MAC Cosmetics A/W16 Trend Presentation

TheFoundationDirectory.blogspot.com; MAC A/W16 Trends

It seems really odd to be talking or thinking about autumn/winter, when we've barely had a summer, but I got the fab opportunity to attend the MAC A/W16 Trends Presentation. Talking make-up and nail trends for autumn/winter this year, based on designs done on the catwalks of fashion week.

Make-up Trends

Let's start with the make-up trends; It's going to be all about the lightweight base, something we are more accustomed to in summer, allowing the skin to show through, no make-up make-up if you like. NOw don't be shocked, but apparently contouring is going out, yes there's an 'anti-contouring' trend on the horizon, according to MAC. I guess this goes hand in hand with a much more lightweight base and skin looking more like skin.

TheFoundationDirectory.blogspot.com; MAC A/W16 Trends

Of course we expect a dark lip for autumn/winter, but MAC is trying to reinvent how this is applied, think grungy but sophisticated. Imperfect lip lines, that are smudgy around the edges. Also glossy lips are in, new technology will allow us to apply a glossy lip that lasts, without the need for multiple reapplications using MAC's lipglass. Eye liner is also being applied haphazardly, as if you've made a mistake, not just sticky strictly to the lash line area. Of course the nude isn't going anywhere either, but think true nudes, that actually look like your own lip colour almost as if you're not wearing a lip colour. It's all about lip prep before application, so you don't actually require that much colour. Also heart shaped lips are in, on the catwalk these were drawn in on the models, where their cupids bows were very exaggerated. Again prepping lips so they look as plump as possible prior to colour application.

Nails

The main thing here I guess is that short nails are out and long pointy nails are in, which is great for me, but I'm sure pointy nails have been in for a while (think stiletto nails). Nails are still matte, but not flat and glamorous, but with an edge and some attitude. Another catwalk trend that may not necessarily translate to everyday is painting the actual fingers, yes, extending the polish down your thumb for instance. It'll only last the night, but it'll be interesting to see if this actually takes off. My favourite of the nail trends however is the idea of not forgetting the back of the nail, that's right a little colour or bling applied to the underside of the nail, which again I guess goes hand in hand with short nails being out! Nail art is going to be paired way back, and be reserved for the underside of the nail too. Also MAC are trying to reinvent the classic french manicure, by leaving them clear instead of painting them white. Pastel nails are also going to be big in A/W, but these are going to be applied with a shimmer topcoat that makes them easier to wear and less chalky. I'd like to see that in practice, as pastel colours can be difficult to pull off on deeper skin tones, it'll be interesting to see if the shimmer topcoat makes a difference.

Obviously trends are just guidelines, and some catwalk trends won't translate to every day wear as easily. Always feel free to continue to wear your make-up and nails however makes you happy, rules are there to be broken after all.

What are your thoughts on these A/W MAC Trends?

Kiko Cosmetics - The Artist Collection

(Source: Kikocosmetics.com via google)

The Italian brand Kiko bring us The Artist Collection, inspired by the world of art and looks at your face as the canvas and these products are your artist's tools. We can now all be our own artist and create a work of art on our face. I love the idea behind this collection, and the collection itself doesn't disappoint, all at very affordable price points.

The full collection consists of;

• Glacial Light Soft Sifter Foundation £12.90
• Velvet Loose Mineral Beauty Powder £10.90 – 4 shades
• Blending Wave Multi color Blush £10.90 – 4 shades
• Fine Art Eye Pencil £5.90 – 6 shades
• Signature Eye marker £6.90
• Artist Powder Face Brush £13.90
• Artist Foundation Face Brush £13.90
• Artist Eye Duo Brush £11.90
• Artist Pochette £9.90
• Blooming Glow £13.90
• Glowing Pearl Cushion Highlighter £8.90
• Artist Stroke Mineral Loose Eye shadow £6.90 - 6 shades
• Colour Click Lipstick £6.90
• Fine Art Lip Pencil £4.90 - 6 shades
• Artist Pochette - Make-up bag £9.90

