New In: Luxury Beauty For Autumn

There's some real transformative magic about autumn. Perhaps it's that back-to-school, new pencil case feeling, but like spring it always makes me want to start afresh, from setting new goals to changing up my diet, hairstyle or beauty routines.

These days I'm a lot more selective about the makeup that I love. I research and think about my purchases far more, and buy less - now, if something is going to make it into my life, it has to be pretty special.

So I wanted to share the new season items adding a bit of extra autumn glow to my makeup bag lately.

Dollbaby London Magnetic Liner Lashes

As a self-confessed flutter addict, I've tried everything from tracking down holy grail mascaras to doing my own extensions, all in the name of getting that lash game strong, and I'm always intrigued by new innovations.

When magnetic lashes first came onto the market, they were deeply unimpressive. They sounded good - who really wants to faff around with glue if they can avoid it? - but the reality was too often chunky, uncomfortable and desperate to ping off at any inopportune moment. You essentially got two lashes, which sandwiched together over your real lash.

Things have moved on since then, and the latest is lashes which come with a special magnetic eyeliner. You paint it on, wait for it to try, and then the magnets on the lashes snap into place.

This little kit from Dollbaby London comprises two pairs of lashes and a tube of the magic liner. They look beautifully glamorous and are immaculately packaged when they arrive.  I watched so many videos and testimonials before purchasing these, all showing how easy and foolproof the application is, but it wasn't quite as straightforward when they arrived in the post.

I found that I had to apply eyeliner much further into the inner corners than I normally would, in order to get the lashes to adhere there. The liner is extremely runny, smudgy and slow to dry and I've never managed to apply it without ruining the rest of my eye makeup. Worst of all, my eyes seem to water madly whenever this liner comes near them, meaning it runs off the inner corners and the lashes ping off!

With a lot of trial and error and patience, I did manage to get them on, and once on they were as secure as using glue, but in no way did they cut down on the hassle. It's just as easy to use regular glued lashes in my opinion!

Equally, although this set comes with a heavier pair and a lighter style, the less dramatic one was still way over the top and overwhelmed my eye shape. I can see these coming into their own during winter when the festive season means I tend to go a bit bolder with evening makeup, but although I love the idea, these lashes are going to take a bit of practice to get right.

£39.99 from dollbabylondon.uk.

Peter Thomas Roth Instant Firm Eye

Anyone who knows me will know that my under eye area is my biggest beauty challenge. Baggy, saggy, puffy, dark and lined - you name a problem, I have it. I think it's a combination of two small children, never enough rest, not drinking enough water and horrible genetics. I must have tried every single eye cream going, and nothing has really solved it.

This is a sort of under eye primer that promises a temporary tightening effect to give you a lift, and I was sucked in as usual. I've tried similar products in the past, and although they do make a difference, you can't apply any concealer over them as they go all white and powdery. Seeing as most people with puffiness also have dark circles that is a bit of a fail!

Over time, I've learned that I get the best results applying the smallest amount, only onto the bag itself, and then concealer directly underneath. It's not a perfect system, so I save it for the days my undereye situation is particularly dreadful, but it is a good emergency product to have in the cupboard.

£32.00 from LookFantastic

Elemis Frangipani Monoi Hand & Nail Balm

At this time of year, my skin gets drier and more problematic than ever, and the worst area is always my hands. So investing in a great hand cream is an absolute must for me, and I decided to give this one from Elemis a try.

With Shea Butter to condition and Macadamia Nut oil, this delivers a smooth finish and a lasting hit of hydration without any of that gross greasy feeling afterwards. There’s also a vitamin blend in there specifically designed to help with the condition of your nails - mine are generally very weak and split easily so this appealed to me as well.

The scent is absolutely delicious, so I’ve added the body oil from the range to my wishlist as well. The perfect little tube of luxury to give me a lift in the middle of the working day.

£16.99 from Elemis

Niod Photography Fluid

When it comes to makeup, the aspect I enjoy the most is the black magic - the sheer power cosmetics have to make you look different. Anything which has optical wizardry always sparks my interest, and so this little vial of wonder has been on my wishlist for quite some time, and I finally got around to trying it.

A serum-like ‘skin enhancer’ this goes on under foundation or on it's own to provide smoother, glowing skin. There’s a whole heap of science in this compact bottle - nano-prismatic technology which works to colour correct and hide flaws in the skin, and filmogenic polymers (say what?) which even things out and provide lasting hydration.

