Laura Mercier Lip Glace

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in BonBon, available from SpaceNK or Laura Mercier counters £18.50

Laura Mercier turned a corner for me, the brands lip glace range has made me love wearing lip gloss again and I am happily building my stash up. Bonbon is a gorgeous vibrant coral shades, that gives the right balance of pigmentation, gloss and staying power, all without any sticky feeling. I have found myself reaching for this on days when I don't fancy doing a lot to my face but I still want to accent my lips with just enough colour, or if I am going somewhere and I want to make more of an effort this paired with MAC Jazzed lipstick is a dream combo. With a selection of shades that cover any skin tone, walking into my local SpaceNK can be dangerous there is always one shade that catches my eye and I end up walking away with.

Are you a fan of Laura Mercier lip glace? What is your must have shade?

Elie Saab Perfume Love!

Elie Saab Le Parfum, available from The Perfume Shop prices start at £32.50

When Elie Saab launched this debut perfume, it instantly caught my eye from the buzz that was swirling round, there was something in this woody floral scent that many were falling in love with. 

From the Press Release:

“Composed as an ode to light, ELIE SAAB Le Parfum celebrates the splendor and the brilliance of radiant femininity with a floral solar woody theme. The permanent exchange between flowers and wood is what gives the fragrance such captivating resonance.”

The notes in the perfume include, top: Orange Blossom, heart: Jasmine & Patchouli and base: Cedar Wood & Rose-Honey. They include my favourites so I knew before testing this I would love it, I certainly wasn't wrong and this has become my new favourite perfume. There have been fashion designer perfumes in the past that I had hoped I would love but they weren't anything special and were quickly passed on to friends or family, however Eli Saab composed by the fabulous Francis Kurkdjian (google him he has created some well loved perfumes) has created an instant classic with Le Parfum. The mix of the bright Orange Blossom, with Patchouli adding depth and once it settles they fade but don't disappear and you are left with a warm, woody cedar base that lingers all day. I can spritz this on in the morning and still smell it on my skin hours and hours later, to me that is a sign of a great scent. Though I am a sucker for rich deep floral scents that fade to a warm and woody base. 

Now perhaps this isn't a new scent for some but this seems new to me, if you catch my train of thought, I have many scents that perhaps on paper appear similar but on my skin it is nothing like anything else I have in my perfume stash. This is definitely worth stopping and trying if you are near a perfume counter. 

Have you tried this? What did you think?

17 BB Blemish Balm All In One Make-Up

17 BB Blemish Balm All In One Magic Make-Up, priced at £6.99 available from Boots

17 cosmetics launched their BB Blemish Balm All In One Magic Make-Up at the start of the year and as I said in my No7 Airbursh Away primer post, I had accidently misplaced the products so I'm just getting around to sharing this with you - though I'm sure you have heard of it by now. BB creams are still all the rage and with brands bringing out new ones every other week, it can be a little daunting at which to pick and 17 cosmetics have impressed me with theirs. The creamy formula melts seamlessly into my skin, feels weightless and moisturising, yet it still conceals my many flaws. I was surprised by the coverage and texture, considering the price my expectations were low but after a week of using this every day, I loved how my skin looked perfect. After using my No7 Airbrush Away primer (review here) I buffed this in with my Real Techniques stippling brush, as I found it buffed it in to a fuller coverage, I only needed to touch up a few blemishes with concealer. This concealed everything else really well and controlled shine on my nose too. If however you can't bare to part with your fuller coverage foundations, then a thin layer of this works well as a base too, it's hydrating on the skin whilst also controlling oil - I tried used their Miracle Matte foundation, review to come, over the top and together they created seriously flawless skin. It boasts an SPF 25 too to protect your skin from those harmful rays we all try avoid. It comes in two shades Light and Medium, I wear the shade medium (I will get swatches of both up soon) and find it suits me perfectly, though both do give you a little room to work with if they aren't spot on, as they seem to almost adapt to your skin. 

