Bobbi Dazzler

Katie Holmes modelling the Bobbi Brown Spring Summer 13 look – smoky eyes & sheer lips

Any time I hear about a new lipstick which is glossy and moisturising, you can bet I’ll be first in line to try it out. I’ll also be first to abandon the notion if the colour is too faint or the texture too much like a balm. Fussy? Moi? Well, yes. After all, this beauty malarkey does not come cheap – we need to be confident in our purchases, and not feel we’ve wasted our hard-earned.

Which is why it’s always worth asking for a make-over or a make-up lesson involving the product you’re interested in. Try before you buy and all that. I’m amazed that most women I speak to wouldn’t dream of asking for a make-over at counter; they tend to wait until they’re invited. Of course, not all beauty brands offer free make-overs, with no obligation to make a purchase, but many do – and one of those is Bobbi Brown where their “make-up lessons” are indeed very educational and enlightening.

I may have gone in to Frasers in Glasgow to find the ideal Bobbi Brown Sheer Lip Color (£19; www.bobbibrown.co.uk)- as it turned out, I found three – but I emerged armed with the knowledge that I had also inadvertently stumbled across my ideal nude, matte eyeshadow shades – plus the first eyeliner pencil that has ever stayed put on me…

Make-up artist Rhona offered to “do” my eyes and we settled on a natural eye look, to complement the bright shade of Sheer Lip Color I expected to choose. Everything I’ve used on my eyes in recent months has been shimmery and I’ve been longing to find a matte eyeshadow that could give me a subtle nude look; considerably more subtle than the shimmery versions I’ve been creating..

To my amazement I happened across the Holy Grail of easy-to-use matte eyeshadows in the form of the recently launched Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Sticks (£20 each) in Sand Dune and Vanilla, which Rhona applied in a sort of reverse smoky eye: she used the darker shade, the tan-toned Sand Dune, across the lid before highlighting with the creamy Vanilla colour.

I doubted the wisdom of using a pencil eye liner since I have never yet found one which didn’t smudge or slip. But I have to bow to Rhona’s superior knowledge of – and faith in – Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencil (£17.50) which not only glided on in the manner of a crayon, but lasted right through to bedtime when I reluctantly removed it. One tip she gave me about this pencil is that you have a few seconds in which to play with it (if you want to make it look smudgy or smoky) before it sets.

And the lipstick? Well, I loved the texture and the glossy shine but was torn when it came to narrowing down the shades. There are 14 shades of the Sheer Lip Color, and I loved all of the trio that I tried: the bright, reddish Pink Blossom for when I need an injection of old-fashioned glamour; Tutu for some natural-looking bright pink, and Nude Beige for a chic nude lip.

With every purchase of Sheer Lip Color at www.bobbibrown.co.uk, customers will receive a deluxe sample of High Shimmer Lip Gloss (2.4ml) by simply entering the code SHEERLIP at the checkout. Expires 30/05/13 or while stocks last.

Go Gatsby

Well, it’s finally here. The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhrmann-style, has arrived and with it a frenzy for the flapper look – from the fringed frocks to the deco jewels.

We can’t all afford Prada gowns or Tiffany rocks, but those of us with short  hair can have a bash at creating the archetypal 1920s “do” – the bob.

TRESemme’s lead UK stylist Matthew Curtis has come up with a foolproof method to create the hair style sported by Carey Mulligan (as Daisy) in The Great Gatsby. Here’s his step-by-step guide:

1. Start off with freshly washed hair and apply  TRESemmé 24hour Body Amplifying Mousse to roots and ends. For that extra healthy look, also add 3 drops of TRESemmé Liquid Gold to the hair to make it feel luxurious.

2. Using a medium sized round brush, blow dry your hair in sections, starting at the nape of the neck and working your way to the top.

3. The final section you should blow dry is the hair that falls around your face, this section should be blow-dried coming in towards the face.

4. To get that rounded look at the ends, repeatedly turn the brush in at the ends. A top tip to help the hair stay curled in and looking shiny is to use the cool setting on your hairdryer, just for the last turn of your brush.

5. Finally to keep your hair in place and looking gorgeous for longer, spray TRESemmé Extra Firm Holding Spray from a distance all over your hair to keep it in place.

Summer Loving, Tom Ford Style

The “natural” beauty look is all the rage this year – we already knew this but if anyone was in any doubt then make-up maestro Tom Ford’s endorsement of the look should make them think twice.

