A little taster of a video that’s going to be winging its way to you quite soon – it’s all about old-school glamour! In this photograph I am wearing the utterly marvellous YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain in shade 20 and a pair of Polaroid Donna sunglasses.

For some reason I feel a LOT braver with my lip colour choices when I’m hiding my eyes behind a pair of sunglasses – I think that usually I feel as though my eyes ‘disappear’ when I’m wearing bright lipstick, so this is the perfect solution!

The YSL Glossy Stain is brilliant – amazing staying power and the strangest, lightest texture! You have to apply two or three coats to get the very best wear, but once it’s on, it’s ON. It’s almost like car paint for the face! There are a few different bright red shades – if you prefer a pinker undertone then shade 10 is the red for you.

The Rouge Pur Couture (shade 20) is £22.50 with free delivery from FeelUnique.com 

and the sunglasses are £79 from Polaroid.co.uk!

(Photo taken in Paris on the 15th May 2012)

I was in Paris doing something top secret and now I’m in Hamburg shooting Freundin magazine. It’s all go, I tell you.

Anyway, I just wanted to get this “outfit” video embedded before I forget to do it! It was my outfit that I wore in Paris to do said top-secret mission and also to go for a posh dinner. I’m wearing my Current/Elliott Tuxedo leggings which were one of the best purchases of 2011. SO comfy, but so chic with that silky stripe down the sides! Paired with a Reiss top, Joseph leather jacket and the trusty LK Bennett shoes. (I know I wear them all the time, see video for acknowledgement!)

Remember that you can subscribe to the “vlog” channel (which is still in its infancy) and the videos will appear in your Youtube inbox. Or something. Link is here: Model Vlog Channel

Sorry about the index thumbnail for this post, by the way (on the homepage) – it’s sickeningly sweet and twee. I look as though I’m having far too much fun!

NARS new tinted moisturiser has shot right to the very top of my ‘favourites’ list. I adore it. It gives the fresh and dewy finish that I love so much, but it’s not heavy or greasy. It applies reasonably well on cleansed skin (usually I’d apply moisturiser before tinted moisturiser, but with this one I have just been using a serum) and it has a built-in sunscreen.

The formula is oil-free yet still manages to feel hydrating, and the effects are long-lasting – a good full working day’s worth of moisture without any patchiness or sliding around. In terms of coverage, NARS market this is being “super sheer and translucent”, but I actually think that it’s quite substantial! Perhaps because it’s a very buildable formula I apply more where I need it, I’m not sure, but I noted on the very first use that I found the coverage to be good. It’s also, as I have already mentioned, really luminous without being at all greasy. Top marks all round, really!

Some little technical bits for you; the formula has ingredients that can help to encourage natural cell renewal; Oceana Saffron and Galaxaura. Satisfyingly exotic… There’s also a Vitamin C derivative that helps to protect the skin against free-radical damage, and the SPF protects against both UVB and UVA rays. The Tinted Moisturiser smells incredible (another perk, by my standards!) and the fragrance is 100% naturally derived – Peony, Violet and Rose Water. I thought that it smelt of oranges, which just goes to show how ridiculously poor my nose is at times!

I have been wearing “Alaska” (shade 2) every day for the past couple of weeks and I can’t find anything I don’t like about it. It’s amazing and a sure-fire recommendation! If you’d like to see it “in action”, I’m wearing it in my cooking video that published last week. It’ll also be in a makeup video very soon – perhaps I’ll video it tomorrow! There’s a guide to the shades printed below.

NARS Tinted Moisturiser is £27 from HQHair.com (free delivery) or Selfridges.com (have all of the shades in stock!)

On Sunday I went to the Audi Polo Challenge. I have loads of video footage and photos but am stuck with the lousiest internet connection and so I will have to bring those to you when I’m back in the UK!

I have to say that I didn’t “get” the fuss surrounding the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, until I saw her on Sunday. She had this amazing air of dignity and good old-fashioned poise, but she seemed friendly and kind and completely at ease too. The perfect modern Royal, I should think.

Bizarrely, when the prizes were being given out at the end of the match, it wasn’t Princes William or Harry who commanded an awed silence, it was Kate. As she walked up to the stand (in wedges – good girl, very sensible unlike moi) everyone stopped talking – it was like when the bride enters the church on her wedding day!

Anyway, I have video of all of this too – some of the polo match itself, very Jilly Cooper, and some of my outfit and hair and makeup. Which obviously isn’t half as interesting as looking at K-Mid, but still, I shall force it upon you and you WILL WATCH.

