English and European Law student Anna Freund shares her Beauty Essentials with us:
1. MORROCAN OIL
Since I came to London my hair has been less shiny and I feel like it’s often frizzy & that really annoyed me because I used to have lovely shiny hair without doing anything at all. But well, .. now I have Marrocanoil which does the trick! My hairdresser recommended it to me and although I was reluctant to buy it at first (it’s very expensive in Austria where I come from), I finally did when I saw the result after she used it on my hair. Now, I use it nearly every day – either after washing my hair or before I go out and I just want my hair to look and feel more healthy.
I have also tried light Morrocan oil which is for blonde hair but to be honest I didn’t feel a difference (apparently it’s lighter because blonde hair tends to get greasy more easily because of its very fine structure). My mum always used the Morrocan oil hairspray. I don’t really ever use hairspray but I tried it a few days ago because I had a very nice hair do for a ball and sprayed Morrocan oil hairspray to fix it, went out all night & just brushed it out when I came back home .I didn’t have to wash it out which is what I usually have to do because hairspray tends to be so sticky. For Christmas my mum bought be the Morrocan oil shine hairspray which is basically a diffuser for the normal oil. I prefer the oil for normal use but I have to say that when I go to balls and want my hair to be really really shiny and I spray it all over my head and it adds instant shine!
2. ORIGIN’S YOUTHTOPIA FOUNDATION
The second product I have to mention is Origin’s Youthtopia Foundation which I have been using for about 5 years now. I has very very light shades as well which seem nearly impossible to find from other make-up brands. I love this foundation because it gives great coverage but it looks so natural as if you would not wear make-up at all. And it is not a matte foundation which I like because I prefer a little glow.
I don’t know why BUT I don’t find the foundation anywhere anymore. Apparently they don’t sell it in Austria anymore and I think they have generally discontinued this product. According to their website (yes, I have immediately checked their website!) they have one other foundation available but I haven’t tried it yet.
3. YVES SAINT LAURENT’S TOUCHE ÉCLAT FOUNDATION
The reason why I am
writing about YSL’s Touche Éclat Foundation is because there has been so
much fuss about this foundation & I was very eager to try it because let’s
admit it the Touche Éclat Concealer is incredible (although overpriced if you ask me!).
Anyways, I bought the foundation immediately after it was available & was
so excited that they had to many available shades. BUT I took the lightest one
and it is still too dark for me which I find incredibly annoying. They have to
kinds of tones, one which is more rosy (which is what I need) and one which is
more yellow. Apparently they yellow one is available a bit lighter (at least
that is what the sales person told me), but it looked too yellow for me. I
haven’t checked in a big store like Selfridges so it’s possible that the shop
where I was was simply not well stocked. I love the design of the bottle: typically
YSL with a gold lid and the logo. I just think it looks very elegant and
simple, which I love. The texture of the make-up is really good as well and
after applying it you really do see a little but of a glow / shimmer on your
skin and I think that makes it look more healthy and fresh. BUT I felt that I
had to re-apply it all the time & also that it didn’t give very good
coverage which I need because my skin tends to break out quite a lot & then
I have read spots all over my face.. . Also, it is very expensive in Austria.
If I remember well I paid about 80 Euros for it & I don’t think it is worth
it. But I found out it is much less expensive in the UK (so unfair..)!
4. KIKO’S LONG LASTING STICK EYE
SHADOW
Kiko is a make-up brand from Milan & I know it from one of my best friends who regularly travels to Italy & she always brought me nail polish from Kiko, which is great as well. I have spent my New Year’s Eve in Rome last year and everything was rather expensive so we decided to restrict out shopping to Kiko make-up products. One thing I bought was the “Long Lasting Stick Eye Shadow” in a gold tone (number 07) & I have been using it regularly since then. I usually apply it under my eyes instead of kajal because I think it makes my eyes more shiny. It promised to last for 8 hours & although I haven’t tested it I think it really does last that long. I never have to re-apply it at all & it stays where it is supposed to.
5. CHRISTIAN DIOR’S EYEBROW SET
I LOVE the fact that big eyebrows are back in fashion! During summer I have stopped plugging my eyebrows altogether and let them grow naturally. I felt that my eyebrows are quite thick when I saw them after two months without touching them. Now, I may plug one or two hairs when they are really not in place but otherwise I leave my eyebrows as they are and have to say it’s looks much better than before & it saves me quite a lot of time!
