My concealer collection and why I use more than one

I first posted this on my other blog last year but though it would be useful for anyone who has parts of their face that they would like to disguise a bit.

Concealer is one of my 'essential' products.  Even on a rare no make up day I do sling a dot of concealer here and there to disguise blemishes that I want to forget are there, you know, like the odd spot, stuff like that.

My concealer story

When I was thinking about writing this post I thought about all the concealers I've ever used.  In my (much) younger days before I was a full on foundation person, I just used to use a little foundation as a concealer.  Gradually, I needed more and more concealer and I found the perfect one from Witch Hazel, it doubled as an antiseptic/healing stick as well as a cover up.  I used that literally for years and years until quite recently when I realised that they had discontinued my colour (pale) and gone over to just one colour which was just a shade too dark for my skin.

That's when I stopped using it and invested in a proper concealer, or two, or three ...

They are not all the same!

I find that not all concealers are the same and not all concealers are for the same place on your face.  That's why I seem to have so many now!  I've got different ones for spots, blemishes, non-spot blemishes, dark under-eye circles, dry skin patches and cold sores (yes I know you're not supposed to cover them up but I just can't NOT cover them up a bit).

So I am sharing my favourites.  Of course I'm always on the look out for the holy grail so no doubt there will be more to come but these few are the ones I'm using at the moment.  Scroll down past the photos for the list.

Concealer Collection Details

Hard Candy - Sheer Envy

Something I found in the States, I think you can get Hard Candy over here in the UK but it's not widely available.  This one is great for under eyes because the brush is very thin and the colour is almost an exact match for me (fluke!).  It reminds me of Estee Lauder's Touche Eclat, the brush is very similar.  It does seem to last for ages, I never notice that it's come off during the day.

Avon Extra Lasting - this one is my every day favourite!

Anything with the words 'Extra Lasting' in the title has got to be a winner, right?  Right.  But not for under eyes, or at least not my eyes, far too heavy and matte.  Brilliant for spots and blemishes.  It doesn't budge and you can pop bit of powder over the top and there you go, spots all gone.  Avon do a few shades in this, I think this is the fairest one.

Physicians Formula - Youthful Wear Spotless

Spotless - that's what we all to want to be, right?  It took me a while to get to grips with this because this is actually a concealer in a roller ball pen style with liquid and I found it difficult to get the right amount on my face.  It's much better if there's a larger area to cover because you can sort of scribble it all over your face and make up sponge it from there.  Not great for individual spots but super for a larger area.  I think (not sure) it might also have something in it that helps spots to heal so it's a win-win situation there.

Neutrogena

I'm not sure what this one is called, I only know that it's from Neutrogena and I love it and I'll be upset when it runs out.  This, alongside my beloved Hard Candy is the one I wear under my eyes.  You literally cannot see it once it's blended in, it's amazing it looks so natural.  Neutrogena is kind to the skin as well so no allergy flare ups or anything.  I haven't tried using this on blemishes as I don't want to waste it on those when I need it for my eyes!  I bought this in the States as well, it's on my list to replace next time I go. You can get Neutrogena in their drugstores, places like Walgreens and CVS.

Physicians Formula Super CC

Another Physicians Formula (and yet another brand that you can't get in the UK - flipping heck sake!) the super CC concealer is a mixture of everything you need to sort your skin out, whether it's covering redness, or grey under eyes or whatever.  It's a brush and you twist the end of the pen to get the liquid to come through, it takes a while at first and then whooshes out all in one go.  It's great for precision 'painting' if you've got a very specific and small area to put it on and I have also used it for under eyes but it's slightly more matte than the Neutrogena and Hard Candy so better for blemishes I think.

My Guide to Clear Top Coats and Shiny Nails

For years I've been dodging the top coat on nails because I'm lazy but actually it's time to admit that they really do make a difference to the longevity, and the appearance of a nail polish.  Let's face it we all want our polish to last for days and shine so much that we can see our reflection in them - right?  

