That was Summer.....

Probably the best summer fragrance....

US shopping resulted in very few finds. Sorry girls! This one wasn't altogether heinous. 

The Promised Land

Real Techniques making an appearance in Grand Central - yes, I got stared at....

Fresh make-it-at-the-table guacamole 

Love New London Pharmacy in Chelsea

I love NYC.

Made this happy purchase....

C O Bigelow - bliss!

Lovely cleanser - unfortunately impossible to use - make a pump please!

Had the teeth whitened - and scared small children.

Tried to relax on hols. Tried.

Saved my face with Clarins....

And did the Perricone 3 Day Diet to kick-start healthier living after the summer excesses....

The face that says 'What? So I love ravioli - WHAT?'

Enjoying post-hols skin - while it lasted!

Beautiful new Jo Malone fragrance

A present from my brother. I love you too.

Assouline - my favourite bookstore.

The kids watching Nana put her make-up on... :)

Mum's 'regular' make-up. *eyebrow*

Stolen by Mum who was obsessed after one use.

My Mum is the only person I know that can grow grapes up North. 

Sorry I just had to. Source unknown - but I love it.

We said Happy Birthday to this chap....

We said Goodbye to Amica

We said Hello to a new addition in the family (she's not mine!)

And I went back to work - let the testing begin....

I hope you all had a wonderful Summer - I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to Autumn.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine - Rouge in Danger

What I lack in eye make-up appreciation, I more than make up for in lip gloss and red lipsticks.

So when I was asked recently if I would like to try the new YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipsticks I said 'ooh yes please LOVELY could I please have that amazing red in the centre-left of the picture?!!'

Cut to a few days later and I get home from work to find a lovely little parcel with Rouge in Danger waiting for me. Open it, say 'WOW look at that packaging!' - pop the cap...and its been used.....'EEWWWW'.

At that very moment my darling daughter walks past and says 'Ooh that lipstick is lovely Mummy I played with it when I got in too.'

Moral of the story?

Never leave anything in the vicinity of your equally-beauty-obsessed child if you want to photograph it before you blog it.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine is £24.00 and available nationwide from 20th of Feb. It's available at Selfridges until then if you can't wait.

I trust yours will be pristine, shiny and glorious. Just keep it away from Ava.

Daily Makeup

A few posts ago I did a July round-up and one of the pictures featured was this (very rough!) picture snapped one morning of my Daily Face.

I've been asked a few times to list what was in the product so a quick run-down from base to lips is below:

Chantecaille Just Skin 

The only foundation I wear. It's sold as a tinted moisturiser but is perfectly adequate coverage if you don't want to look too made up but do want your even skin tone back.

If you are over 'a certain age' you see the benefits of this on your face immediately. In a league of its own. 

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage 

Laura is the Queen of concealing - and this is the no-brainer concealer - comes in a pan with two different colours so you can blend accordingly with the area you want to conceal. You need to use with a brush though - just fyi.

Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator 

Loving this - I don't wear eyeshadow - I just can't be fussed and my eyelid bags are more like suitcases so why make them MORE noticeable? Anyway - this little beauty does a great job of 'lifting' the area (without the use of glitter - don't get me started) and just perfectly brightens the eyes so that you look alive. Love it.

NARS Ipanema Eyebrow Pencil 

Easy to use - the right texture - I don't have the patience for powders etc. I just whack this on and blend out the ends if necessary.

New CID i-glow in Coral Crush  

The best bronzer (for my face) ever - I've hit the pan on this twice. I use it every single day without fail across the top of my forehead and just 'around' my face. Have tried other colours, other brands, every single bronzer on the market - this is the best. No competition.

NARS Sin Blush 

I can't remember the last time I used a blusher that wasn't NARS. When you hit 40 (and upwards) you really do lose the colour in your cheeks - this - like the new CID - makes me look alive. I have about 6 other colours - this is the most used. 

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Two Tone Eye Opening Mascara  

I've been using this for about a month and I LOVE it. Double ended - one end for the top lashes - one for the bottom in a contrasting colour to make the eyes 'pop'. I wear the black and brown. Highly recommend.

Rouge D'Armani in 401 

I picked this up in Harvey Nichols and totally blame Cesar - Armani's top dude - and an old friend from my counter days. He's a total enabler. He's also a genius so if you ever need your makeup doing/new look etc - call Harvey Nics and ask when he's in. I digress. 

