Top Five: Products of 2014

This year seems to have passed within a blink of an eye. It seems only a couple of months ago I was compiling this list for 2013. So what were my thoughts on clean beauty in 2014? Can my Top Five top last years compilation which consisted of an utterly amazing assortment of products)? We shall see...

Christmas Wishes

After what has been an incredibly busy autumn getting some exciting new projects up and running, I am taking a little break from writing for a few days to spend time with my family in Devon before returning to London (and work) on Boxing Day.

In Print: Your Healthy Living Magazine #2

Following my piece on creating a metallic eye make-up in September's edition of Your Healthy Living magazine, I was recently asked to write a suitably festive piece for the December issue.

Top Five: Winter Holiday Essentials

With the holiday season nearly upon us, some of you may be lucky enough to be jetting off to celebrate the festivities boarding down the slopes of Whistler, watching the Northern Lights over Reykjavik or snowshoeing in the fells of Lapland (I quite fancy all of these actually...).

Helen Dowsley Favourites False Lashes

When it comes to creating make-up products there are few people do it better than a Make-up Artist. From Max Factor to Make-up Forever, Louise Young to Charlotte Tilbury; Make-up Artists are more often than not at the heart of a beauty brand. 

Colour, texture, feel. These are just a few of the elements which are part of developing a make-up product. Make-up Artists work with products day and and day out, seeing how the products perform and wear under every condition and on every skin type and tone; so it is understandable why so many turn to developing their own ranges.

From The Vault: RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek

I am really enjoying re-reading old posts and finding out if my feelings towards certain products have changed; is the product is still in my kit or have I found a product I prefer?

Couleur Caramel Smoothing Velvet Primer

When it comes to male grooming for broadcast one product that I use almost without fail is a mattifying cream of gel. Whether it's used it on it's own with a little concealer or under a fuller make-up a mattifier is an essential part of a grooming kit and it took me quite a while to find one that I felt was comparable to products I was using in my pre-eco days (my weapons of choice for such a make-up was usually Supermatte Antishine by Make-up International).

Make-up: Luva Huva Autumn/Winter Collection 2014

A few weeks back I shared a couple of images from a shoot I worked on over the summer. Midnight Garden is the new Autumn/Winter 2014 collection from ethical lingerie line Luva Huva; a sumptuous yet sexy range of handmade underwear produced using ethically sourced and sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, bamboo and soy. 

Indian Animal Testing Ban

It has been over a year since India announced it plans to ban laboratories in the country from using animals in cosmetic testing. The ruling, which came into force at the end of May this year was the first stage in a two phase plan which would potentially spare hundreds of thousands of animals from unnecessary suffering each year.

Last week the second phase of the ban was introduced, so what does this mean for the Indian beauy industry?

Natural Beauty Yearbook 2015

Some of the biggest names in natural beauty congregated at Wholefoods Market on London's Fulham Broadway on Tuesday night to celebrate one of the most important nights in their calendar; the launch of the Natural Beauty Yearbook and (possibly more importantly) the announcement of the Top 25 Who's Who.

The Lush Prize 2014

The Impressive Art Deco building of The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London's Marylebone played host on Friday night to the 2014 Lush Prize; the award ceremony which celebrates the achievements of some of the world's most pioneering individuals and organisations engaged in putting an end to animal testing.

Love: Kjaer Weis Fall Collection 2014

Ok. I am currently obsessing over this trio of products which make up the Kjaer Weis Autumn 2014 collection. Although I have yet to get my paws on it (I doubt it will take me long), I already love it!

From The Vault: Jane Iredale Lash Extender & Conditioner

My eyelashes have been a bane of my life since I was about fourteen years of age. If left to their own devices they are uneven in length, brittle, irregularly spaced, straight and frankly quite spindly - Spiders legs, as I generally refer to them. Their lack of elegance and volume is something that has frustrated me for many years and something that I thought I would be stuck with, until I began using this lash conditioner...

Online: Luva Huva Autumn/Winter 2014

A couple of months ago I was involved in shooting Midnight Garden; the new Autumn/Winter 2014 collection from ethical lingerie line Luva Huva and am now pleased to be able to give you a little taster of one or two of the images from the shoot...