In addition, a good top coat will contain all sorts of ingredients to strengthen nails and protect them from splitting, you only have to check out the Sally Hansen aisle to see that there are a lot to choose from and they all do different things.

Today I've chosen three of my favourites to share, predominantly for shine but I find that they all leave my nails feeling stronger as well.

O.P.I RapiDry

First up is RapiDry, cool name huh?  What's great about this is that not only does it give a lovely shiny top coat to your nails, it's also very quick to dry (hence the name).  It also means you don't have to sit with your fingers outstretched for ages not touching them or doing that flicky thing we do to 'air dry' them!  Anything from O.P.I. is going to be good though, as they are a really good brand and used most places I've been for a manicure?  I would definitely buy this again though I can't remember how much it is I guess it's in line with most of the O.P.I. range.

Avon Gel Shine 

The Avon Gel Shine top coat is part of their Gel Shine range (although this is called Mark now having been re-branded in 2017).  The purpose of the top coat is to give the gel polishes that extra bit of shine and I can say that it really does!  

The gel polishes by themselves seem to be hard wearing, giving a great shine without the top coat but it's worth popping a bit of top coat over it to give them that extra pazzazz and also it helps with the longevity.  They last several days with no chips at all  but there's no problem taking it off with ordinary nail polish remover.  It's very reasonably priced as well and is very often on offer in the brochure and online.  It obviously works beautifully on the Avon Gel Shine polishes but I've used it on others and it does a great job.  So all in all a super product for a very reasonable price of about £7.00.

Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat

I got this as part of my Glossybox subscription last year.  The Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy has got an unusual brush whereby the bristles are quite thin and are arranged so that the liquid covers the edges of your nail then you brush inwards, thus covering the entire nail.  Whilst this polish is designed to go on top of the ColorStay Gel polishes it does work well on other brands too.  

Perricone MD No Make Up Foundation

So, I'm on the plane on Wednesday and the announcement goes out about duty free coming round, would we like anything?   Ooh I think, yes I would.  After a little bit of dithering I decide to get the Perricone MD No Makup Foundation SPF 30.

It was in the brochure as being recommended by Harpers Bazar (good, I think, they don't make mistakes) and is infused with 'Alpha Lipoic Acid' which  ...

"minimises the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores over time"

Benefits are ...

• Instant sheer coverage with a natural no-make up texture and finish
• Corrects and evens skin tone
• Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Doesn't it sound great?  Read below the photo to find out what I think!

I've worn it a couple of days now.  The first day I wore it with a primer like I always wear foundation.  Mistake.  The No Foundation Foundation is SPF 30 and therefore has a sort of sticky feel to it.  It does not glide on very well if you're primed!

The second day I did not prime first.  Went on much better.

The first day I put too much on.  The second day I did fewer drops.  Went on much better.

The first day I couldn't see the difference between my face and the 'no make up make up'.  I know that  is the point but you still want it to look like something don't you?  It's slightly unnerving at first because it does look very tan colour in the bottle and if you're pale like me you automatically think you're going to end up looking orange, luckily that didn't happen, it takes on the base tone of your natural colour (which is what it said it would do!).

The second day I asked my mother in law (who I am on holiday with) to observe whilst I put it on.  She said she could definitely see the difference but it was a fresh glow.  Later that day I gave it to her to use and when she'd finished you could tell.  It just gives a very healthy, even tone to your skin.  Result.

The truth is that had it not been for the fact that this was reduced in price because it was Duty Free I wouldn't have bought it, I'm not in the habit of spending too much on a foundation that might not even suit me.  But it was a gamble that paid off because I really like it and I'd definitely recommend it.  It will probably also last quite a long time because you really don't need as much as I was putting on at first.

I have since been on the website for more Perricone MD products ...

Guess My Age Cream by Laidbare

Guess my age, go on, guess!

