Style Theory: I did a little make up tutorial on Instastories and have been asked to do a quick recap of the products I used.. so here it is, my very basic and easy 5 minute make up routine and all my favourite tried and tested products....

Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash £12.80

My daughter Jess (10) and I both use this facewash. I am a fan of Balance Me products and love the fact they are 99% natural. This is a really gentle facewash and leaves my face feeling clean but not stripped of all goodness.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant £48

This is a product I have rediscovered thanks to my John Lewis beauty advent calendar. I used to use this exfoliator all the time a few years ago then I forgot about it so I was so glad when I refoundit. I use it in the shower after the facewash above pouring a small amount on my hand, mixing it with warm water and massaging it on my face. It leaves my face feeling super clean, glowing and smooth. 

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil £24

This face oil is a new find and I love it, it gives my winter skin the boost it needs. I just use two drops warmed up in my hands then massaged (quickly) into my skin, my skin drinks it up and it makes it feel softer and a little plumper.

Lancome Genifique Day Cream £56.70

I find Lancome moisturisers great for my skin, light, I cannot bare a heavy moisturiser and this one leaves my skin non-greasy but with a glow.

Charlotte Tilbury Unisex Healthy Glow £35

My favourite Charlotte Tilbury product, this is my make up saviour. It has little glowing particles in it, I use it over my moisturiser (not sure if you need to as it is a tinted moisturiser but I like to!) it makes my skin glow, look a little tanned but in a non-orange way. I do not use loads but a small amount over my face and neck, honestly it takes me from looking pasty and grey to slightly more glowing.

Collection Gorgeous Glow £4.19

Super cheapy bronzer but it is soo good, I use a large bronzing brush and brush all over my face, neck and decolletage , it gives me a sparkly glow that is not too dark. I also use it for eyeshadow (using my finger - all the class!) but saves time!

Guerlain Terracotta Summer Bronzing Powder £36.50

I use this bronzer on top of the Collection bronzer, using the same bronzer brush and just around the edges of my face (I have a square face so always say edges!) I guess in a loose way I use it to contour, so along the outside of my face, sweep it in towards my face at my cheekbones and a quick dust down my nose. It gives a matt finish that I love.

Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Liner £3.70

This is the eyeliner I have been using forever..I use it on my eyelid to create a catsflick, I always use it fairly thinly then take the flick up just before I get to the outer edge of my eye to make my eyes look bigger and I take the flick out quite far (within reason) again this makes eyes look bigger.

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara £7.99

Another product I have been using forever!! My fave mascara, never smudges, stays on all day, gives me thick black eyelashes, no clogging!

Mac Cosmetics Beet £13

This lip liner is the perfect match for the lipstick I wear. I always use lipliner, it makes my lips look bigger, keeps my lipstick on longer and stops it bleeding. 

Mac Matte Lipstick All Fired Up £16.50

This is a beautiful shade of pink, for me it suits my colouring and makes my lips look fuller. It is quite dry so I sometimes mix it with a cheaper Rimmel lipstick to make it a little creamier. I always put at least two coats on blotting in between each coat.

Lipcote £4.09

An oldie but a goodie, I love this lipstick sealer and have been using it since I was 16. It keeps my lipstick on all day and ensures it does not end up all over my face!!

So there is my quick 5 minute daily face and make up routine, pretty basic but all my favourite products at the moment. I would love to hear about your favourites products so you have any make items you swear by?! I am always up to try new things, hear about recommendations.

Thanks so much for reading, until next time Fran xx

The Perfect Autumn Skin 'Pick me up' with Max Factor

Beauty Theory: It is about this time of year when my skin starts to look dull, it needs a little extra help to even out my complexion and give it a glow. My skin takes on an attractive grey hue and looks patchy so I need a foundation that caters for my combination, increasingly mature..(eek!) skin. 

I have been using Max Factor Healthy Skin Harmony Foundation over the last few weeks and it is giving me that summer glow back. It is a medium-high coverage liquid foundation, that feels incredibly light on my skin. It gives skin 24 hour hydration and has SPF20 that is now vital in all my skincare. It adapts to your skin so if you have combination skin, like me, it will keep the shiny bits matt and the dry bits moisturised (in basic terms!) and is affordable from Boots at £14.99.

It is the quickest and easiest foundation to apply, I use the tips of my fingers and a very small amount goes a long way. Now for the scary no make up 'before' shot....

BEFORE

BEFORE - NO MAKE UP

As you can see, if you ignore the lines, my skin is pretty patchy, I have an oily T-zone and slightly drier on my cheeks, with redness on my cheeks and chin and the odd break out and scar from a bad habit of attacking spots and still lots of freckles, as well as a fair amount of pigmentation. I really do not like wearing a lot of make up, partly due to bad time management I just do not organise myself well enough nor do I have the desire to spend hours on my face and partly because my skin feels claustrophobic with a heavy layer of foundation on. The Max Factor Healthy Skin Harmony Foundation feels velvety and light on my skin and can be applied in a flash..

