& Other Stories

Now that I'm joining in the & Other Stories hype I'm an official beauty blog, right?

I went in to Stories for the first time last Thursday and, obviously, stopped by the makeup section straight away. I played with the blushes but didn't feel like any of them had a place in my makeup bag right now (weird, right) and then I saw a woman brazenly trying on highlighters using a fluffy brush from the display case, so I made my way over there, and that's when I saw Illuminating Powder 1, which looks to me like Benefit High Beam in powder form. 

I'll admit I'm currently going through a real cream phase, but after trying it out on my hand I simply couldn't leave the shop without it. It is silky and blendable, warm enough for my summer skin colour, but definitely not too dark for my winter skin colour. Plus, duh, the packaging is so sleek. The pan is quite large and shallow so there's a high risk of it shattering once I've used a lot of it, but I shouldn't have to worry about that for a while.

I do enjoy the subtle effect - I'm pretty sure that it's impossible to over-apply this stuff. However, I've worn it every day since I bought it and have found it's not particularly long-lasting on bare skin. I'm sure if I wore foundation the wear time would improve.

I don't care because I love applying this stuff. I'm sure it won't be long before I make another & Other Stories purchase, and here's what I'm liking:

Makeup: Lip gloss tube in Cordovan Wine, this has a sort of Dior Black Tie vibe, only slightly redder, therefore easier to wear. Lip colour in Ninon Pink would be a welcome addition to my lipstick wardrobe now that I've discovered that it's okay to wear pink. Eyebrow powder in 3, because I find brow powders easier to work with than brow pencils. Moroccan Tea Body Lotion because Moroccan tea smells just divine, plus it comes with a pump!

Clothing: I've never seen a boxier ribbed tank - awesome (one can never have too many grey vests). These socks are a cool pattern without being too hipster-tryhard. I often find that Swedish or French made dresses are too long for me, which would clearly not be a problem with this tiny red silk beauty. The whole lingerie section is to die for, but this is my personal favourite delicate bra.

I also purchased some Shu Uemura eyelash curlers - apparently they're supposed to be quite good or something (ha) - a copy of Wonderland magazine ...and some Céline sunglasses!

ILIA Beauty Illuminator in Polka Dots and Moonbeams

Cracked out the first one of my samples today. This highlighter is a warm champagne shade with quite a glowy finish that is very subtle on the cheeks - I could barely see it indoors. However, it did last a whole day on me (around 8 hours)

(Oh dear Lord, my nails. I am out of nail varnish remover.)

It really is a very subtle highlight. The following photo shows a very heavy swatch, I didn't put nearly that much on my face. I used my fingers to apply and, since my fingers warmed it up a little, it was very easy to blend.

Honestly there wasn't much point in uploading a face shot as it was so subtle. It's like "my lips but better" only "my cheekbones but better". It's pretty nice, and I love spending $$ on cosmetics, but unless the natural ingredients aspect of the product is a real selling point for you, I'd hold out for either something cheaper or something better. I'll be interested to see whether I prefer RMS Living Luminizer.

ILIA Beauty is an American brand but is stocked at the Conran Shop, beingcontent.com and Net-A-Porter. The highlighter is currently in stock in all of those places at £30, but you can get free delivery at beingcontent, whereas the Conran Shop's cheapest delivery charge is £5.95 and Net-A-Porter's is £10. I was surprised to see that it isn't stocked in Selfridges Beauty Rooms, which stock an amazing range of American and Japanese products.

Spirit Beauty Lounge Sample Set

I came home to a sample set that I ordered from the American beauty site Spirit Beauty Lounge. The site lets you order 9 samples of almost any product from their inventory for $25.00 (free shipping but I had to pay £11.32 in customs charges).

I ordered RMS Beauty Lip 2 Cheeks in Promise and Rapture, RMS Living Luminizer, ILIA Beauty Illuminator in Polka Dots and Moonbeams and Multistick in All Of Me, Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Blossoming, Acure Organics Brightening Facial Scrub, Vered Therapeutic Balancing Face Oil and Suti Rejuvenate Face Oil.

I can't for the life of me get this photo to rotate (Google says other people have had similar problems) but the top row is RMS Promise and Kjaer Weis Blossoming, second row is RMS Rapture and RMS Living Luminizer, ILIA All Of Me, ILIA Polka Dots and Moonbeams.

The samples are teeny-tiny but still enough to get multiple uses. Will update as I test them out! I'll also try and find the best English stockists of the various items.