Estée Lauder has, again and again, managed to impress me with new formulas, innovative new collections, and beautiful, vibrant colours. Now they've done it yet again, with a brand new collection of makeup, this time formulated in a gel texture with sheer but beautiful colours, in their Pure Color Cello Shots collection.


I was sent three products to trial from the collection - the Pure Color Sheer Rush Gloss in Hot Fuse (Ltd. Ed.), the Pure Color Cheek Rush in Hot Fuse, and the Pure Color Sheer Rush LipShine in Hot Fuse.

The colour 'Hot Fuse' is what I would describe as a deep raspberry red, but the textures of these products make this deep colour pretty wearable. Swatches shown below come out looking pretty different because of the different textures, though the Cheek Rush and the Lip Shine are pretty similar once applied. The Gloss is a little lighter and less deep, which makes for a beautiful combination when paired with the LipShine (shown in the picture below).


The Pure Color Cheek Rush in Hot Fuse is by far my favourite of the three - it is a lightweight, jelly-like blush that really settles into the skin and creates a lovely, sheer stain. Only a teeny, tiny bit of this is needed (about the amount shown in the picture below) per cheek, because this is really quite pigmented. This was formulated as a stain, so even though it is pigmented, it pretty much disappears into the skin once you start blending. To get a stronger wash of colour, simply apply another layer. Blending is easy, but needs to be done quickly because once this product settles, it really doesn't move! Be careful not to go overboard though, applying too much of this tends to make your makeup look quite unnatural. If you're looking for a stronger wash of colour on your cheeks, best to stick with a cream or powder blush.


This is what a thin layer of the product looks like on my cheeks, worn here with the Pure Color Sheer Rush LipShine in Hot Fuse.


The LipShine is another beautiful product - so easy to apply, and it looks great on the lips! I have lips that are slightly more pigmented closer to the outlines of my lips, so almost all sheer lipsticks look pretty bad on me. I was afraid that this lipstick would be the same, but surprisingly, it hid the outlines of my lips well, so that there was an even wash of colour. It is very moisturising and easy to apply, and does dry down to a nice, raspberry-toned stain. I was both surprised and pleased with the performance of this lipstick when I wore it on a night out. I was expecting to have to touch up my lips every couple of hours or so. Instead, it just went from a glossy raspberry red to a beautiful red stain, shown in the picture below:


Finally, here is a shot of me wearing the Hot Fuse lip products together:


I am highly impressed with the quality of these products, and I will definitely check out the lighter colours in this collection to see how they fare on my skin.

What a lot of people fail to understand about anti-ageing skincare is that it is about prevention. You need to take care of your skin before it starts to show signs of ageing, not after. A lot of people think that there is no point using anti-ageing products because their skin doesn't see the difference, but that is simply not true!
The best way to use anti-ageing products, as I mentioned above, is to prevent the skin's ageing process, not to reverse it. And when you prevent, not being able to see a difference in your skin is actually a good thing :)


That being said, at what age is it appropriate to begin using anti-ageing skincare?

Some people are of the opinion that if you start too early, you risk rendering your skin immune to anti-ageing skincare products in the future.
Some others think that no time is too early to start anti-ageing skincare, and that starting early can only do your skin good.

I personally believe that the 24-25 year mark is when you should start a routine that includes anti-ageing skincare. Research shows that your skin starts to naturally age in your mid twenties. I think that once you hit your mid twenties, you should start to invest in a good anti-ageing serum and eye cream, as well as a night cream, to take care of your skin and to help it maintain its elasticity.

Some great ingredients to look out for? (Please note that this is not an exclusive list!)

Vitamin A
Retinol, an essential ingredient in anti-ageing skincare, is derived from Vitamin A, and can help increase the production of collagen and elastin in your skin, keeping it supple and firm.

Vitamins C & E
These are amazing antioxidants for the skin. When Vitamins C and E are used together, they can prevent sun damage, and even alone they can reduce wrinkles, smooth and even the skin, as well as reduce hyperpigmentation.

Peptides
When done right, peptides are absolute miracle workers, stimulating collagen production, stimulating antioxidant enzymes, enhancing wound healing and cell repair, and performing a myriad of other anti-ageing processes on the skin.

Ceramides
Ceramides are great for keeping moisture locked within your skin. Ceramides also help enforce our skin's natural defences, which keeps pathogens out, and locks moisture in. Hydrated skin is essential for a healthy cellular turnover, so this is an essential ingredient in anti-ageing skincare.

Some of my favourite anti-ageing products are listed below:


Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age Correcting Creme
This moisturiser is meant for more mature skins, but is something that you should definitely keep in mind for the future! It has the most amazing skin-lifting qualities, which you can read more about here.

L'Oreal Men Expert Daily Moisturiser
This is a lightweight, easy to use moisturiser for men, with L'Oreal's fabulous Vita Lift 5 technology which performs 5 anti-ageing functions. J is using this at the moment and his skin looks and feels pretty amazing.

L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity Moisturiser
L'Oreal's Youth Code range is specifically targeted at preventative anti-ageing care for younger skins and their moisturiser and serum are my favourite products in the range. Tiny pearlescent particles are suspended within the moisturiser for an illuminating finish that looks amazing underneath makeup.


La Clinica Anti Ageing Gentle Milk Facial Cleanser
La Clinica's milk cleanser is a gentle cleanser that feels lovely on the skin, and is jam packed with anti ageing ingredients, which you can also find in the rest of the La Clinica Anti Ageing range (their rose hip oil is fabulous!). It cleans without stripping the skin of moisture, and keeps it soft and supple. My parents adore using this moisturiser when they come over. If you have oily skin, I recommend using this in a double-cleanse routine. First, clean any dirt, grime, and makeup off with a makeup remover or cleansing oil, and then follow with this cleanser.


Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
This is my HG serum. It contains Vitamin C and a whole host of other amazing ingredients which work to help your skin repair itself as you sleep. It protects your skin from the damaging effects of free radicals, and helps to lock moisture into your skin. This is also fabulous for preventing acne scarring.

Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin Serum
Another one of my favourite serums, this is Shu Uemura's latest offering, and it does a fantastic job at helping your skin maintain its youth. Shu Uemura developed this serum to help the skin regenerate and renew itself. Only one drop of serum is needed per application, so this will last you a long time.

Have you started anti ageing skincare yet? If you did, when did you start; and if you haven't, do you plan on starting anytime soon? :)