Mini haul: Laura Mercier and Clinique

I would describe my skin type as normal most of the time; not particularly sensitive, nor too dry or too oily. I have relatively good skin - I get spots only on rare occasions. My t-zone tends to get a bit shiny but if I use skincare for combination skin, it's usually not enough and my skin feels tight.

Lately I have really been struggling with oiliness on my forehead, though. To be honest I have always regarded skincare and make-up rather separately, and not really considered: skincare + makeup = effect?

Well, I think it's time to change that. Since my day cream ran out, I've been using one moisturiser for day and night: Resilience Lift Extreme for dry skin from Estée Lauder. This is my first jar of the stuff and I like it. It smells wonderful (passion fruit) and is anti-ageing, which is reassuring. It has SPF 15, which is important for during the day. It's fine to use at night as well because the sun protection isn't activated unless you go out.

But I think it's too rich as a day cream, for me at least. It doesn't matter which foundation or powder I use, my forehead starts to shine after just two hours!

So I went out and got Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. I'm planning on using this oil-free gel only on my forehead.

I'm still looking for the perfect loose powder, as well, so I got two. Both are from Laura Mercier: Mineral Finishing Powder in #1 and Loose Setting Powder in Translucent.

I used to have the loose setting powder and liked it so this is a repeat purchase. I'm going to give it another try.

The mineral finishing powder is new to me and there are so many positive reviews out there, I had to get it!

As any effective experiment should be conducted, I will only test one variable at a time! So I shall be starting with the mineral powder first.

Political fashion stakes......

Here is Samantha Cameron sandwiched between Alexandra Shulman Editor of British Vogue and Lucinda Chambers stylist for British Vogue. You can see from her ' I am in a candy store and loving it' expression that she is enjoying the Erdem AW2011 catwalk show at LFW.

Not a good idea to wear an ill fitting dress in public Sam.......

This is the M&S dress that was famously exposed as being not quite the same polka dot that everyone else could buy in the store having been extensively altered by seamstresses for Sam to fit her more flatteringly, if only she had done this with the black dress above!....

Too bold and brash for her.....

Do we want our PM and wife to look like this - ? no thank you !

Dave got a dressing down by the press for this - can Samantha afford the political fall out and cliche of privilege by wearing Erdem ?

Yes if she sets herself up as an ambassador for British fashion. She has the potential to be a successful clothes horse - perhaps better than Carla Bruni - at least she won't be wanting to be the next Carli Simon ! With Baby on the way a British Camelot perhaps ? well lets face it Dave and Sam will be a bit more glam than Tony and Cherrie with babe in arms ever were or Gordon and Sarah Brown.

Though I do think Sarah Brown looked great at LFW.

Sock Wars .. Fern versus Alexa,

Socks are the thing to wear at the moment - but how they are worn is the key styling decision. I like socks worn with high platform shoes - this is a sexy look, don't like them with flats, shortens the legs - sorry Alexa even though with pins like yours you can get away with it - not many of us can so Fern wins this time......

Mohawk..............

Soooo, I tried the flat twist again. This time I wanted to try something different, so I took some bobbi pins and pinned it up into a mohawk. A little edgy for me, but I like it.

Sooooooo Excited

Alright, for those who don't know my hair is all natural (chemical free). With that being said I have to get creative in the summer months because humidity is not my friend. Humidity=Puddle Hair. So I experimented with this hairstyle on Sunday and this was the result. Came out pretty cute and it was so easy. I learned how to do this myself by watching Rachel from Salon Cabelo on youtube.com, check her out. I posted the video on flat two strand twist at the bottom of this post.

Fashion show - Middlesex

Thought this second year student Louise styled herself well and should get the 'best dressed award' liked her pink rabbit necklace and pink belt and large hooped earings accessorizing details, the dress Louise tells me she got from an Urban outfitters sale, love the scalloped banding on the front.

This first year collection is called Perplex - 'designed by a group of creatives who pump out one off youthful designs for the unconventional, artistic individual'

I thought it was a well put together collection and with work could be commercial - perhaps a capsule collection concept for a retailer like gap - liked the 80s influence.

This collection is called 'fashion is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength', is a collaboration of the team's favorite outfits individually made out of Calico to display according to them the disposability of fashion now.

By putting their outfits on someone else they aim to portray how everyone seems to be merging into one, with the accessibility of the high street.

I would have like a reference to ethical fashion and how the consumer can make a choice, customization of old outfits into new, or combining both would also have been another interesting way of approaching communicating this message.

Unfortunately I was not given a goody bag for this collection - I liked the interesting shapes created , this upturned umbrella dress is visually great.

A small A5 programme or sheet of paper given to everyone with a sound bite of the each collection would have been a useful.

One of the goody bag designers......

excellent goody bags.....

Thank you Lucy Nicholls (a 2nd year student I met at LFW) for inviting me to the Middlesex University FDSP show. I enjoyed watching the students work and was very impressed.

It was really well organized, there was a great atmosphere of anticipation in the front row before the show.

WONDERFUL WAREHOUSE!

Elite Model Looks style partner Warehouse was out in force last Saturday at our first casting event in Lakeside shopping centre, on hand with Spring style tips, a style studio where contestants could practice their perfect model pose, and an exclusive vip shopping event for spending in style! Three of our models were on hand to demonstrate the perfect catwalk strut and show off some gorgeous outfits from Warehouse that got us in the Spring mood despite the rain!

If you were snapped in the Warehouse style studio visit the website to view the gallery!