My October Additions

I've had three weeks to get to know this months new products so here's a quick round up of what's new & what I'm loving. 

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation, if you've read my review you'll know this was an instant hit. I'm completely & utterly obsessed with this & have not touched another foundation for a fortnight! 

L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Cream, promises visible results from first use. I'm not convinced it lived up to this claim but my eyes are looking firmer & my fine lines are less noticeable after 8 days. This is definitely worth sticking with as I'm encouraged by the results so far.

Lord & Berry Ultimate Lipstick Pencils. I got these super cheap on eBay in my quest for a nude lip colour I like on me! I knew absolutely nothing about the brand except seeing the name in In Style Magazine's A to Z of High Street Beauty. Probably more suited to lining the lips than a stand alone colour,the formula feels quite dry on the lips. They last quite well but I'm not overly sold on the shades I chose (nude & egg plant). I have a feeling they may have been discontinued as I can't find them anywhere other than on eBay. Not too disappointed as I wouldn't buy another.

Shu Uemura Pore Clarifying gentle cleansing oil. It's taken some time to get used to using an oil but it's definitely been worth persevering. It does a fab job of melting make up, eye liner & mascara, it feels a bit unusual in that it's not actually all that oily in a greasy sense. It takes some washing off but my skin feels so fresh & squeaky clean afterwards & looks really bright. I like that it doesn't really have a fragrance & that you emulsify it with water & rinse off, as I never feel really clean when I cleanse without water. I'll definitely repurchase this oil, yes it's fairly pricey but a little goes a long way & I think it really has made a difference to my skin.

Jergens Hand & Cuticle cream. I've been using this daily for nearly 2 weeks & I'm yet to notice any difference. My cuticles are still dry & I've had to supplement with another hand cream. This was fairly cheap from Sainsbury's but I'd heard good things about the brand so am a little disappointed. I think I'll repurchase my beloved Arran Aromatics After The Rain Hand & Nail Cream & retire this to my locker at work for emergency use only, bit of a shame as I expected more from it. 

Revlon Photoready Cream Blusher. Loving pinched it's perfect for 'no make up' looks & a healthy everyday glow. These have turned out to be really good investments as I've already used them both loads. I love the look of vitality they give my skin & the weightless texture is amazing. Just wish the shade range was a bit more extensive as I'd like some more!

Shiseido Body Creator Aromatic Energizing Spray. Have developed an addiction to this spray! It claims to be a moisturising mist that gives the body a toned appearance when used on areas prone to puffiness. It has a 'sense stimulating, invigorating scent' to promote feelings of optimism. Well, I've been using it whenever I need a bit of a boost during the day & it definitely leaves me up lifted and more positive. The Shiseido website (http://www.shiseido.co.uk/#/body-care/body-creator/sculpting/aromatic-energizing-spray) describes a cooling sensation but I find it gives me a warm tingle that lasts about 10 minutes after I've used it. Not sure it's all that moisturising but if my legs are tired or I'm feeling a bit lack lustre, it certainly picks me up. It has a heady, spicy fragrance which I like but it doesn't last too long and I've not notice it competing with my Vivienne Westwood Let It Rock. It is pretty pricey at almost £40 but the magic of eBay allowed me to snatch one up at £10. If you need something to kick you up the bum and motivate you through the winter blues, this is for you! My favourite purchase of the month by far.

It's never too soon to write a Christmas List!

Having devoured the Boots Christmas Catalogue, been seduced by the Debenhams gift sets & had a giddy  moment with Karl Largerfeld for Shu Uemura, I thought it was time I let the big man in red know what I'd like for Christmas!

Dear Santa......

I've been a really good girl this year and would be very grateful if you would perhaps fill my stocking with some of these beautiful things. I promise to write a lovely blog post about them if you do! Many Thanks in anticipation Esme xx

Karl Largerfeld for Shu Uemura

Bordeaux

Smokey Velvet

Oh how I love a palette, especially if its full of rich, creamy deep colours that offer amazing colour pay off. The funky packaging reminds me of the Emily the Strange or Pukka bags I loved when I was a student. This palette is available in Bordeaux (rich golds and plummy wine colours) and Smokey Velvet (green and black with silver and pastel blue). They are pricey at £45 (http://www.selfridges.com/en/Beauty/Brand-rooms/Contemporary/SHU-UEMURA/Karl-Lagerfeld-for-shu-uemura) but of course they are limited edition and offer the high quality colour that Shu's eye shadows are known for. They are also very wearable colours not just for the party season but through the winter and beyond. 
 

Trish McEvoy Voyager Collection

 I've made no secret of my love for Trish products, especially her brushes. This mini set is right up my street, love the colour combinations, love the tiny pink quilted bag but I ADORE the mini double ended brushes. This is the perfect handbag friendly palette containing 2 concealers, 4 eye shadows, a lip colour and a gloss, a bronzer and blusher. The brushes include travel friendly versions of (my absolutely beloved) Tapered Blending, VaVa Voom & precise lining as well as an angled contour brush. This is available at Selfridges for £65 which I think represents good value when you consider the price of the full size products/brushes and the quality Trish offers.

