sparkles and studs

Cami - Topshop

Skirt - Miss Selfridge

Heels - Primark
Clutch - H&M
Necklace - Topshop

Just a little (late) outfit from last week. It was Rob's birthday so I decided to take him out for a fancy meal to celebrate the occasion and this is what I wore. I love love this skirt from Miss Selfridge but never get the opportunity to wear it very often so thought why not give it an airing on a perfect Summer's evening. And yes I am still wearing my trusty Primark wedges which seem to go with every single outfit I put on and are ridiculously comfortable too. Definitely the best £15 I've spent in a long time!

I hope you are all well and are looking forward to the weekend; I know I am! :)

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Clinique Superprimer Face Primers

Clinique's Superprimer Face Primers* £20 each
available on counters and online from 6th September 2013

When it comes to achieving a perfect base for your foundation, primer is one of those must-have products in my humble opinion. I have recently been using (and loving) Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch and Benefit's Porefessional but all previous products were cast aside when these pastel-hued beauties arrived with their superpower properties. Clinique's Superprimer face primers declare to be foundation's new best friends and come in five tinted formulas, and one colourless option, that appear translucent on application and help address a sundry of different complexion concerns. Appropriate for all skin types, these primers create a beautifully-smooth canvas for your foundation to glide on to and stay put all day long! The lightweight, oil-free formula smoothes and improves skin texture and superbly perfects the look of pores, fine lines and wrinkles.

The white tube boasts a universal face primer which offers a colourless formula and is ideal for those lucky few who have no specific complexion concerns.
Yellow tinted primer - corrects skin redness
Pink tinted primer - corrects dull, lacklustre skin
Bronze tinted primer - corrects ashiness and dullness on deeper complexions
Peach tinted primer - corrects dark spots, acnes scars and hyper-pigmentation
Lavender tinted primer - corrects sallow skin

I absolutely love these new primers and have been reaching for the lavender and pink tinted options for the past week or so. They leave your skin feeling so silky and preen, it is almost a shame to then smother it with foundation. The pink primer in particular is a real gem and perks up your skin, giving you a vibrant, radiant base. Definitely a must-have in my morning skin routine!

Which primer are you currently loving? Will you be checking out these new superpower superprimers?

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YSL Beauty Autumn Winter 2013 Collection

Rouge Pur Couture Golden Lustre lipstick in No.51 Corail Urbain* £25
Chic Graffiti eyeshadow palette - City Drive Classy* £42 - both available online

It is scary to think that next month the clocks go back and before we know it we will be reaching for the chunky knits and high-denier tights and Autumn will be in full swing. I first became excited about the impeding dark mornings and chilly nights when the new YSL Autumn Winter collection landed on my desk and I got a sight of those sultry eyeshadow shades. Inspired by the energy, vibrancy and conflicting materials and colours of New York City, this Fall collection is a real medley of chic colours and grungy hues, smoothly mixing urban and contemporary which are best demonstrated in the two Pur Chromatics City Drive Palettes.

The City Drive Classy palette is a lovely neutral collection of shades that can be used dry or wet and are easy to wear day or night with varying intensities. The soft champagne and taupe tones can be swept across the eyelid whilst the dark mocha brown is a wonderful crease colour to help define and darken the finished look (as above). The metallic silvery-blue shadow looked a little daunting to begin with but actually looks beautiful lightly placed along the bottom lash line as I am wearing to give a slight sparkle and a softer option than heavy eyeliner.

The stars of this new collection have to be the new Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks ranging from muted oranges, browns and plums, and all offering an intense and radiant colour. Each lipstick is laced with an infusion of yellow, white and pink gold pearls, which is really noticeable in the swatches above, and adds a fullness and lustre to the lips. Corail Urbain is a beautiful muted peachy-coral shade that is a surprisingly summery addition to a Autumn Winter collection but makes a lovely partner for a smoky eye and bronzed cheeks. Definitely my favourite lipstick from the new collection!

The new collection is available on counters now and as well as online and has some other lovely items that are definitely worth checking out - the nail lacquers in particular! What are your favourite new releases from YSL?

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MAC Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Soft & Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish £22
available online

After my successful, first purchase of a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Adored last month, I decided to go crazy and add another one to my collection and it had to be Soft and Gentle. Described as a "gilded peach bronze" this mineralize skinfinish is a lot lighter on the skin than it appears in the pan and lavishes your skin with a gorgeous frosty-beige sheen that looks lovely on its own or buffed gently over a bronzer. The finely milled powder creates a flawless, slightly unreal finish on the skin and just gives your cheeks an incredible, warm glow. It is the perfect highlighter to reach for when you are after an instant boost of radiance and is wonderfully versatile for all skin tones either worn alone or layered over another blush to give your cheeks a light, champagne shimmer. Lovely!

So it would appear I am officially hooked on MAC's MSFs...but which one do I need next? I think I have my heart set on Lightscapade. Which Mineralize Skinfinish is your favourite?

