Dior Gel Top Coat

Regular readers of this blog will know that I find it hard to properly review nail varnish because I always chip it. It's definitely me and not the products - though some of them are clearly worse than others - but I've worn varnishes that have been guaranteed to be chip-proof and they've lasted two days. I think its a combination of the way I apply it and the fact that I hold no mercy once it's on. I type using the end of my nails and cook for hours in the evenings which seems to result in a few bald patches by the end of the night. Nail varnish does last a bit longer for me if I have it applied professionally so I do try and take a colour to a professional to get it put on before I review it - it seems unfair to rate a product on my shoddy workwomanship.

There are some top coats that I know are better than others but whether they will ever get a look in after trying Dior's new Gel Top Coat is doubtful. Not only does this give a lovely, almost plastic-looking thick, curved, finish but even I had fewer chips and holes than usual. Even when they do get holes in them the rest of the nail still looks as shiny as when you first applied it - the wearing off of the shine from a topcoat is something I find particularly annoying. Next time I can afford it I'm going to take this for a professional manicure and see how long my nails last.

This looks stunning - an absolute must for all nail fetishists and a fantastic present for a friend who always has her nails done. Not cheap at £18 but for the professional finish it gives think of the money you'll save on reapplication and
manicures!

Avon Supershock Liner

Black, Flash, Aqua Pop and Khaki

In my school year book one of the things I was most remembered for was black eyeliner - I still wear it all the time. How then have I lived for so long without Avon's Supershock Gel Liner? Not only is this a fantastically easy to use waterproof pencil but it goes straight onto the waterline and stays there. OK so it probably won't last all day, but it will last a very long time, much longer than any other liner I've tried (and that's a lot).

It gives you a properly black waterline, top and bottom, and it's easy to apply. As with all Avon products this is incredibly reasonably priced, usually £6 it is £2.99 at the moment and it's now available in five new colours - Khaki Shimmer, Silver, Flash, Steel and this seasons must have blue, Aqua Pop.

Black, Flash, Aqua Pop and Khaki

Most days on my top lid I like to use a kohl so a softer, smudgier look. This is not the product for that although if you are quick you can smudge and wing it a bit, but what is particularly great about his product is that often with kohl's they can rub off from the inner corner - a little bit of Supershock over the top will last the whole day.

I cannot tell you how fantastic this product is - I'm going to do a vlog on it soon - the only thing I will say is that looking at the reviews online it seems this may not be ideal on the waterline for contact lens wearers. I can't confirm this - may have to try it out on my contacts-wearing husband at some point.

In fact I loved it so much I bought four for my kit - black, flash (a sort of shimmery pink which would also be great on the waterline to make eyes look bigger), khaki and Aqua Pop. I love them all - just fantastic eyeliners. 

Help

Right - I'm  fully back from blogging maternity leave (baby illnesses permitting) and I would love to hear from you about what you want to see here. More reviews? More how-to videos? Please do send me an email with any questions or requests and I will try and get back to you, or leave a comment under a post. I'm constantly testing out products for review and thinking up new ideas for videos but I want to know what you want to see - so let me know. Also if you haven't already, and you think I'm worthy, then please nominate me for a Cosmopolitan blog award by clicking on the link to the right. Thanks xx

Cosmopolitan Blog Awards

I don't usually do this but it's the Cosmopolitan blog award nominations and I would be really pleased if you would nominate me by clicking on the link to the right of this page. Thank you xx

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

My new absolute favourite - I cannot tell you how much I am in love with this brush. As an avid watcher of the Pixiwoo girls I'd seen the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush in action plenty of times but somehow imagined it to be bigger than it actually is and thought I would stick with my trusty stippling brush - I have more brushes than anyone needs, even I couldn't come up with an excuse for buying it. But then I wanted bought the Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush (also amazing and highly recommended) and got the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush on a whim at the same time.

It is the perfect size for a foundation brush, it makes application incredibly quick, easy to get a flawless finish and its the perfect shape and size to get under the eyes and round the nose. Not only is it fantastic for doing the base but you can also use it for shaping and sculpting the face and applying blusher and highlighter. This may well be my desert island brush. It is incredibly well priced at about £9.99, with synthetic bristles it can be used with creams and powders and is also easy to clean - if you have trouble applying foundation, contours or are just in the market for an excellent new brush this is the one to go for.