For the price, £6.99, I don't think you can go wrong with giving this a try and if you haven't tried BB creams yet then this is a good product to start with. 

Are you a BB fan? Have you tried 17 cosmetics?

Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmer Brick

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Nectar, priced at £32.00 from Bobbi Brown 

I do love Bobbi Brown, it's a brand you know that no matter what you purchase it will be great and this is no exception. The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks have a cult following, with Nectar being the first from the impressive line up that I have tried and it's easy to see why so many of you love them. This little black compact is a packed with shimmer to create a lovely nectarine glow to the skin, I find this looks lovely and soft on it's own, or worn with a peach/coral blusher. Bobbi Brown also suggest using the individual bars as eye shadows, the middle three work well if you like peach/champagne/golden shadows and I then work warmer browns into my crease. It's easy enough to use I use my MAC 134 brush swirled into the pan and then sweep it all over my cheeks, then buff onto my brown down to highlight. The formulation is so fine that my skin glows and has such a lovely luminosity to it, without looking too much or glittery at all. It also doesn't emphasise my pores, not to name name's but I have used far more pricey highlighters that seem to sink into my pores. I can safely say this is one of the best highlighting, soft cheek colours, I have used in a while and can't recommend Bobbi Brown Shimmer bricks enough. 

Award Winner: Best Bronzer, SHE Beauty Awards 2011.

Are you a shimmer brick fan too? What is your favourite Bobbi Brown product?

No7 Airbrush Away Primer

No7 Airbrush Away Primer, priced at £19.50 from Boots

Primer is a must have and a step I never miss when I apply my makeup, the No 7 Airbrush Away Primer is another fabulous primer that I tried out a few months ago and have since used up. It has only taken me this long to tell you about it because I lost the parcel I received from No7, silly me, so expect a few No7 products to be popping up on my blog in the next couple weeks in catch up! Back to the primer, the No7 Airbrush Away has a really great formulation and light texture, it's definitely a primer that goes a long way in helping you create perfect skin. It reduces any fine lines or pores instantly, whilst helping to even out your skin all thanks to the light-diffusing particles that put your flaws into soft focus. Applied before your foundation, I like to melt this into my skin with my fingers and then tap a little extra onto areas of enlarged pores to conceal them more. I found it really helped to keep my skin free of any shine throughout the day, my foundation looked flawless and I only needed a small touch up to my forehead late afternoon. Great. If you are on the market for a hard working mid price point primer, then head to your local Boots and pick this up. No7 is seriously impressing me right now, like I said I was sent a few products to trial but since using them I have purchased quite a lot and I have loved every one that I have used. This primer has made it's way into my Top 3 primer list, after Laura Mercier and next week I shall share which brand is in the third spot.

Have you tried this? What primer do you swear by?

Benefit Sun Beam

Benefit Sun Beam £18.50 Available from Benefit stores, counters and online 

The newest addition to the Moon Beam and High Beam Benefit family is Sun Beam! Packaged in the familiar nail polish style bottle, with lovely bronzed packaging, Benefit describe it as 'sunshine in a bottle' and it certainly does give you a summery bronzed glow. This creates such a lovely cool bronze feel, with subtle gold and silver shimmer through it, on my cheeks it really makes them pop and glow. I was a little unsure at first about using a bronze highlighter, normally I like to use golden champagne colours however I was surprised at how much I have enjoyed using this. They didn't disappoint with the formula either, much like Moon Beam (another fave) the creamy thick formula means you only need to dab on a couple of spots to create the perfect highlight - anymore that 4/5 will result in a very shimmery face!  I use 3 dots on each cheek and then if I am really going all out, I will blend another dot on my brow bone as a highlighter/primer. The other way to work Sun Beam is to mix it into your foundation to create a gorgeous bronzed dewy glow, something I have been doing when the sun decides to shine, it really leaves a lovely halo like glow to the skin.  This is set to become another Benefit cult product, with so many ways to wear it and suited for all skin types if you know how to apply it. I'm hooked to the sunkissed glow, now all I need is the sunshine to match!

