Beauty Mouth

Clinic Answers

2012-02-16T19:40:00.001Z

Hi Everyone!

As I'm visiting Mama Mouth for half term - the Clinic questions will be answered by Sunday this week.

Thanks for your patience and for your support of the Clinic. :)

Clinic on Thursday

2012-02-16T07:00:00.001Z

Clinic is open for business!

Remember that the more info you can give me, the better detailed, specific-to-you response I can give.

Clinic on Thursday - Clinic is Closed.

2012-02-09T15:11:00.001Z

Thank you for the amazing response last week!

The Clinic is OPEN!

Beauty News Round-up

2012-02-03T17:36:00.002Z

This week's round-up - starting with...

Stop the Press! Next Friday - 10th, Emma Watson - Hermione herself, is doing a P.A. in Selfridges as part of her role as Lancome Ambassador and Face of the brand. She's there to launch her new collection of lipsticks and nail polishes called Rouge in Love and Vernis in Love respectively. Prepare to be squashed to death by screaming Harry Potter fans.
Selfridges Oxford Street - 4.30pm. Friday 10th February.

Origins launch Youthtopia Lift today. Designed to help skins affected by stress, age, fatigue and lack of hyaluronic acid (moi) - it uses Commiphora Mukul - a key plant ingredient used in ayurvedic medicine for over 3000 years. 92% of their testers said their skin was 'lifted and firmer'. That'll do.
My favourite part of Origins packaging? This bit:

Origins products are formulated WITHOUT:
Parabens ● Phthalates ● Propylene Glycol ● Mineral Oil ● PABA ● Petrolatum
Paraffin ● DEA ● Animal Ingredients (except cruelty-free honey and beeswax)
Doesn't it look nice to see that? Youthtopia is £48.00.

Deborah Mitchell launches her Eye version of her infamous Bee Venom Mask exclusively through NutriBeauty this week, priced at £55.00. A natural alternative to botox - she has taken the 'sting' part of the mask and added river silt - rich in minerals, enzymes and marine collagen to feed, firm, tighten and rejuvenate. I kinda need that all over.

The stunning cologne 4711 is sponsoring Matthew Williamson at LFW 2012. Frankly it's about time this unisex cult classic was put in front of people in a more pro-active manner. Never smelt it? It's citrus-y, think James Bond wears Aqua di Parma.
Interesting sidebar: this is the first time I've linked to a wikipedia page for a product. Told you it was a classic.

Also launching is Wild - a bright, bold and fresh initiative proving that Fair Trade doesn't have to be brown, dull and drab. Taking oils directly from ethically sourced and sustained suppliers from Africa, they have beautiful body butters and soaps that won't break the bank and make great gifts.

Speaking of Africa - this week pureDKNY launch their latest collaboration with CARE International - an organisation that aims to empower and lift women out of global poverty. *stands up, claps*
A Drop Of Verbena not only donates £1.00 per bottle to CARE, it sources the verbena directly from farmers in Togo to help sustain the local community. Can I get an AMEN?
Watch this video featuring the face of DKNY Angela Lindvall for more info about the work DKNY are doing with CARE.

Good work DK peeps.

Fast on the heels of RapidLash comes RapidBrow - the gift from the Gods for over-pluckers everywhere.

Your eyebrows are the coat hangers for your face - if yours look like old wire hangers from the dry cleaners instead of sturdy fabulous wooden ones from Peter Jones haberdashery department (trust me), you may wanna look this up. Exclusive to Boots - £37.00

Dove Spa have launched their Real Local Beauty campaign. Open to all ages and sizes you can nominate a friend or enter yourself if you fancy your chances. Prizes of up to £250 are on offer along with the chance to appear in their advertising campaigns and in the windows of Dove Spas across the country. To enter email realbeauty@dovespa.co.uk. Entries close 17th Feb.

Can we all take a minute to bow before the altar of NARS and these gorgeous previously-exclusive-to-Selfridges-now-in-SpaceNK new glosses? He's basically giving us a super-pigmented-crack-version of his original glosses in THE most amazing, bright, beautiful colours. I suggest you go now and investigate Norma - pictured above. No I don't suggest, I HIGHLY suggest. £19.00

Speaking of bowing, my old favourite Doctor P as usual, is at the forefront of his game and has released a Hypoallergenic Collection for those of us with sensitive skin - for whatever reason. I love this man and I trust him implicitly. No he's not cheap, but if you want cheap I suggest you go and use something for £2.00 on 3 for 2 in Boots and come back to me when your face is falling off. Yeah. That's what I thought.
Starting with a cleanser, eye cream, peptide complex and moisturiser it is priced between £34 and £80 and is available online and on Perricone counters. Review to follow.

