NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator - preview & giveaway!

There's a bunch of these type illuminators available and NYX are throwing their tuppence-worth into the mix in the form of their new Born To Glow Liquid Illuminators.  Wonderful at any time of year, but in particular during the summer, illuminators help to make your foundation more glowy (when mixed-in), or are great for highlighting specific points of the face (cheekbones... décolletage... cupids bow... shoulderblades... centre line of arms...)

Clarins Ladylike Autumn/Winter 2014 - preview

Clarins Ladylike Autumn/Winter campaign visual

Although I’m reticent to start touting All Things Autumn, and am very hesitant to mention anything that’s not all about Summer, Sun, Heat, Sunshine (we get so precious little of it here, I like to celebrate it and stretch out the concept of Summer as long as I can!), the nature of this business is that there’s always information about the “next season” coming out during the current one.  That’s fine – people want to know after all.  So here goes.  First of a few posts this week and next on Autumn/Winter collections - this one is the turn of Clarins.

I wanted specifically to post about Clarins because I think their Autumn collection is truly beautiful, elegant, ladylike, not at all boring.  In fact that’s the name of the collection, the Ladylike Collection.  It's all gorgeous muted Autumn shades, as you’d expect, but it’s lit up with some new products and formulations, and a completely new (and gorgeous) foundation (a separate review will follow on this one).

Clarins True Radiance Foundation - review

Clarins are seriously impressing me the last few years.  Their Extra Comfort Foundation is one of the “most quietly beautiful” foundations I’ve ever used.  I’m reviewing another foundation of theirs today, the True Radiance Foundation.  This one is due to land on-counter from 01 September, so this is a quick preview-and-review-in-one.

Sisley Restorative Facial Cream with Shea Butter - review

For today's Mondays with MontyC, and following on from my Sisley facial/skin consultation, one of the two products I purchased was their Restorative Facial Cream With Shea Butter.  I've been using it since the facial and promised I'd report back...

Save, spend or splurge: Three blurring primers

Three primers - all the identical same (ok, more or less the identical same) (yes I know they're identical or they're not, they're not more or less identical) (lets move on, shall we)... but there's a huge price diff...

Enough ellipses... (and paragraphs)... onwards.

Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder - review

The setting powder to end all setting powders... Vichy Dermablend (loose) Setting Powder is da bomb!

MontyC's Favourite Blogs

For today's Mondays with MontyC, I thought I might share a few of my favourite blogs and bloggers.  From down over the years, I've read/watched a lot of blogs/YouTube videos, I've seen blogs/bloggers come and go, and I've let some of them fall by the wayside too, as I outgrew them, or their standards slipped, or they sold out (sadly, this happens a lot - you see bloggers who start out idealistic, grow, get bigger, and become nothing more than mouthpieces for specific brands).

I shall nail my colours firmly to the mast and tell you that when it comes to beauty blogs or YouTube videos, I have developed zero tolerance for bullsh*t.  I don't mind promotional posts - who doesn't want to know what's coming out in a few months after all! - but only if they're not trying to pass themselves off as reviews.  When I want to do some research and read some reviews, I don't want to know about what the press release says a product does, and neither do I particularly care what celebrity fronts its campaign.  I want details on on how it performs on real people to help me figure out if it will work for me and if it's worth my hard earned cash.

Dr. Hauschka Rose Body Oil review

A friend of mine (and Dr. Hauschka enthusiast to say the least) recently introduced me to this German company.  Dr. Hauschka pack their beauty products with natural ingredients, such as healing essential oils, to soothe the body and soul.  Sounds good to me.  Today I'm reviewing the Dr. Hauschka Rose Body Oil... drool...

eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner - review

Oh how I wanted to love this stuff...

I got the navy version of the eyeko skinny liquid eyeliner because I wanted to try something other than black out for a change, and because, well, honestly, I expected great things of this, and I didn't have a navy eyeliner.

I still don't have a navy eyeliner.

essence Road Trip Collection - preview

I do love essence for it's cutie-pie packaging, fun names, imaginative launches, and let's not forget the wonderfully inexpensive prices!  This summer's trend release is called Road Trip and the products behind the release are duo usage or mini products, smaller, handbag-sized versions just perfect for bringing with you on a short trip away, an overnight, an emergency stash in your car's glove compartment, whatever...

Creme de la Mer: the three serums

There are three different serums in the Creme de la Mer family, and over the last number of years I've used them all.  I am definitely a CDLM fan, expensive and all as it is, I have found that some of their products are so beyond amazing, and when I can afford it, in general, if my skin needs a particular "thing", I'll try out the CDLM version of whatever it is my skin needs to try reset it.  Case in point: the foaming cleanser that I use every morning in the shower, and the mechanical exfoliator (complete with diamond dust!) that I use once a week, the lipbalm I think is probably the best you can get on the entire planet, bar none, and the concentrate and the body lotion for almost removing some really deep-seated scars...  Mind you, there are also other products from CDLM of which I am really not particularly (or even remotely) a fan.  Look here if you want to read more of my CDLM reviews!

My Sisley Facial Experience

Sisley Brown Thomas Cork

For today's Mondays with MontyC, I want to speak about my recent experience with a Sisley facial I had - not so much product-specific, as experience-specific.  I love facials.  Not only are they very relaxing but you can see the benefits of a good facial for weeks afterwards.  Although like most people, I probably have less professional facials and more DIY/at home ones than before, I try to have a few a year.  This year, I discovered that several of the skincare counters at Brown Thomas offer facials.  There's usually a charge involved, but it's redeemable afterwards against that brand's skincare line.  It's a great way to try a brand (or see how products perform) that you might be curious about.  Which is exactly why I signed myself up for the recent facial offering from Sisley.

