Fashion Brief
My last few months have all been about giving. Between Christmas gifting, the glut of early-spring birthdays (sorry, I’m one of them), engagements gifts and spending £70 on plastic penises for hen dos, I’ve had quite enough of giving, to other people. It’s time to self-gift – and your make-up bag should be the prime recipient, for no other reason than there’s a whole host of ultra-brilliant products hitting the shelves right now. That’s reason enough right? Happy shopping.
Illamasqua Precison Brow Gel in Stare
Dreams can come true. I’ve been waiting for a brow gel that doesn’t make anyone with black hair look like Ernie from Sesame Street. The problem is that most brow gels look weirdly unnatural on very dark hair; brown looks like a bad mistake, whilst black is far too harsh. Though this grey colour looks dubious in the pot, it really does result in perfect brows.
£18.50, illamasqua.com
Kevyn Aucoin The Lookbook
Makeup palettes and darker skins have a tricky history. Sometimes they work, but most of the time there are only a few cursory colours that suit us in each pan – and they’re always the super-dark-navy/black shades. That’s why I really rate this palette – it’s full of springy blossom-esque shades for lips eyes and cheeks with serious pigment payoff that are all kinds of beautiful. £34, cultbeauty.co.uk
Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue
It’s the best of a BB cream, a CC cream, sun protection and tinted moisturiser in one. Honestly, this is probably the best barely there type foundation I’ve ever used because it blends and blurs your skin in a hydrating sweep. It comes in 10 shades so, get ready for when it drops on 29 March. £26, debenhams.com
Topshop Contour Cream In Swerve
Everyone loves a little contour. It’s been my savior, post-Christmas, to conceal an encroaching double chin. Whilst the chiseled look isn’t everyone’s schtick, this sheer contouring creme makes for natural-looking definition that’s easy to blend and natural. It’s so easy to use, in fact, you could definitely apply it on public transport – that’s the mark of a decent product in my mind.
£9, topshop.com
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush and brush
Sunbaked clay from the Amazon river might not sound like the ideal starting place for blush, but it really is. This amazing rouge stay’s put all day – unusually for a blush in my experience – and though it looks like a super pale pink, it’s actually pretty potent and the sheer coverage is buildable. £23.50, qvcuk.com