With his new season colours,  Ford has given the nude look a beautiful, bathed-in-light glow. Whereas most summer-specific make-up collections make a big thing out of bronzes, golds and copper tones (in other words, they’re one big yawn to pale-faces like me!) what’s great about the Tom Ford Summer 2013 Collection is the fact that it is suitable for all skin tones. Indeed, as I discovered when I got my hands on the products last week, it’s one of the few sun-inspired make-up collections that enhances naturally pale skin – rather than shaming it into being bronzed.

The rose gold theme that runs through the collection is gorgeous against a pale skin, which is precisely why I got very excited when I tried the Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Pink Haze and Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust on my hands during a press briefing last week. And why I immediately asked to be booked in to the Tom Ford Beauty counter in Frasers, Glasgow, for a professional make0ver with the new range.

Charlie Ross, make-up artist for Tom Ford Beauty by day (and burlesque queen by night), may be the living embodiment of Mr Ford’s fetish for 1940s-inspired glamour, but she did a great job of creating a pretty, delicate and – yup –  natural look for me, using mostly the new summer shades along with my new favourite Tom Ford Lip Color in Indian Rose (I don’t do lip glosses – which is what the lip item in the new collection is).

Charlie used both of the new shimmering Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes on my lids – the afore-mentioned pearlescent Pink Haze and the pale peachy Escapade – to create a warm, subtly sun-kissed effect very reminiscent of the fleshy look that Marilyn Monroe was famous for.  With just black mascara and  Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Color in Blush Guilt on my cheeks, plus the lipstick referred to above, the results were very different from my usual liquid eyeliner plus bright lips combo.

And in response to my request for tips on how to ramp it up to an evening look, she produced this (see below, left), by adding a thick, flick of eyeliner plus some smokier powder eyeshadows to the mix .. If you fancy having a complimentary makeover at the Tom Ford Beauty counter in Frasers, call 0141 221 3880  - best to phone a week in advance for Friday and Saturday appointments. Other Tom Ford Beauty counters (call 0870 034 2566 for details) offer the same service – but you’re not guaranteed a burlesque dancer wielding the make-up brushes…

The Jazz Age – in Colour!

You can stick your BBs and your CCs (and no, I’m not talking cup sizes – but for that matter .. ). I’m just not falling for these new wonder skincare/make-up hybrids (well, not yet!). What’s particularly excited me in the last couple of months or so, beautywise, is a new colour range which has GG invisibly stamped all over it: Great Gatsby.

Much of the excitement about the eagerly antipated release of Baz Luhrmann’s take on the classic F Scott Fitzgerald novel of the “Jazz Age” has been about the costumes – and in particular the Prada designed party scenes. From what I’ve seen of the clothes, the look is not slavishly authentic 1920s style but an interpretation of it. Which makes me think that the fabulous new,  make-up range that I’ve fallen in love with – the look of which was inspired by the Deco era of Gatsby – is possibly more inkeeping with the original movie version of The Great Gatsby rather than this new one.

Whatever. Color  … by Benefit is a gorgeous-looking make-up collection with packaging inspired by the Art Deco design of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Franscisco, the beauty brand’s hometown.

As a Deco nut, I love the pretty boxes and jars that house the eyeshadows (very reminiscent of Paul & Joe make-up packaging designs) – but what’s really thrilled me in the last couple of months is just how effective and striking this make-up is. The range comprises cream eyeshadows, powder eyeshadows and lip glosses – with lipsticks to follow in September.

I have not gone a day without the Creaseless Cream Shadow (£15.50; www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk) in Birthday Suit since I first tried it. (I especially like to mix it with my Clinique Chubby Stick in Fuller Fudge. ) A beautiful, shell shade, it is the perfect base if you like a little bit of shimmery shine – and it works a treat whether you blend a different colour of cream shadow with it, or whether you mix it with some powder. Crucially, it lasts unbelievably well – something that is, in my experience, extremely rare and worth shouting about..

I’m still working my way through the collection – and no wonder: there are ten shades of Creaseless Cream Shadow (three of which were existing shades that have long been bestsellers for Benefit) and 12 shades of Longwear Powder Shadow (£15.50) which come in satin, matte or sheen finishes.

Lip gloss and I don’t get along so I’ll not give a verdict on the six shades of Ultra Plush Lip Gloss (£14.50), but I reckon they make lovely gifts for gloss-aholics of my acquaintance.

Les Beiges for Beginners

When is beige not boring? When it’s Chanel beige, cherie.  I should know: I spent the morning being educated in the the ethos behind Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder, the latest addition to the Chanel make-up range.

