Since my last post on eyebrows (here), i’ve seemed to accumulated a good pile of products so it seemed appropriate to share a round-up of my essentials. Firstly, after two or three threading sessions ive came to the conclusion i like my ‘tweeze me’ ways better, so the shape and grooming is provided by yours truly. Found that the brow threaders were leaving my already thin eyebrows, way too sparse and skinny and were looking a bit ‘scouse’ when filled in.

The Pencils:

Mac Spiked – self propelling pencil, finished way to fast for my liking and felt a tad too soft. Don’t get me wrong, i like it soft but not as much as when touched would smudge away.

Clinique Soft Brown – another twist on pencil, i find it marvelous for exact shaping and for creating those fine natural hairs. We shall see how long it lasts, but so far its a winner.

Smashbox Brow Tech Brunette – everybody should own one! Amazing dupe for the Tom Ford eyebrow sculptor (they are pretty much the same), i use it when im in a rush and need shaping and filling in one go. You see, usually i would pencil in the shape and then use a brow powder & wax for coloring in. There is a wax brow spoolie at the end too for taming the rebellious hairs.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof – a beach essential. Its a bit too light for my day to day makeup, but its a real winner on the beach when i just want a bit of defining and not looking too bland underneath the sunglasses.

The Powders:

Benefit Browzings in Light – rocked my brow world. The tinted wax changed my life (easily impressed there…), usually i wouldn’t use a normal wax because it makes my brows looking grey and dusty. Now, i just fill in with the wax for a sticky base and then top up with the powder for a long last effect.

Lancome Le Regard Pro – a limited edition (why?!) eyebrow palette, there is no wax but you get three powder shades and a highlighter. I usually take it on makeovers as it has shades suitable for either blondes, browns or brunettes. It would be ideal for someone who changes their hair colour often and also it doubles up as a matte neutral eyeshadow palette.

Tools:

Smashbox No12 Angled Brow Brush – the best eyebrow brush ive ever used, had it over four years and use it every single day. Definitely a staple.

Laura Mercier Spoolie – i got it in December as part of a travel size brush set. Its double headed – one side there is the grooming spoolie and the other a gel eyeliner slanted brush. Lovely for shaping alongside the tweezers and for even out the brow products.

Tweezers – any brand will do, im not really bothered. For now im using the Lancome one that came with the Regard Pro set.

Love the sound of Makeup Forever Aqua Brow corrector and ive seen a brow tutorial using an Inglot gel liner, anybody used those in their routine?

I know im kinda late on the BB Cream bandwagon, now with CC creams coming and all, but i always thought a BB cream is just a fancy name for tinted moisturiser. I’ve seen cases when a brand would just slap a ‘BB’ on their normal tinted moisturiser without changing formula just to be on trend.

So after some trial and error, i narrowed down to a handful of BB creams that i liked and considered are worth mentioning. Some will have a fuller coverage, some will be matte and sheer and some will give you moisture and radiance.

If you are looking for high sun factor and matte finish (oily-combination skins) i would go either with the Estee Lauder DayWear BB Cream SPF 35 – medium coverage, light cream texture or with the Clinique Age Defense BB Cream SPF 30 – medium to full coverage, very long lasting on the skin, matte finish. If i would take part in a blind test, i would think they are foundations and not BB’s as the coverage is exceptionally good. The high SPF makes them great for daily wear and tropical holidays.

For the sheer tone, hint of color aficionados the L’Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream SPF 12 is lovely. The texture is similar to the Origins Vitazing tinted moisturiser – it has little pigment particles in the cream that burst when rubbed on the skin offering a healthy glow. I would say its lovely for all skin types, at least it works great on my oily/combo skin and has a matte finish. Coverage wise is sheer to medium, i use it on my good skin days. Two things i would comment on: very low SPF for a BB cream and not so sure of the ’24 H hydration’ claim.

The Lancome Renergie Eclat Multilift is a good choice for dryer or mature complexions. Not a BB per say, i placed it here for the skincare benefits claims to lift, brighten, illuminate and hydrate the skin on top of a touch of color. This is ideal for drier skins, on me i get maybe 2 hours shine free and then everything starts to go down south. Coverage is very sheer, think exceptionally good skin days or even summer late evenings as i doesn’t have any SPF.

My most worn would be the Clinique BB for everyday home-work malarkey, good coverage and high sun factor and the Loreal Lumi Magique for casual off days.

Yellow, peach and all pastels in general, made a huge comeback this spring so all the beauty and nail brands rushed to release macaroon and candy inspired collections. ‘Sweetie Shop’* from the new landed in Ireland – Butter London, is no exception.

I got three colors from the collection out of the six released and boy im impressed! Rich, creamy formulas that become opaque with only two coats. Lasting properties on my nails about three days, which is a record for my daily ‘delivery box openings’ and obsessively hand washing.

My favorite is by far Kerfuffle – a smooth bright peach, followed closely by Fiver – an icy mint that will look amazing on my toes this summer. Cuppa is a rich beige/cream shade amazing for office chic.

Here’s a picture from the event, really enjoyed the atmosphere and left on a high – a sugar high that is . Deborah, me and Andreea (pic Brian McEvoy).

Butter London Sweetie Shop Full Collection:

*PR Sample
Butter London is available in Avoca, Dylan Bradshaw, Harvey Nichols, BeautyMatters.ie, 
Millies and TheLoop. RRP. €15

‘Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.’ – Anonymous

Stila Haute in Hamptons* is such a handy little palette, you get four rather large eye shadows, a blusher and a highlighter in a sleek compact.

On the back you get instructions on how to create the perfect look with the shades, although the colors blend so well together that you can mix and match to your heart desire. You get one matte base shade for all over the lid (sand), a glittery gold (linen), a matte taupe (route 27) and a vibrant blue (blue skies). Intensity wise the shades are very natural, soft and easy to blend for a non fuss daily face. Im on the fence with the highlighter though, its such a stunning pigmented shade that can be easily worn by itself. When i tried it pared with the blush, was looking a tad tacky.

As a newbie with Stila, I must say im quite impressed with the quality and longevity, not to mention the size and pricing. I would definitely keep it in my bag for a ‘on the go’ touch up. Im currently coveting some more of their palettes, specially this one reviewed by Karen at Lovelygirliebits.com.

What other Stila eyeshadows do you recommend?

*PR Sample