Coach launched its latest fragrance - Poppy this week. Fruity and floral, it's the perfect escape as we get SNOW forecast. Priced from £29.00 at Debenhams, Harrods and selected stockists.

Balance Me launch their skincare Try-Me kit on QVC on Sunday 5th at 6pm and 10pm. Priced at £22.50 it contains trial sizes of both cleansers, Radiance Face Oil, Moisture-Rich Face Cream, Wonder Eye Cream and Stellar Face Balm. Tune in at 6pm - it's bound to sell out.

And finally - be careful what you wish for. Stila launching online with SpaceNK in March. HELL YEAH!

Clinic on Thursday - Clinic is Closed.

2012-02-02T07:30:00.003Z

Ok here's the thing: I'm stupid busy at the moment. All for amazing reasons - but still - ridiculously busy.

After kids, hubby, parents, 12 clients and growing, Give and Makeup, B.I.T.E. and learning to drive (because I clearly don't have enough on my plate), I have Beauty Mouth.

I have such a vast array of products waiting to be blogged about - and treatments - and places etc etc that I got a little overwhelmed at Christmas and took down my 'Ask the Mouth' page because I couldn't get back to people in a reasonable time.

But two things happened:

1, I really missed answering all your questions - I love the feeling that something I'm saying might actually help someone with a skin-related problem that really gets them down/frustrates them.

2, It didn't stop the emails - or the questions from people when I bumped into them.. 'Ooh I meant to ask you.. what did you say was great for...' etc

So I thought I'd try this. Every Thursday I'll have an all-day Clinic. Just leave your question in the comments and I'll get back to you the same day/Friday at a push.

It may work, it may not, but it's worth a go yes?

It may be a quick product Q or an emergency skin Q - or something that you've always wondered about but were too embarrassed to ask (feel free to be anonymous).

Whichever...let's give it a go.

Aesop New Store Opening

2012-02-01T20:23:00.000Z

Earlier in January I was invited to the opening of the latest addition to Aesop store outlets in London.

Situated in Lexington Street bang in the middle of Soho, as with all Aesop stores, it is a visual feast. Staying true to their modern, fresh and relevant ethos the simple yet sophisticated products are displayed beautifully while still inviting you in to sample and touch them. I'll be reviewing some of the latest Aesop products shortly but in the meantime - feast your eyes on these and drop in for yourself if you're in the area. Lovely.

Aesop is at 41 Lexington Street, W1.

It's about time.....

2012-01-31T14:05:00.000Z

My name is Caroline and I have a confession to make. Until a few weeks ago I had never sat behind the wheel of a car. Well, I am BRILLIANT at dodgems, but a REAL car? No.

I moved to London when I was 17, met the OH at 19 and have lived in Central (ish) London ever since. In the early days we didn't need a car, then we started the family and couldn't afford a car, then we had more kids, then I focused on my career...blah bah blah.

I've come to realise that learning to drive is similar to having a baby. There's never a right time but you'll know when its necessary/you absolutely need to...

Suddenly I was 42 and still not driving. And it had become not only embarrassing, but a massive inconvenience. I am now at the age where I want to be able to pick my older kids up when they're out late or far away (boys if you're reading this - I am NOT going to become a taxi) - and the deciding factor was a week late last year when both of my parents had a 'procedure' two days apart from each other. The thought of relying on British Rail to get me up North in a hurry was terrifying. Enough.

So the first payment on my bank card for 2012 was for driving lessons. And this morning I passed my theory test.

I'm booking my test today and as much as I dreaded the lessons at the beginning - I'm now beginning to enjoy them.

Will keep you posted on my progress but for the love of car crashes please keep your fingers crossed for this old bird?!

The Civil Wars

2012-01-26T21:19:00.000Z

One thing I love more than beauty? Music. Live it, breathe it...obsessed. It's how I met the OH. Singing on stage. (4 kids and 40lbs ago but whatever..)