The brainchild of Peter Philips, the Creative Director of Chanel Make-up,  whose tenure has so far produced such instant beauty classics as Rouge Coco Shine, Illusion d’Ombre and Rouge Allure Velvet, Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder was directly inspired – as so much within Chanel Beauty is – by Coco Chanel herself.

The legendary designer revolutionised fashion by liberating the female body from constrictive clothes, allowing it to move freely and be exposed to the sunlight. She was one of the first women to embrace a healthy, sun-kissed glow as a beauty ideal – porcelain skin had previously been the desired look – and photographs from the 1920s show Chanel on the beaches of Deauville, Biarritz and Cannes bare-faced and glowing with a subtle radiance.

Peter Philips credits Coco Chanel’s “emancipation” of the body as the inspiration behind his vision of “a free and liberating make-up; make-up that frees make-up in one novel beauty step” – and provides “an outdoor, radiant complexion”.

The idea of Les Beiges is to enhance the complexion and help women to achieve the healthiest, most glowing version of their skin. The new powder – claims Chanel – puts an end to dull complexions. Indeed, they go so far as to declare it as  ”a manifesto for a healthy glow”.

If the powder wasn’t so lovely and effective (and don’t get me started on the chic-beyond-belief packaging), the natural piss-taker in me would have to do something with all the pseudo political spiel set out in the press dossier – but one can’t help but be charmed by Philips and his passion for what he does. Especially when he keeps giving us girls such fabulous new products to play with.

Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder is ideal for those of us who aren’t into bronzing powder, but would like just a little boost for pale or lacklustre skin. Philips says: “I wanted a refined, visible yet discreet result. I had to avoid the trap of excessive pearly effects and flamboyant tans to achieve this healthy glow. I worked with the Chanel Laboratories for months to compose the perfect range of beige shades.” And while it’s working its magic on the appearance of the complexion, the powder is also looking after the skin – since it provides protection against sun damage, pollution, dehydration and environmental stress.

There are  seven shades in the range – and how you choose your shade depends very much on what you’re wanting from the powder. Lucinda Paterson-Brown, one of Chanel’s top UK-based make-up artists, talked me through it. No10, the lightest shade, was the one she chose for me as a base – applied with a kabuki brush, it is, she says, a terrific foundation. “For a soft, natural  glow,” she adds, “you could use No20. And if you were wanting a powder to use as a gentle bronzer, across the cheeks and temple, No30 would be ideal.”

Very much created with the needs of the modern Chanel woman in mind, the powder comes with a half-moon shaped brush designed to follow the curves of the face. “You have to be able to apply your make-up without thinking about it,” explains Peter Philips. “And even though the case contains a wide-angle mirror, you can sweep on some Beige with your eyes closed. I guarantee that the result will be perfectly natural.”

* Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder SPF15 (£38) and retractable kabuki brush (£33) are available now.

Bathing Beauty

Bathtime has become an especially enjoyable ritual recently – and not just since I discovered that my wi-fi works in the bathroom… Two new beauty products have also transformed the experience.

The first one to boost my enthusiasm for bathing was Clarins Tonic Bath & Shower Concentrate (£18; www.clarins.co.uk) which was launched earlier this year. I guess it was inevitable that I’d fall for this gel – which can be used as a body wash or for some bubbles – since one of its key ingredients is geranium, a favourite scent of mine. It smells divine, leaves the skin feeling smooth and cleansed, and complements my beloved Clarins Toning Body Balm (£30).

The second item is not actually a bath or body product, but a facial cleanser which works beautifully on dry land, so to speak, but is especially beneficial – both to the complexion and the sinuses –  when used in the tub. Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm (£39.50; www.timetospa.co.uk)  is a luxurious-feeling, oil-rich balm which melts away make-up and gives the skin a thorough and quick cleanse, when washed off with a hot cloth.  Smear a thick layer on before you dissolve into a warm bath, however, and the balm becomes a salon-worthy treatment which leaves the skin clean and feeling nourished.

The oils used in this blend include geranium, eucalyptus and menthol – and it was undoubtedly because of the last two-mentioned oils that I found this beauty product a help when I was bunged up with the cold recently. A hot bath with the scent of eucalyptus and menthols released under my nose was just what was needed.

A Few of My (New) Favourite Things

I seem to have fallen in love quite a lot recently – and I’m spreading it around, with lots of different products vying for my affection at the moment.

Here’s my round-up of a few of my (new) favourite things in the beauty world just now.

