We are 16 days into the new year and now there is no more turning back, 2017 is officially in full swing. The excitement of a new year is the new things it brings and we are jumping for joy for all the new beauty trends this year will bring.

Here is our quick guide on what’s hot for 2017 and how to get the look.

Minimal Madame

The barely there, makeup look continues its reign of popularity. Keep your face fresh and dewy with minimal colour and product. Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentre £20, is the one product makeup artists swear by. Use it as a makeup base to moisturise and transform your skin in an instant. Giving you a dewy and youthful finish. It also doubles up as a repairing mask and primer too. Natural and untouched looking brows, are key to this look, achieve this with the Lord & Berry’s Must Have £14, a brow mascara that locks stray hairs into place whilst also adding a subtle tint.

Finish off the look with a soft and subtle touch of nude lipstick- to recreate an English rose shade with the Lord & Berry’s 20100 Lip Crayon in Charme £12, giving a subtle hint of pink, its creamy texture adding moisture to your lips.

Colour Chic

Bright bold popping colour is key for 2017. A bold lip such as PPQ’s Lilac theme is a must this year. As seen on the catwalk, models were sporting the Lord & Berry’s Lip Crayon in La Fiesta, £14. Highly pigmented with a creamy texture, this lip colour will show that you are fearless, so embrace it. However, if bright bold and fearless is too much for the office try the Lord & Berry’s Timeless Kiss-proof in Bold Red £15 to make a subtle statement. A liquid lipstick that dries matte, is long lasting and smudge proof, perfect for all those Valentines kisses.

Glow me baby

Another trend that is here to stay so highlight and shimmer away for healthy youthful glowing skin. To achieve this look, apply a highlighter such as the Lord & Berry’s Luminizer stick £14 on the bridge of your nose, cheekbones and on your cupids-bow this will give the illusion of a smaller nose, higher defined cheekbones and fuller lips.

For an all over dewy glow to your face, perfect for summer, apply the Transformulas 23 Carat Hydration Gold £41.95. This crème instantly illuminate and adds a hint of 23 carat gold shimmer to the skin. As and added boots is it contains hyaluronic acid that hydrate the skin, help promote collagen and keeps your complexion youthful.

Blush me up

Lastly, another trend that will hit us in 2017 will be the return of the blush-woo! Spotted on the 2016 catwalk in 2017 we will see this trend evolve with blusher now being used across the temples and eyes-adding a stronger and more daring edge.

To achieve this look, apply a blusher such as Lord & Berry’s blush in Lotus, £18 along the cheekbones in a sweeping motion with a brush such as Brushworks Blush Brush £6.99, giving you a soft and subtle rosy glow ready for the day ahead.

The one and only Taraji P Henson is set to launch her own collection with MAC cosmetics next month.

What an enjoyable few hours spent this evening at the Bare Mineral counter at House of Fraser Nottingham.

I braced the wintery weather and was warmly welcomed by the two hosts with a glass of bubbly and strawberries dipped in chocolate and a raffle ticket.

Guests were given an overview of some of the best Bare Mineral products and offers in the range which would make great gifts for Christmas for family and friends.

We were also able to see a demo of the products being applied to two of regular people, one young and one more mature. The looks were nice and natural and showing how just adding a little more colour, eyeliner and heavier mascara can transform the face from a day look to evening look using one simple pallet.

After the demo we were given the opportunity to test and purchase any product we wanted and with every purchase we received a raffle ticket to win one of the lovely gifts on offer. I purchased the mineral powder and stoke of light eyebrightner for darker skin tones which was nice and light but had good coverage. Just how I like it!

 Tha raffel was finally drawn and i won two prizes one of which was possibly the best on the table. The prizes were - travel makeup brushes, a gold bag with mineral powder, lip gloss, eye shadow, eye shadow brush, eyeliner and a makeup brush.

Before the evening ended we were all presented with a Bare mineral goody bag which contained even more fabulous gifts to sample from other brands within House of Fraser such a perfumes, eyeliner, body wash mineral foundation to name a few.

To say this was a worthwhile and enjoyable experience is putting it lightly and I have lots of lovely products and gifts to try out over the next few months.

If you have never used Bare Mineral products I suggest you give them a try.

A big thank you goes out to the ladies who hosted the event and I look forward to attending another event again soon and telling everyone all about it.

More information about their products here: Bare Minerals

Written by Fashions Finest Director Deborah St. Louis 

So we are not all top notch make-up artist and if you like me, you are always buying new make -up products and before you realise it, your make-up bag is over flowing. So let's make things easier, here are your 8 basic essential to always carry in your make-up bag.

Many women often buy products that;
• where sold to them by an over enthusiastic make-up counter assistant, they buy it and then do not use it
• because they were drawn in by the advertisement on television, because the model looked so good wearing it
We then end up not using any of these products because we do not know how to use correctly
It is time ladies, to go back to the basic, because everything else in our lives are already complicated the last thing we need is to complicate our make- up routine
Carrying these basic essentials with you can make things so much easier and will give you a flawless look for day and night.

1.Concealer

Concealer is used to hide your dark under eye circles and the spots on your face

2. Foundation

Even out your skin complexion by applying your foundation all over the face, this will balance out your complexion and give you a clear canvas to apply the rest of your make-up

3. Neutral eye shadow

Neutral shades like beige, is easy to use and suits every skin tone and are great for an everyday look

4. Eye liner

A black or brown eye liner is essential or you can also use dark eye shadow along your lash line to enhance your eyes

Mascara

Defines your eyes by applying it over your lashes to enhance the length of your lashes

Blush

As foundation evens out your skin tone, blush ads colour, apply it to your cheeks. Blush comes in a variety of shades so choose the right shade for your skin tone.

Remember;
• Select a colour that will accent your facial features and will not make you look like a red check clown
• Bright red colours may not look that good if you have a very pale skin. Pale skin try a soft pink colour.
• So depending on your skin tone you will need a lighter or darker colour
When applying it, make a fish face then apply blush to the centre blending it along the cheekbone

Lipstick

We do not all like popping colours so try a nude colour to enhance your natural lip colour

Lipstick like blush adds colour to your face.

Translucent powder

Apply to skin to set make-up and for a matte effect, dust lightly using a fluffy powder brush

Declutter your make up bag and let's get back to basic !!