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.

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...

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.

From The vault: Lavera Style & Care Gel

This months rummage through the vault looks at a product that is a mainstay of my male grooming kit and to be quite honest, often gets a run out on female make-up's too... 

My Holiday Bag 2

I am on holiday!! I am on the beautiful, beautiful island of Sardinia, so you read this I am (with any luck) taking a relaxing stroll around the streets of the local town, exploring the beautiful Sardinian countryside or devouring exquisite local cuisine (I am a real foodie) in a little family run trattoria... *Sigh*...

As I am away, I thought I would share with you the contents of my make-up bag.

I have a tendency to pack light when I go away. I am not one for loads of make-up on a day to day basis anyhow and holidays are more often than not spent bare-faced and my focus is very much on skincare. That said this particular trip is very much a family one and the OMUA household are joined by my parents (AKA the babysitters) and that may (fingers crossed) mean that myself and Mr OMUA may just get a night out, so I am prepared for just such an eventuality...

Travel and sample sized products are a great way to keep help holiday luggage light and so I have raided my drawer of spare skin/hair/body care items for more portable alternatives to my full sized products - a great way to try out some products I have been holding off on too!!

So here we are...

Skincare

I've opted for a dual purpose cleanser/make-up remover with the Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm (and muslin cloth) to save space (leaving my much loved [and slightly less practically shaped bottle] Beyond Organic Radiance Cleanser at home). I love this as it makes my skin feel amazing after use and the small exfoliating particles don't make my skin feel over

My must-have facial oil of the moment is the Beyond Organic Rejuvinating Serum. I am slathering this on night and day and although it doesn't quite match up to the Age Defying Serum (which I am sure you are aware I utterly adore) in terms of it's age-reducing qualities, my skin is super happy with it - despite the fact it is designed for combination skins - mine is pretty dehydrated and sensitive with a tendency towards dryness.

I am topping off the serum with a sample pot of The Body Deli Creme De La Rose Regenerative Moisturiser - a sample I have just opened and am thoroughly enjoying using.

My eyes are being cared for with a tube of Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream. A lightweight triple action eye cream to help minimise fine lines and ward off any puffiness or dark shadows whilst I am away.

SPF protection comes in the form of Jason's Facial Sunscreen. Not the cleanest of all natural sunscreens but it is one that doesn't irritate my face as I find many natural and organic facial sun creams too thick and heavy and in turn this brings my face up in heat bumps - you can't win!!

Surprise surprise, I have included a tube of my beloved Hurraw! Lip Balm (I had to get one in somewhere ;). This one is Grapefruit. I plan on liberal lashings on the plane to help combat dehydrated lips.

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil (this will obviously be decanted into a smaller, plastic bottle to save space/weight) will be covering my body on a daily basis. I am a complete convert to body oils and the Weleda ones are fabulous! I have just finished working my way through a fifth bottle of citrus and thought I should probably try another one - this I purchased at Weleda HQ last year during my trip to the gardens.

Make-up

I don't plan on wearing make-up everyday but it may be called for on occasion so I have packed a few basics...

My go-to base for easy application and minimal fuss is Madara Moonflower Tinting Fluid. I mix in a little facial sunscreen or apply over the top to protect my face.

Couleur Carmel Concealer will hid any dark shadows or blemishes which may occur during the holiday. Although the colour spectrum isn't that great, this is a lovely concealer that is easy to build up where necessary.

As much as I wanted to take a couple of Kjaer Weis shadow compacts, practical thinking came into play so instead I have packed Lavera Eyeshadow Quad in Purple Fantasy. Lightweight and perfect for mixing and matching to create anything from a smokey eye to a nude wash of colour. I have also packed an Lavera Eyeliner Pencil (although it seems to be camera shy in the image above).

Lashes will be coated with Jane Iredale Lash Extender and Conditioner (a product I can no longer live without) and then covered with a couple of coats of the last of my Neal's Yard Remedies Lengthening Mascara.

Finally, my lips have the treat of my new best friend Rhubarb from Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil. This is such a versatile colour and it looks great for day and evening wear. Either apply directly from the crayon for full impact or dot a little on your finger for a lower-key look.

And thats it.

If you want to keep up with my adventures on this stunning island, I will endeavour to update my (non Organic Make-up Artist) Instagram account, so check it out :)

Main Image: Natasha Mileshina via Flickr

Body Images: Laura Jane Sessions - Organic Make-up Artist

Chocolatey Treats

We may have only just finished getting through the christmas leftovers but believe it or not, Easter now upon us... Yikes!!

Top Five: Essentials for Natural Looking Eyebrows

I am a big fan of a natural looking eyebrow. I love a full brow that hasn't had too much tinkering and that comes across in many of my make-ups. Eyebrows frame your face. They strengthen, balance and define. They add character. They can also take years off you! A good set of brows can really help carry the rest of your look. Look at rugby players - they often spend their playing years (and more often than not, afterwards) eyebrow-less. Odd.

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...

Testing, Testing...

I love almost every aspect of my job (accounting aside) but one of the things that excites me is road testing new products that I have accumulated. Even in the days before I began writing, product testing was one of those things that went on and was/is part and parcel of being a Make-up Artist and one of the best ways to keep on top of trends in the industry...

Top Five: Blue Eyeshadow

For many blue eyeshadow reeks of the 1980's, of first forays into make-up and of ancient Yardley wearing relatives. Blue has hardly had the best of track records when it comes to adorning the lids so I can understand if you are a little dubious when I say that blue is back...