Last October the mister said 'You have to listen to THIS.'

'THIS' was The Civil Wars on Later with Jools Holland. <---- that performance led to the band trending on twitter worldwide straight after the show. By the next day the import-only album was no.15 on the iTunes chart in the UK.

By the time they got to the chord changes at 2.40 into the song I had downloaded everything they had released from iTunes. And when it finished I played it again. And again. And again. I've pretty much had them on repeat ever since.

If you've ever had anything resembling a relationship you have to listen to this:

Poison & Wine

The back and forth, his-and-hers telling of the story is completely mesmerising.

In a world full of homogenised, manufactured, meaningless, talentless dross, these two unbelievably, beyond-the-norm ridiculously talented musicians have literally given me hope. Even their tumblr is gorgeous.

Barton Hollow is being released as a single on 5th March.

The album of the same name is out the same day.

They're also touring in March. Beg, borrow, steal or BUNK IN (sorry but needs must and they're worth getting arrested for) to see this band.

Adele - who they supported on her last tour - said 'The Civil Wars are by far the BEST live band I have EVER seen.'

Get in there early. They've since been nominated for 2 Grammys and are about to go global.

The last time I was this excited about music was when I first heard Jeff Buckley. Enough said.

I love them more than Emma Hardie cleanser and Alpha-H Liquid Gold. There. I got some beauty in.

Absorbency, medication and inflammation... a request from Twitter...and how to make the perfect cup of tea.

2012-01-20T19:20:00.000Z

I've had a few questions on Twitter this week that take more than 140 characters to respond to!

Firstly, medication and the effects on the body and skin - meds can affect the skin in all sorts of ways - but the most common reaction is inflammation in one way or another. Just a reminder that I am under no illusions that I am a GP! - this is just my training, experience and reactions from customers and clients.

Antibiotics tend to dry you out and can cause either redness and/or rashes or, as in my case, you go 'grey' and lose colour in your face. This usually leads to people saying 'You look really rough!' Um thanks.

Ditto most other meds. And I'm talking about prescribed medication - not over the counter paracetamol.

The thing that's best for skin that is under the influence of any medication? Just go down the anti-inflammatory route. Cut out sugar, alcohol, smoking (don't get me started), lower dairy intake and be careful using really active ingredients in products - your skin is trying to cope with enough without making it work harder.

Use a soft cleanser - preferably a balm or oil (as always non mineral oil based), find a nice cooling spray toner/tonic such as Avene, and a really hydrating moisturiser. Water based is safe all round. If you're particularly oily or dry supplement with a suitable oil in the evenings.

Cleanse, spray, moisturise, spray again. Think of your routine as 'putting out the fire'.

Absorbency. I was tweeted by the lovely Liloo this evening to ask my opinion on a particular new launch claiming to be 300% stronger than other antioxidants used in products. Or summin.

My concern with brands that talk the talk about miracle ingredients is the delivery system.

Let me set the scene: When you make a cup of tea in a cup - why do you not add the milk to the mug first?

Because the fat molecules in the milk are bigger than the holes in the teabag. If you add the milk first the tea stops brewing and you get a cup of cat pee. No matter how hard you squeeze it against the side of the cup with that teaspoon.

Your skin, like a teabag, is not designed to just absorb willy-nilly. If it did - you wouldn't be able to take a bath - you'd drown.

You can have the best ingredients available on the market but if they're not in a specialised delivery system - such as a nicotine or HRT patch, they will just sit on the surface of the skin - or evaporate off. Take retinol. When it first came on to the market, the delivery system was sub-standard and the product sat on the surface of the skin - causing irritation and in some cases burning people who then went out in to the sun unknowingly. Most people would return their products saying 'I've had an allergic reaction'. Then came micro technology and THEN came nano technology. Which basically means the molecules of the ingredient in the formulation are smaller than the entry points on the epidermis.

So when you're about to buy an expensive face cream, don't worry so much about the ingredients - its bound to have some excellent ones. Ask how they plan to penetrate you. You know you want to.

That's all. Remember this though:

In-vitro and in-utero testing is fabulous - but how do they intend to get it INTO your cells?
Whatever you use, whatever they tell you, nothing, NOTHING penetrates further than the dermis that is NOT IN A NEEDLE.

Now. Someone put the kettle on. And do it properly please.