All I know is that it makes any old foundation look incredible, both in real life and on camera. Anything which helps me fake a good night’s sleep is an absolute must at the moment.

£21.00 from Beauty Bay

Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer 

It isn’t just my dry skin and the spiders the size of dinner plates which have colonised my house which are making me less than thrilled about this rainy, windy autumn, but also what it does to my hair.

Thanks to the weather, strange post-pregnancy hormones and my addiction to balayage and hot tools, my hair texture has changed a lot this year - it's now super dry and frizzy. So I’m always searching out products to help with that, and I came across this little beauty.

It's a pre-styling mist which uses a blend of six nourishing but lightweight oils to condition and restore dry, coarse hair texture. I love a bit of multi-tasking, so I also like that this detangles, busts frizz and protects from heat and UV damage, all without weighing your locks down or making them lank.

Definitely a keeper in my hair care routine.

£21.00 from LookFantastic

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer 

Eyeshadow primer has been a game changing item for me. I have really oily lids and a lot of eye makeup will have slid right off before lunchtime unless I prime first. I’ve been using the Urban Decay Primer Potion for years, so I decided to mix it up and try this one instead.

Too Faced is one of my favourite brands - it makes my holy grail mascara and one of my most-loved foundations, so it had to be worth a try. Promising to intensify colour and lock down eyeshadow using unique binding molecules, this stuff is also lightly tinted to eliminate any discolouration on the lids.

Often I use it for this purpose on it's own, without any shadow if I want a very natural look. This really does deliver the goods and whether you keep it low key or go for some wild looks on your lids, it's pretty much an essential.

After all, no one wants to do a labour of love on a killer wing only to have it melt away!

£17.00 from LookFantastic

City Beauty Undereye Recovery 

Have you ever had a product stalk you across social? Clearly the fact that I bang on about the mess of dark circles, fine lines and puffiness that is my undereyes has triggered something, because this product began cropping up on Pinterest and my Instagram, just lurking quietly.

Promising the earth, like all eye creams, this product tries to fuse immediate results with long-term benefits. It uses light-scattering optics to diffuse the look of dark shadows, plus a unique direct delivery system that saturates the area with super-hydrating hyaluronic acid to zap dryness, hollowness and shadows.

This all sounded good, but it was the ‘Beautifeye’ complex which really made me take notice - this is supposed to strengthen and protect sagging skin and blitz fine lines. I ended up getting sucked in - but two thirds of the way through the tube, it isn’t a miracle cure, although perhaps it needs more continued use to really show it's true colours.

I wasn’t impressed with the ordering process though, as the website changed my order to two tubes on a special deal when I didn’t want it to, and I was then hit with a £20 customs charge when it finally arrived on UK shores! Just for that fact I wouldn’t order this again, it's a pretty nice eye cream but there are just as good alternatives which are freely available over here.

$50 from CityBeauty

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips 2  Glowing Jen

CT holds the crown as my absolute favourite beauty brand, and I’ve always really liked the lipstick formulas, so when they launched this line I was powerless to resist. I’m not going to lie, it was 90 per cent about this insanely gorgeous packaging. Gold leopard case? You had me at hello.

There’s also a case design with a panther on that is going to be my next splurge. The cases are refillable, which makes the whole thing even better. There’s more than a sprinkling of rock and roll in anything CT does, so this collection of shades is to die for. I wear nudes more than anything, so I opted for the shade ‘Glowing Jen’, described as a tawny, beachy rose shade.

It's very sophisticated - dark enough to be noticeable but neutral enough to go with most eye makeup, and like everything from this brand, the shade is beautiful and nuanced. If you’ve tried the shade ‘Stoned Rose’ from the K.I.S.S.I.N.G range, this is similar but soooo much better because of that covetable tube.

The formula is creamy and totally non-drying on parched winter lips, with a flattering velvet sheen. CT lipsticks also contain 3D pigments which give a very flattering, fuller finish to your pout, so you’re always on to a winner. This seems to brighten my whole complexion and has that magic that I associate with the brand.

£28.00 from Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Bigger Brighter Eyes 

My glowing praise of the lipstick should probably have tipped you off to the fact that I’m a huge fan of anything Charlotte Tilbury, but another thing I love about the brand is the paint-by-numbers approach.