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Soap & Glory Scrubatomic Daily Face Polish

Soap & Glory Scrubatomic face polish* £9
available from Boots

I have always enjoyed using a face scrub as part of my ever-changing skin regime. I tend to suffer from dry patches along my forehead and on my chin, as well as the occasional yet troublesome blackhead on my nose which are always a pain to scrub away. Recently I have been using the newly-released Scrubatomic face polish from Soap & Glory which is modelling the brand's revised, more-minimilistic packaging.

This daily face scrub, suitable for all skin types, is packed full of antioxidant-rich peach extracts, fast-acting fruit smoothers and micro peel beads which sweep away dead skin cells and brighten your complexion. I tend to just take a small pea-size amount and apply to specific areas of my skin, working in circles with warm water to polish and exfoliate those pesky dry patches. I really enjoy using this scrub, and even though wouldn't reach for it on a daily basis, incorporate it into my routine at least once a week to throughly cleanse and soften my skin. Not only does it smell divine, like a fruit bowl of ripe peaches, but it leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean and glowing without being too rough or gritty to use. Followed by a generous dose of La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo and I have one happy face!

What scrubs and exfoliators do you love?

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MAC Japanese Maple lipstick

MAC Cosmetics lipstick in Japanese Maple (Cremesheen) £15
available online and in stores

What this, Milly? Another nude lipstick from MAC? Yes, yes it is and isn't it lovely! I picked up Japanese Maple, a "frosted light beige", on a whim whilst I was at the MAC Pro store launch party in Covent Garden last month and am so pleased I did. The Cremesheen texture makes this a softer, more wearable nude than the likes of Myth, Fleshpot or Creme de Nude and gives the lips a lustrous, semi-opaque coverage. Launched amongst the Cremesheen + Pearl range, this lipstick joins the permanent ranks of some other lovely shades such as Coral Bliss (wishlist!) and the gorgeous Pink Pearl Pop, which I featured here. Whatever the descriptions may suggest, these lipsticks are definitely more pearlescent than frosty, so fear not! Japanese Maple is a perfect shade to grab if you are after a casual, easy lip colour during the day or wanted to pair it with a smokey eye at night for a more glamorous look!

Have you tried any of the new lipsticks from the Cremesheen + Pearl range?

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Benefit Rockateur blusher

Benefit Cosmetics Rockateur box o' powder* £23.50
available online

I do love a good boxed powder from Benefit. I have amassed quite a collection, maybe the entire collection(?!) over the past few years and find their handy packaging perfect for slinging in your handbag and retouching throughout the day. Hoola will always be a classic bronzer whilst Coralista is the prettiest pinky-coral around. The latest boxed blusher on the block is Rockateur - "a provocative cheek powder in rockin' rose gold giving you a show-stopping rush of heat", complete with a funky embossed design and new style fluffy brush.

Unlike a lot of Benefit's previous boxed powders, Rockateur isn't as rock 'n roll as the name would suggest, and delivers a very subtle flush of colour that can be built up if required. It is a very sweet, pinky rose-gold that would really compliment fairer skin tones. The bronze tones warm the face up without being too glittery or sparkly and the luxe gold facets in the powder gives the skin a satin sheen with a touch of radiance. The only bad thing I can say about this new product is that you are getting a fraction of the loveliness (5g) compared to the other boxed powders (8g) but for exactly the same price. That said, I can't deny the beauty of this new blusher from Benefit and will just have to ration my use to very special occasions!

Will you be rocking this rose gold blusher from Benefit?

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YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation

wearing shade BD50

Yves Saint Laurent Youth Liberator Serum Foundation* £34
available exclusively from House of Fraser from 21st August | nationwide from 4th September 2013

I always get excited when a new foundation hits the beauty market, especially when it has such grand promises and claims as the new YSL Youth Liberator does! Last year we celebrated the launch of their Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation - a light, illuminating product which mirrored all the magic of the original Touche Eclat, in a foundation.  The new Youth Liberator Serum foundation is a completely different breed of base product, combining the science know-all and colour expertise of the YSL beauty team to create an appealing new foundation that promises to brighten the skin, even out your complexion, mask imperfections and neutralise dull zones to give you fresh, radiant skin. It contains SPF20, vitamin E to protect the skin and also Glycanactif-complex which plumps and revitalises skin back to its desirable youthfulness. It is currently available in seven made-to-measure shades that would seem to suit the palest to darkest skin tones, divided into three undertone groups - beige, rosy beige and golden beige.

This foundation has a lovely silky, melting serum texture which glides on beautifully and instantly gives the skin a radiance and lightness. The coverage medium-full and certainly veils any imperfections without feeling too heavy or mask-like on the skin. Initially the Youth Liberator Serum foundation sits on the skin with a slight dewiness but then slowly dries to a semi-matte finish and keeps the skin feeling soft and supple throughout the day. All in all, this is a pretty exciting new foundation and one that I will enjoy wearing when my skin needs that little extra radiance and youthfulness! (Shade BD50 is the perfect match also for my NC25-30 skin tone.)

Will you be sampling the Youth Liberator Serum foundation when it is released later this week?

