Top Five: Products of 2015

I can't believe this post has come Round again so quickly! My mother always says that time seems to speed up as you get older and I think she's right - but 2015 has really flown by! I am ending the year as I have done for the last two or three with a round-up of my favourite products; an eclectic mixture of nails, skin and make-up.

'Tis The Season

Outside of work I am not the most organised individual and yet again Christmas has crept up on me but for once I am feeling quietly confident. Having completed most of my gift shopping, made (with the help of my three year old) and written (without said help) the few cards I send to close family and friends and made (once again with help) six baked bean christmas cakes* I feel I am on a roll...

From The Vault: UNE Lip Gloss

My last trip down memory lane for 2015 takes me back to a product which on the whole I admit to finding difficult to love; lip gloss. That said there are one or two that have caused me to give them a mention...

Top Five: Budget Eco Make-up Gift Ideas

Making your Christmas an eco-friendly one needn't push the budget and to prove the point I have put together a list of clean, green make-up gift ideas that come in under £20.00 (approximately $30.00USD).

From Desk To Dancefloor

The Christmas season is now in full swing and many in-boxes and in-trays are full of emails, texts and memos arranging after work drinks and office dinners and parties. Those last minute invitations are great but can prove more than a little stressful if you don't feel you have time to prepare for the occasion.

Top Five: Luxury Eco Make-up Christmas Gift Ideas

Now December is underway, I can now turn my thoughts to Christmas. As someone who is mightily antagonised by the appearance of crackers and christmas puddings in the shops before the arrival of the twelfth month, I make a point of not thinking about it until then.

A Beautiful World

False eyelash application is one of the things that I get most frequently asked about. They are one of those things that unless you apply them regularly it is easy to get in a tizz about; I for one am much better at applying them to other people than I am to myself as I do it far more frequently - plus you can actually see what you are doing!

Muse by Intensae

If you follow my other Instagram feed @eyeslikepandas (general life and make-up pics rather than organic specific ones) then you will have had a sneak preview of my new found nail love a couple of weeks ago. If you don't then here we go...

Top Five: Australsian Eco Brands

Last month I began a series of Top Five posts on the best eco make-up brands from around the world. Having kicked off with my Top Five brands from Germany, I am now heading down under to explore the make-up brands that Australia and New Zealand have to offer...

Step By Step

In the new year there will be a few new additions to my blog - along hopefully with a (somewhat delayed) new look. One of the new additions I have lined up is the introduction of regular How To guides and it is here I am looking for your input...

Top Five: Beard Oils

November. The month of fireworks, poppies, turkeys... and moustaches. Its that time of year when guys around the world put down their razors and put up with the itch in aid of mens health - yes, its Movember!

From The Vault: Vapour Beauty Soft Focus Foundation

This months trip into the depths of the OMUA post vault revisits a liquid foundation that didn't take long to make itself at home in my kit...

Natural Beauty Yearbook 2016

This week saw the return of one of the most anticipated events in the natural beauty calendar and the one in which we get to find out who has made it into the 2016 Who's Who - yes, it's time for the launch of the Natural Beauty Yearbook!

Jane Iredale Beyond Matte

The transition to High Definition (and within the foreseeable future the move towards 4K) has meant that we are seeing the world on our screens in much finer detail. Assuming you have a screen which is capable of an HD output, you will have seen sharper, more precise images which can expose make-up hits and misses...

Elegant Minerals Costume Make-up

I originally published this a couple of years ago following a post I had written on a report by The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics which highlighted lack of regulation in the costume make-up industry and the worryingly high levels of heavy metals in many of the most popular brands of children's face paint (you can read the report here). 

With sales of face paints soaring around this time of year, those of you looking for cleaner alternatives to conventional brands may want to take a look...

Face Lace By Phyllis Cohen

With Halloween just days away, thoughts of many are turning to parties, pumpkins and costumes. According to Google, this year one of the most popular searches for Halloween inspiration - thanks, I imagine in the most part to the forthcoming movie Suicide Squad (and the divine Margot Robbie), has been Harley Quinn (DC comic book character and Batman adversary)

I've been wanting to share this particular product with you for a while however the time never seems right - until now at least. So, If comic book ain't quite your thing and you aren't too confident in being creative with your make-up application, this is a great way to create a look that is both eye catching and artistic.

Top Five: German Make-up Brands

Living in the UK is a blessing and a curse when it comes to natural and organic beauty products. We have many fabulous homegrown brands here and we have some equally fabulous importers, stores and distributors who make brands from further afield available to us. Obviously not every line makes it across the pond so we do miss out on a good proportion of the wonders out there.