TheFoundationDirectory; Kiko Artist Collection

Firstly I love the packaging of this collection, the clean white with splashes of colour, how the lip pencil is literally shaped like an artist's pencil and the push click delivery system of the lipstick. I will be discussing the latter 5 items on the blog today, starting with the Glowing Pearl Cushion Highlighter, that literally has a cushion ball applicator like how an artist may use a sponge to smudge colours into a canvas. You twist the applicator up from the bottom, and the smudge or dab onto areas of your face you would like to highlight. It's a gorgeous pale golden shade, that can either give a subtle lit from within glow or built up for full on look for you highlighter fiends out there. Then the Colour Click Lipstick that's very reminiscent of Chanel's lipstick delivery system, where you push the bottom of the lipstick and it pops out. There are 5 shades in total, I have the shade 03 Clamourous Strawberry, it's a bright pink shade. This lipstick is super creamy and glides on the lips, it has a satin finish. Then I have the Fine Art Lip Pencil in the matching shade, which is highly pigmented, creamy and also glides along the lips. They have a sort of rounded triangle shape, in the guise of an actual artist's pencil, great for stopping it from rolling away while you're doing your make-up. Now for the Artist Stroke Mineral Loose Eye shadow, I have the shade 05 Skill Blue, a super glittery royal blue colour. I love the mesh style delivery system in the packaging, so if you dropped this eye shadow you wouldn't make as much of a mess as with typical loose eyeshadows. And finally is the Make-up Pochette, a gorgeous make-up bag that I would be more inclined to carry as a clutch bag on a night out lol!!!

Kiko is a great affordable brand, that offers great quality items at affordable price points. If you would like any items from this collection, I wouldn't hang around as it's limited edition, you can find what's left of it here.  

Ojon Damage Reverse Treatment, Rare Blend Deep Conditioner & Oil (Plus Giveaway)

If like me you've been living under a rock and didn't realise that the retail giant Estee Lauder had acquired Ojon in 2007, now you know lol!!! However the founder of Ojon, Denis Simioni remains as president, now Ojon sits alongside Origins. Origins was founded in the 90's by Estee Lauder's son William P. Lauder, and is one of the original Lauder companies. I was invited down by Origins to the Ojon Restorative Hair Clinic to get a hair consultation by the fabulous Jennie Roberts, and was given a hair prescription of Ojon products to cater to my hairs needs.

The basis of the Ojon range is 'Ojon Oil', which is included in all their products, and Ojon refer to as nature's golden elixir. It's Palm Nut oil that grows on trees in Hondura, the oil within these nuts is extracted by hand by a local community in Central America called Tawira, Tawira in their native language literally translates to 'people of beautiful hair', Ojon states their products are clinically proven to transform hair back to great health.

Ojon Damage Reverse Treatment, Rare Blend Oil & Deep Conditioning Treatment

First up in my prescription was the Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment, a pre-shampoo deep conditioning treatment for damaged hair. This claims a 64% improvement in dry, damaged hair after just one treatment, when left on overnight, which I'm yet to try this method. It's a highly concentrated balm textured intensive hair treatment, that hydrates and improves the condition of damaged hair. Fortified with pure 'Ojon Oil' that is rich in essential lipids similar to those found naturally in hair, you apply this to dry hair, rubbing the product to transform it into an oil first. I left this on for 20 minutes in conjunction with my Heattreat Cap, my hair felt soft and hydrated following this, I then rinsed my hair and followed with shampoo.

Next is the Rare Blend Deep Conditioner, formulated with potent hair repairing oils, it protects, softens and boosts shine.  it contains two Potent phases;

1. Amber Phase; A restorative blend of 7 rare oils, including hair repairing ‘Ojon Oil’, African Shea, Brazilian Muru Muru and Indian Kokum butters.
2. Ivory Phase; A moisture rich cream infused with deeply nourishng plant derived conditioners.

I apply a generous amount to wet hair, comb through with a wide tooth comb as it has a nice amount of slip it's great for detangling, I leave it for 5-10 minutes and rinse. If I’m not using the Damage Reverse Hair treatment, I would use this as my deep conditioner and leave on my hair with the Heattreat Cap for about 20 minutes. This can also be used as a leave in if you like rocking your natural curls out.

