Kevin Aucoin–Eve Lom–By Terry–All made up at SpaceNK

Needing some R & R I dipped into SpaceNK yesterday and had an excellent (and free) makeup session.

What I really like here is that the staff aren’t wedded to a single brand, as they are at most beauty counters in large stores.  They’re keen for you to have the right products for you.  So unlike visiting the Lancome, Clinique or Nars counters at somewhere like John Lewis, here you have a playground of makeup and skincare brands and no one is trying a hard sell.

Having originally been totally seduced by Eve Lom’s gorgeous packaging – gold and ivory but modern – who wouldn’t want that sitting on their beauty shelf?  I was told that several of the products wouldn’t be right for me and my requirements at that moment.  I was looking for the longest lasting, right for my skintone (obviously) eye pencil, primer with SPF, compact foundation and concealer.

Not only did the member of staff who devoted about half an hour to me (or my face) not recommend the most expensive, which would have been Eve Lom or Chantecaille, in each case, but we discussed several brands and I came away with the following recommendations.

Waterproof eye pencil (Crayon Khol Terribly) by By Terry in Brown Secret – seriously long lasting and a wide range of colours.  Brown Secret was my favourite – an every-day deep rich brown.

Nars Radiant Cream Compact Foundation – there are a lot of colours here, so you need to be properly sure you buy the best one for you, but in terms of creaminess, application and staying power I really liked this.  You buy the compact on its own and the colour, which comes with a sponge each time, as a refill.

Kevin Aucoin Creamy Glow cream blush – you’ll find this also at Net-a-Porter as well as SpaceNK.  It’s a creamy gel formula that is easy to apply and the colours are lighter than they appear, even though they’re quite difficult to see clearly (at least in my browser).

Eve Lom Flawless Radiance Primer 30SPF.  Does everything that a makeup primer should, making your foundation last longer and giving you a flawless finish, you’ll find increased hydration and luminosity plus sun protection.  More expensive than many primers but a little goes a long way.  A very special primer as most of her products are.  Resist if you can.

Chantecaille Le Camouflage Stylo.  Another over the top expensive product but with added benefits, it’s not just a concealer but a treatment and brightener as well.  Everything by Chantecaille is extra high quality and beautifully packaged – Try just one item and you’ll most likely be hooked.

Many of the brands at SpaceNK are expensive, but not all, and with Becca, Kevin Aucoin, By Terry, Chantecaille, Laura Mercier and Nars (plus more) to choose from, this is a great place to get advice on lots of different brands.  Be warned, you’ll probably come away quite a bit poorer………