Back to Dior’s make-up palette. I started using it again when I wanted to emphasise my eyebrows and found it in one of my make-up bags. It has three different shades of brown, one shade of beige and one black powder kajal. As you can see I mostly used the really light beige shade for my eyes, the second brown shade for my eyebrows and sometimes the black kajal if I want to go for a more natural look. This palette is amazing because the colour stays in place. I usually need to re-apply every other kajal but this one stays in place all day (and night). I also tried eye brow pens but I soon realised that I prefer eye brow powder. I think it looks more natural and is easier to apply.
6. MASCARAS
Now to Mascaras. I have been looking for THE perfect mascara for such a long time and I have been quite disappointed. I want a mascara to give me everything: big, long lashes and volume. In addition it is really important for me that I can remove it easily because my lashes are quite blonde and I hate to see left over mascara on them the next day.
This year I tried a lot of mascaras again and these are the ones I liked:
YVES SAINT LAURENT MASCARA – VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS
When applied more than once it makes really nice and thick eye lashes which is great for going out but maybe too much for a natural day look. And again, I love the design (somehow I feel drawn to gold!) & I think make-up products should also look nice because isn’t it great to open your make-up bag and think “oh so many lovely shiny things!”? In addition I really like the smell. I don’t know why.. it has a very light smell but somehow I find it very nice.
LANCÔME PARIS – HYPNÔSE
My mum has been using Lancôme for a long time and I have to say I generally like all their products. Hypnôse is the mascara I have used for nearly the whole year. I think it’s great and it does everything for me. I use this on a daily basis because applied once it creates a very nice look that is not too much but still natural. The design is very much Lancôme – just black and very sleek & beautiful.
I have tried Hypnôse Star a few days ago. Hypnôse Star contains a little bit of glitter but to be honest I couldn’t see a difference once applied to my lashes.
CHANEL INIMITABLE MASCARA
I tried this mascara in summer and I found it to be very nice as well. However, I don’t think it was very easy to take it off & I had to apply it several times to achieve a more dramatic result.
L’ORÉAL PARIS – MEGA VOLUME COLLAGEN 24
L’Oréal’s Mega Volume mascara is the last mascara I recently bought and I am very happy with it. I think it gives volume and length (why decide for only one?) & you can also apply it several times making it more an evening look. I initially bought this because I wanted to try a cheaper mascara but I have to say it is as good as the other ones! The only two things I don’t like is firstly, that sometimes when I rub my eyes or take a nap, my mascara is under my eyes.. . And secondly, the design – the mascara is very big and round with white writing on it. But I would still buy it again as I am very happy with my lashes after applying it!
7. BIO-OIL
My last beauty
essential for 2012 would have to be Bio-oil. My mum bought it for me because I
have soo many scars and it really doesn’t look very nice. Bio-oil is supposed
to help scars disappear when used regularly for more than three months.
Obviously I have not managed to go this so my scars are still there but I feel
like my skin is so much better & softer after applying Bio-oil. Even after
one application I can feel a difference. Also, it’s not horribly oily like
other skin oils but the skin absorbs it really quickly so you can put it on
& get dressed afterwards. I have also read that people use it in their
faces but I wouldn’t try it because I have combination skin & think I
should rather stick to creams for my skin type.
8. EVE LOM CLEANSER
My last beauty essential is definitely Eve Lom’s cleanser. It’s the best cleanser I have ever tried and used. It removes everything, so you don’t need individual removers for eye make-up and foundation etc. It also is really gentle and suitable for any skin type (I have combination skin and in winter my skin tends to get quite dry so it was difficult to find a perfect cleanser). The texture is very creamy and the cleanser has a light and pleasant smell. It comes with a cloth but I have hardly ever used it. I just apply the cleanser and wash it off with water.
If you decide to buy it I would recommend the big tub (200ml for £85) as it comes cheaper per ml. It really is very expensive but as I said before, I think it’s the BEST cleanser ever and it actually lasts very long. Apparently it has been voted best cleanser in the world by several beauty editors and Instyle once named it product of the year.
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