a metallic formulation:

Wear time is good, a full three or four hours or so before needing a touch up, but you will get the red ring of doom from this shade though.  A bit, so it's slightly high-maintenance.  I also find it slightly more drying than the regular Lipstick Queen formulation, so do make sure you prep with plenty of balm first.  As you can probably tell from these shots, I didn't:

Metallics by Lipstick Queen will be on counter from early November.  

The Fine Print: PR Sample

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Astalift Aquarysta and Indeed Labs Hydraluron

I went through a phase recently of extremely dehydrated skin thanks to a product that will remain unnamed. Once I'd identified (a moisturiser with built-in sunscreen - NEVER again) and eliminated the culprit, I needed to get my skin back to full hydration, but I wanted to try and avoid greasiness if at all possible.  I'd been trying - and failing - with Hydraluron for a few months, but decided to give it another go, layered with another product that I've tried in the past, and quite liked, but didn't love.

It turns out, however, that if your skin is dehydrated to the point of feeling like pebbled leather, then your skin will LOVE these two products, especially if you layer them one over the other for a double whammy of hydrating gel-based goodness. 

Astalift Aquarysta is based around collagen, and Hydraluron is chockfull of hydraluronic acid.  Both are gels, a texture that normally gives me the heebie jeebies, but I can't deny that that for dehydrated skin - and not, I must make clear, dry skin,  my skin is on the oily side, albeit sensitive - gels are fabulous.  Easily absorbed, and not leaving a residue on the skin, I found that my "pebbly" problem cleared up in a couple of days, and I've kept up using this duo of products ever since.  My skin is smoother and more evenly textured than it has been in a long time as a result.  I'm happy!

I love how the Aquarysta jelly self-levels in the jar after you scoop some out (there are, quite literally, whole minutes of fun you can have chopping up the jelly with the tiny scoop included then watching the product right itself), and both the Aquarysta and Hydraluron leave skin in great condition, and ready for your moisturiser over the top. Just a quick word for people who don't like scented products though, the Astalift range is rather heavily scented with a slightly old-fashioned tea-rose scent, and some people might find this offputting.  

 Hydraluron is unscented, and is usually included in those 3-4-2 offers at Boots. I highly recommend that you pick up a tube or two, just in case.

Personally, I think that if your skin is in good condition, then you might not notice these products making any difference - I certainly didn't! - but when your skin is totally out of condition, or tired, or lacking some glow, then both (or either, I realise not everyone is as lucky as I am with my magic blogger cupboard), of these could make all the difference in the world.  I'm off to purchase backups of both for my honeymoon next month, when I fear the sun and the salt and the sunscreen is going to wreak havoc with my complexion ...
 

The Fine Print: PR Samples.

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Top Five Favourite Blushers

Since I had my colour-draping back in June, I've been looking to replace my not-quite-right golden coral blushes with something a little cooler and pinker. For a long time, I never wore blusher at all, fearing I'd look like a clown, or Aunt Sally or something, but I realise these days that my makeup simply isn't complete without blusher, and finding the right shade is deeply important.  I've been building up this tiny blusher wardrobe for the last few months, and here are my current favourites:

Clockwise from bottom left, we have:

Cargo - Bali
Art Deco - Blush Couture
Illamasqua Velvet Blusher - Peaked
Smashbox Halo Longwear Blush - In Bloom
Laura Geller Blush'n'Brighten - Ethereal Rose/Sateen Subtle Berry

All are pinks or plums of varying intensities, except Smashbox In Bloom, which is a rather pinked coral, which is probably the brightest shade here.  Swatches:

 
 Swatched in the same order, you can see Cargo Bali has a slight hint of blue microshimmer, giving the pinkish coral a cooler overtone.  Art Deco Blush Couture is a lovely soft plum with a smooth satin finish.  Illamasqua Peaked (in the centre) is a very cool raspberry purple, which is a glorious shade, but I find it rather hard to apply naturalistically, it definitely needs a duo-fibre brush and an extremely light hand.  Smashbox In Bloom is a pretty pink-coral that is great with an extremely natural look for lightening and brightening my face.  I love it.  And then there is the Laura Geller Ethereal Rose, which is the one I've had the most use out of recently. It's probably the most subtle of the five here, but it still gives a great subtle glow, and a fabulous highlight effect.

Here's how they photograph with a flash:
 

As you can see, only Peaked and In Bloom have a matte finish.

What's your favourite blusher at the moment? 

The Fine Print: Mixture of PR Samples and purchases.

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