Ta-ta for now – just wanted to get these up seeing as though everyone else in the world has beaten me to it – with my own pictures! Grazia posted my Instagrams on Sunday and then What Kate Wore later that day, then Heart FM linked in to them yesterday. (All with my permission.) Aren’t I quite the hack with her finger on the pulse, eh? You should have seen me trying not to lose my balance in my nude patent heels and rather short dress!

Bonjour mes petites! I am in Paris on a top-secret assignment that I’m not allowed to talk about. How very exciting! Good job they told me it was top secret last night JUST as I was about to tweet where I was and what I was doing!

I’m off to have a little walk down the Champs-Élysées to burn off the three croissants I just inhaled. I am utterly frustrated with the WiFi here – having paid an extra €24 for high-speed connection I still can’t get any videos to upload and I really want to show you my footage of Kate Middleton at the Audi Polo Challenge! I also have an “outfit” video and a makeup video, none of which are making it onto Youtube in one piece. I nearly got there with the outfit one, but it quit, annoyingly, at 76%. GRRR!

Right, bambinos, I have to get out of this room and into the fresh air. Please do excuse slowness in comment approval, normal service will be resumed on Saturday when I’m back. (Off to Hamburg after Paris for a modelling job. It’s quite a week!)

xxx

Mr AMR told me that I wouldn’t be able to take a photo of a “binocularfied” view (my made-up word) and so I made it my mission to attempt it. It wasn’t much of a mission in the end, I just held my iPhone lens to the binocular eyepiece and pressed the photo button! Results below.

Olympic park through binoculars

The Gherkin through binoculars

 The London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral (far left, roof and spire) through binoculars

Are you impressed with my espionage skills? You should see the pictures that I took through people’s windows!

(JOKE.)

We are going to have a go at taking magnified pictures of the moon too. I can’t wait! But I will have to wait as I’m gadding about all over Europe this week (I’m in Paris as you’re reading this, and Hamburg after Paris) so moon-gazing can be a little treat to look forward to!

Those who loved the Polaroid sunglasses that I featured a couple of months ago: they are now available online. They are called the “Sophia” frame and the link is here: www.polaroidsunglasses.co.uk

Blimmin’ bargain at £79, I say. The lenses in them are incredible!

I’m not sure that much else in the videos is available now – the sandals featured in front of the Hollywood sign are by Sam Edelman and you can still get these, albeit in a different colourway. If you ever see my Zara dress (with the frilly bottom half) on eBay in your size then seriously, snap it up – it’s such a cute little number! The H&M one (shown above) was an absolute steal (not literally) last summer – I hope they do this style again in some different prints. It’s an amazing beach cover-up!

(Daily Fix subscribers may need to click through on the video to watch it.)

Here’s what was in my suitcase when I went to LA recently – it took me bloody ages to get everything neatly aligned for this picture! This little feature was for www.iampacked.com which is the blog for Air New Zealand. I flew out in Business and back in Premium Economy, and I have to say that their Premium Economy is a good few notches above any of the other “premium” cabins that I’ve flown in. Massive seats, brilliant in-seat entertainment and food ordering system, lots of levers to pull and buttons to press. Obviously business class was amazing – business class always is; flat bed, champagne dinner, pipe and slippers and all that jazz – but the Premium Economy stood out as being exceptionally good value for money. I might start “marking” my flights out of ten and posting the results for all to see – like a Which guide to flying!

If you want to see the feature in full with a nice large photograph, click through to the blog – link is below. I spent ages on there nosing into people’s cases, it’s quite addictive!

www.iampacked.com

1) Brilliant budget moisturiser of the week is “For Daily Youth” by Soap & Glory. This “6-in-1 Superboost Moisture Lotion” contains peptides to fight wrinkles and ingredients that help to soothe the skin as well as encourage cell renewal. Personally, I’m not keen on the slightly soapy fragrance, but that’s just me. This is £12 from Boots.com

image is Liloo’s

2) The lovely Liloo emailed me on Friday to let me know about “Paint for Life”, a trio of nail polishes made by BeautyUK with the aim of raising £50,000 for Cancer Research. You can read more about the polishes and the story behind them on Liloo’s blog here: http://lilooblog.blogspot.com

3) Cat Hair Update: I have purchased the most amazing machine. The Dyson DC-34 Animal. It’s a hand-held hoover with quite amazing suction prowess for such a small, light little thing! (Mr AMR says “I should bloody well hope so for 170 quid!)

