The quarterly, seasonal peep into my makeup bag with all of its wondrous contents. And what a makeup bag it is! How had I not heard of the Flat Lay Co? Or seen this type of makeup bag before? It’s utterly genius! If you, like me, don’t have a permanent, dedicated place to do your makeup then you probably have a large toiletries bag that you tip out onto the bed or rug or car seat or bathroom unit every morning and then pack it all up again once you’ve finished.

What a frustrating waste of time.

And you have to tip it all out because otherwise you can’t ever find that once tiny, elusive thing that you always need, whether it’s a Q-Tip or a hair grip or a pair of needle-sharp tweezers for getting rid of your chin hairs. Well begone, frustration, for the Flat Lay bag simply spreads out all of your wares quickly and easily and, with the pull of the cord, gathers them all back up again once you’re done.

I discovered this absolute game-changer through Emily Johnston on Instagram – I’d clicked and ordered a leopard print version within around twenty seconds! You can find loads of versions of it on ASOS here* and FeelUnique here*. Oh my God, I’ve just seen the tiger one*! Why didn’t I buy the tiger one?

Sorry, lots of exclamation marks already in this post and I like to limit my displays of enthusiasm – I’ll move to deadpan mode now. Do take a look at the nifty makeup/toiletries bags from Flat Lay though, I’m so pleased with mine. And may just be about to order the one with the tigers…

So what’s in the bag? A couple of usual suspects, including the Code8 Radiate Balm* and Chanel’s excellent Les Beiges foundation*, but then a brand new bronzer discovery (I test it for the first time in the video) and another appearance from my latest mascara love. Two absolutely brilliant cream makeup products too: Trinny London’s eye2eye shadow* and Beauty Pie’s cream blush*. I cannot recommend these enough; both are soft and forgiving in texture, don’t crease or sit in lines, feel comfortable on the skin and last all day.

The Trinny shadow I show in the video is in “Fortune”, but there are so many flattering shades that it’s hard to really pick one. I like the versions with a little sheen and sparkle rather than the matte, because in one swipe they illuminate and sort of sculpt the lids and application skill needed is really very minimal. You can find the cream shadows online here* – they’re £18 and a makeup bag staple.

The cream blush in Freshfaced could be one of my all time favourite blushers; a soft, cloudy cream it works just as well applied sparingly with a small brush as it does smoothed on with fingertips. Both give a beautiful wash of bright but light coral-pink blush and it’s the most amazing antidote to tired-looking skin. There are a few shades if this one wouldn’t be right for you – you can find them all online here*. Remember to use the code RUTHSENTME for an extra £50 spending allowance* if you’re thinking of signing up to Beauty Pie – the code (and my relationship) is ongoing. The members’ price for the cream blushers is £7.32.

Watch the video to see the rest of the products in action – there’s also a spoiler list of what I’ve used further down the page. Enjoy, especially the bonus red lip at the end…

Flatlay Bags at ASOS*: https://bit.ly/3o1UwWh

Code Eight Radiate Balm (this was in W20)*: https://bit.ly/3o39fQA

Chanel Les Beiges Foundation in B30*: https://bit.ly/3i9DjqN

Hourglass Vanish Concealer*: https://bit.ly/3xZ37xs

Chantecaille Face Powder Brush*: https://bit.ly/2SF8hfq

Marc Jacobs Bronzer in 104 Tan-Tastic*: https://bit.ly/2QZnwlv

Trinny Shadow in Fortune*: https://bit.ly/33wuLUw

Kevyn Aucoin Mascara*: https://bit.ly/3xuA30D

Benefit Gimme Brow in 01*: https://bit.ly/3nN0WYY

Beauty Pie Cream Blush in Freshfaced* – get an extra £50 spending allowance at Beauty Pie with the code RUTHSENTME: https://bit.ly/3ezNTan

Clinique Lipliner Intense shade 01 Sassafrass*: https://bit.ly/3eyNk0L

Bloom and Blossom Lip Balm*: https://bit.ly/33hSHuI

Tom Ford Lipstick in Neotropic*: https://bit.ly/2RE85yT

The post What’s In My Makeup Bag? Spring 2021 appeared first on A Model Recommends.

I think that this may be my most pared-back What’s In My Makeup Bag video ever: really just the very bare minimum, with the few products I did use tested to the absolute nth degree. I filmed it quite a few weeks ago now and I still hadn’t really unpacked (catch up on house news here) and so I had been using the same makeup bits over and over again. I can’t actually believe that any of them are still going, but there’s loads left in my Chanel foundation and I barely made a dent in the Trinny cream shadows!

Anyway, this is one to watch rather than read about so that you can see the products in action. I’ve done a full review on both the Chanel Les Beiges foundation (here) and Trinny London’s cream shadows (here) if you fancy a more in-depth read on those. The Victoria Beckham lipstick is a new discovery in just the right shade of bright peachy-neutral for me and I’ll be back with a post on that when I’ve done a bit more playing around. The texture is superb!