Last but by no means least, is the Rare Blend Oil - Total Hair Therapy, for thick or coarse damaged hair. Ojon gathered potent natural oils known for their healing powers and infused them into 3 hair reparative phases; Amber, Crystal and Red. Ojon state that only one drop is needed for this oil to protect, nourish, repair and transform dull, dry or damaged hair. On my hair type I required more than a drop, this oil is lovely and lightweight, that still left my hair feeling nourished and hydrated.

Ojon Damage Reverse Treatment & Rare Blend Oil Giveaway

You can find all these products and more at Origins.co.uk, but so you can also experience some of the Ojon magic, I am doing a twitter giveaway, where you could win the Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment and the Rare Blend Oil - Total Hair Therapy. All you have to do is go to my profile (twitter.com/aallexxy) and retweet and like the pinned tweet, you must obviously be a follower of mine, the giveaway closes on the 20th May and a winner will be chosen w/c 23rd.  

Good luck

Mahoghany Naturals Review and Giveaway

TheFoundationDirectory; Mahogany Naturals

 If you follow me on twitter and Instagram you may already be aware that I am now a Brand Ambassador for Mahogany Naturals. Mahoghany Naturals is a brownbeauty owned brand, created by Tope Beesley in 2012, Tope is an award winning curly hair stylist and certified aromatherapist and created this brand to address the needs of Curly and Afro textured hair. The brand has recently gone thorough a re-branding and is expanding it's product range to address hair, face and body with an adult and kids range. This brand creates spa quality natural and organic products that are cruelty free and vegetarian friendly, they are hand made in small batches to maintain freshness.

TheFoundationDirectory; Mahogany Naturals

I was sent my first batch of items from the brand that included the Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo, Brazilian Butter Damage Reverse Treatment and the Luscious Hair Milk. The Damage Reverse Treatment is an amazing strengthening treatment, if your hair loves protein it will love this deep treatment, my hair instantly felt stronger after the first use and it smells absolutely amazing. This treatment is for those with dry, damaged and colour treated hair and it is a pre-shampoo treatment applied on damp hair. It contains an array of Butters including Brazilian Nut Butter, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter to name a few as well as Aloe Vera, Avocado Oil, Emu Oil (see full list of ingredients on the website).

I follow this treatment with the Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo that is full of happy scalp ingredients to gently, but thoroughly cleanse your hair without stripping it, a very difficult combination to achieve. This shampoo will clean your hair, balance your scalp, smooth your cuticle and remove buildup. It contains Apple Cider Vinegar as the first ingredient, which will help maintain the hair and scalps PH level, remove buildup without stripping the hair of it's natural oils.
It also seals the hair cuticle, making hair smoother, softer and shinier helping hair maintain moisture and prevent split ends, it also treats dandruff and itchy scalp, works as a natural detangler and encourages hair growth. Need I say more, if you struggle with the smell of Apple Cider Vinegar, this maybe a great alternative. It also contains Avena Sativa Oats, Shea Butter and Argan Oil to name a few, I was worried this wouldn't lather up, but it creates a beautiful gentle lather, while being sulfate free.

And next is the Luscious Hair Milk a daily leave in conditioner and moisturiser, great for dry damaged hair in need of intense moisture, it reduces breakage, detangles, moisturises and defines curls. It can be applied to damp or dry hair and is great for use before blow drying, which is how I like to use it. It contains Sweet Almond oil, Mango Oil, Vitamin E among other things and also smells great.

This is a great truly organic natural luxury brand, that creates great products that work without all the nasty's we all want to try and avoid. The Damage Reverse Treatment is £40, the Shampoo is £20 and the Luscious Hair Milk is £25 all are 250ml and if you head over to my instagram now, there's a giveaway to win this amazing Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo. To check out the rest of the range head over to Mahoganynaturals.co.uk, you can also find her products here and here as well as in Xsandy's Hair & Beauty Shop in Lewisham Shopping Center.

Have you tried anything from this brand? Any recommendations of what I should try next?