STOP THE PRESS: SOAP & GLORY SUPER SIZE

2012-01-20T13:27:00.000Z

Holy Crapbags! One of my favourite body moisturisers EVER - and one of Boots best-selling items - Soap & Glory's Righteous Butter, is launching in a MEGA 1 litre-sized Limited Edition on 1st February.

I make no apologies for it - I love this product. The smell, the formulation and the packaging.

And it's going for £25.00. £25.00 for a LITRE of product?

Form an orderly queue peeps. And get THE HELL out of my way!

Soap & Glory

My Daily

2012-01-20T13:19:00.000Z

Just a quick one - I'm over on My Daily today with my Hero Product.. No surprises for guessing what it is....

At least I'm consistent.

MyDaily.co.uk

Paris - L'Opera

2012-01-15T09:00:00.004Z

I went to Paris last Friday for work meetings and with an hour to kill between meetings I decided that instead of walking around L'Opera and ignoring it completely - as I have done for over 10 years - the shame - why not actually do a little sight-seeing?

So for a very brief diversion from skincare and the like - just cast your eye over these.......

Le sigh......

Mineral Oil - a rant

2012-01-14T19:01:00.000Z

I go on and on about mineral oil all the time and am always asked what I have against it.

Here's the thing.

It has no benefit to your skin. Whatsoever. Companies use it because it's cheap - it's not even cheap - the big oil companies pay people to take it off their hands.

Plant-based oils are far more beneficial to the skin - but they are more expensive. That is the only reason more companies don't switch from mineral oil to BETTER options.

Honestly, when I see pots of cream that cost hundreds of pounds/dollars and the first listed ingredient is 'Petrolatum/Mineral Oil' I could LITERALLY headbutt the counter.

Yes, you get brands saying 'But it's refined medical-grade mineral oil!'.

Well Whoopie-DO. *jazz hands*

I suppose that means an omelette isn't really an egg.

You all have a choice - and each to their own. I haven't used mineral oil on my face for over 20 years. And I've never put it on my kids faces.

That's all.

Beauty News Round-up

2012-01-14T18:03:00.001Z

A little round-up of stories this week - first up...

A reminder. Invati - the new range from Aveda that I reviewed late last year is on counters now. If you are worried about thinning hair - give it a go. I found it really good.
FOUR London are teaming up with Daniel Sandler and offering a Consultation Evening next Thursday on 19th of January. The experts at FOUR will be giving colour consultations, Daniel will be giving MU tips and experts will be on hand from Dr Duve skincare to give you advice on how to get the best out of your skin. All with a glass of bubbles. To attend - simply email shirley at sdpr.co.uk

Jo Malone announced this week that Charlotte Stockdale would be their new 'Style Editor'. In all honesty I'm not sure what a 'Style Editor' will do. Or how it will affect the brand. Very few brands are as visually strong as Jo Malone.
I recently attended a CEW talk given by Jo herself to launch her new brand Jo Loves - during her speech she said that trying to pick which brand she loved more would be like 'trying to say which of her children she loved more'. I wonder what the original 'nose' makes of the new 'Style Editor'.
Perhaps the original Jo Malone company (owned by Lauder since 1999) injecting newness into the range will be good for them - and good for the consumer.
To celebrate the launch of their new counter in Harvey Nichols London - Stila are having a lipgloss amnesty 'Stila Steal' on 19th of this month. Just bring any lipgloss to the counter from 10am and they'll exchange it for a brand new 'Kitten' Lip Glaze.
Interesting sidebar: Stila Lip Glaze is what I sold to my rudest customer ever when it was originally in Harvey Nichols in the late 90's. *waves at Naomi Campbell*

Frankly it's ABOUT TIME that Stila is back where it belongs. I could never get used to seeing it in Boots. Heartbreaking. It needs to be back in SpaceNK before I can sleep properly at night though.

Source

Speaking of SpaceNK - lots of fabulous new ranges coming their way in the next couple of months - the most exciting for me being Kevyn Aucoin.
It's 10 years this May since the unexpected death of one of the greatest MUA I have ever seen in action. I'm so glad his estate kept his new (at the time) range going. What better legacy? Look out for Celestial Powder and the Sensual Skin Enhancer. Hurry up and get here!

Marie Claire Best Beauty Twitter Awards

2012-01-09T12:52:00.000Z

Well it would appear that shouting at people on Twitter about their incorrect/lame/wrong use of skincare is popular?!