I love it when I discover a face cream that I really like, that I would definitely buy again and that absolutely does not break the bank!

Seriously, one of the nicest creams I've tried on my face recently is Guess My Age Anti-Ageing Treatment Cream by Laidbare.  It arrived as part of my Love Lula beauty box in February but I didn't take much notice of it until recently when I ran out of my Elemis (which is gorgeous but you need a second mortgage to buy it).

Price?

For a 50ml pot it's £9.99 which is really good value for such a good cream.  When I first put it on it felt a bit tacky on my face but sinks in immediately leaving skin soft and is a great base for primer and make up afterwards.  It's got a lovely refreshing smell too, lovely for first thing in the morning.

What's in it?

Laidbare products are organic and made with only natural ingredients and not tested on animals, beautifully suitable for vegetarians and vegans too.  Guess My Age cream has got Active Prodejine and Exotic Flower Oil in it which is great wrinkle busting stuff.  Laidbare seem to know that they can't turn back time unlike some anti-ageing cream claims but use natural products to boost collagen and plump skin.  I have to admit that my skin does feel plumped and smooth and really soft actually.

I'm not going to compare it to Elemis as they are completely different creams though both are lovely.

Laidbare also sell another cream for mature skin that I want to try it's called 9 to 5 anti-ageing cream, definitely worth a try for only £7.99.

You can find the Laidbare website and link to the cream here.

Have you guessed my age?

I'm 45 (46 in July).

Guess My Age?  By Laidbare

High Intensity Griit and Zumba Gold (and not Aerobics)

Following on from my interesting back to front Step class on Monday I have bravely attempted two more classes at the gym this week.

The first was a High Intensity Griit Cardio class on Tuesday.  Really, the least said about this class the better.  It was only half a hour but it felt like an entire day.  Basically, I was way out of my depth.  Even further than the Step depth the day before, because at least I managed to muddle my way through that and actually on some level I did enjoy it.  This class was just way too hard, I wasn't fit or quick enough to keep up though I did battle my way to the end.  The whole point of trying the various classes is to try and find a few that I want to do regularly, I knew when I started to do them that there would be a couple I wasn't overkeen on and this is definitely one of them.  Hats off to everyone else in the class though, I was in awe, they were super-fit

On Wednesday morning I took it down a notch and I to a Zumba Gold class.  Zumba Gold is aimed at "all levels of fitness" which is probably why I was the youngest in the class.  I knew a few of the ladies there from my Pilates class so it was nice to see friendly faces. The ladies pointed out a lady called 'June' in the front row "she's 92 you know".  You wouldn't have known she was 92, she was one of the fittest in the class, I bloody hope I'm like her when I'm 92 let me tell you.

The nice thing about Zumba is that it's dance based with really good music so it's really good fun and because you're moving all the time it really does raise your heart rate and give you a good workout.  My FitBit told me I'd done a couple of thousand steps and burned quite a lot of calories so I was pleased with myself.  I put myself down on the list for next week.

On Thursday I was supposed to go to Aerobics but unfortunately I had to give that a miss due to accidentally whacking my head on something the day before which meant I had to go to A&E to have it glued back together.  The nice doctor told me to 'keep quiet' for a couple of days.  I didn't have concussion and it wasn't a big cut but I think they just want to make sure the glue stays put so leaping around at Aerobics was out of the question.

Tomorrow is Saturday and I'm down for Step at 10am.  I'd really rather go to Body Balance on Sunday morning but I've got to go and find posh outfits for the kids as we're at a wedding next weekend.  So, Step it is.

I wonder if the teacher will be Mindy from Monday's class?  At least I'll know what to expect this time!

Not nearly enough water for a High Intensity Griit class!