From the six key, recreatable looks they launched the brand with, to the swipe-on-and-go nature of many of their products, I love that they deliver maximum results in minimal time. I’m all for ripping up the rulebook and getting creative, but as someone with two small kids, a full-time job and not a lot of bandwidth or energy for anything else, I just can’t. I need someone to treat me gently - sit me down with a cup of tea and point me in the right direction.

So I adore the fact that CT products have this approach but also allow me to feel like a badass luxury rock and roll superstar at the same time. That’s the addictive part.

This quad of four, beyond pretty amped-up neutral shades offers a quick route to wider, brighter eyes. The shadows are divided into ‘Prime’, ‘Enlarge’, ‘Define’ and ‘Pop’ with ivory cream, rose gold, red-brown and transparent sparkle shades that will flatter any eye colour.

With an elegant texture and exquisite colours, these are a pleasure to use -  like anything from this wonder brand!

£40.00 from Charlotte Tilbury

Bobbi Brown Sterling Nights Travel Brush Set

I’ve also added this beautiful travel brush set to my collection recently. I like to be able to have a set of backup brushes that I use for travel or for when my everyday brushes (I’m currently loving my Lily England brushes) need a clean.

For a while now I’ve always used cheaper ones, but I found I was really missing the difference working with quality tools makes. So I decided to take the plunge and invest in this gorgeous set.

It contains a Blush Brush with a fluffy bristle head for optimal colour pick-up, a flat Foundation Brush (I use a sponge for foundation, but this brush works perfectly for cream contour), a small, flat Concealer Blending Brush , a rounded, fluffy Eye Sweep brush perfect for defining your sockets, a bevelled Eye Shadow Brush and an Ultra Fine Eyeliner brush with a tapered tip and a slim stylus for maximum control -  I also use this for my eyebrows.

It's a set that is both beautiful and functional , with solid metal handles that are so beautiful, and a slimline case to hold everything. Definitely a worthy purchase if you want to travel in style.

£65.00 from Selfridges

Chanel Rouge Coco Flash Boy

Nothing says new season more than a new lipstick, right? And when that lipstick is from Chanel, you know you’re onto a winner.

For everyday wear, I’m a big fan of a particular ‘your lips but better’ lipstick - a creamy, moisturising formula, a whisper of nude colour and preferably a finish that has a little flattering shine to it. Rouge Coco Flash is the new line which promises just such an experience, and it delivers.

The formula feels balm-like and whisper light, while the colour payoff is sheer but packed full of micro-sparkles which give a beautiful subtle glow. The shade ‘Boy’ is a mauve toned, cool nude that makes teeth look whiter.

It’s a beautiful lipstick that I’ve been wearing most days this autumn.

£31.00 from Chanel Beaute

BareMinerals Gen Nude Copper Eyeshadow Palette 

There was a time where I bought palettes constantly - they were the catnip of the beauty world to me, and I could never resist trying out a new one. Then I worked out that since becoming a mum, I hardly ever have time to fuss around matching and blending shades.

On a daily basis, I use a quick swipe of the Mac Paint Point in Groundwork (which I also use for contour) and sometimes a little of a shade from my Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look In A Palette and that’s it. So there’s not much rhyme or reason to why I decided to buy this palette, other than it's so damn pretty. I was in the airport, doing that bored browsing thing, and before I knew it this was whispering in my ear to bring it home with me!

I loved that the six shades it contained were so wearable and yet a little different to anything else I have in my collection. The shades are a mix of matte, satin and metallic, which makes the palette extremely versatile - you can do anything from a low-key day look to a glittery evening eye.

It being BareMinerals, the powder shades are super creamy and easy to blend and are crease and smudge proof, so they give a really lovely, lasting finish. The standout shade for me is Aura - a shimmering pink-copper which just sings.

And because makeup has to work harder these days, it's enriched with cucumber extract to de-puff (I need all the help here. I may just smear it over my entire face!), moisturising borage oil and antioxidant rich algae to help protect skin. A beautiful little collection of shades to put the bounce back in your autumn step.

£29.00 from BareMinerals

So those are the products which are keeping me happy in this chilly, grey autumn. Have you tried any of them? What beauty must-haves have you discovered lately?