Pretty Honest; The Straight Talking Beauty Companion

I get really weary of buying beauty books and the like, just because there's so much available for free on the internet, I always wonder what extra I'm going to get that I haven't already heard, read and watched for free. However I had actually been contemplating this purchase, so when given the opportunity to review it I jumped at it, as I like Sali Hughes straight forward and honest approach to beauty.

TheFoundationDirectory; Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes

The great thing about this book is you can read the chapters independently, so for a busy working mum like myself I can skip straight to the sections of interest, and have the book to hand to draw on whenever I need it. One of my biggest bugbears is 1. Assuming I'm wearing makeup to cover up bad skin (I love skincare just as much as makeup), 2. Assuming because I wear makeup I'm unintelligent, 3. Assuming because I wear makeup I'm shallow, ok so that's more than one. Reading the introduction in this book was like have a good natter with my bestie; ranting and moaning about the same thing and realising you really get each other. But it's also nice to hear it from a well respected journalist, almost gives it extra validation, if it was ever needed.
 

TheFoundationDirectory; Sali Hughes - Pretty Honest

After reading the Introduction, the chapter on Skin Types and Managing Counter Staff (great tips by the way), I jumped straight to the section on Foundation, and by the second page I read this.....'And how women of colour manage to leave the department stores without attacking a make-up counter with their handbag is beyond me, so under-served or plainly ignored are they by very many brands'.....I fell in love with Sali even more.  

 

Now I haven't had the chance to read the book cover to cover (see busy working mum reference above), but I do feel like I've got a treasure on my hands, I'll make reference to this book time and time again, after all there's nothing better than being curled up on the sofa, drink in hand with a good book.

Sali Hughes Pretty Honest is out now in paperback, you can find it here, here and here.

Do you buy beauty books? Have you read this one? What others would you recommend?

Byterry Light Expert Click Brush Foundation for Darker Skin Tones

If you follow me on instagram and/or snapchat (Aallexxy1) you would have seen that last summer I got invited to a Byterry event for the launch of a new high tech foundation for the busy on the go woman, it was Light Expert Click Brush, I eagerly and excitedlyattended. So you can understand my dismay/frustration when, even with 6 shades on offer, the darkest shade was no match for me.

Byterry Light Expert Click Brush Event last Summer (darkest shade on offer)

During the event they were questions from fellow brown beauty bloggers as to why this was the case, we were promised that these were in the works, but due to the high tech formula they were taking longer to develop and perfect than the lighter shade counter-parts. It was a synchronised eye-rolling moment for us all, as I personally felt it was another line to fob us off, especially as we were told we could use the current darkest shade (see above) to highlight. So to my delight fast forward to about a week ago when I got an email from the Global Brand Ambassador for Byterry inviting me to a Light Expert Click Brush Workshop for darker skin tones at the office in London. I obviously went along, expecting maybe 1-3 extras shades for brown beauties, much to my delight they are planning to expand the range by 6 shades and wanted input before mass producing the products for a September release.

TheFoundationDirectory; New Byterry Light Expert Click Brush Shades

Pictured above are lab samples, so I don't know the official shade names, but I did get to apply this foundation on my skin. If you like a lightweight serum textured base with light-medium coverage, that can be applied on the go, on top of pre-existing makeup without caking then this is definitely for you. If you follow me on snapchat you would have seen how the makeup still looked pretty after several hours of wear, once I receive my official sample I will do another post with swatches and wear time, I can't wait for this to be released.

Wearing one of new shades of Byterry Light Expert Click Brush with Terry Degunzburg (Founder)

I have to say this is very impressive from the brand, it shows they really care and what to embrace the woman of colour as a serious customer, with much larger brands choosing to ignore us, it's nice to be able to write this post. I also got to met the founder herself Terry Degunzburg, and watch her in action, again you would have caught this all on my snapchat. I have to say she is absolutely brilliant, she took the time to take pictures with us all, applied makeup to some, and asked what our thoughts were on her product. They also asked what other brown beauty friendly products we would like to see from the brand, telling me this isn't going to be a one off situation. This is a great example to other brands who say it can't be done, more like they don't want to do it, Byterry have secured a customer in me from this as a result.