The Beauty Box by Funmi Fetto SS18

Funmi Fetto is a beauty journalist and British Vogue's Contributing Editor so I'd say she knows a thing or two about beauty products.  That's why, when I saw she'd had a big input into the SS18 Beauty Box on the Clinique website I clicked the button straight away, particularly as I knew there would be at least two Clinique products in there (win win).

The Beauty Box arrived last week but I have only just been able to open it what with one thing and another.  I'd had a particularly rubbish Monday so after I'd eaten and got the kids to bed I sat down to open up my little box of goodies.

And they're good!  The box contains:

Darphin Hydraskin Light Gel Cream

Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancer

Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Colour, Ruby

MAC Prep & Prime Natural Radiance Yellow

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lash Multi Effects Mascara

Clinique Cheek Pop, Berry Pop

Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector & Optimizer

Plus

A sample bottle for Estee Lauder Double Wear

A sample of Clinique Moisture Surge

The only two products I'm not particularly excited about are the MAC Prep & Prime Natural Radiance as I've tried this before and didn't rate it, and the Bobbi Brown Lip Colour as Ruby is going to be too dark for me but I'll give it a whirl.

One of the reasons I love beauty boxes is because you get to test products before you buy them full size.  If it hadn't been for my Glossybox, for example I would never have discovered Kiko Milano make up which is now one of my favourite brands and very highly affordable too.  At the moment I have Glossybox and Love Lula (both monthly).  I've got a year subscription to Glossybox and Love Lula was six month subscription Christmas present from my lovely mother-in-law.  I'm do really love Love Lula though so I will be extending the subscription when it finishes.  It's a bit different as it's all organic products, things I probably wouldn't have known about if it hadn't been for the samples and I will definitely be re-purchasing a few things I've tried.

So, the testing of The Beauty Box products starts tomorrow!  I'll be back with my verdicts.

The Beauty Box

My First Step Class ... And Maybe My Last

Today I did a Step class at the gym.

I don't usually do the classes, normally I go straight to the ladies' gym and do some mat work and pretend to burn calories on the treadmill (though in fact I am always walking far too slow for it to be classed as cardio!).

It's at least 20 years since I took a Step class but I figured how hard can it be, it's like riding a bike right, you never forget.

Er, wrong.

The teacher, Mindy had a quick word with me at the start and said hello and mentioned that her class was "quite dancey", oh good I said, thinking it would be a bit like Zumba on a Step, shimmy shimmy side step, knee fold, 1, 2, 3, 4 ...

It was not, I repeat NOT like Zumba on a Step.  No gentle wiggle wiggle, two steps to the left, oh no,  just a few easy step up, step down moves for about two minutes then BAM! straight into the routine.

It took a good ten minutes for me to realise that I wasn't getting it.  I was the wrong way round all the time when the rest of the class were leaping like gazelles over the step and it wasn't like I was in a class full of super fit yummy mummies either, nope, there were gran's, grandad's, ladies and gents of all shapes and sizes and they were all much better at it than me!

I decided to watch and copy the extremely nimble feet of the gentleman in front of me who was at least my Dad's age (70) because he was brilliant, his coordination was great and he wouldn't have been out of place doing the River Dance.  This worked for me for a while, until Mindy thought it was a good idea to jump across the step, turn round and change direction ... then I was floored.  I managed the jump across but I turned the wrong way and nearly collided with River Dance Man who was shimmying and knee kicking diagonally across the Step box as we'd been told.  I stopped for a drink and noticed my extremely pink face in the mirror, glanced at my watch and realised that there were still 40 minutes to go!

Now, I'm not one to quit so I decided to stick it out even though it was confusing.  I did feel like I was getting a good work out because I was OK with the facing front step up, step down stuff and I basically just muddled my way through the rest of the complicated routine which was in three parts it turns out.  By the time we had to do the whole thing, I'd forgotten the first part and I had only mastered a quarter of it anyway.  River Dance Man helped as much as he could, by directing me to go the 'other side' whenever I got it wrong and I was grateful but he was probably just fearful of me knocking him over and I can't blame him, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and I'm not exactly built for Cirque Du Soleil!

