Beauty Advent calendars

Years ago an Advent calendar either offered little images linked to...er....Advent, or chocolates behind each window.  Now they offer beauty products, miniature whiskeys, anything which can be packaged into the "one treat a day" format.

I love opening a window each day - it's like being a kid again.  But you need to be quick if you want one of the more desirable beauty advent calendars. Some of them are in limited numbers. They make fantastic presents.

I had the Selfridges calendar last year. It was a little disappointing. Definitely aimed at a younger demographic and there were too many repetitive products  (hand creams, eye pencils, etc).

If you want one, it's £95 and on their website now. It does look quite tempting this time (left) with products from Lancome, Kiehl's, Urban Decay and YSL.

You Beauty

I was impressed with the You beauty club calendar in 2014. The 2016 calendare is £69.95 and contains some goodies such as prestigious brand Oskia's Renaissance mask, The White Company's Orange Clove signature candle, Omorovicza Refining Facial Polish and MUA Twelfth Night Palette or Dusk Til Dawn Palette. There are also quite a few products that don't appeal to me including a Rimmel nail polish and a Charles Worthington leave-in conditioner. There's free p&p if you sign up for the regular beauty box product.

Decleor

The calendar I've bought for myself this year is the Decleor advent calendar.  You really can't go wrong with Decleor  (husbands and boyfriends please note).  I'm looking forward to the gorgeous oils and lusciousness.

Charlotte Tilbury

For a touch of luxury there's the Charlotte Tilbury World of Legendary Parties advent calendar at £150. This has 12 treats including Mini Magic Cream, Mini Wonderglow, Mini Multi Miracle Glow and Pocket Pout: Jessica Red. I have one of these upstairs - it's a Christmas present for a lucky young lady.

Judging by the picture the products are slightly bigger than you get in most calendars but only having 12 is a bit of a con - Advent runs from the Sunday nearest to November 30 and covers four Sundays.

There are many other beauty advent calendars to choose from including Look Fantastic (£70), The Body Shop (£60) and Ciate (£60). Which one(s) do you have your eye on?

A tale of two mascaras

This post has been a long time coming - two years since my last post! I wasn't planning to return to this blog but in the two year hiatus, a number of "mature" beauty and fashion blogs have sprung up in the UK, which makes me excited to return to the fold.

First up: some of my latest beauty hits and misses.

I'M LOVING:

6-in-1 Perfect Lash 7.2ml by Studio 10, £26

Image: Marks & Spencer

I'm very impressed with the Studio 10 range which is aimed at the mature woman.

This mascara is the best one I've ever used, and I've got through a lot of them - Guerlain, Dior, Benefit, Lancome, Eyeko, Maybelline.....

I have a problem usually with "panda eyes." Most mascaras start to transfer and give me embarrassing smudges and rings under the eyes and sometimes above the upper lashes. Or, weirdly, I have the phenomenon where, after curling my lashes and applying the mascara I have va-va-voom lashes, only to find they've returned to their normal state an hour later.

This mascara has two sections, cleverly screwed together,. with a brush and a comb.  The brush gives very lush long lashes and the comb separates them.

Most importantly, I didn't get any transfer and the va-va voom effect remained all day. Very impressive. I've never had such generous lashes. You can buy this from Marks and Spencer and Cult Beauty.

I'M HATING:

Joan Collins Class Act Mascara 6ml, £33

Image: Marks & Spencer

I fancied that Joan, who knows a thing or two about makeup, might have a few good products  (and I LOVE the vintage appearance of her nail polish range), but this mascara is a real dead duck.

Very liquidy from the tube and instantly smudged and transferred to my eyelid and below the lower lash line. I cleaned it up and carried on applying, but strangely the good length and curl that I initially achieved simply disappeared, even though I had used an eyelash curler previously.

I can'd find anything good to say about this mascara except for the smart packaging. To add insult to injury, it's more expensive than the Studio 10 mascara and you get less.

If you've found any great mascaras lately, please let us know!

In search of the perfect Nude

I bet that's a headline that will win me a lot of traffic :-)

I have been searching for the perfect nude lipstick for many years. Some celebrities, like Victoria Beckham, Nigella Lawson and Eva Longoria, have definitely cracked it. I want what they're having.

Charlotte Tilbury reviewed

Celebrity make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury recently introduced her own range of skincare and make-up products. When you think about it, there aren't too many ranges designed by make-up artists  (I'm thinking Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier and ??) and it's a definite bonus having a regular user prescribe the products, rather than a huge anonymous beauty house.