Are you excited for the new Light Expert Click Brush shades? Have you used anything from this brand before? Do you have any recommendations?

Radiant London Salon Launch

I'm sure my fellow brown beauties know the struggle of finding a good hair salon in London, in fact I'm sure any woman can relate!!! So when I was invited to the launch of Radiant London Salon in Bermondsey, following their refurbishment I knew I had to pop down and check it out.

So what sets them apart?! Well an in house cocktail bar serving an assortment of soft and alcoholic drinks, complimentary to clients getting their hair done, an ultra modern virtual mirror with built in Lumen lighting, controlled through an app, so you can capture your salon fresh do moments after getting it done and share with friends and family instantly through social media. They also have an app you can download that features their pricing, opening times, hairstyle inspiration and much more. The Croydon branch (yet to launch) will also have an in-house DJ on Thursday, Friday & Saturday's, this might be the first salon where you go to get your hair done, rave and then go home lol!!! They also have a great in-house nail technician who did my nails using shellac gel during the launch event (check out my instagram), and even in the rushed environment on the night due to a long list of people wanting to get their nails done, I was impressed with her work.


At the launch event the lovely Brunetta, owner of DemureLashes, was manning the Lash Bar and applying her great mink strip lashes on the night. I also got a look at the wigs displayed on the Wig Bar, Radiant can create these customers specifications, whether you bring your own hair or they provide it for you.

TheFoundationDirectory; DemureLashes/Radiant Salon Launch

Now of course all this means nothing if they are no good at doing hair, or if the customer service is not on par, Rita Balogun (please note female, brown beauty owned and to boot she's Nigerian, yes I'm bias lol) takes pride in delivering an excellent customer experience and wants to take this to a new level, ensuring all customers receive star treatment and have a 'radiant' experience. I am yet to get my hair done in this newly refurbishment salon, but they have been nominated for several awards by Black Beauty/Sensational Awards and L'Oreal Professional Awards and have a celebrity clientele that includes the likes of Laura Mvula and AJ Odudu.


Just check out their instagram (radiant_salon) for examples of their work, the Bermondsey branch will open its doors to the public on Tuesday 2nd March, I look forward to having my first 'radiant experience' in the newly refurbished establishment.


Will you be paying Radiant a visit?


Alex

DHC Beauty Lift

DHC introduces the ultra hydrating Beauty Lift Series, a range of products to hydrate, smooth and give skin an instant firmer feel and appearance, the collection is different in that it has a lightweight, calming formula compared to some more heavier anti-ageing options. The range includes 4 products; Beauty Lift Lotion (Toner), Beauty Lift Essence (Serum), Beauty Lift Milk and Beauty Lift Cream.

          

The Beauty Lift Lotion (Toner), is the first step to be used after cleansing, DHC call their toners lotions because there said to be just as hydrating as a lotion and I can vouch for that. This is a hydrating toner said to reduce the look of fine lines and prepare skin for moisturiser, it contains Oat Kernel to provide vital moisture, Ceramide-3 to promote barrier strength, Pentapepide-18 to improve elasticity and minimise expression lines and Mevalonolactone to ensure all this essential hydration is held in the skin. If you're like me and love a spray toner, decant some of this into a spray bottle and mist over skin, it'll feel plump, soft and hydrated.

TheFoundationDirectory; DHC Beauty Lift Range

Beauty Lift Essence is a hydrating serum featuring an advanced formula of botanicals and peptides combined with olive oil, it's very lightweight and absorbs quickly into the skin, while still leaving it plump and hydrated.

Beauty Lift Milk is a lightweight moisturiser that has similar key ingredients to the toner, this moisturiser will be great for my combination skin come warmer weather, to hydrate it without creating further oil and a great base for makeup.

Beauty Lift Cream is a deeply moisturising and rich formula that I prefer to use overnight, when I do, I wake up with plump, soft and hydrated skin. Dry skin ladies will love this, all year round to beat dry flaky skin. All these products are fragrance and paraben free, and so should be suitable for even those with sensitive skin. The products range in price from £34-41, but are currently on sale on the DHC website here till the end of the month. Selected DHC products can also be found here, here and here.

