August's Makeup Haul
Atelier Cologne
I hadn’t heard of Atelier Cologne until the boutique landed in Covent Garden. Even then, my nostrils didn’t have the honour of sniffing Atelier’s fragrance until I travelled to Paris recently. I had some time to browse the Atelier counter in Galeries Lafayette and I instantly fell in love. Anyone that knows me, knows I am addicted to perfumes and have a mini perfume boutique in my room (kind of). I hate heavy fragrances, like brands that rhyme with Mom Pord, and instead prefer more clean, fresh and light scents. Like Jo Malone (a brand that I love), Atelier Cologne tend to focus on one key ingredient to act as the star of the show. After analysing the kind of scents I like, the perfume assistant led me to ‘Clementine California’. This beautiful fragrance instantly became a hit with notes of Clementine from Italy, Juniper berries from Turkey and Vetiver from Haiti. I also purchased the ‘Pomelo Paradis’ with notes of Pink Pomelo from Florida, Mandarin from Italy and Vetiver from Haiti. With the 30ml sizes (£55), you get a free leather travel case and get to choose the colour. In the Covent Garden store, they can engrave your initials onto the case, making it perfect for gifts (either to yourself or others!)
https://www.coventgarden.london/beauty/atelier-cologne
Surratt
Surratt is a brand I have reviewed before, with the blush and eyelash curler being a big hit! I decided to try their Automatique Lip Crayon in colour ‘Birthday Suit’ £32. The texture is quite matte which is great for longevity but contain ingredients that hydrate the lips. My only and major bug bear, was the colour. Yes I know I chose it myself but I somehow thought it would be warmer on the lips than it was. This is why it’s so important to try lipstick on the actual lips and not judge it from the bullet or a swatch on the hand. A previous colleague of mine once referred pale lip colours as making her look as if she had a sexual disease, and though I wouldn’t go that far, it did make me look like a corpse! I would like to try other colours before I make a final decision because I think the formula is nice and the size is compact for the handbag!
I liked the concept of the Inner Baton in “Effervesce” (nude tone) £42 with it’s dual use of lining the waterline and highlighting your eye’s inner corner. The nude twist-up pencil on one end is a good nude colour to give the illusion of bigger eyes. Since it is a matte colour, and shimmerless, it is safe to apply in your inner lower waterline. As for the other side, the shimmer cushion (as I call it), it really gives a POP to your inner corner. It is too glittery to be a day look, but would work for a night look. I wish, they had made the shimmer colour a bit warmer, whereas it’s a cooler silvery tone. It instantly makes me want to head to an 80s disco. Is it worth the £42 price tag? Fuck no. Will it change your life? Only if it’s boring AF. Would I buy it again? If I’m high on crack. Whilst I have it though, I will use it up and research some disco themed parties in the meantime.
Living Proof
As much as I look after my skin and body, I often neglect my hair and recently looked into more nourishing (and expensive) haircare products. I wandered into Space NK who often stock a wide range of quality haircare products. I had heard of Living Proof but hadn’t tried their products until now; starting with Restore Shampoo £24, Restore Conditioner £24 and Perfecting Spray £27. Their products are originally from Boston, USA and they claim to merge beauty/ haircare know-how with high tech, patented science. For example, they promise to keep your hair cleaner for longer by repelling dirt and I can honestly say, after using their shampoo and conditioner, I would agree that’s the case. It feels a lot cleaner than an average shampoo from Boots. I purchased the Perfecting Spray to also strengthen and protect my hair before styling, which normally I’m very lazy with! I will have to use the whole thing before I can really give my thoughts on these products but so far, it is worth the price tag and you only need the tiniest amount of shampoo to work up a lather.
https://www.spacenk.com/uk/en_GB/search?q=living%20proof%20restore
Beauty Blender
I have reviewed the Beauty Blender ‘Instaclean’ spray £15 before, but it is so good, I wanted to review it again, and will continue to until the cows come home. I wouldn’t use this spray for beauty sponges, as I think sponges should be washed. I am not a sponge fan at all as it is a breeding ground for bacteria, and if you do use it, buy new ones regularly. I like to use Instaclean for brushes and they are great for quick cleans, and I like to spray mine on a kitchen towel, and then rub the brush into it. The spray can is also perfect for travelling as it’s quite small, and you can lock it, avoiding accidents when pressure is applied in the suitcase. I have used quite a few brush cleaning sprays, but either they’re not good enough or have that awfully strong chemical scent. I challenge and welcome someone to recommend a better brush cleaner.
