A Beautiful Wedding at The York and Albany

I was so happy to be a part of lovely Annabel’s wedding. In fact, I’m a pretty lucky girl in that all the brides I work with are really lovely. For a bride who’s spring wedding was being coated in a thick blanket of snow,  she was amazingly upbeat and calm, as well!

I’ve never been to the York and Albany before but it’s a great venue. A gorgeous English pub/hotel run by Gordon Ramsay opposite Regents Park. Just wonderful. Annabel was getting ready in one of the suites there and it was a really fun atmosphere with her Mum and friends all getting ready together.

For the run down on Annabel’s pretty makeup, keep on reading.

Skin: Une micellar water, Kiehl’s Acai toning mist, Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster, By Terry Gelee De Rose, Carmex lip balm.

Base: Airbase primer, Airbase foundation, Estee Lauder Ideal Light illuminator, Benefit Erase Paste concealer, Estee Lauder Lucidity loose powder.

Eyes: Benefit RSVP creaseless cream, Jemma Kidd I-Design shadows in Editor and Vintage (these are discontinued but the Stila In The Light palette has great substitutes), Estee Lauder Sepia Sand Satin, Bourjois Intense Shadows in Intense 07 & 09, Bourjois Khol & Contour Ultra Black pencil, Stila Stay All Day Smudge Stick in Damsel, Une pencil in G02. Annabel already had some lovely eyelash extensions in that we gave a light dusting of mascara to.

Brows: Benefit Brow Zing in Light.

Cheeks: Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer, Jemma Kidd Chic Cheeks blush in London and Paris (these are discontinued but Youngblood Crushed Mineral blush in Sherbet and Bourjois blush in 48 are great substitutes) and Cosmetics A La Carte Moonbeam powder.

Lips: Estee Lauder Rose lip liner, Bourjois lipstick in Rose Innocence a similarly toned gloss over the top (I forget the name of that one, sorry!!).

These beautiful photos were taken by Lisa Devlin and it was such a pleasure to meet her. I’m hoping I see her on another wedding very soon.

R xxx

My Favourite Cleansers Du Jour

I love this cleanser. I have super sensitive, reactive skin and this really helps me with that. It’s almost like a lullaby for my skin. It doesn’t leave me with that dry, tight feeling but I still feel like my face has had a good clean. The directions say to use cotton pads to remove it but I like to use a face cloth that’s been soaked in warm water. I really don’t feel like I’ve cleaned my skin if I don’t use water to take it off. What I *really* want to do is use it with a Clarisonic or a Philips Visapure. As you know, I like to double cleanse in the evenings. This is my favourite for all my first step cleansing. The best bit is that it’s only £8 at Boots!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Alpha H, how I love you. My life wouldn’t be complete without a cleansing oil and this is a great format as it’s kind of like a balm as well. It’s so tidy because you can squeeze it out of the tube. I still use it on a dry face with dry hands and massage it in to melt off my makeup, etc. My favourite way to use it is still after my Avene cleanser. That’s when I really feel the benefits from it. I gave a tube of this to my Mum and she absolutely loved it. Her skin can get really dehydrated and she felt like this cleansed and nourished all in one. Trust me, she’s very tricky to please with skin care so I knew it was a big deal when she messaged me specifically to say how much she loved it. You can get your Alpha H Age Delay Cleansing Oil here.

This little guy has saved my life this week. From time to time my skin just gets angry and cross and upset and no one can make it calm down again. I’ve been going through one of these phases for the last few weeks. It’s been red, broken out, erupted and reactive. It’s been such a distraction! I was introduced to Manuka Dr this week but had wanted to try it for a while. I went straight home and tried this out and my skin was instantly calmer and the spots were already flatter! All the inflammation was taken out! Magic! It has made me love bees even more. And New Zealand. Did you know that if all the bees on the earth died out that the human race would only last for four more years? In fact, I’m going to a really interesting talk about bees at the new Frenz Presents night at the Strongroom in Shoreditch. I’ll also be there to listen to some bands and have a bit of a boogie. But I’m really excited about this bee talk! Meanwhile, you can try your own little bit of bee magic by heading over to Superdrug.

Happy cleansing!

Rebecca xxx

Dr Renaud

This week I was introduced to a brand I’ve not tried before, Dr Renaud. I’m a little bit in love already. This is another French brand that has a long history that has reached UK shores in recent times. It has a simple philosophy of using natural active ingredients in affordable formulations. I’m really excited to try some of these out on my clients. I think they’re going to love it.

My first picks are the Raspberry Cleansing Water and the Raspberry Soft Fluid. The raspberry range is targeted to keep skin very hydrated. The fragrance is to die for and I think it will be a pleasure for any of my clients to have me use on them. I’m always looking for a good cleansing water as they’re a great way to quickly remove makeup. The Soft Fluid gives skin a beautiful radiance and gorgeous texture. Did I mention how good they smell??

Wowsers! This smoothing Creme Riche from the apple range is an absolute delight. It has been formulated for dry skin that is seeing its first signs of ageing. It has a deliciously fresh, apple scent and glides on like a dream. I want to use it for my clients that have had long flights or have been burning the midnight oil and need their skin to look fresh and plump. It’s just beautiful.

 

 

Finally, this special treatment Cosmekit from the raspberry range is ace! It’s like a DIY facial kit. First you start with the exfoliating gel, then give yourself a facial massage with the balm and finally, add some water in the shaker to the sachet of powder to create a foam and relax in a mask for twenty minutes. It’s literally everything you need to give your skin a wonderful treat and leave it glowing. Next time I fly to Australia, I am totally doing this in flight!!!!

You can find Dr Renaud products in any of the new M&S Beauty Halls or on their website.

R xxx

TMRW Magazine Issue 3

Niche magazines have always been a great love of mine and I was super excited when I got to shoot with TMRW for their third issue. It’s a men’s editorial piece with some really great outfits in it. In fact, I saw one of the suits being worn pretty much just how it was styled for this magazine at fashion week.

Lovely Natisha Greenaway took the photos and I can’t *wait* to see how the end product looks. I know she’s been doing something pretty special with the layout. Styling the shoot was Kiera Liberati. This girl is a bit of a genius with clothes and soooooo much fun to work with.

Luke from D1 was our model for the day. What a sweetie. To style his hair I went through it with some straighteners to take out some of the natural wave and then moulded it with Structure's Sculpt clay. After prepping Luke’s skin with my trusty Alpha H, I groomed and contoured him to perfection with concealer, powders and eyebrow pencils from MAC.

So issue three of TMRW is out on March 10th and you can pre-order your copy directly from the website here. Lovely Ellie Goulding is the cover girl and I’m super looking forward to reading the interview with her.

Rebecca xxx

Miss Dior–La Vie En Rose

When I first saw this image I thought it was stunning. Then I saw the video and now I’m a little bit obsessed. Could this *be* more beautiful? I love that the liner is blue as well. Such a flattering option that lots of women are scared of. This would be a beautiful look for every day or even for a bride on her wedding day!

Rebecca xxx