Have you tired anything from the range?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex



Dermalogica's HydraBlur Primer

When this cute little package landed on my doorstep in December I was surprised and fell in love instantly, I mean look at that gorgeous personalised makeup bag, and everyone knows I love a good selfie. So I couldn't wait to open and see what would aid my pursuit of the perfect selfie lol!!! Obviously the contents of the selfie prep pack are more important than the packaging, and I'm pleased to report it didn't let me down.




TheFoundationDirectory; Dermalogica's HydraBlur Primer

So what is this HydraBlur Primer? HydraBlur is a skincare primer hybrid, Dermalogica wanted to create a primer that would not only benefit makeup application, but also skin health, and who better to do that really?! So what did they come up with? A lightweight, mattifying, blurring primer, that leaves skin with a silky smooth finish. The good thing is that mattifying doesn't mean drying, HydraBlur offers intense moisturisation, natural coverage, blurs fine lines and wrinkles and refines pores for all skin conditions especially dry and dehydrated. It contains H2ORelease Complex of Hyaluronic acid, Algin and Trehalose to optimise hydration levels throughout the day. Abyssinian Seed Oil also helps maintain moisture levels, but also smooth's skin texture and tone. Wu-Zhu-Yu fruit extract enhances skin's radiance by boosting microcirculation, micro-encapsulated tint releases upon application to provide natural coverage and mattifiers reduce shine, disguise fine lines and create a soft-focused blurred effect.


Now two things in makeup raise my eyebrow instantly (think quizzical look), that's things that claim to blur and one shade does it all tinted products. But this actually does gives a minimal blurring effect to the skin and does not leave my brown skin ashy or grey looking, in addition it instantly mattifies, but my combination skin is not left dry or dehydrated in the current cold climate.


I honestly have to say I didn't think I would like this primer this much (see raised eyebrow comment above), but I have fallen for it, what more can you want; hydration, blurring, mattification (not sure that's a word), increased makeup longevity.... Oh, I'm sure you're waiting for the catch, well here it is....it cost £38! But if you want that hybrid between makeup prep and skincare then I would definitely check this out, it's just launched and is available here, and comes in a nice squeezy tube so you can get every last bit of your product out.


Thanks for visiting the blog today


Alex

 

LUSH Christmas; Reusable Gift Wrapping (Knot Wraps)!!!

No one does christmas quite like Lush, the sparkly bath bombs, snowmans, peeping santa bubble bars and sparkly shower jellys. Not to talk about the smells, it's an explosion of christmas in a store. What got me most this year though were the Knot Wraps, did you know last year we used enough wrapping paper to go around the world 9 times, shocking right?! So Lush came up with the idea of tying your loved ones presents up in reusable gift wrapping in the form of beautiful scarves, some which are made of organic cotton and others are made from recycled plasctic bottles, yes you read that right each scarf is made up of 2 plastic bottles.

TheFoundationDirectory; Lush Knot Wraps

The idea is based on a traditional wrapping cloth called Furoshiki, used in Japan to wrap everything from gifts to groceries. All you have to do is visit your lush store, pick your chosen items for your loved one and the design of the Knot Wrap that most takes your fancy, and a member of staff will wrap them very creativily for you. You can also buy online, and and watch the video for various ways to tie your knot wrap, whic one are you going to try?! The Handbag, The Bottle Wrap or the Plaited Handle to name a few. Your loved one gets a little bit of christmas happiness from lush, as well as a Knot Wrap that they can treasure and use over and over again, with the added bonus that your also helping the environment. And at only £4.50 each, what's not to love?!



ThefoundationDirectory; Lush Winter Wonderland Christmas Gifting


If this is all a bit too fussy for you, or you want a bigger selection of items for your loved one, don't forget Lush will still have there usual Christmas Gift Sets that come beautifully pre-packaged. Like the Winter Wonderland gift above, it contains 20 of Lush's most popular bath bombs, bubble bars and bath melts for £82.95.

You can find the items here. Do you know what your choice will be this year? Knot Wrap, Gift set or both?!