Have you tried Sun Beam, Moon Beam or High Beam? What's your favourite highlighting product?

Clinique Superbalanced Makeup Foundation

Clinique Superbalanced Makeup £21.50 Available from Clinique counter or online

Clinique's Superbalanced foundation is one I could rave about again and again, it is the only foundation I have continued to use over the years. It is one of their best sellers, part of an expanding Superbalanced line of products, of which their powder is also brilliant. It has a really great formula that provides your skin with moisture where it needs it and will absorb any excess oil too, from those of you with very dry skin to those with oily skin Superbalanced has it covered. All that whilst softening the appearance of fine lines and pores. I have tried a lot of foundations and there are only a handful I know I can rely on to stay put and keep my skin even too, Clinique do say this is 'water resistant' now I'm not sure I totally agree with that however sweat proof maybe as this has great staying power. The formula is a little runny but really creamy, I find no matter if I apply this with my fingers or a brush it will apply brilliantly, however my favourite way to apply this is actually with the Clinique powder foundation brush - it might sound strange but give it a go it really creates a flawless finish. As for coverage I would say it's moderate to full, depending on how much you apply and how you work it in, plus this comes in a whopping 18 shades meaning Clinique really are catering for all skin tones which I think is great. I definitely think this is one foundation that I will continue to rely on for more years to come, it has everything I could want from a foundation.

Have you tried any of the Superbalanced products? What is your favourite foundation?

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 and Foundation Primer

Time for a tinted moisturiser rave from a brand that is very well loved within the beauty community. Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser SPF 20, or TM which is what I usually say to a confused boyfriend if I ask him to pass it to me. The brand have a couple of different formulations in their tinted moisturiser line up, the original version (this one), an oil-free and illuminating formulations too and all come in 10 shades, so it is pretty easy to colour match perfectly. I went for the original tinted moisturiser (I wear the shade sand) as it is one I don't hear talked about as much as the oil-free formula but I don't know why it hasn't got the same fan base as this is brilliant. 

Now I'm not the biggest tinted moisturiser fan, that was until this fell into my lap, I hadn't one that gave me all the benefits I look for as well as the coverage I need. This has such a lovely nourishing and hydrating feel with enough coverage for me to feel comfortable. My skin is left soft, healthy, glowing but still natural, plus the most important thing for my was how long it lasted - it blew every other TM out the water in terms of staying power - it was about 7/8 hours before I needed a touch up. Like I said this is super moisturising, with a lovely creamy texture and look fantastic blended in with fingers or buffed in with a brush - I use the Real Techniques Stippling brush. In terms of coverage it is obviously nothing like a foundation, it has taken me some time to feel comfortable and adjust to a sheer coverage. Once I had adjusted to a TM with the natural finish that looked fresher and better than a full coverage foundation, I realised why so many woman love them. 

Priced at £33.00 for 40ml of product I would say it is worth it, with the fact you need a small blob this lasts really well. You are also getting more product than a standard foundation, which I pay up to £30/40 anyway so I won't be clinging to my card as I hand it over lol. Available from Laura Mercier counters or SpaceNK (where I always go to get my Laura Mercier products).

This is my favourite pick of the tinted moisturisers I have tried, it ticks every box for me and I certainly won't be straying from it now that I have found the perfect TM. Have you tried any of the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiers? What's your favourite tinted moisturiser?

Another quick mention for the Laura Mercier foundation primer, I have been pairing this with the tinted moisturiser and together they really are the perfect partners. This creates such a smooth even texture to my skin, filling in my pores and leaving my skin with a matte finish. Again Laura Mercier have a few formula the original (this one), as well as an oil-free, hydrating, mineral and radiance too, so you really can find the best fit for your skin and your desired result. I love how my skin is left shine free all day whilst keeping my makeup in place, even on the recent muggy hot days we have had in the UK. What else can I say other than I love it.

Priced at £28.00, from Laura Mercier counters as well as Space NK. 

Do you use a primer? If so, what brand do you use?