This has been a cult product amongst makeup artists for years.  Formerly though, for those of us in the UK, we’ve had to buy it from the States or Canada, as it hasn’t been available to buy in the UK.  With that, you have hefty shipping costs, plus the added risk of customs charges.  Never ideal when you’re paying a considerable amount for a product.

Now though, the superstars at Cult Beauty have brought it to the UK, for everyone to buy.

But what makes Face Atelier foundation a ‘cult’ brand.  Its got allsorts of modern technology jammed into the little bottle.  From silicones and soft focus properties that make your skin look like it’s been airbrushed, and just blurs out those edges, crinkles and wrinkles.

However, does it do what it claims?  I think so!  I’ve been using it for a while now, on a variety of skin tones and types, and it really does do what you expect.  It’s perhaps not the best for oily skins, with the silicones, however, with a good mattifying primer, I really can’t see why a pro makeup artist would need to have anything else in their makeup bag.

And the bonus?  You can buy 2 extra shades, called zero plus and zero minus, which make an existing foundation either darker or lighter.  Perfect for custom blending, and I don’t know many makeup artists who don’t custom blend on a daily basis!

Definitely check it out, and while you’re there, have a look at the rest of the Cult Beauty website, it’s worth some time window shopping…!

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

Well, just when you thought that there couldn’t be any more colours, OPI have launched their Hong Kong collection.

As always, OPI colours are what-you-see-in-the-bottle-is-what-you-get-on-your-nails!  The colours are true and go on with a smooth action.  You do need 2 coats, the first isn’t pale as such, but a bit streaky.  It’s the 2nd coat that gives you the colour that shows in the bottle.

The Hong Kong collection though, is a wild and varied collection of colours.  There are the soft pinks and golds, but its the vibrant shades that caught my eye.

Dim Sum Plum – its a hot pinky plum.  Not neon, just vibrant

Hot & Spicey – a bright coral orange

Jade is the New Black – my personal favourite, and echoing the colour trend for jade green nails

Suzi Says Feng Shui – A military blue, much like Crayola Blue Crayons from the 70s.

These are all ‘cream opaque solid’ colours according to the website, and according to my nails, I agree!

There’s something lovely about a brand that works in conjunction with another expert to create a signature range.  Michael Kors’ new collection at Estee Lauder is just that.  Lovely.

Its a gentle collection of springlike summery colours, with soft taupes and baby pinks, with a smattering of glamorous pinks and corals thrown in.

With a Hollywood, glamorous theme thrown in, with names ranging from Starlet Peach, Sunset Coral, Hollywood Gold to Bungalow Pink, it’s effortless to feel old school Hollywood glamour in these.

What is a given, as far as Estee Lauder is concerned, and really doesn’t need mentioning (though I will, incase you’re a novice to the ways of the Estee Way!), is that the quality is outstanding.  The eyeshadows really don’t crumble, and there’s little fallout.  The colours are pretty true, and certainly buildable. 

The cheek colours make you look healthy, not as though you’ve stepped out of 1983, and the lipcolours are soft and gentle, and don’t bleed!

In all, its a gentle glamorous collection overall, with a few splashes of colour thrown in for those who like to ‘pop’ with their makeup.

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

You know when you’ve found a staple eyeliner and you think that life couldn’t get any better.  Imagine that life could, when a whole range of new colours come out…

Urban Decay’s famous 24/7 liners shrank at Christmas for a limited edition collection for gifting (keeping?!) purposes, but they’ve now brought out a whole load more.

I have in my hands, Binge, a dirty denim blue that shimmers and smoulders, Mildew, a khaki green that really looks great on hazel eyes, and my the new love of my life, Oilslick, a deep dark charcoal with their famous hint of glitter.

Nothing is lost with these new colours, (also available, Crash, Stash, Yeyo and Rockstar), they’re still just as smooth and soft, yet fantastically long lasting.

What I adore about these new colours is that they’re muted compared to the original collection.  That means that Urban Decay have cornered the eyeliner market, with something for everyone, genius in my book…!

I’m chuffed to bits that there are more to the collection, my pro kit just hasn’t got the room.  Oh well, best get another case then for the overflow…

Sam Donald

www.SamDonald.com

I’ve had www.compeed.co.uk/totalcare in my kit for a while, but recently used them myself, for the first time, when I felt a cold sore coming on.

As anyone who suffers from cold sores will know, they are hideous and you just want them to go away as quickly and painlessly as possible. But often they take up to 2 weeks to go, and the last few days can be the worst as they crust over and then split and bleed each time you open your mouth or try to eat something.

The patches take a little practise to put on, but if you read the instructions properly, it’s fairly simple.

At first it felt a bit weird having a plaster on my lip, but after a while, I got used to it, and other people could hardly notice it.