Dermaviduals - Part 1

Every now and then there is a blog post that just sits in the drafts folder as a title, waiting to be written, but it's just too hard to do it justice. Well this is one of those. The reason it is just Part 1 is that there is no point reviewing a product like Dermaviduals on a one-off basis. I could write about how much I love the products I was given to try, I've already written about how great the Face It Clinic is where I first tried Dermaviduals out, but the whole point of the Dermaviduals range is that it becomes not only the only skin care that you will ever need, but tailored to your skin and you just can't do that sort of thing in one sitting.

DMS Soothing Lotion

Dermaviduals is a German brand developed by a chemist with an interest in skin. Face It Clinic have been test driving it for 2 years and are really impressed with the way the dermamembrane structure (DMS) technology works - putting back into skin what life takes out by replicating the skin barrier. The vitamins and minerals that your skin needs are added to the DMS base cream so that is completely bespoke. Everything from Vitamins A, C and E concentrates, to Butcher's Broom for redness and Boswella for age repair can be added and all sorts of skin problems treated - ageing, eczema, acne, rosacia, pigmentation. 

You'll have to read my review of the wonderful Face It Clinic in Highgate to find out more about my experience there and then you'll know that it didn't get off to a fantastic start with me being quite late and nearly missing my appointment. What I loved though was how, despite getting off on slightly the wrong foot, you couldn't dampen Donna's passion for skincare and soon we were discussing my skin, what it needs and even how it works.

With my skin we discussed my eczema - which I've never had on my face but will affect the skin on my face as your skin is a whole organism (something I've never really thought about before, I just think of eczema as existing in patches). Eczema means my skin is missing some oils which would need to be replaced but also the fact that I had a three month old baby that I was still breast-feeding would also affect my skin. The best thing for me to do would be to try some of the 'off-the-shelf' Dermaviduals products, see how they worked and then go back for a consultation.

DMS High Classic Plus Moisturiser

I trotted off with my DMS Cleanising milk, Soothing lotion toner
and DMS High Classic Plus moisturiser and used these exclusively twice a day as instructed and low and behold my annoying red non-spot spots that I'd had since having Ned completely went away. My skin felt moisturised properly even though the moisturiser itself doesn't feel that thick at all. I was seriously impressed by these products - even more so that since they ran out and I've stopped using them the spots have returned. I will definitely be going back for my consultation.

A consultation at Face It Clinic is £45, £25 of which goes towards the purchase of products. You will have a full consultation where your make-up is removed and your skin really looked at as well as your skins history discussed - what your parents skin is like, siblings skin, and problems you've experienced or think you've had. I am a make-up artist but I cannot stress how important it is to treat your skin well - you can spend hundreds of pounds on make-up to cover up problems but it is much easier, healthier and cheaper to treat the problem itself rather than try to cover it up. 

Friday Treat

My friend and fellow make-up artist, Alexis Dolman came to my house when I'd just had Ned to ease my make-up withdrawal. During the afternoon she showed me how to create a quick and easy scar...

Products used:

3rd Degree
Principality Bruise Powder
Skin Illustrator FX Palette
Isopropyl Alcohol
Dried Blood (dark)
Maekup Yellow Wound Gel

TWO Magazine

When I was little I spent quite a lot of my time recording my own radio shows - usually featuring a lot of mindless drivel and ads for dog food - and making my own magazines - usually featuring mindless drivel and some bits about make-up. Now at the age of 7 or 8 my knowledge of make-up mostly revolved around lipstick being pink, mascara being black and nail varnish, again also pink. They weren't a great read but they were the start of my love for magazines and, never having been good or ambitious enough to actually get a job on a magazine's beauty desk the dream died slightly.

As I started to work in the make-up industry, and indeed before when I sat at a desk for eight hours a day doing absolutely nothing but looking at the Internet and day-dreaming of escape I longed for a make-up magazine. Not the pro kind that's always available at the IMATS and you can sign up for but is rather intimidating, but one that's not only covered the pro side of things but was accessible to everyone interested in make-up.