Neal's Yard Remedies Organic Eye Make-up Remover

I am particularly bad at using a designated eye make-up remover to take off any eye make-up at the end of the day (this served as inspiration for my other Twitter handle @eyeslikepandas). I don't not take it off but I do tend to rely on the goodwill of my other cleansing products to do the job for me... There are however occasions when an eye make-up remover is the answer and there is no getting away from it.

From The Vault: alva Baked Bronzer

This month rummage through the archives brings to light the first bronzer which really turned my head...

On Line: Aspire

You may remember a few weeks ago I wrote about Blaze mineral blusher from Earthnicity Minerals having used it on a shoot over the summer. Finally the images from the shoot are live and I can share a couple of them with you along with a brief run down of the make-up involved and a little about the day.

New Additions: Summer 2014

This summer I have added very little new make-up items to my kit, however I have picked up a few pieces over the past couple of months and so thought I would put together my quarterly post to sum up the key purchases...

Strobing Products For Every Skin Tone

Contouring is so last year. At long last the Kardashian inspired (and much over [and often badly] used) trend is waining and there is a new kid on the block; Strobing. In all honesty Strobing is nothing new - Make-up Artist have been using this techniques for enos but we just called it highlighting...

Micellar Water from Madara

I'm more than a little slow to the Micellar Water party. In fact you could say that I have walked in to a near deserted room; strewn only with abandoned beer cans, a broken table and some poor soul on their hands and knees trying desperately to scrub red wine out of the carpet... Picture the scene? Slow.

Top Five: Organic Grey Eyeshadow

I have a bit of a love affair with grey eyeshadow. I love the way it looks on the skin, it's personality and its enduring style but most of all I love its versatility. Yes it's only an eyeshadow but it is in a league of its own in my eyes.

Wild Child by Ilia Beauty

Despite the somewhat sporadic summer we are having, the annual trend for bright lips remains steadfast and I have found myself turning to the more vibrant shades in my kit

From The Vault: Paperself False Eyelashes

This post for years past was a little bit of a cheat but I love these so much I wanted to share them with you - then and now. Not specifically natural or organic, but being made from paper, I guess they could be considered an Eco product...

Organic Beauty Week Event

In celebration of Organic Beauty Week, the Soil Association recently organised an exclusive Beauty event at Wholefoods in Kensington. The event was held in order to promote organic beauty and highlight the Soil Associations Campaign For Clarity; in which the Soil Association are calling for the beauty industry to be clearer in their claims and to stop misleading consumers.

Organic Beauty Week 2015

Monday sees the launch of Organic Beauty Week, which takes place annually within The Soil Association's Organic September. The week (which runs from the 14th-20th September) is themed around the organisations recently launched Campaign for Clarity.

Top Five: 5 free Navy (ish) Nails

Autumn (gulp) welcomes the return of darker, richer shades of nail polish and this year is no exception. A number of the shows were sporting navy nails in varying finishes from mattes to metallics. Whether worn neat or incorporated into an elaborate display of nail art, it was navy all the way in the Autumn/Winter 15 shows of Karen Walker, Marissa Webb and Houghton.

Eye Shadow Brush from NYR

 I'm feeling a little fraudulent titling this an eyeshadow brush post, because it's really not. The brush is named thus but I would never consider using it to apply eyeshadow - so apologies in advance for any confusion...

Gold by Essential Care

Gold eyeshadow is one of those universally flattering shades. As with all colours it is about finding the right one for you but there are some out there that suit almost everyone and this is one of those...

Give & Makeup

I am sure I am not alone when I say that every year I find myself with a collection of products that myself and my household have absolutely no use for (aftershave!? - this is a beard-wearing household!) or have no inclination to use primarily due to their ingredients list - yes, I'm talking to you weird pink fluro bubble bath with a list longer than the Magna Carta! 

This scenario most often occurs around Christmas and/or birthday time when a well meaning elderly individual who I haven't see since I was 3 months old (if ever) very kindly sends me a present which is not to my taste or possibly even meant for me - then I guilt at not even having sent them a card! What do you do..?

Natural Lip Gloss by Lily Lolo

Lip gloss is not one of those products I usually keep large quantities of in my kit as it don't get a massive amount of use, but I do maintain a basic stock to cover most bases. This more invariably means that I carry a clear; a nude; a pink; a peach and a red at any one time - or at least variations on those themes.

