Are you stuck in a rut with your make-up? We tend to wear the same old, same old every day. Sometimes for many years. We often stick to our tried and tested foundation colours or buy the same or similar lipstick. We are creatures of habit often resisting change.
When we look in the mirror we are seeing ourselves through our own filters and this may cloud our judgement.
I am not suggesting that you chuck out a favourite lipstick or eyeshadow colour if you still love it and it suits you, but we need to be realistic. Our colouring does change with the years. Our skin tone tends to fade along with our eye colour and our hair colour softens. Even if we colour our hair it can create a dilemma. Do we match our make-up to our hair or skin tone?
Just before I came to France there was a special offer at the Charlotte Tilbury counter at Fenwick. An hour with one of their top make-up artists at a cost £55 (redeemable against product). It was a no brainer. I knew I needed a new foundation which was (£29). I had previously bought one of their lipsticks and loved it, so finding another product to make up the difference would be easy.
It was a great treat. I think we should allow ourselves a small indulgence from time to time. I had a wonderful morning. My make-up artist was charming. He had recently done the make-up for the models at the Armani Couture show! I asked for a natural day time make up and he obliged. He used lovely subtle browns, normally I go for the greys. One important thing I learned was that a much softer subtle lipstick suited me better. I had been using strong vibrant pinks. The softer tone allowed my eyes to pop!
I purchased the magic foundation (it really is magic). I could not resist the wonder glow primer (makes my skin luminous). I also walked away with the softer mid-tone pinkish lipstick. The rest is going to go on my Christmas list (hope my family are reading this post).
Charlotte Tilbury make-up is available at John Lewis and Nordstrom
Magic foundation available at John Lewis and Nordstrom
Charlotte Tilbury luminous primer available at John Lewis and Nordstrom
Charlotte Tilbury matte lipstick available at John Lewis and Nordstrom (I chose Amazing Grace). I don’t normally like a matte lipstick, too drying, but this version definitely offers enough moisture.
After my indulgent morning I met my husband for lunch. We had a delicious meal at the newly opened Omer at the Flemming hotel in Mayfair. We were lucky to be invited to a pre-opening special offer. I would highly recommend it. The menu is created by the Michelin starred chef Shaun Rankin. The food was delicious, the service excellent and the ambiance relaxing.
This is not a sponsored post I genuinely like the make-up.
Love the primer, and the lipstick. I just can’t get into putting a foundation on my face.
Just back from 3 heavenly weeks in the South of France and catching up on my favourite blogs. Well done, Your blog is much easier to negotiate and it’s much more up to date. Thank you for all your hard work which gives so much pleasure. Susan
Thanks Susan Changing the blog was a challenging experience. I am now taking a bit of a rest in the South of France!
My current budget does not allow dept store makeup brands. Thanks to the blogosphere, I can research the best deals and performance for drug store brands. At 57, I no longer use any powder formulations…the Maybelline stick foundation, cream concealer, eyebrow pencil, mascaras, and cream eye shadows are excellent. And my skincare regime owes a lot to the grocery store…brown rice flour for a fine grained exfoliant, coconut oil and honey for cleansers. My secret skincare weapon is a few drops of both organic rosehip oil and hyaluronic acid applied as a serum…and my niece concocts fabulous face cream and body butter which she is kind enough to share with me (someday there will be queues for her products!). If only there were an inexpensive route to a great haircut!!
Some good tips AnneElise. Thank you for sharing them.
Lovely post! I find myself changing colors as the seasons change. I’ve been gravitating towards richer, not so bright colors as well. Thanks for sharing your new finds.
The big problem I find for ladies of a certain age is what eye makeup to use if you wear glasses. It’s a subject that never seems to be written about. One helpful hint I was given was to always use eyeliner under the bottom lashes. It really does seem to open your eyes up.
Good question Caroline. You will need to use slightly stronger colour and eyeliner is good. However from memory it depends on what type of glasses you wear. If they magnify you will need to tone down. I will do some research and see if I can find a relevant video.
Yes I remember my mother always reckoned you need to make up your eyes as if for artificial light if you wore glasses.
I love to get inspiration from your visits to France.
Just did 2 trips from Malta (where the choice is not enormous, we are a very small country) to France and then to the UK (via Spain and Portugual). It was not really a shopping trip but it is refreshing to check on products available in other countries. Her are my thoughts:
One of France’s five favourite companies is Yves Rocher (the others were heavy industrial). Great for budget products. Those less used items where you don’t want to splurge. I am trying some out. Lyon was lovely. It would be a great place for a long weekend with some nice shopping and, of course, dining. Must return.
Madrid is great for fashion at good prices and has most European brands too. Try the Salamanca district for smart boutiques. In the UK one day I found the West End SO crowded I tried out Westfield Mall for a change, which has many good outlets at all price levels. Quiet, clean, smart. Even found a wonderful garment bag (type where clothes are hung on hangers – great for quick packing and unpacking and no ironing) in House of Frazer. Usually you can only get them in N. America. Also the Skagen watch shop (Danish style!) replaced my battery for free! A great success. And all a bargain at sterling prices! (Shouldn’t gloat as I actually feel stateless!)
Hi Kathryn
Thanks for your lovely long comment. Some useful information. I agree with the West End being crowded. I like to go to Westfields early in the morning as that can also get busy expecially at week-ends and holidays.