This is the colour used in the lipstick ad with Megan Fox. Needless to say once applied, you too will look like Miss Fox. Kinda. Not really. But it IS a perfect, divine red.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture in Rouge Laque - The perfect stays-put gloss to stick on top of your lipstick to give extra oomph or just to use on its own to give you instant red, shiny, glamorous lips. Stains a little so great for long wear coverage.

That's it. Swift, easy, long-lasting. I change the blusher and lip products regularly but the rest of it is pretty much set in stone.

Guide to Paris - Part 1 - Travel and Champs Elysees

Years ago, when I was working for a big brand in Europe, I was fortunate enough to 'have' to visit Paris once a month - for work. Paris is also where I did advanced facial training (a bizarre blog post all in itself).

I have a soft spot for Paris - and most things French. Except snails. Never succumbed. 

I've developed quite a few favourite shops, restaurants and sights to see and thought it might be worth sharing a few..

A few travel tips first.

• Always Eurostar. Never fly. Unless you live in Scotland perhaps but seriously - I can get to Paris in the same amount of time it takes to get up North to the homeland. No waiting for luggage - no 2 hour check-in. Bliss.
• Buy a Carnet on the Eurostar - and buy it early - they sell out. A Carnet is 10 metro tickets and costs around 12 euros. Buying it on the train means you avoid the queues at Gare de Nord. Think any tube station on the first day back to work after Christmas/School holidays - horrible queues. The Metro system in Paris is delightfully easy to use - and safe. You'll spend so much time walking you won't use all of your tickets if you're just going for a quick visit.
• Don't try and hail a cab in Paris - they have to use taxi ranks - you can't hail them down in the street. Painful. But there we are.
• If you are taking a taxi from Gare du Nord avoid the queue in the 'official' huge taxi rank on the outer right of the station. Exit the station at the front, cross over and turn left and walk for about 50 or so metres? There you'll find another taxi rank with no queue. So worth it.
• If you can, try and avoid ordering a cab through your hotel for your journey back to the station/airport. The cab will add a good 8/10 euros just for the pleasure of picking you up. If you have been shopping for England - order the cab but make a point of asking how much the fee will be for collecting you. Cheek.

Once you've arrived and are ready to go - hit a specific area and stick to it for an amount of time if you can - don't faff around running back and forth all over the place.

First up - the Champs Elysee. 

You need the Metro Franklin D Roosevelt. Not Champs Elysee. That would be similar to getting off at Marble Arch when you want Tottenham Court Road. 

Exit left out of the station and walk up a block and there you have the beauty bloggers Promised Land.

Sephora.

The flagship Sephora is always packed but has plenty of staff to cope - queues are kept to a minimum.  The French love a French brand. Priority is given to Dior, Givenchy, Lancome, YSL and Chanel. You'll find plenty of Chanel Seasonal Colours/Limited Editions that sell out in the UK in days, Make Up For Ever and Sephora's Own Label to get you started.

A word on the Sephora/Karl Lagerfeld collaboration. I love Chanel. I mean LOVE. Who doesn't? But WHAT IN THE NAME OF BOUCLE was KL thinking with this collaboration? When we went there was plenty left on the shelves - which is always a bad sign - if it's not good enough for the French etc..and the quality was just awful. He can't need the money - or the press? 

I considered buying a few pieces for Ava's collection - of which she remains clueless but will thank me one day - but couldn't bring myself to do it. Bad quality, bad choice of product, bad idea. And unnecessary.
I stuck with Chanel. Maybe that was the thinking? Anyway..

Next up - and practically next door, is Guerlain. I blogged about our tour of Guerlain last time we were in Paris - you need to go to the Guerlain store. Firstly, the staff and service are exquisite. Polite, friendly and no pressure. I managed to get my Grandmother (in the banner) a Shalimar Dusting Powder for Christmas - not available in the UK - the staff gift-wrapped it in nano-seconds and threw in a lot of samples for her too. All sorts of fabulous.

On the block down from Guerlain is a Monoprix. 

Monoprix is the French version of Tesco - but you will have all manner of fun in one of these if you like things such as Bourjois, Bonne Maman jam, pre-packed Croque Monsieur cheeses - anyway - I recommend doing your supermarket shop on your last day/at the end of the day. Too heavy otherwise.

Exit Monoprix and walk down a block and you'll find Biologique Recherche. Home of the infamous P50 and well worth a visit. Unfortunately due to EU ingredient regulations the best version of P50 is now only available in the US. Humbug all round. Still worth seeing just for the products.

By now you're probably hungry - it's probably lunchtime and you NEED to visit La Relais.