Top Five: Neutral Eyeshadow Palettes

With the Urban Decay Naked palette(s) being amongst the most popular eyeshadow selections currently on the market, palettes seem to currently be having a little bit of resurgence in popularity with more and more brands introducing them to their collections.

In Print: The Artistry Network

I was recently interviewed by The Artistry Network as part of an ongoing series on their website entitled What's In Your Kit..?

From The Vault: Inika Organic Lip Liner Pencil

This months rummage into the vault of posts past brings to light possibly the only one I have ever written about lip pencils... 

Earthnicity Mineral Blusher in Blaze

A couple of weeks ago I was shooting an advertising campaign at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. During the shoot I was responsible for the hair and make-up and grooming of the two models involved and the brief was to create two looks; the first was casual and relaxed and the second, a polished professional look. 

Burts Bees Radiance Body Lotion

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, just click of a mouse and we have access to a massive array of natural beauty products from all corners of the globe. Add in expedite postage and a product can be on your doormat within less than 24 hours. 

All this is great but what if you need something in the eleventh hour? On many an occasion I have made last minute (or en route) dashes to the high street to pick up a vital product that I may need for that or the next days shoot. Invariably this means that the products may not have been your first choice but they can be a pretty good substitute.

Top five: Products I'm Loving - Summer 2015

After nearly four years of writing this little blog, I have yet to actually write a seasonal favourites post. After mulling over what I have been using both in my kit and on myself over the past couple of months, here we go...

Jane Iredale D2O Hydration Spray

Earlier this month the UK was hit by a mini heatwave and we were subject to the hottest July day on record. I am not particularly good in the heat and the merest glimpse of an orange triangle (let alone a red one) on the weather forecast and those around me are bracing themselves for a rough ride. As soon as temperatures rise above 25OC (yes I am that intolerant of heat) I am reaching for products and items to relieve my heat induced misery...

UNE Beauty Casual Matt Lipstick in MO8

Many of my post are scheduled in advance however I like to write product posts in real time. By real time I mean that when I am working and I am feeling the love for one of the products I am using, I more often than not find myself thinking to myself this is the next post...

Top Five: Lip Brushes

It's been a while since I've written a Top Five brush post, so I will remedy that this instant with a look at my favourite five lip brushes...

Bookshelf: A Consumer's Dictonary Of Cosmetics Ingredients by Ruth Winter

An ingredients list can be a utter minefield. Not being particularly scientifically minded (much to the disgust of my father who taught Physics for well over thirty years - sorry Dad!) I am not ashamed to admit that I do struggle to remember, decipher and certainly pronounce, a paragraph of long latin or near un-pronounceable chemical names that make up the ingredients list found on the back of many beauty products.

From The Vault: Nvey Eco Bronzer

This months blast from the past was written when I was covering the 2012 Olympic Games in London for the US television network Fox. One product I used repeatedly and was loved by the presenters and guests alike was my Organic Bronzer...

Seduce by RMS Beauty

Earlier this year I attended the launch of the Tinted Un-Cover Up powder at natural and organic beauty store Content. During the evening Rose-Marie Swift talked not only about the powder but also about the other products in her range; showing us not only how to get the best out of them but also how they can be used in other ways...

Free from Skincare Awards 2015

This post was intended to be one covering my visit to the Love Natural, Love Organic show at London's Olympia. But it ain't - sorry.

A last minute booking (on something that may be on your screens around christmas time) meant that I was unable to attend the show after all - thus scuppering my planned post! Instead, thanks to the magic of twitter and the internet, I am bringing you the results of the Free From Skincare Awards 2015...

Weleda Insight Day 2015 - Part 2

Last week I shared the first part of my recent visit to the Weleda headquarters in Derbyshire. Without further ado, here is part two...

An Evening With May Lindstrom

My name is Laura and I am a May Lindstrom virgin...

So, on Saturday evening I rode the Jubilee line to Bond Street, made the short hop up Marylebone Lane to Content, with the sole purpose of finding out a little more about the brand.

Weleda Insight Day 2015 - Part 1

For the second year running I boarded the first train from London to Derby in order to attend one of the Weleda Insight Days. You may remember from reading about my visit last year how much I enjoyed the day, so when I was invited to return I jumped at the chance.

Yet again I have had to break this down into two posts; one on the garden tour and a second on the  afternoon talks and the soon to be released products.

Top Five: In Flight Make-up Tips

With holidays on the horizon, here is the second of my Top Five tips to travel skincare and make-up...

Coming Soon...