It felt reassuring knowing that my cold sore was completely covered, so reducing the risk of my children catching it. It also stopped it from hurting so much.

The cold sore started on a Monday evening, I could feel the unpleasant tingle, and there was a little redness, so I put a patch on. The next day there was a cluster of little blisters under the patch and they seemed to get bigger over the next few days. after about 3 days, I could feel that the cold sore was starting to heal.

It took until the following Wednesday until it had totally healed up, so not really any quicker than leaving it to heal on it’s own.
 
The difference was, the cold sore never actually crusted over, it just went away. So I managed to completely avoid the last few horrible days of splitting and bleeding and discomfort. (It is important that you use the patches until the cold sore has completely healed, otherwise you risk getting the crusting over period.)

I didn’t feel so self conscious, as the cold sore was well hidden and I was even able to apply make-up over it (although I chose not to do this as I did find it gave my lip a kind of waxy look and made me feel more concious of it)

I highly recommend these patches and will definitely use them again  the next time I get another attack.(not too soon, I hope)

Amanda Roberts

www.hairandmakeup4u.com

What a bargain! This little beauty is only £2.99 available from Superdrug. I tested it in Cocoa which is a dark brown colour. So far I have been wearing this since 8am today and it has not budged! I’ve even deliberately rubbed my eyes to see if it moves and nothing! 
It has made my lashes appear thicker at the roots and slightly longer in length. I will definitely be buying one of these in their other colour ranges which are Black and Xtra Black. 

Kelly hollands

Sam gave this to me at IMATS to try out and at first I didn’t think much of it. I applied 2 coats and by the end of the day there was no sign of mascara and didn’t look like I was wearing anything. But I’ve found using about 5 coats does the trick – a bit annoying when you’re trying to get ready for work – but in order for this product to work you have to layer it on. Doing that I can definitely see I’m wearing mascara and my lashes looks fairly good. This mascara didn’t clump…separated my lashes and it actually has staying power! 

Last night I went for a run (I forgot to take my make-up off before hand) and I had visions of coming back with panda eyes…but no….it stayed put and I was most impressed. 

The packaging of this does look a bit cheap but retailing at around £3.49 I wouldn’t expect anything fancy. I think for that price you get what you pay for but I was pleasantly surprised. I do think this is a good holiday mascara when you don’t fancy taking your expensive Dior with you.

I’ve been testing this lip gloss for a couple of weeks now. At £3.99 I wasn’t expecting anything special but was pleasantly surprised. 

I tested the ‘Mango crush’ one and in the bottle I loved the colour and how shiny it was but wasn’t sure how it would look once I put it on. The colour was just as gorgeous once applied and I really liked how shiny it made my lips. It went on really smoothly with no ‘gritty’ texture and tasted delicious. 

My only critisicm would probably be that it didn’t have as much staying power as my usual brand but with a lip gloss this nice I can overlook this flaw. 

I would wear this for a glam daytime look and but would also be happy to wear it on a night out. It’s the perfect one to have in your handbag just in case you get a last minute invitation. I think it’s great value for money and would definitely be tempted to buy it again.

Its a soft pearly pink with teeny bits of silver glitter. 

I have tested this a few times now and I’m a little bit disappointed with it! 

I love benefit products and although I’m not a regular lipstick wearer I know what I like and what I don’t like. 
I first tested it by just applying a coat on bare lips… a pink sheen but way too glittery-and it feels really slippery, a bit like vaseline! I think it looks like something a girly teen would wear to a party. 
I had to take it off because I really didn’t like the way it felt. 

I tried it again, this time by lining and filling in my lips with a red lipliner(first one I got out of mybag) and then applying a little bit of the swoonderful on top. 
The effect was nicer, a red lip with a little shine, not looking too glittery. 
Using less helped it feel like it wasn’t going to slide off and just gave the lips a fuller look. 

The best way to use it on its own is to just use a small amount and blend it out for a little shine but for £13 I want a LOT more from a lipstick.

I have mixed feelings about this product. I love the packaging but I do find the fact that it’s so chunky a bit of a problem – especially because I have thin lips and when I apply this it tends to go all over the lips and everywhere else and I’m constantly having to wipe around my mouth! 

However, I do love the texture and look of the balm. It has a subtle pink shimmer (Minty Fat Balm)that actually looks a bit like lip gloss and a nice minty flavour that feels quite refreshing. It does leave the lips feeling hydrated. 

I did have a bit of a problem trying to wind it up and the lip balm ended up cracking – I’m not sure if this is what usually happens or if I just happened to get a faulty one. 

Reading up online it says that you can actually apply this to your cheeks as a blush – I may give this a try as I love the shimmer pink colour!

www.superdrug.com