Yours truly has been longlisted for Best Beauty Twitter over on Marie Claire. I do like a bit of a twitter rant and if you win? - you get to tweet for Marie Claire (I'm not entirely sure they've thought this through)!

Now the competition is just RIDICULOUS - the other people nominated are fabulous. I mean beyond fabulous... but in for a penny....

If you follow me on twitter and can spare a mo, please do vote for me. Much appreciated.

It won't stop me shouting at people on twitter if I lose, but I'd maybe get to shout at a lot more people (give great advice) if I WIN. Score!

You can vote here.

Thanking you kindly.

@carolinehirons

Faust's Potions

2012-01-05T18:41:00.000Z

I'm on a bit of a health kick at the moment - not so much a typical 'detox' - just a little more awareness of what I am actually putting into my body - especially after the festive season. I gave up all 'white' foods for Lent last year and that worked well for me so I'm doing that again and cutting out the vino, along with some major supplementation.

So when I was offered the opportunity to try Faust's Potions I was definitely interested.

Faust's was created by Nina Faust with the aim of nurturing the body when it needs it the most. The potions are a blend of herbs, minerals, vitamins, electrolytes, milk thistle, 5-HTP to help aid sleep and N-acetyl cysteine - an amino acid that helps to neutralise the effects of alcohol (hello?!!).

I used them over the New Year period and they for me, did what they said on the box. I have no problem falling asleep - but a huge problem staying asleep - especially after alcohol. I got a really good nights sleep and wasn't groggy at all. My skin was also fairly even - I'm usually dehydrated like a raisin the morning after the night before. Not so after using this.
The Asleep potion is a berry flavoured shot - I diluted mine with water. The taste was fine - and I'm not great with liquid supplements usually.

If you are a regular weekend party person - you could do worse than to have a packet of these in your cupboard.

Faust's Potions are available at Cult Beauty and are £4.99 or £19.99 for a multi-pack of five.

Beauty Mouth Guide to Paris - Part 1 - Travel and Champs Elysees

2012-01-01T11:50:00.000Z

Years ago, when I was working for a big brand in Europe, I was fortunate enough to 'have' to visit Paris once a month - for work. Paris is also where I did advanced facial training (a bizarre blog post all in itself).

I have a soft spot for Paris - and most things French. Except snails. Never succumbed.

I've developed quite a few favourite shops, restaurants and sights to see and thought it might be worth sharing a few..

A few travel tips first.

Always Eurostar. Never fly. Unless you live in Scotland perhaps but seriously - I can get to Paris in the same amount of time it takes to get up North to the homeland. No waiting for luggage - no 2 hour check-in. Bliss.
Buy a Carnet on the Eurostar - and buy it early - they sell out. A Carnet is 10 metro tickets and costs around 12 euros. Buying it on the train means you avoid the queues at Gare de Nord. Think any tube station on the first day back to work after Christmas/School holidays - horrible queues. The Metro system in Paris is delightfully easy to use - and safe. You'll spend so much time walking you won't use all of your tickets if you're just going for a quick visit.
Don't try and hail a cab in Paris - they have to use taxi ranks - you can't hail them down in the street. Painful. But there we are.
If you are taking a taxi from Gare du Nord avoid the queue in the 'official' huge taxi rank on the outer right of the station. Exit the station at the front, cross over and turn left and walk for about 50 or so metres? There you'll find another taxi rank with no queue. So worth it.
If you can, try and avoid ordering a cab through your hotel for your journey back to the station/airport. The cab will add a good 8/10 euros just for the pleasure of picking you up. If you have been shopping for England - order the cab but make a point of asking how much the fee will be for collecting you. Cheek.

Once you've arrived and are ready to go - hit a specific area and stick to it for an amount of time if you can - don't faff around running back and forth all over the place.

First up - the Champs Elysee.

You need the Metro Franklin D Roosevelt. Not Champs Elysee. That would be similar to getting off at Marble Arch when you want Tottenham Court Road.

Exit left out of the station and walk up a block and there you have the beauty bloggers Promised Land.

Sephora.