DURING

Applying the Foundation

I apply it as I would a moisturiser and only use a small amount at a time. I pay a little more attention to under my eyes and my chin and blend under my neck and down to my decolletage but only the remainder of the foundation that is on my face, less is always more for me. I have found the 'Natural' shade to be the right shade for my skin tone at the moment, I still have a little colour from the summer, however there are 16 shades to choose from so there is a shade to suit most skintones. If you are unsure of the perfect colour for your skin tone there are Max Factor make up in Boots store who will be able to match you up...

AFTER

After

Not a massive difference but enough to make me look healthier and my skin looks radiant and even. I like the fact you almost would not notice it but it gives me more confidence that my skin looks better, and it lasts all day. It is a great base for my day to day make up look... - a little bronzer, a slick of eyeliner and some bright pink lips I look a little more alive but more importantly my skin can still breathe. 

It is now a firm part of my Autumn Winter make up routine, along with statement earrings and lots of blue...

I guess now I am 42 it is time I started looking after myself a little better and the fact that the foundation takes approx 3 minutes to apply is the first step in the right direction. Are you a foundation fan, which ones do you use and how do find them, have you tried this Max Factor foundation yet? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Fran

Max Factor Healthy Skin Harmony Foundation - Boots
Camisole - John Lewis 
Jumper - John Lewis
Earrings - &Other Stories
Shoes - M&S
Jeans - Levis
Bag - Aurora London

*all these photos have no filters on any editing of any kind (I guess that is quite obvious..from the scary before shot!)

This blog post was written in collaboration with Max Factor, all thoughts, opinions and styling are my own.

My 5 Minute Make Up Essentials

Style Theory: I have a super quick 5 minute make up routine, it is really basic but after years of trying different products I always return to these ones. I am no expert and really not great at applying make up (although I could do my liquid eyeliner on a roller coaster - have had 26 years of practice!) but I do have a few fail save products that I swear by and here they are..

Cleansing..

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish £15.50

I love this cleanser, such an easy quick way to give your face a good cleanse and exfoliate at the same time. A couple of minutes and your face feels fresh and thoroughly clean. The only pain is washing the muslins but I guess you feel like you are getting your money's worth as you can use them again and again. I have combination skin and have without a doubt found this to be the kindest and most effective cleanser.

Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator £15.75

I use this exfoliator a couple of times a week, it is really gentle on my skin, gives it a really good cleanse and leaves it looking brighter. It smells pretty good too, really clean and fresh, I have not got super sensitive skin so I would be cautious if your skin is really sensitive. The exfoliating jojoba beads are soft and gentle, they do not scrape your skin as I have found other exfoliators to be too harsh.

Clinique Moisture Surge £34

I love this, make sure you buy the gel version, it is light as a cloud and absorbs into the skin in seconds. I have quite greasy skin over my nose and chin so this is perfect as it is not heavy and does not give me spots (so many moisturisers do) It does not have an spf in it which is the one thing I would really like them to add as I should be wearing an spf every day.

Now for my make up, I do not wear any foundation, I really really should but have not found one that I love so I just go straight from moisturiser to Clarins flash balm then bronzer, I feel my skin can breathe more without foundation but as I am getting older I feel I really do need a good one so any suggestions would be welcome.

First..

Clarins Flash Balm £29

My mini facelift in a bottle, I use this when I am off out somewhere and need to look less than 100 years old (ie I dont bother with any make up for the school run etc) I use the tiniest amount over my face to make it look smoother and less tired. It makes bronzer go on flawlessly and evenly.

Concealer

Rimmel Hide the Blemish £3.99

Basic but effective. This does a great job covering my spots etc.

Bronzer

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick £33

Love this bronzer, this takes me from looking grey and washed out to alive and glowing (but not a sweaty glow) I always use with a huge bronzing brush and sweep along my cheeks, over my eyes and a little across my nose and forehead and down onto my chest. I also use it as eye shadow, the colour second from top all over my eyelids and colour strip at the bottom in my eye socket for definition (just use an eyeshadow brush)

Eyeliner

Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner £5.29

I find this the best eyeliner, it goes on smoothly, creates a great thickness of line and never smudges, cheap and cheerful!

The Mascara

Max Factor 2000 calorie mascara £7.99

I have tried so many mascaras and this one is the one that never runs, smudges or ends halfway down my face. It creates thick eyelashes - I use only on my top eyelashes never on my bottom eyelashes as they are quite long and I end up looking like Aunt Sally!

Lipliner

Rimmel Lipliner £3.99

I used to always use the Clarins lipliner but have now just started using this cheaper Rimmel one in 'Indian Pink'. It matches my lipstick well and as long as I keep the liner sharp it does a pretty good job. I always, always use a lipliner, it stops my lipstick bleeding and keeps everything in place. I apply it pretty heavily and blot a few times on tissue.

Mac All Fired Up Lipstick £17

This is a deep shade of pink (more on the purply pink side than orange pink) It is a super matte lipstick so I always put this on after my lipliner, two applications (blot on tissue after each application) then a layer of the Rimmel lipstick below to stop my lips feeling dry and adds another dimension of creamy pink which makes my lips look fuller.

