Highlighter - as in the shiny stuff for your face - can be a little scary. It can look crazy and feel disgusting. For years I have used a surprisingly good quadrant of it from & Other Stories (discontinued, it was ancient… yuck) and had to admit that, actually, it was a useful item of make-up. So I went to SpaceNK, because I was passing, and tried on every highlighter they had in the store and walked out with Chantecaille’s Liquid Lumiere Anti-Aging Face Illuminator (why do they have to give these things such long names, like they are pedigree show cats?) This gives a really good, subtle sheen and it comes in a tube so will not dry out.
I also ran out of an eyeshadow primer. Eyeshadow primer sounds really over the top but the thing is that these days, if I bother to put make-up on, particularly eyeshadow, I want it to stay on. Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion is very good. It is a beige gloop that vanishes on the lids and then superglues your shadow to your lids.
While I’m on the subject, if you are thinking about a make-up setting spray, I have tried a lot and Urban Decay’s All Nighter Setting Spray is the best.
I am delighted and relieved to see the return of the straight, knee-length or tube skirt. For years the fashion has been long, floral A-Line midi things that fasten round the waist and make me look and feel frumpy and fat-ankled. It was always nice to see them on other people - I feel the same way about floral midi-dresses - but were terrible on me. I picked up this black linen straight knee-length skirt from M&S the other day and have arriving today this khaki knit-skirt from Whistles. I will wear with sleeveless t-shirts, knitted tanks and trainers or Tevas. Or even with sweatshirts in a nod to 2015 athleisure.
I have really enjoyed reading Domestic Bliss and Other Disasters by Jane Ions. It has the air of Nina Stibbe without being quite so whimsical and (whisper) annoying. I bought it on the basis of the first sentence: “I have two very close friends who I’ve known for most of my life and I don’t get on with either of them.” Ions was a protégé of my father-in-law, Alan, but I suppose this isn’t that interesting to anyone except me. I also really liked Heiresses by Laura Thompson - unpretentious and fun.
One of the best eyeliners of recent years is by Delilah. It goes on nicely, stays on tolerably well and lasts for a long time. The reason I will not be buying a new one is the terrible packaging, which is a dark brown plastic tube and looks completely unrecyclable to me. It’s like those amazing self-heating SpaceMasks, which I don’t buy, even though I love them to death, because they are single-use. I’m not po-faced about much, but I am about these things. So it’s back to the Bourjois long-wear pencil, supplemented by this Chanel eyeliner when I am feeling racy. Yes, the Chanel liner is also single-use, but it lasts for years and years and it absolutely brilliant, totally worth the £33.
Someone asked me the other day if the Trinny London Miracle Blur was any good and I said OMG yes and so I reminded to tell you now that Trinny London Miracle Blur is amazing.
I took Kitty to see Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which was a great film, although incredibly sad. We are looking forward to going to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse over half term. I am on series 2 of Yellowjackets, which is starting to suffer from series 2-itis in that the plot lines are all going a bit wild but Christina Ricci is just too brilliant to look away.
How about you? Please let us know about anything you have bought, seen or read recently that you can recommend to the group by leaving a comment in the handy box below.
something that has been absolutely game changing for me - LASH LIFT. I implore you to try it! My husband said: "This is the most awake you've ever looked". And I met him 12 years ago. When I was a mere 25 years old!
i'm sure everyone has read it y now but v much enjoying tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow
and i'm not sure yet how this will go but i've been promised that a lash lift and tint (along with eyebrow tint) will CHANGE MY LIFE - or at least make summer make up much easier.
I've found Mac face and body surprisingly a winner for sheer tinted moisturiser type effect