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01 Apr
Sali’s second selection from the Spring launches.
Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil, £29.50
Bobbi has heaps of key launches happening this year, but this new Long-Wear collection (also featuring the superb Cream Shadow Sticks) is my favourite. Seriously, this brow crayon (it’s not a pencil – I disagree with the choice of name here) is a gamechanger. If you love the slanted nib, brow spooli brush and twist up packaging of the Tom Ford Brow Sculptor, as I do, but find it’s sometimes not sharp enough for a really defined shape, then look no further. Bobbi’s has the same packaging concept but the crayon itself is thinner, sharper and doesn’t blunt over time when used properly. It goes on like a dream and absolutely won’t leave until you send it packing. I’ve even tested this range in the bath and shower and I’m pretty wowed by its staying power. This is a new staple for me – nothing fancy, no frills, no fuss, works better than anything I’ve ever used in this category. Oh, and if it weren’t perfect enough, the colour range is spot on. I wear Espresso but every one is a winner (even Rich Brown, which sounds too warm, but I promise it isn’t). My only niggle is that they’re more expensive than I’d expect a Bobbi crayon to be.
I do so love a blush stick. There’s something so satisfying about a fat, stubby stick of colour, to be stamped onto cheeks bingo-marker style. I almost always go for a creme finish (like Nars The Matte Multiple or Revlon Baby Stick) because in my experience, gels are very rarely a pleasure to work with. They’re either too sheer (I want to see my blusher, thanks) or too staining, giving me about half a second to blend and balance before they leave a vivid watermark on my dry cheeks. These are the exception to the rule. They’re moist, satiny solid-gel sticks of juicy, summery colour, that go on beautifully to leave the prettiest, gleaming, flush. You barely need to blend, in all honesty – just press on to the apples (Illamasqua’s Alex Box suggests using your palms but I’m personally into dabbing straight from the stick), and very lightly soften the outline with you middle finger (I dab what’s left on my mouth to get rid). So easy for summer. There are only two cheek shades, but there’s a third coffee-tinted colour (called Gel Sculpt) for contouring, if that’s your poison.
Melvita Apicosma UHT Soothing Cream, £30
This is such a lovely cream, but is so pared down and simple that there’s almost not enough to write about. And I mean that in a good way. It’s for skin that is inflamed, red, sore, allergic, stressed and shattered. It contains honey and shea butter (oilies should probably avoid for this reason) but still feels light and ungreasy – it’s far less rich and buttery than something like my beloved Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv, for example. It’s hypoallergenic, preservative free (not that I have any issues with parabens, but some skins are sensitive to them), is pasteurised and packed into an air locked pump to discourage bacteria growth and any other potential allergens. Despite this somewhat paranoid approach, Apicosma also boasts the most beautiful, natural, creamy scent, a bit like a just-bathed baby. It gives an unexpectedly smooth, matte base for makeup and can also be used as a night cream. It’s a good one for sensitive non oily skins, of any age, and I can imagine it being popular with razor-burned men. I just like it worn over Vichy Aqualia Thermal serum as a little R&R after too much product testing. Despite all this love, I’m going to lay it on the line here and say that three or four years after discovering Melvita, I’m still very much trying to talk myself into their bucolic packaging vibe.
Part I of Sali’s Spring selection can be found here.
The post Spring Favourites Part II appeared first on Sali Hughes Beauty.
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