Don’t you ever wish life could be just a bit more… simple?
Are you seriously pushed for time in the morning? Do you fantasise about looking polished and put-together but count yourself lucky if your hair is brushed before you leave the house? Do you find yourself rushing from work to social things with little time to get your glam on?
Then you, my friend, need the Trinny London stack in your life.
What Is Trinny London Makeup?
Simple, effective and quick cosmetics that can literally be applied in the back of a taxi. That is the whole concept of the Trinny London makeup line.
Whether you have a full-on job, kids or dogs to look after, learning to do, business empires to run…life is often too complex to spend time blending out five different eyeshadow shades each day or matching shades of makeup.
Many of us could really do with a simple edit of faithful, grab-and-go products to rely on. Something that’s easy to swipe on and blend in a rush. Something that performs without taking up time. Something you can throw into your handbag or a suitcase when you travel that will cover all the bases.
Like a capsule wardrobe for makeup.
So here is the answer to those prayers- products for a simple, fuss-free look in one very chic stack.
How To Wear Trinny London Products
All the Trinny London products are cream based formulas, and come in makeup stacking pots that you clip together to form your custom ‘T-Stack’. From a does-it-all tinted moisturizer, to blush, contour, lips, eyeliner and even a magical blurring primer, Trinny has you covered.
I’m old enough to remember Trinny Woodall as a fashion guru on ‘What Not To Wear’ and last year I discovered her wonderfully bonkers YouTube channel, where she dispenses rapid-fire advice on looking and feeling your best in her truly unique style.
There’s no denying that Trinny looks great herself, and she knows what it’s like to be a working mama. She’s sort of like the slightly-mad-in-a-good-way auntie that you look forward to seeing at family get-togethers – if that auntie also happened to be a style guru.
When I got to know the Trinny London makeup line, I knew it was something I wanted to get into in a big way. The concept behind the line seemed perfect for my everyday needs. And since I first tried the range, it’s become pretty much all I reach for daily basis. As I start to travel again for holidays and work its been handier.
Trinny’s makeup line is a pretty good reflection of the lady herself: quick, no-nonsense, trend-led and luxurious.
You quite simply swipe all products on (they are designed to be patted and dabbed on with your fingertips – but work equally well with brushes if you don’t like getting your hands messy like me!) blend out and go. That’s all there is to it. Super simple, but they really work.
Building Your Perfect Trinny London Stack
The central concept of the Trinny London make-up line is the ‘T-Stack’.
This is a selection of products like the Trinny London Miracle Blur, or the Trinny London Lips and Cheeks, that can be snapped together into your own customised stack of products – simple and super portable.
The system works so well not only because the products are great quality, but because the stack itself looks great, is sturdy and is also easy to put together. Each pot has its own lid which means there’s no messing around if you want to just pop off one or two of the products in your stack to take with you in your bag for touch-ups.
I love the fact the system is so fuss-free as well as being totally customisable to the things you like to use.
You can also purchase empty ‘T-Pots’ which gives you the chance to add things into your stack from other brands, if you have absolute must-haves elsewhere.
The Trinny London Match2Me system online gives you the chance to find shades which are recommended for you, so the colours are perfect.
You can purchase all your products individually according to your needs – which is what I did – but the website also offers a ‘Starter Stack’ for a fixed price, where you can choose from some shades to get you started. I thought about this option but there were a couple of things I really wanted to try that weren’t in the Starter Stack, so I opted to build my own.
Is Trinny London Makeup Worth It?
Trinny London makeup definitely sits at the higher end of the price spectrum, and if you decide to jump in and embrace the whole system, it’s not going to be cheap.
However, because you can purchase everything individually, the option is there to build your own stack up over time if you don’t want to splash out all at once.
Lip and cheek colours are around £25 each, while the BFF Cream is £35. I think the formulas and the quality of the product are strong, so it doesn’t feel too overpriced.
It’s worth noting that you do get a 30ml tube of the tinted moisturiser products – with a T-Pot included to decant them into – so it’s not like you’re going to run out really quickly. The tube supposedly lasts around 6 months with daily use, which makes the price do-able.
There are also a host of accessories you can get in the line, from makeup bags of all sizes, to a little stacking brush set and a cute mirrored top for your stack that makes it into a compact for on the go. Over time as I realised I was reaching for the Trinny London system over anything else on my dressing table, I’ve chosen to invest in these as well.
The complete range offers everything from bronzers to highlighters, many different types of lip formulas from balms to bold colour and a few different face options with concealer and base, so there’s enough choice to let you select the products you actually need and use.
You can quite literally get your entire face of makeup on in five minutes with this system!
My favourite everyday Trinny London makeup look is so freaking simple.
Starting off with the ‘Just A Touch’ to even out my complexion and conceal blemishes and dark circles and some Miracle Blur to fade out lines. I add dimension to my face using the Cheekbones pot, bring some light with Eye2Eye in Virtue, use Emperor as a quick eyeliner, and finish off the lips with a shade of Lip Luxe.
My Trinny London Recommendations
Everyone’s makeup essentials will be slightly different, and being able to customise your Trinny London stack so it only contains products you use works very well.
As I’ve gotten older, I prefer a blurring primer, a light tinted cream over a thicker foundation, a concealer to do the heavy lifting, a contouring shade that also works for eyes, a lip shade that doubles as blush in a neutral pink (and also a red for days when I’m feeling fancier!), a shimmery highlight shade, and a dark brown that works for a liner or a smoky eye.