Tom Ford Lip Color Shine (£35). Richly pigmented colour which is supremely comfortable to wear, even for the dry-lipped among us – that’s what makes this new addition to the Tom Ford Beauty repertoire such a knock-out. I’ve found his creme lipstick too dry but this is ideal; and it’s also given me my perfect red, in the Willful shade (pictured right) …

Origins Peeper Pleaser Powder Eye Shadow (£14; www.origins.co.uk). Lovely texture, fab colours (there’s a choice of ten shades), blends beautifully and lasts very well. What more could you want from an eye shadow?

Guerlain Maxi Lash Mascara (£22). Phew, I was relieved I loved the effect of this mascara – because I was already smitten with the Deco-style gold tube before I’d even tried it.. It’s a great choice for an all-rounder mascara as it curls, adds volume and lasts well. It’s not quite as dramatic as its French name Cils d’enfer suggests – though it’s a great name, translating as Lashes From Hell, or colloquially (according to one translation I found), as Bad-Ass Lashes!

Benefit Fake Up (£18.50, available from April; www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk). Forget the notion that this being a stick concealer, it will drag the delicate skin round your eyes. It is, in fact, a very clever combination of eye moisturiser and concealer: it looks like a lipstick with a flesh-coloured core, which is the concealer, surrounded by a gentle moisturiser which has been proven to keep
the skin hydrated for six hours. It glides over the fragile skin, dispensing highlighting, line-blurring coverage as it goes.

Dr Jart Beauty Balms (from £18 each; www.boots.com) . I have to confess that although I would, frankly, have given anything to be able to emulate the radiance of Nisha, the PR girl who introduced me to the Dr Jart range of Korean BB creams, she lost me when she mentioned that one of its balms had as its wonder ingredient … wait for it … snail secretion. Luckily, the balm that I have fallen for is Dr Jart + Platinum Beauty Balm Cream (£24)  which is great on my pale skin, evens out skin tone, covers redness and deals with the first signs of ageing.

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes (£16; www.clinique.co.uk, pictured left).  Leave the brushes at home; now all you need to take out with you if you want to touch up your eye make-up is one or two of these fab new shiny, creamy eye crayons – a clever successor to the original Chubby Stick Lip Colour Balms. I’ve been using the lovely bronze shade of Fuller Fudge to create a smoky effect over Benefit’s Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Birthday Suit (currently £7; usually £14).

Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Color in Hot (£18; www.bobbibrown.co.uk). As mentioned in my last post, this is a glorious shade of shocking pink – the first I’ve found in years which I can pull off with my fair complexion, and the first matte lipstick I’ve come across in yonks that is a pleasure to use (ie – it doesn’t cake on my moisture-deficient lips). I can’t believe my luck in finding both my perfect red and my perfect pink in the same month..

Clarins Rouge Eclat Lipstick (£18.50; www.clarins.co.uk). Whether you believe the “age-defying” claim (based on its collagen-boosting “Nutri-Youth Complex”) of this recently launched lipstick, there is no denying that it is a terrific all-rounder, rich in colour, very creamy, nourishing and moisturising – and available in 15 delectable satin shades, of which Pink Berry is my current favourite. Clarins’ cosmetics have been on a roll of late and this, for me, is their best new make-up product yet.

The Scarlet and the Pink

Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day can be a pretty lonely place. So I love the idea of a Valentine’s-inspired make-up range which you can buy for yourself and perk yourself up with – not that that was necessarily the concept that Bobbi Brown was going for when she devised her new, limited edition, Pink & Red Collection.

Hot pink and blood red is a combination that really shouldn’t work – but it does. Witness its most (if not only) iconic incarnation in the Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend sequence from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The key to the clash working is – I think – that you’ve got two bold shades. The only other pink-red combo I can recall is the Catherine Walker dress that Princess Diana wore to Kuwait in 1989, but the top half was a wishy-washy pastel pink so the effect was watered down and had considerably less impact than the purple-and-red outfits which the same designer created for her.

But back to Bobbi, whose own bold take on the colour scheme has resulted in a range that stands out from the many spring collections that are dominated by pretty, delicate, romantic pinks. She says: “With  this collection, I took an unconventional approach to the season’s traditional colour palette.

“The Pink & Red Collection isn’t about matching your lips, cheeks and nails. It’s about deliberately mismatching. I love pink and red worn together – it’s a very modern mix (and perfect for Valentine’s Day).”

Personally, I’ve been seduced by the beautiful and comfortable (even on dry lips) new Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Color in Hot (£18; www.bobbibrown.co.uk), a perfect match for Marilyn’s dress, and the Bobbi Brown Nail Polish in Valentine Red (£11), a vampy crimson shade. But if you fancy inverting the look, you could team Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Color in Heart with Bobbi Brown Nail Polish in Pink Valentine…  Indeed, they’re next on my wish list!

