Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes
When I discovered that there was a new beauty book coming out back in September, I pre-ordered without hesitation. I am shameless enough to admit that I had no idea who Sali was, but by reading reviews on some bloggers who had a chance to get it before it came out, I assumed it was a great book.
It's such a thick book (it's got 336 pages!) and I'm still reading page 60 as it's too heavy to carry around that I don't have enough time to sit and read at home, but I can tell you this book is brilliant.
It covers various topics related to beauty, from skincare to makeup to occasional events such as wedding or pregnancy. It's definitely a book that you "read" using your brain, not a kind that you flip a page and look at pretty pictures and enjoy. It's got loads of information but because she doesn't ramble at all and always gets to the point, it doesn't feel overwhelming. You start seeing her as your girl friend who has an incredible knowledge about beauty.
She says "It's pointless" to a pointless thing, and "It's useless" to a useless thing. There are some things that I don't agree with her because clearly we have different habits and cultures, but I still enjoy her philosophy and appreciate the fact she is sharing her experiences and knowledge with us.
If you love beauty, I'm sure you will enjoy this book. It doesn't matter how much knowledge you already have, whether you just started loving beauty recently, or you have been a beauty addict for decades, there is something you enjoy in this book.
One downside is that she doesn't recommend any specific products although she mentions the names of brands. She writes like "I like concealers from ***, *** and ***" but do not mention which particular ones they are. If she didn't want to recommend any products, she shouldn't have mentioned the brands either in my opinion because it feels pointless. Well, it's just my opinion but I would have enjoyed much more if she could recommend some products too, because I personally want to know her favourites.
Overall this is such a fun book to read for a beauty junkie like me. It's like a must-have beauty bible. I would love to give this book as a Christmas gift if I had a friend who is into beauty. If you are not sure whether you should buy it or not, check out Amazon.co.uk where you can read a few pages. And now it's 11 pound on Amazon.co.uk instead of the normal retail price which is 22 pound for some reason. (Not fair that it's 4,000yen on Amazon.co.jp though!) so now is the time to purchase if you are interested! :)
I had been a black liquid eyeliner type of girl for more than 10 years. I had never liked pencil eyeliners as they would smudge -or that's what I thought. This year, none-black eyeliners are on trend in Japan. Paired with berry toned lips, a brown eyeliner crates a sophisticated look. I started collecting autumnal eyeliners a couple of months ago, and here I'm sharing my favourites.
From top: Sweet Salon W Eyeliner (eyeshadow end), Sweet Salon W Eyeliner (eyeliner end), Visee Color Impact Gel Liner, Dodo Liquid Eyeliner, Dolly Wink Eyeliner
Sweet Salon W Eyeliner has two ends, one with a brown liquid eyeliner which is a tad too weak in terms of pigmentation by itself, and another end with a shimmery gorgeous eyeshadow which looks so pretty on top of the eyeliner. You don't even need any eyeshadow as long as you have this eyeliner as it's easy to create a neutral look with it.
Dolly Wink Eyeliner in Dark Brown is my current favourite for sure, the brush is so thin which makes it super easy to draw both very thin lines (as shown in the photo above) and dramatic winged lines. The shade is perfect for those who don't like orangy brown as it's deeper and darker.
This eyeliner was the first product I had ever tried from the Korean brand, dodo. The eyeliner is in metallic copper that again, doesn't look orangy at all and suits my eye colour. The brush isn't thin enough to my liking but the colour is amazing. I like applying a nude eyeshadow as a base, and use this metallic eyeliner to add a little bit of a twist.
Last but not least, Visee Color Impact Gel Liner in PU100 is my first ever pencil eyeliner that I love. It glides on so smoothly and makes it easy to draw a straight line. You only have like 5 seconds to smudge before it sets, but the great thing is that it never moves once it's set. It never transfers to my eyelid, or the bottom part of my eye. The shade PU is a gorgeous burgundy shade that goes well with brown eyeshadow. The limited shades are coming out soon in the end of November, which I'm so looking forward to getting my hands on.
