Marc Jacobs Magic Marc’er Precision Pen Liquid Eyeliner
I know I said I was not going to buy any more USA branded things, but, in my defence, this eyeliner was made in Japan and it’s the best liquid eyeliner I’ve come across. It goes on quickly and smoothly; you can can do wings if you want them; you can use it to tightline between your eyelashes and it stays put until you take it off. I find this Cocoa shade of dark brown more flattering than black, but it’s available in that too.
Jimmy Choo Romy 60 shoes Storm Blue
Bought to match my dress for my singing diploma exam performance, Choos cater for my wide feet and I like the way you can pick a style and then pick a heel height that works for you. In the case of singing, one wants to project a little authority and height without seeming to teeter. This mid-height heel works well for me
Bombshell dresses
I bought my first Bombshell four years ago, as suggested by Denise Sanderson-Estcourt for the wedding of Brian, my father in law, and Alison. The sizing can be a bit flaky but once you’ve got to grips with that, Bombshells are terribly flattering and, dare I say it, sexy for us curvier women. This year I’ve bought three of them, reduced in their great sales, including the Heron blue dupion silk one I wore for my diploma exam. Two of mine are more formal but the others are grown-up day dresses in cotton lawn Liberty prints, great for a hot day.
Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palette – Dolce Vita
A great mix of co-ordinating colours for autumn and winter, I love the soft, pigmented nature of these eyeshadows. I always wear eyeshadow primer but these are pretty long-lasting even without that. I also have the Golden Goddess and the Beauty Glow palettes, both great on sun-kissed summer skin, and the somewhat underwhelming (for me) Sophisticate palette of neutral matte shades.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark 2 camera
This year’s big ticket item. It already takes good pictures of its won accord, goodness knows how excellent it will be when I finally work out how to use it properly. This picture shows a slice of life chez me.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder
I really like this fine powder, I take shade 2 Medium, that’s good for setting makeup and eliminating shine that builds up during the day. I’ve even “hit pan” on one of my compacts. I can’t help feeling a bit ambivalent about this brand: it’s really expensive and most of the products I’ve tried are high quality and long-lasting but I can’t help feeling that the needs of people of colour are an afterthought. Charlotte Tilbury herself is a bit gushingly sweetie darling for my liking. I know that she has to promote her brand but the hype kills it for me, really.
Thermomix
I’ve used this almost every day since I bought it. It’s a great extra pair of hands in the kitchen and costs less than paying a sous-chef.
Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick
Still the best foundation I’ve tried. My shade varies between Beige in the depths of February through Golden to Golden Tan in summer. Hourglass have added several new colours and undertones since I first explored their range, and they now have golden beige tones, which are not too yellow for me. Coverage is reliable and long-lasting, especially with primer, and a lighter tone serves well as an undereye concealer.
Hourglass Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipsticks
Having bought six Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks in the summer I found these. They’re fantastically sensual to apply with their applicator, hugely pigmented and last for ages. My confession is that I now have NINE of these lipsticks, generally the reds and plums. It’s probably worth mentioning here that I abandoned Hourglass as a US brand at the end of last year, but it’s now been bought by Unilever and is thus a European, and cruelty free, brand.
Thinx Period Pants
I continue to love these. I should mention that they aren’t always completely leakproof and it’s probably worthwhile carrying a spare pair if you’re going to be be away from home on a very heavy flow day, but I still wish they’d been developed 40 years ago. Read my full review here.
How did I miss your Thinx review. Brilliant!
Thank you! I have no idea how you missed it: you’re usually so gimlet-eyed. I’m glad you like it.