Sam Donald www.SamDonald.com Drawing on over 17 years experience and many years of research, Caroline Clapperton, Owner and MD of Planet Skincare has created 2 products that are currently rocking the beauty world and shaking us all in our boots. An Instant Firming Serum with Pepha-Tight, which instantly tightens the skin and fine lines and wrinnkles, no need to wait a month to see any effects, but... 

Sponsored by Boots, the NatMags group has launched its 30 days of Fashion and Beauty campaign. With new product releases, special events, fashion suggestions, giveaways, competitions, discounts and beauty buzz, it’s definitely worth siging up to the daily emails to see what the latest thing is! What’s really refreshing is the lack of Spam with the emails, just the facts and nothing else! Go... 

Sam Donald www.SamDonald.com From the Spring 2009 collection from Smashbox, the Muse Artist Eye Palette is standing its own, straight through Summer and probably well on it’s way into the Autumn Too. With perfect pairings of light and dark versions of the same toned colours, purples, greens, blues, browns and muds, the colours are pure and true, not washed out upon application, what you see in... 

For those that have known me all my makeup career, you’ll know how much of a fan of Smashbox products I am.  I love their shadows, their glosses, HAVE to have their fusion softlights in my kit all the time, and was bowled over when I spotted their Ultimate Palette on the Just Beauty Direct website. It’s very rare for me to get excited about an all-in-one palette.  There’s always... 

This is such a great product!  Makeup Artists the world over are well used to ‘stippling’ techniques, using a stiff tipped brush and dabbing the makeup on.  Well, this ups the game and brings the old technique into the modern age. You use the sponge (which is a very very dense sponge, we’re not talking bath sponge here!) by bouncing it on the skin and rolling where necessary! It... 

Dynasty In The City in association with Style Icon and Gspot Cosmetics on Tuesday 22nd September, 2009. To take place at the prestigious Mint Leaf Lounge, Angel Court, Lothbury, Bank. Back to the 1980′s but only in the city!! This event is not for the faint-hearted but for those fashionistas who love fashion and beauty, especially 1980′s fashion and beauty!! If you have not already... 

Every woman has something in their makeup bag or medicine cupboard that she pulls on whenever there is a cut, bruise, bash, blemish, dry patch or irritant etc.  For years, I’ve used Virgin Vie’s Guardian Angel balm, but I’ve not been as keen on it since they took it out of the tub and put it in a tube, and seemed to change the formula.  Recently, I discovered a cheaper and better... 

Normally retailing at £22.50, HalfPricePerfumes.co.uk have got them on offer at the moment for just £11.25 with next day delivery available.  Read More →

Sam Donald www.SamDonald.com With a very high shine, but not a wet-look, Elizabeth Arden’s High Shine Lipgloss does exactly what it says on the tin! Subtle colours, yet each one is different, this range of high shine lipglosses is right up there with the big players in the Chanel/MAC/YSL game. These aren’t sticky in anyway, although yes, you do know you’re wearing them, but that can... 

Sam Donald www.SamDonald.com As we all know, you have to have great products to achieve a great look, but you also need good tools behind you to get soft yet clean lines, without fallout and wasteage. I’m a brush junkie.  I find it irresistible to walk past a cosmetics counter without having a good look at their brush range and buying at least one. I have a brush kit with around 100 brushes... 

Sam Donald www.SamDonald.com With a really subtle shimmer, enough to make your cheeks 3D in photographs, the Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzer is a must have buy. The funky shades of pink, cream and bronze have made this a great multipurpose product! Definitely swoosh a big old fat brush through it (the one supplied really isn’t that great, but okay as a stop-gap til you can get a nice big fat one)... 

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that I am a clean queen as far as makeup hygiene is concerned.  If you’re in the dark, just take a moment to read the Safe Beauty article at the top of this page. In the last 2 weeks, I have been the makeup artist at 4 weddings (total number of faces 21) and attended a Leukaemia Research Fundraiser offering makeovers and the like (total faces made over...