Eventually, Mindy 'slowed things down' which basically meant bringing things back to a slightly less confusing routine i.e facing the front which meant I could at least attempt to copy what people were doing.  11.09 am and it was nearly finished. A few stretches and that was it.  I was too proud to slump in a corner in exhaustion so I legged it to the car park and slumped in the car eating emergency wine gums before driving home but not before Mindy had shouted at me "great job new lady, see you next week".

Hmmm, will she?

Maybe.   I'll have to replace the wine gums though ...

My feet ... pre class!

Clinique City Block Sheer Daily Protector

It's taken me absolutely ages to get round to writing about this product but I used it last week when I was in Spain and it was as amazing as I thought it was when I first stumbled upon it last year.

Firstly, I am a Clinique fan it's got to be said but I don't usually LOVE their stuff as much as I do this product.  The Clinique City Block Sheer has stolen my heart.  As I've got older I've become much more picky about my primer and my foundation because that's what's closest to my skin - no point having a product that emphasises the bits I would quite like to cover up, is there?

Anyway, back to Clinique City Block Sheer.

One of the reasons I like it is because it is oil-free and oil-free products always seem to give me a much better base.  To be honest I'm surprised because it does contain SPF (25 to be exact) and usually products with SPF just make me look a bit greasy and my pores look huge!  Not with this though, this just sinks straight in and it's good when you're a bit sweaty because it's got something in it that helps get rid of the excess water and oil you produce (don't know how, that's their secret!).

Essentially, it seems it is a sun protection product "Sheer, high level, broad-spectrum UVA/UVB daily sun protection" that's what it says on the back of the tube but there's no reason you can't use it all year round I guess.  I don't because it doesn't work on me when I'm Winter Pale, only when I've had a few days of sun and my freckles have reappeared.

It also comes in SPF 40 too, for those heavy duty sun days.

Now that the weather is changing I am really excited about mixing up my make up, I've been wearing the same eyeshadows and base for months, now it's time to get out the Spring colours!

Spain and Sun and Sunburn

The Winter has basically been horrible so I am very glad to be sitting here in Spain for a week with some sun and temperatures that are higher than 8 degrees celsius.

We arrived yesterday after a very early flight from Manchester (0650 takeoff), the rain was streaming down the dark windows of the EasyJet flight as we left, usually I hate take off but I was desperate to get above the clouds as I knew the sun must be lurking there somewhere.  And it was.  Phew.

I always knew how important sunlight was but now I'm completely convinced that I need to at least see it regularly otherwise I feel really depressed and down.  So it was lovely yesterday to arrive mid morning to bright sunshine with a little breeze and when we got to the villa the birds were singing and the water feature was tinkling away.  I love water, I find it really relaxing (not a fan of boats though, I only like water while I am on dry land!).

So early!

The Rock and the Sun

My feet - pre sun scorch

Yesterday however, was not one of my beauty high five days.  I'm quite ashamed to say that I got sunburnt.  I pride myself on being absolutely on top of the whole sun block thing as I'm very fair and have red hair plus I would never not slather the kids in it.  But yesterday husband took care of the kids and I just got sidetracked and before I knew it I was burnt.  I wasn't out there long without cream, can't have been more than 20 minutes but wow, the UV rays did a number on my sun starved pale skin.  It's a very long time since I've been burnt and I'd forgotten how sore it is, not to mention the many other health reasons you absolutely should not get sunburnt.

Tips for Sunburn

This is what I did after taking advice from the NHS website.  I also googled Sunstroke just to check.

