On a recent trip to New York I begged my friend for one non-negotiable visit - Trinny Woodall had recently popped up on Instagram debuting the one and only US location that would house her makeup brand, and, somehow, it was in NYC. And even though I missed her actual physical presence by a DAY (UGH), I was still able to swing by the John Barrett Salon in order to see everything in person, and it was a full on experience.

First, this hugely tall building just has an unassuming "John Barrett" on the front, and a doorman. No clearly visible salon in any way, shape, or form. Next, after confirming with the doorman that this WAS the salon, he walked us in to an empty lobby. Empty. Nothing but a single security guard and a clear line to the elevator.

It was at this point where I started to question my life choices. And how much even accidental intimidation I could take on my way to the end goal.

But after being successfully ushered to the elevator and up to the third floor by the doorman (who was in a full suit and tie by the way) the doors open to a much more familiar sight, i.e., an actual salon. And after saying hi to the receptionist and confirming I didn't have an appointment, I walked my very happy self over to the prominent Trinny London display (passing $95/piece Nannette de Gaspé sheet masks). Even better, while I would have gone to town figuring out colors and shades for myself, I was helped by a very nice Irish gentleman (my apologies for forgetting your name!)  who gave me a run for my money in the whole speed of mouth department. That's him in the sneaky picture I took below!



Ever since the line debuted in 2017 I wanted to get my hands on it. I had been a follower of her for a while (and yes, remembered the original incarnation of What Not To Wear that she starred in with Susannah Constantine), but there were a few things holding me back. First, the whole paying for shipping from London thing wasn't great; second, knowing how hard it is to find the right color even in person I was concerned about picking the right color/returns if I was wrong; third, I am an oily skinned woman and I could not find reviews from that demographic.

I like makeup. You could probably make the argument that I love makeup, and that I love a good base product even more, but my skin and a lot of formulations are not best friends. I haven't made peace with how oily my skin is (probably never will) and I was genuinely concerned that the foundation/concealer combo (Just A Touch) would slide off my face well before the end of my workday. Well surprise, because after all that build up, I DIDN'T EVEN BUY THE FOUNDATION.



Now don't hate me, but I ended up not buying the foundation because I'd just bought a different one, and with the shelf life of most cream products I didn't trust myself to get full use out of it before it went bad. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I just don't use that much makeup on any given day, and rather than buy it to review and watch it spoil, I picked face products that would fill need holes on my vanity (for the most part), and that I'd feel good about using everyday. Thus I went with three - the BFF Cream (SPF 30), BFF Eye (to replace my Glossier Stretch Concealer which I only recently noticed has a 6 month shelf life), and the Golden Glow Bronzer (to replace my Milk Makeup stick bronzer, which started to smell like plastic and death).

I'm still trying to figure out how best to apply the bronzer, but the tinted SPF and serum concealer are pretty instant winners. The BFF Cream is lightly scented (none of that SPF smell) and quickly sinks in for a non-greasy, non-white cast finish. Though I do think the implication of any kind of coverage would be an overestimation - it transforms on the skin enough to disappear, but it doesn't really do anything to even my skin out. And the BFF Eye is for me, the perfect under eye concealer in that it provides light, super hydrating coverage that doesn't sink into my fine lines or cause/highlight any dryness. Now again, it doesn't provide a LOT of coverage, but I'm not looking for it to do too much heavy lifting (and I'll do some sort of picture/video tutorial thing soon - I promise).



And again, because I'd recently picked up cream blush and a highlighter, the other two products I grabbed were eye related. Because who can ever have too many cream eyeshadows?! I let the professional make some Eye2Eye recommendations, and while I've only tried Fortune so far, I'm already super pleased. I wore it by itself, with just a bit of liner and mascara, and not only was it easy to blend out and build with my fingers, IT DIDN'T CREASE. Which is hard enough when your lids are as oily as mine, never mind the fact that it was 90 degrees out the first time I wore it.

All in all I'm very pleased with how my visit to the salon worked out, and the products I purchased. I'm still learning the ins and outs of everything, so you'll see them pop up again, but I hope this little virtual shopping guide is helpful! And if you have any questions - don't hesitate to let me know here in the comment section or on Instagram!

So, fun times, I'm trying a new product to clear up some of the hyperpigmentation on my cheeks. Not so fun, using it pretty much requires me to apply SPF daily. Which I should be doing anyway because of the CANCER and WRINKLES but I'm a maverick and sometime like to go out with just foundation.

I'd tried Kiehl's Super Fluid a few times (yay for generous samples!) but after my last facial I wandered into CVS, happened up their Vichy counter and found something wonderous - a cheaper dupe!




I tested the sample in-store and marveled at how closely it resembled the Kiehl's I remembered from last summer. Plus when I got home and compared the two, their texture and ingredient list were practically the same:



Application for both products is great, they apply smooth, soak in quickly, and don't appear to make me more oily by the end of the day. If you're brand loyal hey, go with what works for you, but I'm liking the Vichy enough to make it a part of my regular routine!