I am into brown mascaras too which go well with these eyeliners. I would like to explore more coloured eyeliners, as they are fun and different. To me black eyeliners are kind of boring right now and when I wear them, I feel like I'm put too much makeup on. Now I would love to try some coloured gel liners too!
In the book I'm currently reading, Pretty Honest from Sali Hughes, there is a line that says "I feel sad and frustrated by how many woman have been convinced they must avoid oil to prevent oiliness" followed by another line "I am entirely understanding about why oil-free moisturisers are a more comfortable, matte and practical make-up base by day, but I would still advocate a light facial oil at night".
I have dry skin during winter, and it becomes more like combination skin in spring and summer. Which makes it hard for me to fully understand what it's like to have oily skin all year round, but I believe what Sali is saying is true. A good facial oil helps your skin a lot. Today I'm going to share my favourite face oils for different purposes.
For an intensive hydration treatment.....
Suki Balancing Facial Oil $32.95
This amazing oil specially made for oily to combo skin is from an American brand called Suki. I have used their brilliant face scrub before and since then I fully trust their products. I got this oil from Vitacost.com (I put the link above), and I am so glad I did.
According to the website, what this oil does is this : "Non-clogging sebum equalizing complex™ - jojoba, borage & hazelnut – matches skin's own complex chemistry balancing designed specifically to deeply deliver perfect hydration for overall harmony"
I apply it on my face after cleansing it, and massage for a minute or so. Then I place a hot towel on my face and relax until the towel gets cold. Once it's cold, I heat it up again, then do the same until I feel that the oil is fully absorbed into my skin. The blend of lavender and chamomile essential oils helps to relax as well.
Once the oil has sunk in completely, I apply lotion and moisturiser as usual. My skin feels like a baby's butt whenever I do this, this is definitely my favourite way to pamper my skin.
For cleansing.....
Badger Organic Beauty Balm Damascus Rose $13.59
I was inspired to use this balm as a cleansing balm when I read a blog post by Alix from I COVET THEE. In this post HERE, she is introducing this balm from Neal's Yard as a cleansing balm. But this is sold as a mositurising balm that you use after moisturiser.
So I thought, using a balm as a cleansing balm could be pretty good, and I was right. It's very moisturising and surprisingly it does remove makeup too. But one thing you need to be careful is to make sure to use a muslin cloth to remove, otherwise it repels water. I'm not a big fan of a muslin cloth, but I have no choice but to use it when I cleanse my face with this balm.
The scent is divine, a blend of lavender, rose and chamomile which is pretty soothing and relaxing.
As a serum.....
Terracuore Damask Rose Dew Oil 6,696yen
If you haven't tried anything from this Japanese brand Terracuore, you are missing out. Although I'm not a big fan of organic beauty products, their products are amazing I have to admit. And the weird thing is, their products never broke me out. They have an organic farm in Italy and develop the products in Japan. Their damask rose cleansing milk has been very popular and I am a big fan of it too.
This oil is tiny and pretty pricey but trust me, it's worth it. I use it before or after moisturiser as a serum, depending on my skin condition....or let's say, my mood. It smells absolutely brilliant, it smells like a rose bouquet without being overpowering. I am not a big fan of rose -scented beauty products, as I often find them smelling too strong and feminine, but this one is just beautiful.
I apply one drop of it on my entire face and leave it as it is until next morning. I admit it doesn't sink in immediately and it does go on my pillow a little bit, but it's not sticky or greasy at all. On the next morning, my pores look smaller and my skin looks plumped. Sometimes I feel that it works better than the expensive serum that I'm using.
Facial oil is definitely effective, and I cannot live without them. I strongly recommend you to try the hot towel treatment with a good facial oil if you are not used to it, because it doesn't leave the oily feel on the skin at all yet it definitely hydrates the skin. What's your favourite facial oil?
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