• Drink lots of water - skin will be dehydrated so water is essential to rehydrate and keep your temperature down.
• Cool the skin down with a cool flannel, dabbing gently to take out some of the heat from the skin.
• Put aloe vera on the skin, or appropriate after sun cream.  Solarcaine is great in the USA, it's cooling and antiseptic so it takes the pain away as well.  You can't get it in the UK unfortunately (but then, we get very few hot days so maybe they think it's not worth it!)
• Painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen (if appropriate for you) are good for temperature and pain.
• Be really careful when you get in the shower, if it's too hot it'll bloody hurt!  
• Next day, cover the entire burnt area (and more) in high factor sun cream and cover up and keep in the shade.
• If it's really bad, definitely seek medical advice especially if blisters appear.  Mine wasn't that bad thankfully but it could have been.

Since then, I've been covered head to foot in a high SPF and in the shade but I do love the sun, just got to remember that it's bigger and stronger than we are!

Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat Palette

Yesterday was a good day because I found out that Urban Decay were doing a mini Naked Heat palette.  

The full size Urban Decay Naked Heat palette was released last year and there was much excitement among the beauty world because this selection of eye shadows was a little different to their previous few palettes.  It's called Naked Heat for a reason, because all the shades are beautiful and warm shades of brown, coral and burgundy.  Really pretty.

I admit I dithered about this palette though because I really wasn't sure that I'd be able to make good use of all the colours, lovely though they are.  I like value for money palettes and I think £40.00 for something you'll only use a few colours in is a bit steep and a bit of a waste.  Even when I went to Sephora in the US I still couldn't bring myself to part with however many dollars it was.  I decided I'd made the right call and bought myself a Milani palette with similar colours for about $12 instead.  Job done. 

But going back to yesterday, seeing the Naked Heat Petite pallete changed my mind again.  It's so pretty!

It's got six of the best colours, all I think would be completely useable because they aren't too dark or 'off the wall'.  The first three colours are light and good for a daytime eye, the second three are darker and can be used for a smoky eye or as a liner, particularly the last darkest brown colour. 

Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat

This costs £26.00 which I feel is much more manageable and better value as all of the colours can be used.  I'm very happy with my Naked Basics palette in fact I'm on my second one, not so impressed with the Naked Basics 2 as the colours are lighter and I don't get much use out of them but I probably need to give more of a try.  

The thing about the UD eye shadows is that they are really good quality, not much fall out, if any, and really good to blend.  They also last a long time particularly if an eye shadow primer is used and don't tend to smudge if you rub your eyes accidentally!

So ... this palette is now on my wishlist.  I don't need it but I will use it.  

Thanks Urban Decay!

**Photocredit Urban Decay

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Bliss Thinny Thin Chin Cream

One of the things that started to bother me last year was that I noticed were little lines appearing on my neck.  I'm super irritated by it, but it's to be expected I suppose.  Unfortunately I've always been a bit rubbish with moisturising my neck, absolutely resolute day in, day out for my face but sort of forgot my neck (I'm the same with my hands, they always need a bit of tlc).

Anyway, I was browsing in M&S before Christmas, (I absolutely love the M&S beauty department by the way, there's so much to see and it's nicely set out) and I came across the Bliss brand. Now, I was looking for a hydrating face cream, not a neck cream and I did get a Bliss face cream which I'll review separately but I was intrigued by this cream and couldn't resist.

So, who are Bliss?

Bliss are brand used in Spa's all over the US, I guess it's a bit like the Champneys Spa's, the products are for the Spa but you can get them in the shops as well.  You can also to a Bliss Spa here in the UK (see website for info).  Anyway, Bliss are big business, all their skincare products are devised by dermatologists and plastic surgeons so it's pretty safe to say that if they say it's a product that will help ageing skin then it probably will.

The Cream

Firstly, how cute is the name of this product? Everyone wants a 'thinny, thin chin' and if it can be one where the lines are hidden then so much the better.  It comes in a pump action bottle which I really like because it means that you don't end up getting too much out and not being able to put it back.  I hate waste and at that price (£33.00 for 50ml) you really don't want to waste a single particle.

