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.

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: 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...

Top Five: Purple Lips

OK. I am imagining that purple may not be everyones first pick when it comes to choosing a new lip colour and it certainly isn't for the feint hearted, however with both Rihanna and Lupita Nyongo seen rockin' shades that defiantely aren't for the shrinking violet, it seems that purple lips are here to stay...

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

From The Vault: The Kiss

This months trip down memory lane takes us back to Valentine's day 2013 and five steps to getting your lips in tip, top kissable condition for the most romantic day of the year...

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...

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. 

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)

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.

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...

New York Haul

A family member recently visited New York on business and as she was leaving these shores kindly offered to pick up some make-up bits and pieces for me. Ever frustrated by the number of products that are available in the US and not here, of course I kept at the chance!

Top Five: Orange Lips

After the sultry, deeper tones of the autumn and winter I always get a little excited when I see the little pops of colour that surely signal the start of spring.This coming season is certainly no different and many of those splashes of colour have taken the form of an orange lip.

Orange can be a bold choice for a lip colour, so if you don't fancy going all out citrusy then try using a tinted balm to create a faint wash of colour or filling the lip with a pencil before applying a clear gloss (or leaving it as it is).