March makeup & skincare favourites
We loved March! Delicate, pink blossom adorning the trees; evenings becoming noticeably lighter; a trip to Lookfantastic HQ to do the March 'Beauty Talks' (see our last post to find out more); and to cap it all off... Mother's Day!
Never mind the cruel irony that that we lost an hour of much-needed sleep due to the clock change! We keep telling ourselves - through gritted teeth! - that we'll sleep when our kids have left home!!Back to March, and we also loved it for the beauty treats it brought. We're sharing them with you today and please feel free to use our 20% discount code - VERYMAKEUPMAD20 - when shopping at LookFantastic.
Always keen on a glowing, radiant complexion at Verymakeupmad, we both fell hard for YSL's new Touche Eclat Shimmer Stick, £27. We love an easy-to-use, multi-functional makeup product and this one has not let us down. Just a swipe can transform cheekbones, browbones, collarbones (and anywhere else you want a beautiful sheen), but depending on which shade you choose (we went for the ballet-slipper pink, Light Rose 02), you can use as a blush, a bronzer and an eyeshadow too. The formula is very creamy and just glides onto skin, blending in effortlessly.
It's not as sheer as other higlighter sticks so a little goes a long way. And as a final touch, we adore the 'Y' embossed on the top (we're suckers for patterned makeup!). So chic and cute... and if your name's Yvonne, Yasmin or Yvette, it's almost as if this was personalised just for you!!
Still on multi-purpose products, and they don't come more multi-purpose than this!! Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Illuminating Beauty Balm, £28, is something of a wonder cream. And according to its name, there are 10 benefits to using it, (although we keep counting, and we're not sure we're coming up with 10). Wild claims aside, this is basically a beautifully light, illuminating product, with an SPF 30, and just enough coverage to be worn alone if you're not a fan of foundation.
It perfects the feel and the look of your skin (it tackles redness, wrinkles and excess oil) and protects, hydrates and nourishes. M likes to wear alone with a slick of mascara and lipgloss, whereas V prefers to use it as a radiance primer, under - or mixed in with - her foundation. You can also dab it over your makeup as a highlighter. It's got the "X" factor for us and is going into our Beauty must have directory... coming soon.
Queen of blush, M, has recently been wooed by Bobbi Brown Blush, £20. Pretty Coral is the shade that caught her eye and which she's been sweeping on with wild abandon. Admittedly, as we approach the warmer months, she usually opts for a cream blush, but this is such a beautiful shade and the powder is so light, silky and buildable, that for now, thoughts of cream blush have gone out the window. Matte blush is a makeup staple that never fails to create a rosy glow!
No month is complete without V discovering a new shimmering lipgloss. And this month, she is feeling very smug at having basically found 2 products for the price of 1!
Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights & Lip Icing Kit in Rose Lustre, £25, is a great value lip topper and liquid eyeshadow duo (it makes a great gift!). The lip shade is the prettiest metallic pink which transforms lips with a gorgeous shimmer in an instant and smells just like Terry's Chocolate Orange! So V, the resident chocoholic is euphoric. And the Liquid Fairy Lights is a rose gold liquid shadow, which never fails to attract attention. And as fans of liquid eyeshadows this one dries quickly and doesn't budge.
Few palettes say summer more than ByTerry Sun Designer Palette in Happy Sun. It's not new, but since the sun's started shining here in London, we've been reaching for it more and more. ByTerry's limited edition Sun Designer palettes are always a real splurge, but you can get your hands on this beauty for just £37 (originally £47).
And it won't be around forever, so don't delay! This palette has all you need for a radiant, sun-kissed look. Swoosh your brush through all the shades, or use them individually as bronzer, highlighter and eyeshadow. It works perfectly on olive/darker skins, but even fair-skinned V finds it works for her too.
Our final March offering is a totally indulgent night cream - Erno Laszlo Phelityl Night Cream, £100. It's expensive, but oh so worth it! (And if you use our discount, it's reduced to £80!) Erno Laszlo was a Hungarian dermatologist who was passionate about helping women achieve beautiful skin.
He set up a skincare institute in New York in the 1920s and had a glittering Hollywood clientele including Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, who once said "I owe 50% of my beauty to my mother and 50% to Erno Laszlo."
Today, his products are every bit as effective and we've been seriously impressed with this night cream, which we've both been using religiously for a few weeks now. It matches the skin's own pH and replenishes fatty acids - and every single morning dry-skinned V has been waking to plumped up, soft skin, without a hint of her usual dryness and tightness.
We love the scent (there's something very nostalgic about it - it reminds us of the smell of our mum's/grandmas creams when we were growing up) and it's just the right texture... rich, but not greasy or tacky.
So that's it for March. As ever, comment below or email us at hello@verymakeupmad.co.uk for personalised product suggestions.
Love & Blossom,
Vikki & Mala xx