I feel like it’s been ages since I last shared my current ‘everyday’ makeup routine and so for my latest video I decided to film a get ready with me video, using some of my current makeup favourites, that I like to use for my simple day to day makeup.
Samio x
Last Saturday I headed to intu Trafford Centre to meet up with my friend, Chloe, for a little pamper morning…
Usually if I’m going to the Trafford Centre, it’s to shop, or to eat (or most of the time, both), but I never previously thought of it as a place to go for beauty treatments until I was kindly invited along to try out some treatments with intu beauty.
The first stop was The Face Doctor. I’m no stranger to the Trafford Centre and would normally say I know my way around the place pretty well, however I was surprised that I had never spotted The Face Doctor before (probably because it’s discreetly tucked away at an end corner by John Lewis). I used the new intu app to help navigate our way there, which is crazy because I never thought I’d need an app to help me get around the Trafford Centre, seeing as I’ve been there a gazillion times but it was actually super handy and it saved us so much time.
The lovely Katy did both of our 15 minute facials and one after the other we were taken into one of the rooms at the back of the store, where we were able to lay down and relax away from the bustle of the shopping centre, whilst we each had our facials.
During the facial, Katy used a number of products which exfoliated and then hydrated my skin. Everything she used smelt amazing and left my skin feeling so soft. Afterwards Chloe and I both left The Face Doctor looking glowing with our skin feeling refreshed.
The 15 minute facial costs just £15, which I personally think is great value and after seeing the results I’ll definitely be going back again in the future. It would be the perfect way to relax after a busy shopping day.
I surprised myself yet again and had to check the intu app a second time, this time to help us navigate our way to the L’Occitane store.
I can’t actually believe that this was my first time stepping in the L’Occitane store, considering the fact that I’m slightly skincare obsessed. Although I’d heard of L’Occitane, I didn’t previously know anything about the brand, but Zandra and Jo from L’Occitane’s Trafford Centre store soon changed that. They were so friendly and enthusiastic about the brand and were able to tell us all about L’Occitane whilst introducing us to some of their favourite products. Chloe and I were both impressed with L’Occitane’s products and I’m sure that this isn’t a store I’ll be walking past without popping in, in future.
Chloe and I each had a hand massage which exfoliated and nourished our hands. It’s crazy how dry your hands can get during the winter period and although I always carry a hand cream round in my bag, the hand massage was just the extra TLC that my hands needed. I think I need a hand massage at L’Occitane every week!
With our skin and hands feeling feeling fabulous, we headed to the Bobbi Brown makeup counter in John Lewis to get our makeup done by makeup artist Pooja. Although I wasn’t completely new to Bobbi Brown, I wasn’t as familiar with their products as I am with some other brands and so it was great to have Pooja intoruce us to Bobbi Brown’s new products and tell us in depth what the brand was all about.
I went in the makeup chair first and although I’m used to getting my makeup done on a regular basis whilst modelling, it felt strange being asked what look I wanted (as on jobs it’s usually the client or makeup artist who decides). I knew I wanted a look that I could carry through to the night (as we were heading out for Chloe’s birthday that evening) and Pooja’s eye makeup was just perfect for that, so I asked her to recreate something similar on me.
Pooja did an amazing winged liner on me and I am obsessed with the sparkle eyeshadow in shade Cement that she used on my lower lids. I opted for a slightly subtler eye makeup look but chose a bold lip. I also thought it would be the perfect time to experiment with a different blusher than I usually go for and so she used the Pot Rouge in Chocolate Cherry, which is a gorgeous deep red colour.
Full list of products that Pooja used to create my look:
To Prep The Skin: Treatment lotion (here), Intensive Skin Serum (here), Hydrating Eye Cream (here), SPF 15 Lip Balm (here).
Corrector & Concealer: Corrector in light peach (here), Concealer in warm natural (here).
Foundation: Foundation stick in warm natural 4.5 (here).
Powder & Bronzer: Powder in soft honey (here), Bronzer in golden light (here).
Blush: Pot Rouge in chocolat cherry (here), pink glow (here).
Lip: lip Colour in crushed plum (here), Lip Pencil in rum raisin (here).
Brows: Brow kit powder (here).
Eyes: Long-Wear Eye Base in medium (here), All Over Shadow in bone (here), Lower Lid Shadow in Cement (here).
Eye Liner: Gel in black (here).
Mascara: Eye Opening Mascara (here).
Next it was Chloe’s turn for makeup and Pooja did the most gorgeous shimmering brown smokey eye on her. It was the perfect choice because it really complimented the colour of Chloe’s green eyes and made them look dazzling.
We both loved how Pooja did our makeup and I now want to fill my makeup collection with lots of gorgeous Bobbi Brown products. Although I refrained from going crazy this time, I couldn’t resist buying at least one product. I bought the the foundation which Pooja had used on me whilst creating my look, which was the Foundation Stick in shade warm natural 4.5. I absolutely love this foundation on my skin because it looks so natural and since using it at home, I’ve found it really quick and easy to apply and blend.
Each mini beauty treatment (and makeup) we had was amazing and what I love about them most is that they are the time of thing that you can easily fit into an hour if you wanted to or just do one or two to refresh after a busy shopping day – or in our case, prep for a night out.
