If you're not part of the 'Trinny Tribe', or aren't one of the 349,000 people that follow Trinny Woodall on Instagram, you may not have heard about the new beauty brand Trinny London. While you'll be forgiven for assuming Trinny's expertise lie in the world of styling and fashion, with her many years in the industry on TV with her style partner Susannah Constantine; her new venture dives into the world of beauty. With the beauty market booming over the last 5 years, everyone wants a proverbial slice, and with that has come countless famous faces launching their own brand, or collaborating with well known beauty brands. While some have lasted the test of time, others are but a distant memory. Fast forward to the present and we have Trinny's brand, Trinny London. However, there is something different about this brand, it feels genuine, well thought out, and has a supportive community feel. That may be an odd description of a beauty brand, but it is perhaps the way we were introduced to it, via Trinny's personal Instagram account, that made us feel like we were part of her journey.
The supportive aspect of the brand doesn't stop there. The foundation of Trinny London is to offer makeup that perfectly suits each and every individual, taking into account your skin tone, eye colour and hair colour. Their "Match to Me" tool on their website is a virtual questionnaire that helps you create a colour profile, and recommends which products and colours would best suit you, and help enhance your features. The thoughtfulness doesn't stop there; the products were developed with real women in mind, women that aren't expert makeup artists, that don't have the luxury of spending half an hour on their makeup, women that aren't sure what to do with a beauty blender, don't know the difference between a kabuki brush and a stippling brush, and women that just want a simple routine. Trinny London was formulated so you can apply all the product with your fingers and you can use as little or as much as you'd like - as the name of their foundation "Just a Touch" suggests. But most importantly, the makeup is condensed into pots (T-Pots), which are clicked into a stack on top of each other, meaning your bulky makeup bag has just reduced in size by about 70%! While the T-Pots themselves look quite small, the product packs a punch and a little goes a long way.
Okay, so we've already established that Trinny London has some great intentions, but do their products measure up? I tested out the range yesterday when I went to a Match to Me consultation at their pop up in Brown Thomas Dublin, and I left suitably impressed. All the products are cream based which is wonderfully hydrating, and prevents any cakey-ness, and suits skin of all ages. Katie my MUA, was generous with her time and showed me a huge range of their products after we did my colour profile. I was deemed a light olive with tawny bronde hair and brown eyes. My skin tone was bordering on a few different colours, so we went for Just a Touch in Trintron (foundation) and Light for the BFF (skin perfecting cream). The BFF went on first and it smelled so good! It's made with porcelain extract, so it has a delicate feel on the skin whilst radiating a calming beautiful smell. The BFF gives a subtle radiance to the skin and leaves you with a glow, but it also masks redness and evens out skin tone. It can be worn under foundation or alone for a natural look. Just a Touch foundation comes in 14 shades and is small but powerful. It can be used all over the face or on specific areas you want to cover redness or uneven skin tones. It also acts as a concealer, which is super handy as it eliminates one extra thing you need to put on and have in your makeup bag.
Other face products I tried were the contour, bronzer, highlighter and face finish. The contour looks dark and scary in the pot, but when you use a small amount and apply gently by dabbing the hollow of your cheek from the hairline out, it creates a noticeable flattering shadow. The bronzer was one of my favourites. With 2 colours, Jensta is the lighter option which creates a healthy glow to the skin, and Soala is the deeper tone which gives the illusion of a 2 week holiday in the Mediterranean. The highlighter was beautiful and subtle, doing its job in all the right places. If you have an oily complexion, or notice a shine to your face after makeup application, the face finish is ideal for you. Trinny London is a powder free zone, so the face finish replaces a finishing powder which mattifies and de-shines your face.
Two of the areas that Trinny London truly excels in is their lip and cheek products. The brand has a firm belief in the philosophy that there are no rules when it comes to make up, especially in the lip and cheek category. What is used on your lips can be used on your cheeks, and the aim is to make your face come alive by enhancing your eyes and getting your skin to glow. Cue the Lip to Cheek range which comes in 6 equally gorgeous colours, my choice being Cha Cha which is a striking coral, and Phoebe which is described as a dusky watermelon shade. I also tried the new Lip Love range which is a statement lip with a slight metallic sheen. It may sound scary, but when its on the lip, the metallic sheen enhances the fullness of the lip and creates a luxurious look. The range also includes Lip Luxe which is a dedicated lipstick and Lip Glow which acts as a coloured gloss.
Trinny London's Eye to Eye products are their eye shadows, which are buildable and blendable with your fingers, and can be used to enhance and awaken your eyes. The colours all have an air of mysticism to them, and rightly so, as their names are based on Tarot cards. They are long lasting, and because of their cream base, it makes application a dream.
If you're looking to shake up your make up routine, or need something easy to put on, Trinny London is the brand for you. It's also the perfect time to try it out, as the packaging is so compact and portable, it makes for the ideal make up to bring with you on your holidays. I'm off on a city break next week, and can't help but think I've bought my Trinny London stack just in time.
Trinny and her Trinny London team will be in Brown Thomas Dublin tomorrow (14th April) from 10am to 12pm. Otherwise check out www.trinnylondon.com to buy online, or you can buy online at Brown Thomas.
Trinny London also offer make up consultations at their home in London, you can book an appointment here