The flagship Sephora is always packed but has plenty of staff to cope - queues are kept to a minimum. The French love a French brand. Priority is given to Dior, Givenchy, Lancome, YSL and Chanel. You'll find plenty of Chanel Seasonal Colours/Limited Editions that sell out in the UK in days, Make Up For Ever and Sephora's Own Label to get you started.

A word on the Sephora/Karl Lagerfeld collaboration. I love Chanel. I mean LOVE. Who doesn't? But WHAT IN THE NAME OF BOUCLE was KL thinking with this collaboration? When we went there was plenty left on the shelves - which is always a bad sign - if it's not good enough for the French etc..and the quality was just awful. He can't need the money - or the press?

I considered buying a few pieces for Ava's collection - of which she remains clueless but will thank me one day - but couldn't bring myself to do it. Bad quality, bad choice of product, bad idea. And unnecessary.
I stuck with Chanel. Maybe that was the thinking? Anyway..

Next up - and practically next door, is Guerlain. I blogged about our tour of Guerlain last time we were in Paris - you need to go to the Guerlain store. Firstly, the staff and service are exquisite. Polite, friendly and no pressure. I managed to get my Grandmother (in the banner) a Shalimar Dusting Powder for Christmas - not available in the UK - the staff gift-wrapped it in nano-seconds and threw in a lot of samples for her too. All sorts of fabulous.

On the block down from Guerlain is a Monoprix.

Monoprix is the French version of Tesco - but you will have all manner of fun in one of these if you like things such as Bourjois, Bonne Maman jam, pre-packed Croque Monsieur cheeses - anyway - I recommend doing your supermarket shop on your last day/at the end of the day. Too heavy otherwise.

Exit Monoprix and walk down a block and you'll find Biologique Recherche. Home of the infamous P50 and well worth a visit. Unfortunately due to EU ingredient regulations the best version of P50 is now only available in the US. Humbug all round. Still worth seeing just for the products.

By now you're probably hungry - it's probably lunchtime and you NEED to visit La Relais.

See those people? That be a food queue. We went back the next day - early.

If you're vegetarian look away now.

The staff ask you two questions when you sit down at La Relais.

How do you want it cooked? (medium rare)
What do you want to drink? (bottle of red s'il vous plait)

That's it. Steak and chips - TWICE. Not for 2 - two servings per person.

The good news is that there are branches in London. Go. But as with Paris - go early to avoid queues.

Next up: Boulevard Haussmann and L'Opera.

Best of 2011 - Hairspray

2011-12-31T14:39:00.000Z

Finishing off my Best of 2011? I know. Hairspray? Really? Well, yes frankly. I use it every single day and am a bit obsessive so why not?

So without further ado:

Sorry I couldn't resist sticking them together.

Fat Hair is one of those products that does what it says on the tin. This is definitely a 'going out' hairspray. It's also a gem for 'hair in a bun' days. This would withstand a tornado. Word of caution - being sticky/strong the nozzle tends to clog - 2 secs under a hot tap sorts it out perfectly though. And it's so worth it.
It was my hairspray of choice for the infamous Def Leppard/Motley Crue gig. Say no more.

Aveda Control Force is my hairspray of choice for a normal workday. I.E. hair down, loose - nothing special going on. Except frizz - which this prevents nicely. It's a lovely hairspray. Yes, I'm using the word 'lovely' to describe a hairspray. What of it?

I'm all up for suggestions for other hairsprays. Bring. It. On. Just no mention of Cheryl Cole please.

Best of 2011 - The Best Reds

2011-12-31T14:24:00.000Z

I've never been someone to do things by halves. So when I rediscovered my love of lipstick earlier this year (having been a gloss chick for like..ever) there was only one shade on my list.
Red.
All manner of glorious reds.
I blogged about Nars and Daniel Sandler back in November - these three below I have picked up since and am currently all manner of obsessed.

My favourite red of 2011 is YSL Rouge Pur Couture in No.1 - Le Rouge. It's a true deep red, ridiculously long-lasting, non-drying and every single time I wear it I get compliments.

The middle lipstick is Make Up For Ever's Moulin Rouge. Slightly darker than the YSL this is a true 'Slut Lips' red. Again long-lasting and non-drying.
And lastly, Bourjois Sweet Kiss No. 56 Rouge Pur Mesure is more tomato red and perfect for those minimal make-up, hair in a chignon days. The colour pops brilliantly. Not quite as long-lasting as the others but that is obviously reflected in the price.