The only products I add to this are an eyebrow pencil, a powder and a setting spray. I do my own lash extensions each week, so I don’t wear mascara. This routine has really simplified my mornings, for which I am hugely grateful. I can get a whole face done in under 10 minutes, so even when I’m rushing to get ready for work in the morning while also trying to manage two kids and a dog, I know I’ll get the results I like and can go about my day looking and feeling good.
BFF CREAM SPF 30 IN LIGHT/MEDIUM
So the Trinny ethos when it comes to makeup is pretty much ‘less is more’. Trinny is of the school of thought that as you get older, heavy foundations can actually be incredibly aging. It’s all about investing in great skincare, choosing a lighter base and then adding extra coverage only where its really needed.
The BFF Cream is your all-in-one hit – light coverage, moisturising and with your sun protection thrown in for good measure.
The cream uses microencapsulated pigments to adapt its colour and even out your skin tone – so the cream comes out of the tube white and when you blend it in, it adjusts to match you perfectly.
There’s antioxidant Porcelain Flower in there to guard against environmental skin damage, and it gives a sort of smooth glowing effect that is very flattering.
On a day to day basis, that and a bit of concealer is really all that’s needed, if what you’re aiming for is more of a ‘you, but on a really good day’ finish.
The Trinny London BFF Cream is a great light base for every day use, and combines well with the ‘Just A Touch’ cream foundation/concealer product that can be used with it to add more coverage to the areas you need it.
MIRACLE BLUR LIP AND LINE FILLER
This is a product with a reputation, having sold out multiple times and generated waiting lists when it first launched.
It basically acts like Polyfiller for the face, filling in fine lines, smoothing and blurring surfaces wherever needed and taking down shine. As it’s designed for use on the lips as well, the formula feels moisturising and creates a great base for lipstick. There’s skin-loving collagen, elastin and antioxidant Vitamin E and C into the bargain.
It helps to cheat that flawless appearance when worn under makeup, and can also be dotted on top to touch up during the day. This approach of light layers of clever products – rather than spackling on cakey foundation – is definitely the way forward when you hit your thirties and over.
JUST A TOUCH IN ‘ALISON’
Just A Touch is a hybrid foundation and concealer product designed to be dabbed on only on those areas where you need a little extra help – in my case under the eyes, at the sides of my nose and on a patch of my cheek where I have a little melasma. It could also be used to cover blemishes.
It’s lightweight and yet pigment rich. Used sparingly, it blends in to give a perfected appearance that never looks heavy, because it’s only used in the areas you need it, rather than all over the face. It also contains Physalis Angulata to promote collagen production.
I purchase one shade lighter than my own skin tone to add to these key areas and it just lightens and brightens the face wonderfully.
CHEEKBONES IN ‘SERENA’
Cheekbones is the brand’s recently launched contour product. As someone who looks like a potato if they don’t add in a bit of dimension, I do contour everyday, but I look for products that allow me to swipe them on and blend out quickly so it’s a swift job. I definitely don’t have time for lots of layering and blending!
I went for ‘Serena’, which is a neutral mid-tone designed to mimic natural shadows on the face. The formula is typically easy to blend and effortlessly sculpts the cheeks and jawline.
I also use it under my lower lash line and in my creases to subtly wing out the shape of my eye, so it acts as the perfect everyday neutral shadow colour as well.
EYE2EYE IN VIRTUE AND EMPEROR
Cream eyeshadow formulas have really come a long way recently. In fact, it’s a while since I even used a powder shadow on a day-to-day basis.
This moisture-infused product comes in a whole range of colours. There’s a line of ‘neutral’ shades, some called ‘dial it up’ which are a bit more impactful, metallics and smoky shades as well.
‘Virtue’ is described as a ‘golden champagne nude’. I love this shade. During the average day, I like to keep eye make-up very simple, and I loved the fact that I can also double up and use this product as a highlighter.
It’s very buildable, so I can either go for a very sheer wash of colour or layer it up a bit. I pop it into the inner corners of my eyes and then smooth towards the centre of my lids which is great for cheating a great night’s sleep.
‘Emperor’ is a deep burgundy chocolate brown. For an everyday look, I use it on a slanted brush as a liner, but it also works extremely well swiped on the lid and blended up into the crease for a criminally easy, five second smoky eye that lasts beautifully.
LIP LUXE IN ‘SOOZE’ AND ‘SWAINY’
When I started with the system, I purchased a couple of shades of the Lip2Cheek formula. They were really pigmented but quite dry on the lips, and I realised I much preferred the formula of the ‘Lip Luxe’.
It’s a lot creamier and easy to wear but also leaves behind a pretty stain, even in the lighter shades. This makes it long lasting, and I especially love that my red lip doesn’t disappear if I’m eating and drinking.
‘Swainy’ is a gorgeous bright orange-toned red that suits my dark hair and eyes, while ‘Sooze’ is a neutral dusky pink that is my ideal every day lip shade.
I’ve also tried the Eyetallics, which are lovely for a burst of glitter, and the Sheer Shimmer which is more like a lip balm. These are nice add ons, but to me the real core edit that I reach for every day are the ones above.
I adore how easy and compact it is to build my stack, combining different products and shades, and then pop it in my bag for business trips and holidays.
I love the idea that my stack is everything I need, whether I’m putting a basic face on for the school run and Zoom calls or going for something a little more dressed up.
Super speedy, highly effective and ideal for busy lives. If this appeals to you, it’s definitely worth giving Trinny a try.
