The new YSL foundation, Le Teint Touche Eclat

Dazzled by the advertising in the glossy mags recently I found myself at the YSL counter asking about their new foundation, Le Teint Touche Eclat.  A lifelong fan of Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser I suddenly felt the need for something a little more polished. Much to my delight I was offered a very generous sample in shade B50 and it turned out to be just right. It looked too dark prior to application but blended to the perfect shade for summer on my slightly freckled skin. The texture is light, coverage is light to medium and it dries to a dewy finish. I've used my fingers, a sponge and a brush to apply and blend it and they all work well.

Having used the sample I returned to the store the following week to buy the product where the assistant bravely suggested a new lipstick in a colour I would never dreamt of wearing .. and again she was right. Turns out it's not a lipstick but a Glossy Stain in Coral Aquatique. Now I always thought coral was for old ladies but this really lifts my make up in a nice, summery way. The texture is slightly weird though and even though the gloss is designed to balance out the dryness of the stain it doesn't quite work that way for me and leaves my lips feeling very dry. Great shade though so I'm on the lookout for it in a more moisturising formulation ... 

So if you know of a similar shade that's a lipstick rather than a stain I'd love to hear from you ...

The perfect bronzing make up base

It all started with Ultraglow, a bronzing powder guaranteed to give you a face so tanned you barely recognised yourself in the mirror. The fact that your body was completely untanned was a mere detail ... well it was the 80s.


As a fair skinned type with more than my share of freckles I developed an early interest in anything that promised to provide a golden glow without the pain of sunburn. My experiments with fake tan deserve a post of their own but suffice to say I prefer more temporary solutions, like bronzers, for my face. Mac and Guerlain are amongst the best brands I've tried with golden rather than deeply tanned results but I can't help but notice that powders of all types settle into fine and, not so fine, lines.


So I was on the lookout for something different and asked a friendly looking assistant on the Chanel counter for advice. She recommended their Bronzing Make Up Base as an alternative to powder and applied some to my face using a blusher type brush. It has a creamy texture but dries to a fairly matte, rather than dewy, finish. Needless to say, I bought it.

It's pretty versatile and I'm using it as I would a powder, applying a small amount with a brush and blending it well. 

As you would expect from Chanel it's beautifully packaged in a jar with a lovely black glossy lid. My only gripe is that it's such a big jar it's not very handbag friendly but it's definitely one for the dressing table.

What gets me glowing ...

When three people in three days commented that my skin was glowing it got me thinking about what, in my beauty routine, could be giving me a new found glow. Whittling it down to just one product proved tough .. 

I use Nude's Replenishing Night Oil, their Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum, my wonderful jar of Creme de la Mer, and  Liz Earle's Eye and Lip Treatment daily

In daily use

Most days Laura Mercier's Primer and Tinted Moisturiser see some action too

In almost daily use

Not to mention Bobbi Browns Pot Rouge

Ditto

Or could it be the Hyaluronic Acid capsules I started taking about six months ago?

Recent addition to my beauty routine

I so wish I knew but eliminating any of these products feels like a high risk strategy I'm just not prepared to take.

Let me know what gets the compliments flowing for you ... 

S is for Shellac

Winter pedicures present a footwear problem even for the most dedicated and I have been known to leave the salon in flip flops when there is snow on the ground. I invest in manicures and pedicures all year round and  barely recognise my own nails if they're naked. I've been able to ignore things like acrylic and gel because my nails don't need a lot of help .. they just grow .. scarily long if I let them.

And then came the day in the depths of January when the outfit of choice included boots even though boots and newly polished toes just don't mix. That's when I was persuaded to try Shellac. Shellac promises 14 day wear, mirror finish, zero dry time and no nail damage. And boy does it deliver. My manicure lasted three weeks and my toes were unchipped for an amazing nine weeks. It almost became an experiment to see how long it would last but the polish was growing out rather than wearing off. It's super shiny too.


Removing Shellac is not as straightforward as ordinary polish so either let the salon do it or stock up on acetone!. It takes about 10 minutes to soak off and the recommended method involves pieces of cotton pad, soaked in acetone, secured in place with strips of foil. Not impossible to do yourself but slightly fiddly and not conducive to multitasking. 


That's the only downside though and if your winter feet are about to be slipped into sandals any day soon it could be the answer to your prayers.

Shellac manicure in Wildfire one week after application

Can't live without ... NUDE Skincare

I've never been madly into natural products preferring to focus on results from all things beauty. But the NUDE Skincare range caught my eye when testers for the Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible gave its Replenishing Night Oil their highest ever score. Having been a Beauty Bible tester myself  I knew this was no mean feat.


So I gave the Replenishing Night Oil a whirl and I've never looked back. I was slightly nervous about an oil, despite having dry, sensitive skin. Somehow I imagined it might be very greasy. But it's not. It smells gorgeous and is very easily absorbed. Applied at night the difference is noticeable the very next morning when my skin looks smoother, plumper and better hydrated. A huge improvement on the downright scary look that creeps in some mornings.


Never one to limit myself to just one purchase I'm a convert to the Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum too. Again it's easily absorbed and the texture is perfect under moisturiser. After two or three weeks of use I've noticed my skin looks clearer and more refined.

Essential to life for beautysoup

I'm no expert in bio available technologies and other product ingredients but the NUDE range is free from Parabens, sulphates, PEGs, TEAs, DEAs, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, GMOs, Mineral Oils and Silicones .. and that has to be a good thing.