New Additions - Autumn 2014

It's been a busy couple of months so I have been doing quite a bit of replenishing of my kit. Some of the bits and pieces I picked up were to restock old favourites, whilst others were complexity new additions. It's been a while since I shared the new additions to my kit, so here we are... (Apologies in advance for the different settings in the photos)

HJ Manicure Launch

Last week I attended the launch of HJ Manicure, a new boutique nail collection from nail technician and manicurist Helen J. Held at Orico London's flagship store on the Kings Road, the event was hosted by Helen and Rebecca Goodyear PR and also previewed the new autumn/winter '14 collection.

Top Five: 60's Inspired Nude Lip

Many of the big Autum/Winter 2014 shows looked to the 1960's for inspiration. The catwalks of Oscar de la Renta, Mochino and Yves Saint Laurent were all rocking a retro vibe reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull or Britt Eckland.

Love: Couleur Caramel Autumn/Winter 2014 Collection

Tonight I Love You is the beautiful new Autumn/Winter collection for 2014 from the french organic make-up line Couleur Caramel. I recently purchased the majority of the range (I didn't set out too; it just happened) and have completely fallen in love with it!

JT Studio Metallic Leaf

I love getting creative with my work. Sadly it is not something I get to do very often on a broadcast set; straight female and male grooming is the norm. Don't get me wrong, I love doing this but when I have the chance to create something a little more avante guard or effects based I jump at the chance.

From The Vault: Suvana Paw Paw and Honey Balm

Another delve into the back catalogue of posts today...

Top Five: Organic Lilac Eyes

Although there are days when it seems that summer may be trying to make a resurgence, Autumn really is here and I feel that I can finally start mentioning one of trends that I have been trying desperately to avoid throughout September; lilac eyes.

Earthnicity Mineral Kabuki Brush

Never one to go too long without mentioning a make-up brush I felt it was time to share my thoughts on what is possibly one of cutest make-up brushes on the planet... 

Neal's Yard Remedies Lengthening Mascara

As you probably know I am on a day-to-day basis a blue lash kinda girl and it takes a special mascara for me to put down my midnight or navy tinted wand for any real length of time, however in recent months I have been trying doggedly to work my way through an almost excessive stockpile of clean black mascaras. Some have gone by the wayside pretty quickly but there have been one or two that have stuck around and this is one of the few that I have actually repurchased - twice!

Top Five: Refillable Palettes

I am sure you know by now that I love good packaging and de-potting and decanting products can near bring tears to my eyes (less so with the cheaper products). Elysambre's beautifully engraved copper palettes or Ilia Beauty's sleek and streamlined tubes; Kjaer Weis compacts are a work of art in themselves and the frosted glass pots of RMS Beauty are simple and timeless. All are exquisite and stylish but all are weighty; especially when you have a number of them in your kit!

Organic Glam Red Nail Polish

A couple of weeks ago I was kindly (and somewhat unexpedly) sent a little bag of goodies from Organic Glam, the make-up arm of The Organic Pharmacy; anyone who follows me on Instagram will have been aware of the arrival of an early evening bike courier on our street that day... In amongst the array of products was a couple of nail polishes; one of which was a bright red.

Bookshelf: The Little Green Book Of Beauty by Sarah Callard

I recently re-read this book after discovering it on a recent sort out of my make-up books and remembered how great a little book it is.

Real Techniques Shading Brush

I am sure by now that you are not unaware of my make-up brush obsession; it is pretty mighty. In all honesty it doesn't take much for me to share my thoughts on a brush, although I try to restrain myself...

In Print: Your Healthy Living Magazine

The September issue of Your Healthy Living magazine is out. This month chemical free beauty is celebrated and I was asked to put together a little step-by-step guide to one of this the top make-up trends for this autumn...

Organic Beauty Week

Today heralds the start of Organic Beauty Week 2014

From The Vault: UNE Breezy Cheeks Blush

This month I am looking back at an organic cream blusher that was a great budget addition to my kit. But how does it compare now..?

Top Five: Organic Liquid Eyeliner - Black

With the sunny days dwindling quicker than you can say raincoat, I have decided to cover a product that is a fantastic cross over from this years summer trends to the gems that this Autumn/Winter season has to offer...