And to keep them all in place for longer? Make Up For Ever's Aqua Lip in 08C - Red.

A great shade for all red lipsticks, non-drying, helps stop any bleeding and lasts ages.

Feel free to leave me a list of your favourite reds - my bank manager won't thank you but I surely will.

Best of 2011 - Mascara

2011-12-30T14:05:00.000Z

Although I have not yet been tempted to stray from my usual choice of Chantecaille Faux Cils - frankly one of the best mascaras on the planet, on a permanent basis - I did come across the below this year and not only is it nearly as good as Chantecaille - it's significantly cheaper. Around £28.00 cheaper...

Maybelline 'The Falsies Volume Express' is not only a good, affordable mascara, it's easily better than some of the really well known, really expensive ones.

Sorry about the large picture of the wand but it's so you can see the formula is wet, which sounds really silly, but in the world of mascaras is becoming increasingly rare - in my experience. The brush is curved, but not too curved or too rigid - it lets you build and layer to get the effect you desire.

Love.

Available at the usual stockists - for around £5.00. Bargain.

Best of 2011 - Fragrance

2011-12-30T13:44:00.000Z

Pretty clear winner for me this year. Guerlain's Shalimar Initial is a gorgeous take on the original. Lighter, fresher and cleaner. A wonderful modern version of a true classic.

An easy winner.

Best of 2011 - Facial

2011-12-28T11:16:00.000Z

Kicking off the 'Best of' series of posts for 2011 is Best Facial.

I know facials. You can usually get a really good facial or really good value for money. It's hard to find something that combines the two. Especially in the London area. So I was thrilled to find Suti this year.

The Suti Core Facial is £65.00 and worth every penny. It's on the relaxing/pampering side of facials so is perfect for you if you haven't had a facial before, are planning for a big event or just need downtime while someone fixes your skin.

For me, it was plumping, smoothing and hydrating and the effects lasted around a week.

Suti is a very small company on the brink of the big time. Owned by sister-in-laws Suzannah and Tina, Suti is a small capsule collection of everything I love about skincare. Balms, oils and tonics that are soothing, healing, nourishing and predominantly organically derived.

Suzannah works out of Barnes and the other practitioners are also based in the South East. The good news is that Suti are looking for salons and spas with a similar ethos to take on their treatments throughout the UK so that could change soon.

Suti products are priced between £18.00 and £26.00 and are available from Nutribeauty.

For more information on Suti including their facials or how to become a stockist email them here.

*The Suti Facial I had was complimentary - but I will be going back and happily handing over my own ££.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T19:53:00.000Z

Wishing you and yours a very joyful, safe and peaceful Christmas.

Last minute Christmas loveliness (and a totally gratuitous picture of bloggers)

2011-12-16T19:43:00.000Z

Let's cut to the chase: time is certainly now of the essence.

If you need help with your Christmas makeup get thee to John Lewis in Oxford St, Brent Cross, Kingston, Peter Jones or Stratford. Shiseido are doing free (FREE) 20 minute one-to-one classes on how to do either a pared-down Christmas look - or full on glamour using looks created by Artistic Director Dick Page.

If you're a fan of Donna Karan's gorgeous Cashmere Mist you'll love this. A Limited Edition adorned with Swarovski crystals - it's priced £84.50 and is available from Harrods (obviously).

Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Swarovski

Fans of Michael Kors' original fragrance will find this hard to resist. To celebrate 30 years of his fashion line he has released a sheer version of Gold - his beautiful tubereuse based fragrance now updated with lighter notes of freesia and magnolia. Nom.

Being Michael Kors, he roped in Mario Testino to photograph Karmen Pedaru - MK's muse, to showcase 'the Michael Kors woman, the epitome of effortless beauty and relaxed sophistication'. No need really - he could have just used this lovely visual of your favourite bloggers showcasing their love for Michael Kors watches.

I'd have done him a deal.

If you ARE a fan of the fragrance - get it from Harrods and they'll throw in this beeyoudifull Weekender bag for free.

And if my husband is reading this - I need that watch.

Happy Friday and a Merry Christmas from Harvey Nichols!

2011-12-09T13:56:00.000Z

This video is exactly why I love Harvey Nichols. NO other department store would do this.

It's been a long time since I did a Walk of Shame - but when I did? - boy were they good ones....

Happy Friday!