Glamour beyond my wildest dreams

Amazed to see an article in The Sunday Times Magazine asking if the new generation of YouTubers will kill off television. Because ... and this might be an age thing ... I just don't get it .. YouTube that is. How can crazy cat antics and teenagers singing in their bedroom possibly compete with The Killing and Masterchef. A friend was extolling the virtues of Apple TV recently and the main selling point seemed to be that I could watch YouTube on television. That was my notoriously non technical take on it anyway.


I make an exception for the fabulous TED talks and, now I've been introduced to them, nostalgic commercials, like this one, for Charlie perfume.


My aspirations of glamour started right here ... I so wanted her trousers, her long legs, her flicky hair ... her life!

Favourite face mask

For every lotion and potion that languishes in the drawer there's another that just keeps on giving. 

I've always believed that face masks are the territory of salon facials and that the home versions just aren't effective. And then I discovered dermalogica's multivitamin power recovery masque, a superb, easy to use mask that works a treat. It's recommended for drier or prematurely aging skin. Not sure I like the prematurely aging bit but I can't argue with dry so I'll go with it. You just smooth it on, leave for 10-15 minutes, rinse off and emerge with softer skin that glows. It really is that simple. Oh, forgot to mention, after 10 minutes the cream turns bright yellow so don't freak out when you look in the mirror!

a well used tube of my favourite face mask

Lipstick jungle

A friend declared recently that as part of her personal austerity measures she was only going to buy a new lipstick when she had used up the ones she already owns. And it got me wondering if that approach might work for me too. A root through the bags of spare make up quickly revealed a stock of lipstick which could grace the counters of Selfridges.

beautysoup's lipstick jungle

Twenty lipsticks in all, five of which are in regular use. The colours are all variations on a red, nude, brownish red theme and at the blissful moment of purchase were considered to be perfect, perhaps even "the one". But somehow they're not. Whether they're too red or too nude they've ended up in that dangerous category of not used but too good to throw away. A more ruthless soul than me would declutter them immediately. But I'll keep them, as I have so many other things, in the hope that the day will come when "too red" is suddenly just right.

Whatever happened to ...

Toners and Shaders?


Does anyone else remember those sachets of shampoo in colour called Toners and Shaders. Somewhere in my memory they were made by Silvikrin but I could be completely wrong about that. They were perfect for brightening up my hair colour and the risk of a Sun In style disaster was minimal because they only lasted four washes at the most. My particular favourite was Sherry Gold from the Toners range.


I've recently found myself scouring the shelves of Boots, Superdrug, the local MediCentre and the like for them in an effort to extend the time between highlights by a few weeks but, sadly, there have been no sightings so far.


If you've seen them around lately do let me know where and I'll put in an order ...

The joy of a new jar of Creme de la Mer

Was delighted to read in the Daily Mail, of all places, that Mick Jagger and I have something in common. We both love Creme de la Mer. The article suggested that Mick buys the super sized jar but I must admit I go for the rather more modest 60ml albeit at the not so modest price of £180.

I've never really bought into the whole story of Max Huber, a scientist, discovering the Miracle Broth when working with burns victims. Surely that's just a PR story. But, and it's a big but, having tried umpteen creams I've never come across anything else that comes close to its moisturising and soothing properties for my dry, sensitive skin, especially during winter. On hot summer days it can feel heavy but we don't get too many of those in Newcastle so I use it almost all year round.

Other products in the range like the eye cream and various serums have all been on my list at some point, usually bought in the US when the rate of exchange made them irresistible. Without exception they're good but worth the extra £100 compared to Estee Lauder, Clarins, and my new favourite Nude Skincare? Probably not.

I do have a gripe about how reluctant they are to give samples too. Registering at the counter helps and only this week I was invited to collect a sample of the new Regenerating Serum. I'll let you know if it lives up to the promise of Infinite Youth.

My husband swears by Nivea for Men so imagine his shock when he rocked up to the Creme de la Mer counter just before Christmas and learned the true price of beauty ...

a joyous sight under the Christmas tree

Travelling light

The airline policy about liquids being carried in a see through plastic bag put paid to any attempts I might have made to travel light. Admittedly, they weren't very serious attempts. Between my lotions and potions, make up and spare make up for longer, more adventurous, trips I have no chance of avoiding exorbitant check in luggage charges.


My sister bought me this fab toiletries bag years ago, a cute design and the perfect size, by which I mean ... it's big.

a bag fit for beautysoup

The contents of the bag fall into the essential to life category and I really can't contemplate even a single night away without them.

essential to life

After all, what sort of disaster would it be if I came down with dry heels, hands and skin all at the same time and I didn't have the necessary potions with me?

Make up of course is another story, next time perhaps ...

And in the meantime, I'd love to know what can't you live without. No need to sign in, just comment in the box below ...

Red is forever ...

Unlike the rest of me my nails seem to be ageing well and with a bit of TLC they can look pretty good. I've tried most brands but keep coming back to Solar Oil, Nail Envy, Seche Vite top coat and a range of reds from Jessica. Whilst blue polish is all the rage, I find there's a red for every season. (pictured Shock Me Red, Regal Red, and Bazaar) Jessica polish lasts for ages and doesn't go gloopy, especially if you keep it in the fridge. 

My go to kit for grown up nails 

Top tip: Keep polish in the fridge and wear Marigolds at all times .. well all appropriate times anyway.