The cream is smoothed in upwards strokes on your neck and chin and also works on the décolleté and cleavage crease area too (I've got little lines there as well).

Results?

Well, I'll say this for the Bliss Thinny Thin Chin Cream, I did notice an difference, once it sinks in it sort of tightens everything immediately.  You're supposed to put it on twice a day but I always forget at night and only do it in the morning.  I think once I start wearing t shirts with lower necks and ditch my polo neck jumpers I'll be more aware that I need to use it!  It also has a really gorgeous smell and it's not greasy, it doesn't leave icky residue all over your hands that you feel you have to wash off.

The ultimate test is whether the product would make it into my basket again, and this really would.  There's a little intake of breath at the £33.00 price tag, however I don't mind paying for something if I think I'm getting something out of it, and with this I do.  It matches the price of the other high end brands in the M&S beauty department, actually some are more expensive so it's a swings and roundabouts situation I guess, personal preference and all that.  I'm actually quite pleased that I tried the Bliss products, I wouldn't be adverse to trying something else in their range, I would quite like to give the Triple Oxygen Instant Energising Eye Gel a try.

Bliss Thinny Thin Chin Neck Firming Cream

A Basically Beauty Welcome

Hello and welcome to Basically Beauty.

What is it and who am I?  Read on!

A blog for forty plusses 💅

I've been in the 'blogosphere' for a while now, since I started my other blog Beauty Aware five years ago.  I've realised over this time that I only actually ever read a few blogs (less than about ten) where the products that are reviewed are 'age appropriate' and by that I'm talking about getting older and all that comes with it, the lines, the skin changes, the way all of a sudden black eyeliner makes me look like Rocky Balboa after five rounds with Mr T, so I've had to switch to grey or dark brown.  It occurred to me that it might be helpful to share all the little ageing changes and the products I'm using now.  The reason it's for forty plusses is because it was around the age of 40 that I noticed my face start to change a bit and started changing my products regularly, mainly face wash and moisturiser.  I remember doing a lot of face wash research as they all seemed to be drying my skin out around that time.

How I feel about ageing 💅

I'll be honest, I really don't mind about getting older.  My philosophy is that despite trying to put the brakes on it, nobody has ever invented a 'stop ageing' drug so we really need to just accept and embrace it.  For older women, the beauty industry is mainly tailored to make us feel like we need to do everything in our power to look young but actually I don't want to look young, I just want to look and feel the best that I can at the age I am.  And if I can find a product to disguise the little ageing things that annoy me when I look in the mirror then so much the better.  Just because we want to look our best doesn't make us vain, it's a personal thing.

My beauty background 💅

I'm not a make up artist or a hairdresser and the only thing I've done in the beauty industry is work for Avon for a little while (which was quite a beauty learning experience let me tell you).  So, I'm not an expert but I have been wearing make up for 30 years, tried several hundred skin and hair care products and an avid beauty magazine and book reader.  So I know what works for me and what doesn't and that's what I want to share, plus any good advice I get from anywhere else!  There's a bit more about me on the aptly named About Me page if you want to know a bit more.

My photos 💅

I'm intending to splash quite a few photos of my face on this blog, mainly to show colours, blusher, lipstick that kind of thing.  I don't airbrush anything out of my face at all, what you see is me, as far as it can be seen on a screen I guess.  For photos of make up I'll always try to get the colour as close as I can to the real thing as it's unhelpful not to.  I don't have a fancy camera so I do have to do some lightening of my make up photos at times.

Finally ... 💅

I really hope people enjoy reading this blog, I can't say how frequently I will post at the moment even though I am determined to properly blog plan for this one but what I will say that I will love it just as much as I love Beauty Aware and I hope people find it useful.  Let's get some beauty chat going forty plusses (and anyone else who wants to join in!)

Love, Maria

Fancy picture of some make up brushes - mine aren't that clean!

*Photo credit:  Free image from Pixabay