Clinique Mix It Up Kisses Gift Set

I think this is really cute, I like how you could attach this to a bag (think it'd be a bit heavy for your keys) and have a selection of lip products easily to hand. I carry a massive handbag Monday to Friday and I'm always rummaging for a lip gloss in the bottom, so this would be great for me. It offers a great range of wearable shades and a variety of glosses and lipsticks. This is a lovely way to try host of Clinique colours before deciding whether you want to invest in a full size. For £25 you get 6 mini products (2 lipsticks, 2 superbalm glosses and 2 long last glosses) which I think offers good value for money. This would make a great gift for any woman.

Estee Lauder Art of Lips

It was the super gorgeous bag that first dragged this set into my attention. I love it, it reminds me of the styling used by Prada for their Candy fragrance. Housed within the colour block bag is a full sized Pure Colour  lipstick, double ended Pure Colour lip gloss and a Double Wear lip pencil. I love the Chic Pinks but there's also a nude version but the shades looked a bit too brown ish for my liking. They are available for £30 from Debenhams.

Benefit Gift Sets

How to Look the Best at Everything

Passport to Posh

Oh Benefit, how I do love you! This brand has been consistently in my top 5 for as long as I can remember so I couldn't wait to check out this years Christmas gift sets. I love giving these as much as I love to receive them! I have, after much deliberation narrowed down my 2 favourites. How To Look The Best at Everything Complexion Set (£24.50) This fabulously styled (love the book type packaging) kit contains 2 mini Boi-ing concealers, a mini Porefessional pore minimising primer, a mini Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation and a Hello Flawless cover up powder complete with brush. Its available in light, medium and dark it offers a great way of trying these products together. I love boi-ing and the wow foundation but sadly Porefessional breaks me out so I was glad of the opportunity to try it before shelling out upwards of £20 for a product I cannot use. Passport to Posh Eye Kit (£25, exclusive to Debenhams) This looks like a handy little kit, not only does it contain a couple of my Benefit favourites but it seems like it would be really usable for everyday. Along with 3 neutral suit all shades of shadow you get a mini Bad Gal mascara, a boi-ing concealer, an Eye Bright, brush and my personal favourite Creaseless Cream colour in RSVP. Creaseless Creams are similar to MAC paint pots,  versatile as colour, liner or base and last all day. I'd keep this in my handbag for post night shift make up or take it away for the weekend for lazy Sunday morning eyes. It would make a great gift as its  universally flattering.

Viktor & Rolf Flower Bomb Roll-On & Lip Gloss Duo

This is  really clever idea, a 5ml roll-on of fragrance coupled with a 5ml lip gloss in the same pen. I love to carry my fragrance with me but all too often it means taking a heavy glass bottle in my bag. This looks chic, the gloss is a neutrally pink shimmer that looks like it's be quite flattering and easy to wear everyday. The roll-on applicator would allow me to add a quick swipe of fragrance at times when you may not want to spray like in the car or staff room. I'm a fan of solid perfume but not so much the scented fingers I end up with, so to me this is a step forward from that! I now want to invent a roll on  atomiser so I can carry all my scents this way. At £19.50 it is a bit pricey for the amount of product you receive but I'd imagine you only need a tiny bit of perfume if rolling on but the lip gloss may not last too long. A great gift as its quite a natty idea and the type of thing you probably would buy for yourself but love once you owned it!

Chantecaille Elephant 

Now, you'd probably have to be extra good for Father Christmas to drop these little beauties down your chimney but I think they are so cute I just had to add them to the list. The SpackNK website says this palette (£74) combines trends from the catwalk and Kenyan Grasslands with simplicity. Each of the 4 shadows is embossed with a little elephant, the shadows look very rich (I've sadly not been able to swatch them) and although dark I think they are wearable colours that would suit most people. I love the look of Grassland (deep green) and Copper Ore (redish brown with a hint of gold). 
There's also an Elephant Cheek colour (£30), peachy pink powder that claims to make pores invisible and won't settle into lines. A very easy to wear everyday colour that would make you smile every time you looked  at it. But could you bring yourself to sweep away the beautiful baby elephant? Not sure I could!




This post could run and run, there are so many gorgeous gifts around this year, but I'm going to leave it there. I'd love to know what you guys are hoping Santa will leave by the fire for you so please leave a comment.

Bored of the Old Routine.

I'm so fickle. While some may say 'if it's not broke don't fix it' I'm more inclined towards change for changes sake. My current skin care routine is perfectly adequate but I'm bored, I want to mix it up a bit & try some new products.

