THE BEAUTY MINUTE - Hadley Smythe

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR BEAUTY REGIME:

Make-up wise: I always wear a light coat of foundation from "B" (sister shop to Lush), blush (Lancome), Mac eyeliner, Lancome black mascara, black liquid eyeliner (by "blinc" - the very best after years of research! ) and usually my Dior red lipstick


WHAT'S YOUR BEAUTY MUST-HAVE?

Blush


SHARE YOUR BEST BEAUTY TIP:

If ever in a bad mood, red lipstick works wonders!!!


WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR MAKEUP BAG RIGHT NOW?

Only my Dior red lipstick (Rouge Bingo)


WHO ARE YOUR BEAUTY ICONS?

Dita Von Teese, Louise Brooks, Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe (Oh...geishas' make-up is my favourite)


A PRODUCT YOU WISH EXISTED?

Nothing I can think of, I'm happy with what I have and know at the moment

Surf’s Up In London

I don’t really bother with my hair, I hardly brush it let alone style the mop; however there is one product that I love.

Looking grotty with Tesco shoppers, I ventured into the white and clean world of Space NK to treat myself to a bottle of Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray.

I am a beach girl at heart; primary school days ended with parents picking us up with buckets and spades in their arms. Nothing beats a day ending watching the sun set over Welsh sea, and I always loved being wrapped up in a towel with salty, matted locks, my hair never looked cooler. And that is still true. My face shape doesn’t warrant poker straight, tussled and tossled is when my hair looks best.

I have tried many texturising hair products and Bumble in Bumble is the only one that truly gives the authentic day-on-a-beach look without making your hair as stiff as cardboard.

At £16 it has to be a treat, but with the alternative being a £40, 5hr train journey back to Wales and Broad Haven beach it has got to be worth it. It’s just a shame that I am dying of flu currently; mole eyes and a red nose don’t look hot, even with beach fabulous hair.

Written by: Sarah Seren

THE BEAUTY MINUTE - Alexia Inge from Cult Beauty

Alexia Inge from Cultbeauty.co.uk tells us some of her beauty favorites:

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR BEAUTY REGIME
I exfoliate once a week with Kirsty Mcleod’s Clarifying Clay Exfoliator, it has fine clay particles which I think are much more efficient than the bigger, slightly scratchy ones. In the morning I wash my face with the Dr Alkaitis cleanser and most of the time just put Ila Face Oil all over my face neck and back of my hands to moisturise (the smell is gorgeous so I don’t need a perfume).

After the shower I love the Korres Fig Body Butter as it smells lovely and the moisturiser lasts all day. When I wake up looking like the last chicken in Sainsbury’s I slap on a bit of the Rodial Brazilian Tan, which is lovely.

WHAT'S YOUR BEAUTY MUST HAVE?
Blinc Mascara

SHARE YOUR BEST BEAUTY TIP:
The best way to hide a hangover is with the 3 Custom Colour Clarifying pencil. It is flesh coloured and you draw it across your lower eyelid shelf and it hides the redness and makes you look more awake and younger. I never did understand that fashion for putting white liner there that just makes one look a bit loopy!

WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR MAKEUP BAG RIGHT NOW?
Blink Kiss Me Mascara and Lash Primer, Daniel Sandler Watercolour for Cheeks, Omorovicza Complexion Enhancer, Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner and MAC eyeshadows.

WHO ARE YOUR BEAUTY ICONS?
Generally people not born with great classical beauty but who work brilliantly and subtly with what they have like Jennifer Anniston. I mean Angelina Jolie got it easy, no real beauty talent needed there!!

A PRODUCT YOU WISH EXISTED?
A perfume that only attracts tall, handsome, erudite men…

COSMOPOLITAN BEAUTY AWARDS

We attended the Cosmopolitan Beauty Awards last week and were thrilled to meet lots of beauty movers and shakers, Alexis Inge from Cult Beauty among them, and she agreed to take part in our "Beauty Minute" interview. The ultimate prize winners were YSL Touche Eclat (not a shocker, especially since most of the women in the room looked as if they were wearing it) for "Classic Award" and L'Oreal Paris Derma Genesis Cellular-Youth Nurturing Skincare (the longest product name in history) for Beauty Breakthrough Award.

Photo By: Matt Leete

I was a little surprised to see that the classic brands going stronger than ever and doing a great job in keeping up with the market and ahead of the trends. For example, the Best Colour-Rich Lipstick winner was the Givency Rouge Interdit, and the Reader's Choice (Readers Kiss of Approval) for Ultimate Lipgloss was the Lancome Juicy Tubes. For Best Foundation, Chanel was the winner with the impeccable Chanel Mat Lumiere Long Lasting Makeup. All this goes to show that the younger brands have a long way to go still, they were not featured throughout as I would have expected. Is the beauty business still a game only for the big and powerful? Where are the little "gem discoveries"? Where are the up-and-coming brands? They are not winning awards, not yet anyway...

The Cosmopolitan Beauty team led by Ingeborg Van Lotringen (left)

In the hair category I was happy to see some of my favorites. The Kerastase line, which I have been a fan of for a long time since their products seem to be the only ones to overpower my hair's reluctance to behave sensibly. Kerastase got the award for the Best Frizz-Controller with Kerastase Creme d'huile Oleo-Curl, and Best leave-in treatment went to Kerastase Noctogenist (which I still have to try...)

We are loving the Summer Brights!

I am a self-confessed nail polish junkie. From a young age I have rarely been without a coat of something swashed upon each nail. I used to hit the chemist after Primary school and stock up on 50p polish in the most garish colours possible; orange, lime green, yellow, baby blue…my nails have seen it all.

Now my collection has reduced significantly and I have gone over to the dark side. I like to wear my nails short and black; I constantly get taunted for being a goth but I consider black a classy and chic colour. My current obsession is Chanel. At £14.50 a bottle it is pricey, but unlike cheaper brands it stays looking beautiful for up to a week and goes on streak free.

Apart from my ‘Black Satin’ I do own some colour. I picked up a vibrant coral and electric blue from Sephora whilst in Barcelona, the juicy colours were too tempting to leave on the shelf! And sources at Barry M have revealed that colour is hot this summer; bright colours look great with a tan and add interest to any outfit.

If you are too timid to adorn your hands with neon flashes, simply go down to your toe nails. On a night out I noticed that a couple of my friends had gone for the brights and the colour totally pulled together their entire look. This blue looks fabulous with the leopard print heel and red adds another dimension to the gladiator sandal; an easy way to change your look.

Written by Sarah Seren

Lily is back to black

We are so happy, Lily is back to black! She tried blond with no success, and pink definitely did not suit her... she is a brunette at heart. Welcome back Lily!

Enjoy Beauty PopStar's Latest Movies…

Beauty Popstar Nautical Look


Kath demonstrates how to achieve this summer's hot Nautical look.

Day-into-Evening

Priscila, a paediatrician with a busy schedule needed an easy day-into-evening look. Kath, demonstrates how to achieve a style suited to the office -- and to your evening out, with the addition of just one beauty product.

You can now buy these products as sets at our new shop BeautyPopShop.com

THE NAUTICAL LOOK

Only £17.99 - SAVE £7 on original high street price

DAY-INTO-EVENING

Only £18.40 - SAVE 15% on original high street price