Suqqu
I am a fan of Suqqu products and wanted to purchase a brown mascara and primer. I have tonnes of black, but thought brown would be a nice natural alternative. Naoko Scintu, makeup artist for Jodie Comer’s winning BAFTA look, gave a tip to use brown mascara on the top inner lashes and black on the outer, to give a more winged out, fluttery look. If you don’t have time for this, you could use Suqqu’s ‘Eyelash Base’ £23 which promises to separate, curl and leave lashes smooth for the mascara application. I don’t know if it had a huge impact to my mascara application, but it definitely did separate my lashes. The ‘Eyelash Waterproof Mascara’ in Brown £29 is nice everyday mascara and I would recommend it if you need waterproof eye makeup or for any brides!
https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/suqqu-eyelash-base_396-3000994-63540/
This Suqqu Liquid Eyebrow Pen in Brown £22 is Ah-May-Zing! Seriously, Glossier who?! It’s the perfect cool brown and the tip is ideal for creating realistic brow hair strokes. Once dried, the liquid is long wearing, and does need to be removed with long-wear or oily makeup remover. I am seriously in love with this pen and will be repurchasing when it runs out. It doesn’t dry out easily, isn’t too wet and is also perfect for emphasising beauty spots - tip of the day!
MAC
Mac’s Prep & Prime Lip Base £15 is perfect for prepping the lip just before a statement lippie like red or darker. I still think a little bit of setting powder over some lip balm also does the trick, but every little helps. If you don’t want those shrivelly looking wrinkled lips, apply this around your lips, go in with a lip pencil and then apply lipstick.
https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/mac-prep-prime-lip_329-81004873-PREPPRIMELIP/
We all know and have a soft spot for MAC’s Prep & Prime ‘Fix +’ spray £12.50 but it now comes in the dinky, travel-friendly size of 30ml. They have the original but also other versions in different and funky scents including watermelon, white tea, pineapple and cucumber. It’s obviously more cost effective to buy the original size of 100ml for £21 but sometimes, it’s the smaller things that provide simple pleasures in life. E.g. Space NK’s travel section is perfect for cutesy, holiday friendly goodies.
https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/mac-prep-prime-fix-30ml_329-81004873-MXH301/
Tom Ford
Similarly to the Surratt ‘Birthday Suit’ shade, I made the same mistake with this Tom Ford ‘Divulge’ shade as I purchased without swatching. In my defence, the shade looked really pretty on my hand… It again, is far too pale for my lips but I think I could make it work when applying a really nude lip to go with dramatic smokey eyes. On the other side of the pencil, there’s a lip brush which is really useful for your handbag and fixing your lippie in the toilets! For £36 it’s not a cheap product but there’s something about Tom Ford that feels expensive and a joy to hold; none of that flimsy shit.
This Tom Ford ‘Eye Defining Pen’ £46 is a dual ended liquid eye liner in black. There is no other colour option but if you want statement feline eyes, this is the liquid liner for you! It does last but I wouldn’t say it’s completely smudge-proof; unlike the Lancôme Grandiôse Eyeliner which is. It has two tips, one for allowing precision tip lining and the other for a really thin application or to perfect the flick. Personally, I think they could have just stuck to one for half the price but this is Tom Ford and they don’t do things by halves!
Tom Ford Lip Colour Sheer
Hallelujah! I finally got there with the perfect peachy nude colour. The Tom Ford Sheer Lip Colour in ‘Camilla’ £30 is perfect for an everyday nude, that doesn’t give you that lifeless body look. It is pretty enough to wear in the day, and at night with a smokier eye look. It is sheer as the name suggests, with a pretty sheen finish and lasts surprisingly longer than most sheer lipsticks I’ve worn.
https://www.net-a-porter.com/gb/en/product/1125216/tom_ford_beauty/boys---girls---camilla-30
Sephora (Mini Haul)
Sephora Foot, Hair and Lip Masks
Sephora Charcoal Nose Strips
Sephora Body Exfoliator
Origins Overnight Mask
Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezer
These days, unless I’m going to a non-European Sephora, dare I say it…I find it very boring! I find the European Sephoras are very samey samey in terms of the brands they offer and it’s very “been there, seen that, got the mask!”. It’s only when I go to American Sephora’s or other non-European Sephoras that I really feel like a kid in a candy store! However, it doesn't stop me from entering the European stores and one of my favourites is the Champs Elysees in Paris. They’re perfect for a quick pit stop to pick up Sephora own-brand masks. Instead of the usual face masks, I picked some up for my lips, hair and feet! Nose strips are a must to avoid strawberry looking noses, and the body exfoliator is perfect for holidays (satchet); although messy and not the kindest on skin. The Origins face mask I’ve yet to try, but I can feel I am going to love it with it’s key ingredients of avocado and Swiss Glacier Water. Who doesn’t want Swiss Glacier Water dripping on their face?! Last but not least, I bought mini peach patterned tweezers from Tweezerman. I think they’re not as good as the original ones, but how cute are they!
Kicks (Scandinavian Haul)
I’ve already done reviews on all the individual items, and if you want to read up on it, you can find it on my Instagram page, under Beauty Highlights! Kicks was a cool store that stocked both Scandinavian and world-famous beauty brands. It’s also the only store where I’ve seen actual stock of Linda Hallberg products which I love! I will be doing a follow up review on certain products including the lash serum!
Until next time xo
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All images on this post are my own.