The Status Quo

I currently use Elemis Rehydrating Rose Petal Cleanser, followed by Olay Anti Wrinkle Wash & Elemis Ginseng Toner. If I've worn particularly heavy make up or my skin feels it needs something a bit richer I like to use a hot cloth like Soap & Glory The Fab Pore or Boot Botanics Cleansing Balm. To remove my eye make up I use good old Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil. I've had stick about this in the past but I find it is the only thing that cuts through stubborn mascara and gel liner, whilst being gentle on my eyes. I usually use a face mask once a week, something deep pore cleansing or moisturising if my skin is a bit drier. 

On to pastures new...

Inspired by the many posts I've read about cleansing oils I've ordered some Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil and as I'm a bit weary of putting oil on my combination skin I've stocked up on an old favourite Bioderma Crealine H20 to use as a toner as although not really necessary I find the squeaky clean feeling I get from using a toner reassuring! I'll probably continue with the Olay Anti Wrinkle wash in the mornings as its quick, I like the gentle exfoliating effect and my skin seems quite keen on it. I've also invested in a sample of Clarins Lotus Treatment Oil which I'll be using at night as it is meant to be very good for rebalancing combination skin. 

 Lotions & Potions

In terms of creams I use a bit of a mixture depending on what kind of mood my skin is in. When its really dry I use Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream but its a bit rich for me so often I just dab that on the dry bits. I had been using Nivea Q10 Pore Refining Day Cream until I received a sample of Vichy Idealia (http://www.esmesbeautifulthings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/vichy-idealia-day-care-cream.html), its so nice that this is my current day cream of choice. I'm also quite keen on Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture if my skin is good and my pores are having a skinny day! I think I'll probably stick with the Vichy for now as its been well over a week with no breakouts (yeay!)
At night I tend to stick with Old Faithful, Olay Anti Wrinkle Instant Hydration. However, I'm coming to the end of a pot and I'm eyeing up (boom ,boom!) L'Oreal Revitalift Repair 10 Multi-Active and I've seen this on offer somewhere lately so think I've give it a shot. 
My eye area tends to be a bit greasy and because I use baby oil to remove my eye make up I'm usually quite sparing with the eye cream at night, I'm using Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream morning and night at the moment because it does seem to lift and brighten nicely. I'm think of adding  ROC Multi Correction Anti Age cream at night as I think its probably time to take a stand against fine lines and wrinkles!!

So that's my new skincare regime for the new season, here hoping for some positive results!!

Wish List For October

Every month on Payday I treat myself to a little haul of beauty goodies. On the wish list, amongst the usual eye colours and lotions & potions, this month are cream blushers, nude lips and concealers. I'd love recommendations and suggestions so please leave a comment and I'll let you know how I get on. 

On the look out for skin care.

I'm currently intrigued by cleansing oils. Having slightly oily skin I've always steered clear of anything oily on my face but having read so interesting reviews lately I'm currently after Shu Uemura Fresh Pore Clarifying Oil or High Performance Balancing Beauty Oil. I think I'd follow up with an old favourite Bioderma Ceraline H2O used as a toner so I feel squeaky clean. I used the Bioderma obsessively for months until I kind of forgot about it but I think I'm going to dig out the dregs of a bottle that's lingering in the back of the cupboard and reignite my love for it. 
I'm also keen to try Clinique's Take Off the Day cleansing balm. I'm a big fan of the Boots Botanics Organic Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm. I love a hot cloth, I always feel really deeply clean afterwards particularly if I've worn heavy foundation. I've not heard much about the Clinique one but if I can find one on eBay I think it'll be worth a try.
Finally, inspired by an article in the current Glamour magazine, I'm hoping to try some products for combination skin, namely, Decleor Cleanse Fresh Purifying Gel and Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil.

I Hide it Well.

Concealers are on my radar this month as I come to the end of yet another pot of Boi-ing. Having read hundreds of reviews of the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage I think that's going to be top of the list but I'm also going to try the Collection/Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection as it seems to be doing well in the reviews and its cheapy cheap, cheap. If I happen to be in the MAC store I may take a look at the Studio Finish which I've always shied away from because I don't get on very well with MAC foundations. If all else fails i may return to the Vichy Dermablend as I've used it in the past with pretty good results.

The Naked Lip

Finally, I'm going to spend some time on nude lips. Now when I think nude lips I usually reach for a balm, tinted balm or subtle gloss. When it comes to nude colour I always get it wrong. Its either too brown, too pale or too pink. I'm going to start by investing in a No7 Perfect Lips Pencil in Nude and brandish it like a weapon as I scour the counters for a matching lipstick, perhaps something like MAC Blankety or Hue or Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude. 
Also looking forward to trying the Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip cream in Angel Delight & Fairy Cake. With Winter on the way I'll be keeping my eyes open for balms and salve as well.

A Rosy Glow

I've never really taken to cream blusher but with the colder weather by dry patches will surely expand so I think its time I properly experimented with a creamy texture that will hopefully add a healthy dewy glow as well as a bit of colour.. I'll probably start with a Max Factor Miracle Touch as I like the foundation and the colours I've swatched have been lovely, especially Soft Murano. Also like the look of Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Pinched.

So there end's my shopping list for this month, now all I've got to do is count the days to payday!!