Madara Sunflower Tinting Fluid

If you look at pretty much any imagery from lingerie, swimwear or activewear shoots you will notice that on the whole the body looks utterly beautiful. By this I am not referring to the shape, size or condition of the model, but to the way his or her skin looks in the finished photograph...

We Interrupt This Service

It's been a very busy couple of weeks in the world of OMUA (much of which will be shared very soon), so apologies for the lack of posts. Normal service will resume on Friday 29th August.

Until then, have a great week

Laura x

 

Pai Skincare Avocado & Jojoba Day Cream

My choice of moisturiser is ever evolving. In fact I don't generally use the same product for very long; a couple of tubes from one brand down and I am usually moving on to the next. In my defence, this is in part research for my kit, but if I am being brutally honest, it is mostly because I am hard to please when it comes to skincare...

Love: Wearable Colour From RMS Beauty

This month I am completely in love with the four new shades from RMS Beauty.

20 Years Of Jane Iredale

This year the Doyenne of natural beauty Jane Iredale celebrates the 20th anniversary of her make-up line.

From The Vault: W3ll People Realist X

This month I am taking a look back at a translucent powder from Texan based W3ll People.

Top Five: SPF Essentials

With summer being a little slow to get started this year and then somewhat unpredictable when it did actually get here, I for one have been caught out a few times when it comes to protecting my skin. Silly and very unnessacery I know but its a fact; my skin has been a somewhat unflattering shade of lobster.

One Small Step...

On the 30th June 2014 one small step was made towards ending animal testing for cosmetic purposes in China... 

Love: Snails 2014 Collection

You may remember a couple of months ago I wrote about my quest for a good non-toxic water based polish. I discovered Snails. Last month I came across their new 2014 collection and I Love it!

Top Five: Metallic Bronze Eyeshadow

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Bronze is big news this summer, as are metallic eyeshadows... Kerpow! 

Mini Fan Brushes: Bdellium Tools v Crown Brushes

On the whole I am not a fan of mascara wands. I don't truly dislike them (although I do have a particular hatred for the new style rubber numbers that are spiky and eye pokey), but I prefer not to use them. Instead of the traditional style wand I prefer to use a mini fan brush which separates, de-clumps and defines as you go; which is perfect unless you want a gloopy lash look (at the risk of sounding too grumpy - I don't like those either!)...

Let's Connect

We all need a little change from time to time...

From The Vault: Elysambre Lipstick

One of the favourite aspects of my kit is my lipstick collection. Once a bag full of unidentifiable bullets and pots, more recently I have de-bullet-ed, depotted and decanted into clear palettes to make specific lipstick spotting a little easier when I'm on at work. All of the palettes are clearly labelled with each the name and brand so when I run out, I know what to replace. Simples.

Weleda Insight Day 2014: Part Two

Last week I began sharing my thoughts on my recent visit to the beautiful Weleda gardens in Derbyshire, so here we are... part two.

What's On Your High Street?

One of the joys of living in London is that you are never too far (as the crow flie - not if you use public transport!) from a shop that is rich in natural and organic beauty products: Wholefoods, Content, Essentials Pharmacy, The Organic Pharmacy, Planet Organic, As Nature Intended... Not to mention the plethora of health food stores, pharmacies and salons that stock some of the delightful products that we know and love.

Weleda Insight Day 2014: Part One

Today I was lucky enough to visit the Weleda Headquarters in Ilkeston, Derbyshire to attend one of their annual Insight Days. An opportunity to understand more about the company and to be shown around their biodynamic gardens, I had been hankering to take a trip ever since last summer when I read about the visit taken by fellow Make-up Artist Lou Dartford.

Top Five: Organic Bronzing Powders

Although it seems to be a little intermittent at the moment, believe it or not Summer really is here and with it the eternal trend for glowing, sunkissed skin.

My Festival Beauty Essentials

The sun is (currently) shining and the wellies are on standby. It can only mean one thing. Festival time!

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Madeira

Whether accompanied by a deep and dark smokey eye, a barely there base or a vibrant splash of colour, Nude lips are always a winner and look great day or night, at any time of year. I recently got my hands on a nude that has well and truly made itself at home in my pro kit...