Rimmel Kate Long Lasting Lipstick 020 £5.49

This is the lighter pink lipstick, it is really creamy and glides on perfectly over the matte Mac colour. 

Lipcote £3.69

I am a hardcore fan of Lipcote, I have been using it since I was 16. I love it and use it every time I wear lipstick, it keeps my lipstick in place through multiple glasses of wine and dinner. I know lots of people find it dries their lips out, I think the formula is kinder now than it has been in the past and to be honest I have been wearing it so long I think my lips are used to it!

Dior Nail Glow £19.50

I bought this after Susie SoSo featured it on her Instagram, it is such a easy nail polish to wear and makes your nails look like they have had a very light french manicure, easy, simple and effective, completely up my street!

So there is my very cheap and basic make up routine, I do definitely need to find a really great foundation or tinted moisturiser so any recommendations will be greatly appreciated. What are your favourite products, which ones can you not live without? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Fran xxx

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My 3 Minute, affordable Make Up Essentials

Style Theory: As make up goes I am fairly low maintenance and certainly no expert but I have my trusty 8 make up items I literally cannot live without and take me from looking awful in the morning to just about passable... They are my tried and tested face-savers and all fairly inexpensive so I thought I would share them with you... 

The Much Needed Morning Mini Face Lift

After cleansing and moisturising I use Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, a classic that has been a bestseller for 20 years. I like to think of this a mini face lift in a tube. It makes my skin feel a little tighter, brighter and gives it a glow. It is a great base for bronzer as it makes your skin smooth so bronzer glides on.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm @John Lewis £29

I always make sure the beauty balm is completely absorbed into my skin before I use my next must have product Bobbi Brown Bronzing Brick.

The Bronzer

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Bronze @John Lewis £33

The bronze version of this shimmer brick is my fave colour but I have to make sure I keep it light (I have a tendency to over bronze..not a good look). I always buy a huge blusher brush to keep the coverage fine as possible and even over my face. I have this cheap blusher brush from Boots . I use the mid browns as eyeshadow (using an eyeshadow applicator) and the white shimmer colour to highlight the top of my cheekbones.

The Eyeliner

Another item I have used nearly for as long as I can remember, my fail-safe liquid eye liner, Rimmel London Exaggerate Eye Liner. I apply this in a line on my eyelids close to the lashes with a little flick at the outer corner of my eye to make my eyes look bigger and wider.

Rimmel London Exaggerate Eye Liner £5.29

I buy the brown version of this liquid eye liner as it is softer looking and not as harsh looking on my eyes as the black. It doesn't smudge or run and stays on all day.

The Mascara

After trying a million and one mascaras I always come back to this one, I love it, like the eye liner it does not smudge or run and gives my eyelashes the volume they need.

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara @Boots £7.99

I find the brush is good on this mascara, it evenly coats every lash and it keeps my eyelashes separate..non clumping.

The Lipliner

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliner £2.99 (Indian pink)

This is the lipliner I have been buying recently, I prefer the Clarins lipliner (which is a creamier, softer pencil) but this one is cheaper and is a good match to the bright pink lipstick I wear. I always, always wear lipliner, it stops my lipstick bleeding, makes my lips look fuller and gives them a more defined shape. I always makes sure my pencil is fairly sharp but rounded so I can line exactly on my lips and avoid a patomime dame look. After applying the lipliner I blot it so it is not too harsh and blends seemlessly in with my lipstick.

The Lipstick

I use two lipsticks at the moment one layered on top of the other, I love a bright pink, it looks great against a tan and in the winter I may move to amore plum pink colour but for now these are my two faves..

MAC All Fired Lipstick £15.50

This is rich lipstick but I find it a little dry after a while so I mix it with a creamy Rimmel Lipstick to off set the dryness and make the perfect texture that stays on my lips all day with the help of Lipcote.

Rimmel London Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick £5.49

This is my favourite shade at the moment it is quite a vibrant pink but mix it with the Mac lipstick and the colour is toned down a shade or two. I put the Mac lipstick on first as a base, blot it then this one on top and a pink/red shade.

Finally my one item I always always buy - The Lipstick Sealant 

Lipcote £3.99

This is my lipstick saviour, it keeps my lipstick in place all day, stops it coming off on anything and stops it bleeding outside my lips. I have been using it since I was 16 so I guess I am quite used to it as I have heard people saying it dries your lips but I do not find it drying at all, it just keeps my lipstick in place and ensures it doesn't smudge..

So there is my 3 minute make up look..genuinely does take 3 mins!

** The two photos on the left are filtered by Instagram...the Clarins Beauty Balm is not a miracle worker although it does help!!

No major revolutionary products here but products I have been using for years and years and for me are fail safe and make my make up routine in the morning super quick.

I would love to hear what you make-up 'must haves' are, do you have any beauty buys you cannot love without, I am up for trying new products so would love to here what your are?

Until next time, Frances xxxx