Chanel Les Beiges Foundation in B30*: https://bit.ly/3i9DjqN

L’Oreal Back to Bronze, shade 2*: https://amzn.to/3p9Q9bk

Beauty Pie One Powder Wonder*: https://bit.ly/397PuBC

Jillian Dempsey Cream Blush in Bloom: http://www.jilliandempsey.com/shop/cheek-tints

Trinny Cream Shadows in Virtue and Fortune*: https://bit.ly/2XO41we

Chanel Mascara in Ecorces*: https://bit.ly/2KDfGdU

Victoria Beckham Lipstick in Pout: https://www.victoriabeckhambeauty.com/products/posh-lipstick

Vieve Lipliner in Brat*: https://bit.ly/3pObxn2

Gimme Brow Shade 2*: https://bit.ly/355fXxQ

The post What’s In My Makeup Bag? Winter 2021 appeared first on A Model Recommends.

I think that Chanel’s new Les Beiges Healthy Glow Makeup is an absolute triumph of a foundation relaunch. It’s so tweaked that it’s barely the same product. I didn’t ever properly review the original Healthy Glow foundation because – to get straight to the point – I wasn’t that keen on it. I had my favourite Chanel foundation already (Perfection Lumiere Velvet, now discontinued) and the Healthy Glow, for me, didn’t bring much extra to the party. Perfection Lumiere Velvet gave the most refined, flawless finish with the lightest of touches and subtlest of glows  (God only knows why you’d stop making such an absolute gem of a base) and Les Beiges gave sort of the same coverage and semi-matte finish but didn’t seem to so seamlessly disappear.

But here it is, relaunched and with twice as many shades available; it’s fresh-feeling where the original sometimes felt slightly claggy, the coverage is more sheer, more buildable and more elegant – no opaque masks here! – and the makeup feels as though it’s part of the skin rather than sitting on top in a layer.

The new version is way more hydrating too – it’s not quite on a par with Pat McGrath’s or Lauder’s Futurist, but it’s on its way. Layered over a good juicy moisturiser it looks and feels dewier and more alive than the original, but with good longevity and very little in the way of slippage in oilier zones it offers the best of both worlds: the real-skin benefits of a tinted moisturiser, the finish and coverage of a semi-velvety foundation.

Let’s take a look at the before and after photos…

This is just one very light coat of the Healthy Glow Makeup, applied with a flat-top kabuki-style foundation brush, but you can see how effortlessly it perfects the skin whilst leaving a believable, healthy sheen. This version of Les Beiges Healthy Glow really lives up to its name – there’s glow but it is very much on the natural end of the spectrum. No strobing effects here! Coverage is on the lighter side of medium but you can easily build up where you need more base and it never looks heavy or caked.

Here are the close-ups – you can see how fine and chic the finish is and that it doesn’t obliterate every imperfection but leaves a gorgeous, flexible sort of veil that evens out the skintone and adds a hint of glow:

I usually find it really hard to get into my foundation reviews – I dither about this and that and spend weeks trying it out in every sort of condition, with heavy face creams beneath or with powders on top – but I have to say that this review has been easy. Les Beiges was such a spectacularly pleasant surprise even on the first application – it’s nothing like Perfection Lumiere Velvet, my old favourite, but it definitely offers up a solid replacement.

Buy Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Makeup*

On a practical note, the new version of Les Beiges Healthy Glow doesn’t contain an SPF. I actually prefer this because I tend to wear a dedicated SPF anyway and apply foundation on top. Many like to use the sunscreen in their makeup product as a sort of light protection against incidental sun exposure, but I’m usually either all in or all out and I quite like to tick off my SPF requirement as I do my skincare routine.

Either way, it’s easy enough to add the sunscreen step before foundation if you need to, but I think that the formula feels lighter and more elegant without it built in.

So to recap: the changes in this new formula are many and varied. No SPF, much more hydrating, a lighter feel and a sheerer finish, more of a dewy glow. Over twice as many shades and slightly different packaging.

Who will love this? I honestly think that it will suit most skin types, including those on the oily side so long as they use a primer in the places they tend to have trouble with. It’s not a greasy finish by any stretch of the imagination but the formula is really hydrating so drier skin will love it – those who want a discrete, grown-up foundation that looks barely there but is actually working quite hard behind the scenes will also rate this.

I’m wearing shade B30 but will need to step back to B20 in the winter months as my lockdown tan dissipates and I apply using a brush. I usually wear a hydrating serum and moisturiser combo beneath this base – I find that too rich a cream makes most foundations just a little bit slidey – and I never need to set it with powder.

You can find the new Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow foundation at Chanel here* – it’s £41. Don’t confuse it with the old version, one that most stockists still seem to be selling! If it says SPF25 on the bottle or in the title then that’s not the guy you want…

The post Foundation Review: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Makeup appeared first on A Model Recommends.