 Let me know if anyone is remotely interested in a full review – I know there are lots of readers with cats and dogs (and rabbits!) so you might find it useful if you’re constantly battling with hairs and fluff all over the house! I bought mine through Amazon, twenty-five pounds cheaper than direct from Dyson. Even though it was direct from Dyson…. The mind boggles. Link is below.

Dyson DC34 Animal Handheld Vacuum with Longer Run Time for Pet Owners

4) The winners of the Etat Pur giveaway have been drawn and announced – if you missed my tweets and Facebook, you can check the winners here: http://www.amodelrecommends.com/2012/05/07/etat-pur-giveaway-five-free-skincare-sets/

5) Audible free trial; some of you mentioned that the audiobook I suggested for the first “audiobookclub” discussion, Pigeon English, wasn’t available on the trial.. I just opened another account (as I have an existing membership so I thought that different books might be showing!) and it is coming up for me. It says “Sale Price £8.99 or 1 Credit”. Let me know if you still can’t download it! For those who missed the free 30-day trial link, it’s here: www.audible.co.uk/amodelrecommends

Have a great Sunday! I will be at the POLO don’t you know! Check me out! (Can you tell I’m excited?)

“I’ve been trying the Perricone MD Radiant Skin Prescription for just over a month, so it’s time to report back on how I got on. The set contains travel size versions of the Nutritive Cleanser, Advanced Face Firming Activator Lotion and Face Finishing Moisturizer. All of these are good size travel pots and I have enough left for at least another month’s use.

I was particularly interested to try this set as it gave me the opportunity to try the Advanced Face Firming Activator. Having read London MakeUp Girl’s excellent review, I was certain that this would improve the texture of my 35+ skin. The active ingredients in the Activator serum are Glycolic Acid, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Dimethyl MEA (DMEA).

A couple of words of warning here regarding the Face Firming Activator. This serum contains Glycolic Acid so you will need to use sun protection religiously as your skin will be more susceptible to UV damage. The face cream in the set doesn’t contain sun protection so you either need to use a separate sunscreen or use a different moisturiser with SPF. Also, there’s no getting around the fact that DMEA gives the product a faint fishy smell and I realise this will be a deal breaker for some. It does contain some fragrance to mask it but this fades quickly after application. The fishy aroma also fades and I can’t detect it all after about an hour.

I’m always nervous about adding too many new products at once to my routine, especially ones that contain active ingredients. So, to prevent my skin from freaking out, I introduced the Advanced Face Firming Activator first, adding the moisturiser and cleanser a week and a half later. To begin with I applied the Face Firming Activator daily but I found this left my skin feeling a little uncomfortable. I swapped to application every other day and I found this sufficient to see a difference in skin texture without leaving my skin feeling tight.

I saw a difference in my skin texture within that first week. My skin looked brighter and the surface more refined. I saw an even bigger difference when I added the Nutritive Cleanser and Face Finishing Moisturizer to my routine. The Nutritive Cleanser is a foaming face wash and I realise this won’t suit everyone. I always use a foaming cleanser in my routine without any issue (don’t kill me Mrs Hirons) and I especially like this one as it smells like Johnsons Baby Lotion. For those who are interested, this cleanser contains SLES rather than SLS.

The Face Finishing Moisturizer has an unusual formula and I wasn’t sure if I would get on with it at first. It’s quite a runny lotion with tiny bits of what look like undissolved powder. Like the Activator, this moisturiser contains Alpha Lipoic Acid and DMEA. Despite normally using creams, I found this lotion enough to hydrate my normal skin. It leaves my skin soft and plump without any signs of greasiness. Those with dry skin may not find it sufficiently moisturising.

I got on very well with the products in the Radiant Skin Prescription set. My skin is softer, smoother and the fine lines are less apparent, particularly on my forehead. My skin tone also looks more even and consequently my skin looks brighter. This is the most significant difference for me and I believe this is down to the Glycolic Acid in the Face Firming Activator.

I would recommend this set to anyone in their mid-thirties plus looking for a regime to make a real difference to the appearance of their skin. The set is also a great way to try the products: the Face Firming Activator costs £99 for a full bottle and it can be daunting to lay out such a lot of cash without trying it first. I cannot find the Radiant Skin Prescription set on the Perricone MD website but the Fab Four Travel Set is very similar and costs £58 for four products which include the Face Firming Activator and Face Finishing Moisturizer.”

(The exact set can be found on BeautyExpert – it’s £99)