Our day at intu Trafford Centre didn’t quite end there, as we finished off with a tasty three course lunch at Bill’s Restaurant (which can read about here).
I decided to document the day on film, which you can check out in my mini vlog here:
Samio x
For many years I struggled to find the perfect foundation. From too pale, to too dark, to not the right consistency, I’ve tried so many foundations in the past. Luckily now, since my knowledge of makeup has widened and finally many more brands now cater for a wider range of skin tones, I’ve been able to find not just one but several foundations that I actually find work great for me and these are my three personal favorites.
M.A.C Face and Body Foundation in shade C4:
It has a lightweight dewy consistency that’s great for when you want a light coverage. It’s also easy to build up or mix with other shades.
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in shade 12:
It has an excellent coverage, ideal for when you want to cover blemishes and it’s my personal favourite for special occasions/nights out.
Bobbi Brown BB Crème SPF 35 in shade Natural:
It’s great for when you’re spending your day outdoors as it contains SPF 35 to help protect your skin from the sun. It has a matte consistency, so it won’t leave you feeling or looking too shiny.
Watch my short video to find out more about why I like each foundation and when I use them.
What’s your favourite foundation or coverage for your skin?
Samio x
Check out my previous posts:
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation
Bobbi Brown BB Cream and Corrector for Dark Circles
June is here and so is a new video up on my YouTube channel! This is my second makeup video to date and so far I’m really enjoying filming them (when everything goes to plan that is). I always love playing about and experimenting with makeup so I thought I may as well film some of it from time to time to show any of you who may be interested. It’s often one thing finding out what products a person uses and another thing seeing the process. It can often be intriguing to see different people’s application techniques and here are some of mine…
Products used:
MAC Face and Body Foundation in shade C4
Boddi Brown Corrector in shade light to medium peach
Illamasqua Multi Facet Palette in Semblance
Gosh Xtreme Liquid Gel Eye Liner in shade Bronze
New Look Pure Colour Eye Liner in shade brown
Urban Decay Naked Concealer in shade medium neutral
Boots Natural Collection Loose Face Powder in shade neutral translucent
Sleek Contour Kit in shade medium
MAC Powder Blush in shade Dolly Mix
New Look Pure Colour Lip Liner in shade mid pink
Boots No7 BB Lips in shade Ballerina
Samio x
I love finding products that I love, rather obvious I know but although I’m forever accumulating new makeup and products, it takes a lot for me to find something different that I regularly like putting all over my face. This is where this Bobbi Brown BB Cream comes in. I’ve mentioned before that I discovered this product on a shoot when a makeup artist used it on me and I couldn’t believe how good it was. I’ve used BB creams (referred to as ‘blemish/beauty balms’) in the past but I think due to me trying out some of the budget ones I wasn’t overly impressed and soon reverted back to my trusted foundations.
It wasn’t long after trying out Bobbi Brown’s BB cream that it was added to my makeup collection and now it’s my new favourite thing to use on my face day to day. As I’m slightly obsessed with skin protection (I’m the girl who wears factor 50 during the summer), I absolutely love the fact that this BB cream contains SPF 35, as I feel it’s important to try and protect the skin as much as possible.
This BB cream feels light on the skin and gives a dewy fresh look which I really like. Although the BB cream claims to include a moisturiser, I still like to apply a moisturiser to my face beforehand, just so that my skin feels fully hydrated. At home I use my regular day moisturiser. However when I went to purchase my BB cream, the woman in store applied a base of Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream first, which I have to say felt great on the skin and seemed to work really well with the BB cream also.
This BB cream isn’t the cheapest but for me I found a perfect match with shade, Natural. I love how it evens out my complexion and gives that natural ‘no makeup’ look, whilst feeling light on the skin and blending perfectly with my own skin tone.
Whilst purchasing the Bobbi Brown BB Cream I thought I’d give some of their other products a go and so I got to try out this Bobbi Brown Corrector. It’s made to neutralise dark under eyes and is meant to be applied before a concealer. The shade light to medium peach was the corrector that matched my tone and I could instantly see the difference it made to brightening my under eyes. As I don’t suffer from major dark circles, I’ve found I’ve been able to use the product without applying concealer over the top. The corrector shade I purchased already blends well with my skin tone whilst adding brightness under the eyes so I’ve felt the need to add concealer unnecessary for the time being.
The only warning I can give about this product is that it’s rather thick, as of course it is meant to help correct the darkest of under eye circles. So I would just to say be careful when applying it and be sure not to cake it on, as after hours of wearing it, creases can appear and that will end up looking rather bad. So be sure to apply this product sparingly and after using your concealer, apply a light powder over the top which will reduce any shine and help set the makeup.
(It doesn’t actually look as orangey in real life as in this picture)
Overall I really like both of these products from Bobbi Brown. The packaging is simple yet smart and the products themselves do exactly what they say on the labels. Obviously the BB cream is my favourite and shall be a reoccurring makeup purchase for me from now on. If you suffer from dark circles and want something to help even out the tone of your under eyes, then I would definitely recommend the Bobbi Brown corrector and say it’s worth going in store to find your match. I give both of these products a big thumbs up and definitely recommend them.
Below I’m wearing the Bobbi Brown BB Cream and Bobbi Brown Corrector without any added concealer or face powder, to show the results of using these two products.
Samio x