See those people? That be a food queue. We went back the next day - early.

If you're vegetarian look away now.

The staff ask you two questions when you sit down at La Relais.

1. How do you want it cooked? (medium rare)
2. What do you want to drink? (bottle of red s'il vous plait)

That's it. Steak and chips - TWICE. Not for 2 - two servings per person.

The good news is that there are branches in London. Go. But as with Paris - go early to avoid queues.

Next up: Boulevard Haussmann and L'Opera.

Best of 2011 - The Best Reds

I've never been someone to do things by halves. So when I rediscovered my love of lipstick earlier this year  (having been a gloss chick for like..ever) there was only one shade on my list.
Red.
All manner of glorious reds.
I blogged about Nars and Daniel Sandler back in November - these three below I have picked up since and am currently all manner of obsessed.

My favourite red of 2011 is YSL Rouge Pur Couture in No.1 - Le Rouge. It's a true deep red, ridiculously long-lasting, non-drying and every single time I wear it I get compliments.

The middle lipstick is Make Up For Ever's Moulin Rouge. Slightly darker than the YSL this is a true 'Slut Lips' red. Again long-lasting and non-drying.
And lastly, Bourjois Sweet Kiss No. 56 Rouge Pur Mesure is more tomato red and perfect for those minimal make-up, hair in a chignon days. The colour pops brilliantly. Not quite as long-lasting as the others but that is obviously reflected in the price.

And to keep them all in place for longer? Make Up For Ever's Aqua Lip in 08C - Red.

A great shade for all red lipsticks, non-drying, helps stop any bleeding and lasts ages.

Feel free to leave me a list of your favourite reds - my bank manager won't thank you but I surely will.

Make-Up Artist on Monday - Michelle George

I'm starting a new regular posting this week (saints preserve us -I KNOW I know - it's a miracle) - but nonetheless - I am.

I've been fortunate enough to work with some of the best MUA's in the industry - and the majority of them are relatively unknown.  These are the people that are out there everyday - earning a living doing what they love - and they are fonts of wisdom in all things regarding make-up. If you have any questions you would like added for next week please do let me know!  contact@beautymouth.com

First up is Michelle George - a jobbing MUA  who has worked across all aspects of the industry.

Michelle and her favourite little man

How long have you been working in the industry?
12 years periodically. I've worked as a journalist and teacher in between.

When did you get your ‘big break’?
I studied art at college and did a painting for my friend's wedding. His wife was a top make up artist in New York called Alexandra Byrne (more here), she liked my painting so asked me to assist her as a make-up artist. From there I have made numerous contacts within the TV and fashion industry.

What advice do you have for aspiring MUA’s trying to get into the industry?
Get a job working on a make-up counter to help build your kit through allocation. As building your kit can be very expensive and you will not get much paid work as a freelancer to start with.
Always have a business card to hand. Making contacts happens in the strangest places. I have been minding my own business in the ladies, and had the owner of a modeling agency start talking to me....

Who has been your best client so far?
Ray Liotta - it's safest just to call him 'entertaining'!

And your favourite job so far?
Hermes Spring/Summer show: Paris

How many brushes do you own?
Maybe 50?

What is your favourite brand and why?
I have sooo many... M.A.C are good for brushes, as they are reasonably priced. But I don't like their foundation.
I do love Chantecaille foundation though it is very expensive.
I like Cover FX foundation too and it is more reasonably priced and L'Oreal's Colour Match is pretty impressive for a low end brand.
Nars is fantastic for pigment!!!

Your top tip?
Go easy on the foundation and cover necessary parts with a concealer.
NEVER go darker with your foundation; always add colour with blush or bronzer!

What is your speciality?
I'm told it's eyes - and blending. (I can confirm Michelle does a KILLER smokey eye)
I also have a good intuition of what looks good on the individual - I do a lot of 'real women' who say that previous MUA's have always gone OTT on them for wedding trials etc..

Your kit is on fire – and you can only save 5 things. What are they?
Plumful M.A.C lipstick - doubles up great as a blush and lip colour and suits most skin tones
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC5 - the two shades can be blended to match most skin tones
YSL Mascara
Cover FX Translucent Powder - a must for all T.V/film/editorial work
Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream -multi-purpose...

What are you working on at the moment?
I am now running exclusive make-up parties across London in which I educate women on how to look a million dollars without spending as much!

If you are interested in attending or hosting a party, or have any other questions, you can contact Michelle at the link to her group below:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=60826938257&v=info&ref=ts