Finally there is such a magazine and not only is it all of the above but it launched just as I had the baby so I had something to do while breastfeeding in the middle of the night. And now I get to sub-edit it! Hurrah. A dream come true.

TWO Magazine is available online or as an app for your iPhone or iPad and will be available for android soon. Edited and created by Sam Chapman and Nicola Haste of Pixiwoo fame it features columns from Liz Martins, Neil Moodie, has regular skincare features and the beautiful photo shoots. If you are remotely into make-up it is really worth checking it out. The app is completely free and there's a new issue to read every month!

Give and Makeup

I am one of those people that finds it hard to through useful things away. I'm not a hoarder but I can see how such a problem can get started. I'm signed up to Glossybox - a fantastic service where you get a box of goodies delivered every month - and the boxes are so pretty and useful that I cannot bring myself to chuck them out. As you can imagine, one a month means that quite a few have now been stacked up in my office, occasionally I use one to send someone something fragile or a make-up product I don't want to get squeezed in the post.

Then I came across Give and Makeup on twitter and suddenly I not only have the perfect use for  my old Glossyboxes but it is a great way to get rid of all those make-up and beauty products you don't use. I get sent quite a few things to test out, often all within the same range and there will be things I know I'm just never going to use, lipsticks and nail varnishes in the wrong colour, the majority of perfume samples I get from Glossybox and they just lie around unloved, taking up valuable space. I'm also terrible at going out and splurging on makeup in Boots and Superdrug and then getting home and finding I've already got something or I've bought it in completely the wrong colour - some end up in my kit, some just go to the back of my personal make-up box. My initial trawl through revealed two boxes worth of products. Now I'm just going to keep an old box in my office for anything that I don't want.

Initially you may wonder why make-up and beauty products are needed for charity - I mean, they are a bit of a luxury surely, but all the products donated go directly to Refuge and Women's Aid who help victims of domestic violence. Thousands of women and children have had to run from their homes to protect their lives and they have to leave everything behind. Give and Makeup need everything from everyday essentials - shampoo, condition, toothpaste, deodorant, to skincare - cleaners and moisturisers and the added extras - makeup, makeup brushes, perfume, nail varnish and even clothes and baby products. Rather than listing things on eBay why not make a box up and send it in? These amazing charities need your help and Give and Makeup is a fantastic way to do it.

Environ C-Quence Eye Gel

Quite often I review either easily accessible 'drug store' brands or products that the pro's love - this post is going to be about one of the big guns of skincare. Environ is a serious brand with hardcore products and I have to say, although I've really been impressed by everything I've tried I really wouldn't advise using their products without consulting a skin specialist who really knows the brand.

I first became aware of the brand four years ago just before I got married. I was worried about the dry skin bumps on the tops of my arms being really obvious in my strapless wedding dress (it's incredibly annoying to be asked if you're cold all the time when in fact it's just a skin issue!). I was recommend Environ's Derma-Lac Lotion which really helped - you can read about it here. Since then I haven't really come across the brand at all until I saw some incredible before and after pictures showing the results using C-Quence Eye Gel and was so amazed I really wanted to get my mother to try it out.

I think my mother looks fantastic but she is always trying to find a non-surgical way to treat her hooded eyes and the skin around them. When I saw these pictures I just had to get hold of some of the C-Quence Eye Gel for her to try out. And then I had a baby and forgot all about it.

I have to say that so much time had passed since I had given her the eye gel, and she is never happy with any eye creams she tries, that I was expecting her to say that this hadn't made any difference either. I was wrong, she really likes it and has noticed a difference after just two weeks of use. She says... 'I have been using Environ morning and evening after cleansing, and I am very pleased with the results.  My baggy, puffy eyes seem to have tightened up a bit, and I think I look a bit more awake which is great when one is 61!  I shall continue to use it and am interested to know what other Environ products are available for poor old saggy faces.'

As I've mentioned before these are tough products so it really is advisable to get a consultation with someone who knows them before buying any and I think I'll definitely be taking my mother to Face It Clinic in Highgate, who have used Environ products for years, to see what other products will work with the C-Quence Gel to continue the de-puffing.