Softly softly, catchy monkey

First up, I've been a bad bad blogger, with nary a glance this way in two months. But a very busy two months starting a new job as resident fashion be-atch on Irish Tatler. So busy in fact that there is precious little time for looking the part - eep! State of me...

And so, on the bank holiday weekend I decided to gift myself with beautiful body care that I had been hoarding for ages, waiting to use. (I was doing that thing where I say I really must use up the 50 lip glosses I have before I get another one. Ah but minimalism is no friend of the beauty-holic.)

Confession: I don't really bother with body moisturiser. I get plenty of compliments from me handsome fella about having soft skin, so I reckon I must be doin alright. However, there being no clean bedclothes in the fella's house except for a nylon-y, ball-y horrible set, I was soon driven demented by night itches, and decided the way forward was to grease myself up to provide a coating between skin and icky bedclothes.

Enter stage left Clarins Satin Smooth Body Lotion. Verdict: disappointing in the fragrance department. It doesn't have that Clarins smell. You know the one... So enter stage right Ole Henriksen Lavender Body Oil. Nice. Lavender-y. Nearly gave the fella a heart attack that someone would pay 44 euro for something you could make up with some essential oil. Anyway, a trick they use in Clarins salons is to mix body cream and oil for massage. Lovely slidey texture without the greasiness. Verdict: we likey. And so does himself, who did not object to several euros worth of ridiculously expensive massage oil being worked into his post-match muscle aches.

Oh and he said my skin was softer than usual. So perhaps I'll convert to the cult of body moisturisers after all. He'll be telling me cellulite creams work next...

Let there be Lumiere

I just spent the weekend working backstage at our Ultimate Girls' Day Out event and while the ladies of Ireland enjoyed the shopping and pampering in the exhibition hall we were up to 90 backstage making the fashion shows happen. After the fifth fashion show of the day I was ready for a small glass of wine and hoping a nice red would knock me out into a deep sleep. No such luck, and after the head finally hit the pillow at five o'clock in the morning there was only a few winks of sleep had before we were up and at it again the next morning. I was desperate to look lively again before I had to go and spend the day in a room with 12 of Ireland's most beautiful models (who were all bloody super nice, clever and hardworking, therefore making it impossible to hate them!).
I'd kind of reckoned this new Chanel Lift Lumiere Firming and Smoothing Fluid Makeup and Lift Lumiere Smoothing and Rejuvenating Eye Contour Concealer would be for a slightly older skin than my own, but after slapping on a face-load on Sunday morning I am converted. The undereye concealer in particular is radically brilliant stuff, and the colour and texture are great. The foundation is light and radiant yet covered a really stubborn acne scar on my cheek which usually requires a couple of rounds of concealer and powder to tone down.
It's in shops from 15 September, so get your sleeping bags out and get in the queue early!

Eye eye, Cap'n

I knew when I put that darned mascara on this morning that it irritates my eyes. I just couldn't bring myself to throw it out...until now. So here I am sitting in work, eyes-an-itching, and I grab the first thing to hand to wipe that mascara off, and it happens to be a bottle of Decleor Eye Make-up Remover Gel, which had been knocking around under my desk for several months now. Why I waited so long I don't know, but it got that mascara off quickly, cleanly, using only tissue and left my eyes refreshed. Wahoo. I never want to use anything else.

Packing pretty

Ooooh who cares what it does when it looks this good! Well if you really want to know it's the Face Boutique body kit - inky dinky travel-sized pretties, available now from www.asos.com. They've just expanded their beauty offering with some great new brands including Face, Cowshed and Becca. Hurrah, more 'pretending to work but really secretly buying lovely things online' all around then.

Turquoise Turnaround

I never thought I'd say this but I think turquoise eyeliner has finally gotten to me. All summer long I've been privately judging people who've been sporting it along their lower lashes. And today, I think the new Bourjois autumn-winter collection might have swung me. It's definitely the divine Brun sompteux eyeshadow they've paired it with that got me interested. But damn it, that eyeliner (in Vert pepite) does bring out the ould peepers. It's just so 1980s bridesmaid though. Dilemma. Maybe just for the beach?

Copy that!

If you're looking for inspiration for a new make-up look, get thee down to maccosmetics.com and check out the 'Looks' section where you can see make-up artist's guides for the latest fashion looks, along with instructions on how to recreate it exactly - using MAC cosmetics, but of course.

If you don't believe me, I'll save you a trip across the world wide web, by reproducing a look created for Dita von Teese's Viva Glam campaign. Anyone brave enough to try it, take a pic and post it wins a very special prize from my beauty bounty!

EYES
Groom brows with Stud Eye Brows and Espresso Eye Shadow. Add a touch of Vanilla Eye Shadow to highlight the browbone. Apply Espresso Eye Shadow with a 213 Brush all over eyelid, sweeping slightly up and outwards. Blend Brun Eye Shadow over Espresso to intensify the shadow. Using a 219 Brush, deepen the crease with Charcoal Brown Eye Shadow. Line the upper lashline with Fluidline in Blacktrack and a 266 Brush. On the outer edge of the lashline, wing upwards and create a slightly thicker line for a cat eye effect. Line the bottom lashline with Fascinating Eye Kohl. Then smudge a touch of Espresso Eye Shadow beneath the Fascinating Eye Kohl with a 219 Brush. The white line will create an eye opening look. Coat lashes in Zoomblack Zoom Lash.
CHEEKS
Apply the lightest touch of Mineralize Skinfinish/Natural in Medium along the hollows of the cheeks to create contour against fair skin.
LIPS
Line lip with Mahogany Lip Pencil and fill in with Brick Lip Pencil. Apply Viva Glam VI Lipstick over lips for this matte look.

Lash-tastic

I may have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about eyelashes, ever since a nasty girl in college told me mine were particularly freakishly short. Extra coats of mascara just don't do it for me, my tiny dwarf lashes not being able to carry them. So I love this tip from Shiseido make-up guru Dick Page: "If you have thin eyelashes , you can use black or brown mascara and apply a dot of kohl between the eyelashes. This trompe l'oeil effect really fills them out." Just don't go overboard...