Also in the collection are a pink and a red lip gloss and a pink and a red cheek tint.

In all, it’s the perfect antidote to the Valentine’s Day blues….

The Beauty Nudes Today

I may wear a great deal of black but I do like a bit of colour in my make-up. Which is why it’s come as a bit of a surprise to me that I’ve been converted to the current trend for “nudes”. Nude make-up, for the uninitiated out there (or any men who have stumbled across this blog having searched for something entirely make-up – and clothes – free) is not “no make-up”; it’s make-up in flesh tones, the most subtle of enhancements to the old maquillage.

So what’s tempted me over to the nude side? Well, first and foremost it’s the new trio of eye make-up kits from Benefit – Benefit World Famous Neutrals (£23.50 each, www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk, from March). To be honest, I am not a big fan of the Benefit’s gimmicky packaging or the smart-ass names with which it christens its products, but if you’re in the market for a foolproof eye shadow set which offers a myriad of make-up possibilities, which provides lasting colour, and which will prompt compliments from your female friends then invest in one of these magic boxes – Most Glamorous Nudes, Easiest Nudes or Sexiest Nudes.

My favourite is the Most Glamorous Nudes box,  which – as they all do – comes with a little booklet of “Tips and Tricks” illustrating how to create an easy daytime look and an easy “playtime” look using the two creaseless cream shadows and four longwear powder shadows contained therein.

The other big nude news is in the nails department. The new Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer French Nudes Collection (£14.50 each; www.esteelauder.co.uk) is a range of five nail varnishes in shades designed to complement the wearer’s skin tone. The idea is that keeping nail varnish close to the colour of the skin makes the fingers look elongated and elegant – just as nude coloured shoes tend to make legs look longer.

Tom Pecheux, Lauder’s creative director, explains: “The collection is like foundation for nails. It’s all about enhancing nails, rather than making a big statement with colour.” And, you know what, it works! I’ve found the Nudite shade (second from the left in the photo below), a milky beige that’s a perfect match for my fair skin (and my foundation for that matter), looks tres chic for day and night. And if I fancy something similar but with a very subtle sparkle, No7  Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Tip Toes (£5.50; www.boots.com), a limited edition shade from No7′s new Ballerina Beauty spring collection, is pretty perfect too.

Back to Basics

So, the last ten days have been spent managing my dodgy back. This has involved – at the start of the bout of back pain – an embarrassing amount of bad TV (who knew an addiction to the Real Housewives TV series was a side-effect of painkillers?) watched from a prostrate position, and then the challenges of trying to negotiate things like washing very long hair while in the bath as I couldn’t manage to do it any other way without help.  That took me straight back to childhood.

Still, the hair-washing challenges did inspire me to try a hair product that I’ve been meaning to experiment with for a while.  DHC After Bath Hair Emulsion ( £12; www.dhcuk.co.uk) is a light cream, infused with nourishing olive oil, which is a godsend for coloured hair prone to split ends and dryness. Often, leave-in conditioners can weigh down fine hair like mine but I have nothing negative to report about this fab product which leaves locks looking luscious and feeling lovely. Oh, actually there is one negative aspect: the bottle! Pink and phallic – like some sort of retro vibrator.. kind of sticks out like a sore, erm, thumb on one’s bathroom shelf ..

Thankfully, I was fit to leave the settee – and to quit the Real Housewives, for one afternoon anyway – to keep an appointment at the PURE Spa at the Silverburn shopping mall, on Glasgow’s southside, for an Elemis facial. I’ve passed this discreetly located spa – it’s upstairs in the shopping centre, on the floor between the shops and the car park – many times but never been inside. However, I shall definitely be back as it’s so handy, and was such a pleasurable experience. Who knew that behind its shop front there was such a vast space dedicated to relaxation, beauty and pampering?

PURE Spa – which also has outposts in Edinburgh, Leith and Aberdeen – offers a wide range of spa treatments as well as all the basics of beauty upkeep. I had an Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial ( £79 for 75 minutes), the first full-length Elemis facial I’ve had in ages  - I’ve only had the very effective Power Booster facials (which last 45 minutes) in recent times.  Super-relaxing, and including two masks plus a terrific, toxin-draining and tightening, massage, the Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial was just what the doctor ordered.  Tension evaporated as my therapist, Siobhan, administered a neck, shoulder and scalp massage – and my chilling-out session continued afterwards in the large, cocoon-like, relaxation room.

My back may be feeling much better now but hair-washing is still a challenge. I’ve now graduated to  doing it over the sink a la Ginger Rogers: