Aisling’s Picks: Urban Decay Smoky, a frizzy hair dismisser and a gel primer

Murad Invisblur Perfecting Shield SPF30

The gel texture of this product makes it look and feel exactly like those ‘blurring’ products that promise to even out the look of skin and minimise the look of wrinkles. And indeed that is what it is, albeit with a high SPF.

You will however have to apply it fairly liberally to get enough sun protection so if you’re going out in full sun don’t rely on it as your sole protectant.

Apart from that it’s a nice primer and I have found that it works best applied in a thin layer to prevent the dreaded balling up of foundation.

Clarins Mission Perfection Serum (€60)

Peachy keen jelly bean. A new serum from Clarins which acts as a pigment corrector for skin prone to redness and acne blemishes and also hydrates to boot.

It feels smooth and cooling, and is gentle enough to use both morning and night : most pigment correctors are only suitable for nighttime use.

Redken Frizz Dismiss Rebel Tame Leave In Conditioner FPF40

The fact that this hair smoother has a completely made up and tongue in cheek Frizz Protection Rating (FPF) meant that I knew we were meant to be together from the very second I met it. It is a leave in conditioner with oils to tame and regulate frizz, which as women know is one of our worst summer enemies.

There is a whole Frizz Dismiss range from Redken but this is my pick of the bunch. More of this sort of thing please.

Kiehl’s Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate

Vitamin C has become recognised as a powerhouse pro aging ingredient. Not only will it actually act as a protector against sun damage, it can also provide significant improvements to the look of skin and repair pigment damage.

With 10.5% of vitamin C in the formula this concentrate feels smooth and silky and is definitely one to try if you like the sound of these skin benefits.

Aisling Loves...  

Urban Decay Smoky (€46, from August)

Urban Decay have finally moved away from endless variations of Naked and have produced a much anticipated palette that just might rival the popularity of the former. I don’t think I was alone by becoming bored to tears at times by the deluge of demure shades of beige which was created by almost every other cosmetic brand as they copied the sucesss of the Naked range. I realy hope that the Smoky palette will push things in the other direction and kick start a return to unashamedly sexy eyes.

Urban Decay Smoky Shades

So what exactly can we expect from this palette? Urban Decay’s super saturated pigments for one. Add to that a very carefully curated collection of shades that will work to create dozens of looks. Don’t for a moment think this is a palette for night wear only; look closely and you will see that many of the colours lend themselves to day wear and can be blended to soften deeper shades. This is exactly the type of palette I love; it is multifunctional and you are more likely to use all the shades, making the spend worthwhile.