Sisley, I know, is a relatively expensive skincare brand.  I say “relatively” because there are other brands more expensive that it such as Crème de la Mer and La Prairie (to name just two) and also because everyone's personal definition of what “expensive” is varies from person to person.  So I had wanted to try Sisley out for some time and the facial I had was one the best I've ever experienced.  Thanks to the lovely sales assistant’s attention and knowledge, it was as much a detailed skin consultation as anything else.

Say goodbye to spots!

Quick review post on something I discovered popped into my postbox a couple of weeks' back... Dream Dots.  I wasn't convinced they weren't a bit of a gimmick, and I also was pretty certain I wasn't the target demographic, but as luck (more like misfortune!) would have it, I got the full-on 'flu, and had one or two breakouts as a result.  So I thought, instead of finding someone else to try these out, I'd give them a whirl myself.

These are teeny tiny little miniscule cushioned micro-plasters (are you getting it?!  They're small!) that you place on top of a spot.  A forming one, an already existing one, a dying one.  Whatever.  And they kill it. Dead.  Over a night or a couple of nights.  And they work.  They seriously work.  Not a gimmick at all.

Make Up For Dolls Red Lipstick is on sale - 20% off!

Make Up For Dolls signature red lippie!

I have lots of work to do tonight so I'm just going to do a really quick promo post on my very own signature red lipstick, available at 20% off until 18th July...

The Hair Diaries - recap post

Weirdly, or strangely, or what have you, I've had a lot of questions and queries about hair lately.  Although it's not my forté, (a) I'm trained as a stylist for more basic upstyles, braids, blowdries and so on (because it makes sense to pair that, on rare occasion, with makeup) (b) I'm a complete product junkie and (c) I change my hair colour more often than is probably a terribly good idea, and I like experimenting with colour, hair pieces, wigs, chalking, clip-in highlights, fake plaits, faux fringes, and lots of other jeejaws... so I have more than a passing (unhealthy) interest in All Things Hair, and I write about hair products and processes as much as skincare and/or makeup...

Onwards, enough of my rambling, and let's take a look at recapping some of my hair posts in the last while...

Estée Lauder Perfectionist [CP+R] Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum - review

Estée Lauder Perfectionist [CP+R] Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum
(sample size)

As with all Estée Lauder products, the name is a bit of a mouthful, but for all that, welcome to Mondays with MontyC's impressions of this reformulated Perfectionist [CP+R] Wrinkle Lifting/Firming Serum.  There seems to be a trend Estée Lauder of late as they've gone back to the drawing board not only with this serum but also with their iconic Advanced Night Repair Serum.

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Cleansing Foam - review

Hey folks, this Friday I'm reviewing the Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Cleansing Foam.  Long story short, I have mixed feelings about this one, depending on the moon phase and which way the wind is blowing (or more accurately, what state my skin is in that day).

La Roche-Posay Rosaliac UV Legere - review

Today's Guest Post comes courtesy of none-other than Make Up For Dolls Mammy, if you're not offended.  She has been trialling a number of products for me for more mature skin for the last while, so expect a couple of blog posts from her.  She has also just returned from travelling around Australia in a campervan and she was keen to get her mitts on some decent, ultra-hydrating, SP-containing, moisturisers before she left.  So I supplied, and today she's reporting on the lovely La Roche-Posay Rosaliac UV Legere moisturiser.

June Guest Posts

Two blogs for the price of one yesterday in June's blog swap!

The smashing Cindy from the Girl With a Skew Earring blog wrote a guest post on Make Up For Dolls, a piece on Garnier's Sleek Restorer for hair.  As I mentioned in my own post on Cindy's blog, I've been reading her posts forever and and I'm so thrilled that she and I had the chance to swap posts this month!  Find Cindy's post here.

My guest post on Girl With a Skew Earring (don't you just love that name!) is a look at Festival Makeup courtesy of both my own experience, and some tutorials from Illamasqua, probably my favourite makeup brand bar none.  It's the festival season after all, and I'm personally counting down to EP'14!  You'll find my post on Cindy's blog, here.

I urge you to go check Cindy's blog out if you are not already a follower.  Thanks so much to Cindy for June's blog swap (slightly later than planned, but better late than never!), and as always, thanks to all for reading.

s :-) xX

Garnier Ultimate Blends : The Sleek Restorer with Coconut Oil and Cocoa Butter. Its Gorgeous!

June's blog swap is with the lovely Cindy from Girl With The Skew Earring.  I love Cindy's blog and have been a long-term reader (you'll find her here!).  Looking at her blog archives it seems that she started out just a few months before me, August 2011 to my November 2011, but Cindy's blog, and writing, to me, always had such poise and maturity, along with a good dollop of fun and realism, and I always thought she was an veteran blogger.  You'll also spot that the swap is somewhat late - I've had a full-on 'flu and I've been trying to take things easy, so I managed to persuade the lovely Cindy to have this swap first week in July instead.

Read on for Cindy's post - it's about how she got on with the Garnier Ultimate Blends haircare range (I want to buy them now!), and please go and take a look at my post on her site when you're finished...

Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream - review

After trying, loving, and raving about its sister product, the Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum (look here for the review), I had high hopes about the Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream.  But it wasn't to be.  Just goes to show that every item from a particular product range won't necessarily suit you...