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My MAC Eyeshadow Quad

wearing galaxy tee from ROMWE | YSL Rouge Volupte No.7 lipstick

Earlier this year I posted about my new MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette which was my first venture into the MAC eyeshadow arena, and was initially filled with a duo of beautiful shades - Cranberry and Mythology. Recently, when I was at the Covent Garden MAC Pro store launch, I picked up two more shadows to complete my quad and give me the perfect palette to highlight, contour and add a pop of colour, and transform my makeup look easily from daytime to party time!

My quad consists of Nylon which is an amazing pearly-white highlight shade which I like to place in the corner of my eyes and through my brow bone to brighten the whole look. Mulch is a warm medium brown with a velvet finish and is perfect placed all over the eyelid and blended into the crease. Over to top of that I like to layer Mythology, a rusty-copper colour with a high-shimmer finish that gives the eyes a gorgeous pinky-brown lustre. Cranberry, a shimmery burgundy hue, is probably my favourite shadow from my Pro palette and is a joy to use all over the lid or, as I have above, as a liner for the top and bottom lash line. A beautiful rich plum shade that will be getting a lot of love as we slowly edge into Autumn and begin to embrace those seasonal colours.

What shades are in your MAC eyeshadow palettes?

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Origins Smarty Plants CC cream

Origins Smarty Plants SPF20 Skin Complexion Corrector* £28
available online

BB creams? Been there, done that. The new kid on the (beauty) block now is the CC cream, a meeting of skincare and makeup that hydrates, perfects and colour corrects in one clever concoction. Origins new Smarty Plants CC cream is the epitome of beauty with brains. Not only does it prime, correct and moisturise the skin but it contains a smart skin technology that triggers skincare benefits based on environmental cues - giving your skin a personalised and targeted protection mechanism. Clever huh? The Smarty Plants Complexion Corrector is triggered by exposure to UV, ozone and pollution and neutralises their skin-damaging effects as well as containing Green Tea to block free radicals and vitamins to protect the skin from environmental stressors.

This CC cream comes in two shades, light/medium and medium/deep, and despite having quite a pink undertone, blends nicely into my more yellow-based skin. The texture and consistency is smooth and silky to apply either with your fingers or a foundation brush and once on, it feels beautifully light and evens out any redness or blotchiness in your complexion. It brightens your skin tone, is very forgiving on fine lines and gives your skin a lovely radiance. The coverage is light to medium so is perfect for that no-makeup-makeup look, ideal if you are on holiday or just trying to let your skin breathe a bit, but for me I did need to add a dab of concealer and sweep of bronzer (as above) to get a slightly more flawless finish. Due to its skin-perfecting qualities, this CC cream could also double up as a superb primer if you wanted to apply a small amount before your liquid foundation. The options are endless...

Have you ventured into the CC market or are you still barmy for your BB creams?

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Maybelline Baby Lips

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm £2.99
3 for 2 in Boots at the moment. Go, go, on!

The moment I heard that these stateside lip balms were arriving on English soil, they were swiftly added to my beauty wishlist and coveted ever since. Two hopeful trips to Boots later and these cult beauties were in my basket and giving me the perfect reason to spend my amounting Boots points. Now I knew for the outset that these weren't going to be life-changing lip balms but for £2.99 each you can get your mitts on three clear balms - hydrate, intense care and mint fresh and three tinted balms - peach kiss, pink punch and cherry me, all packed with shea butter, plumping centella, SPF20 and an addictive scent.

When I first read about these US lovelies I was most excited about the tinted trio, as I love a pop of colour to compliment my lip balm, and these do the job nicely. Peach Kiss is the ideal option if you like a subtle nude lip whereas Pink Punch and Cherry Me gives you a sweet, pink pout. These lip balms do moisturise and hydrate the lips nicely but I think the claim of "a full 8 hours" is a little grand and I found myself reapplying every few hours to keep my lips supple and soft. As I anticipated, these crazily-hyped little tubes of lip balm aren't going to alter your life forever but they do moisturise and are incredibly playful and for £2.99 you can't really expect much else!

Have you succumbed to the hype of Maybelline's Baby Lips?

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MAC Adored Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Limited Edition Mineralize Skinfinish in Adored £22
available in stores and online

Despite owning half their lipstick collection and a host of eyeshadows and blushers, MAC's mineralize skinfinish products have never really sucked me in, despite being a huge highlighter fan. I think the price may have had something to do with this but when MAC released their Tropical Taboo collection last month, there was no way of ignoring this beautiful specimen. Adored MSF is described as a coral with light beige pearl powder and is truly gorgeous. The finely milled powder can be swirled together to give the skin a luminous golden-peach glow with an airbrushed finish and a buildable texture. On pale to medium skin, the coral veins are enough to give your cheeks a lovely warm flush whilst the pearly beige base highlights and contours the cheeks to perfection. The joy of MAC's mineralize skinfinish powders is their versatility meaning you can layer the powder over a matte blush to create a whole new shade with a fresh, frosty finish. And if you wanted to highlight your brow bones or cupid's bow then you can just use your fingertip to sweep and apply. The fact that Adored is limited edition definitely swayed my impulse purchase but I am pleased to say that it is just as pretty on the face as it is in the packaging!

Do you fall head over heels for MAC's mineralize skinfinishes?

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