Monday 31 December 2012

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Bronzed Green Eyes Review and Swatches

I was really interested in trying out this brand before I went to America last year and I did buy a few of their face powders and blushes, but never got any eyeshadows. I bought this palette in TK Maxx a couple of weeks ago together with a blush that I will review shortly. Although this palette is for green eyes, I decided to get it because it has a nice mix of colour and also because I don't believe in only wearing certain colours depending on your eye colour.


You get 9 eyeshadows (or rather 6 eyeshadows and 3 liner according to Physicians Formula) and they range from very subtle neutrals to darker, smokier colours. The colour theme is definitely neutral, but there are some nice pops of colour including a copper and a khaki shade. The eyeshadows are grouped into 3 groups of 3, the 3 on the right giving you the most subtle look and the 3 on the left the most dramatic look. You can also use them wet for an even more intense look.

The eyeshadows are nicely pigmented and smooth, all of them metallic, but there's no glitter. I didn't have any problems with fallout or creasing when wearing them over a primer. I used the 4 shades on the right to create the look you can see at the bottom of this post (not just 3 because I'm a rebel). I didn't use the liner shade as a liner, but as crease colour instead. Of course it's up to you what combinations you do with these, but the main thing is that you have a good choice with 9 shades.

The palette contains 7.5 g product and I paid £4.99 for it in TK Maxx. On the Physicians Formula website these retail for $10.95 and come in 4 variations. In the UK your best bet is TK Maxx or eBay.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did with this after the jump!

Sunday 30 December 2012

NOTD: Barry M 344 Magnetic Gold Sparkle / Moon Dust

I'm still on the fence about magnetic polishes, even though I always get lots of complimentents when wearing them. I'd only owned 3 of them so far (one Nails Inc and 2 17 ones), and decided I wasn't going to get any more. I don't hate them but they can be quite fiddly. However, then I saw the recent shades Barry M had come out with and decided I had to try them out. I also like it that they come with different pattern magnets, so you can mix and match.


Magnetic Gold Sparkle (or as it's now been renamed Moon Dust) is an antique gold colour polish with gold sparkle. None of my other magnetic polishes had sparkle, so I thought this might look quite interesting. I didn't anticipate just how gorgeous it would look once I've put the magnet over it, in fact both my daughter and I exclaimed when we saw the result, it's truly striking.

You get silvery stripes as well as darker gold ones with sparkle, neither colour actually resembling the colour of the polish in the bottle. It's like two colours had been mixed together and then separated by the magnet. The effect is almost 3D, and it appears to move as I move my hand. I have had many compliments when wearing it, the beauty of these magnetic polishes is that they look like you've had your nails done whereas you can do them quite easily yourself.

I do find them a little fiddly to use, sometimes the design doesn't come out as sharp and sometimes I manage to touch the nail with the magnet. I also found that the stripes got a bit messed up when I applied the top coat, I don't know if maybe waiting a bit would've helped. Wear time wasn't that great, it started chipping on me within the first 24 hours. This isn't unusual, but not every polish chips on me on the first day, so I'm still not too happy about it.

I used two coats on most fingers, but some of them I had to redo several times, so I just kept applying extra layers. It dried fairly quickly and other than the top coat's brush leaving slight marks in the design, the polish was pretty easy to use.

Barry M magnetic polishes come in 5 shimmery shades and 4 non-shimmery ones, and they come with 5 different magnets (one each). They cost £4.99 each and you get 10 ml for your money. Of course there are usually deals on in either Superdrug or Boots, so keep an eye out!

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Saturday 29 December 2012

Lancome Blush Subtil in 02 Rose Sable Review and Swatches

Following on from yesterday's post, this is the blush I got in the Lancome Beauty Box. This is the Blush Subtil formula which isn't actually available anymore I don't think.


The shade I got is 02 Rose Sable, which is a muted rosy pink colour. It's very natural looking, but well pigmented, so you don't need to layer and layer it. However, because it's quite subtle, you don't have to worry about overdoing it especially if you have a lighter skintone. It has some fine shimmer to it, but no chunky glitter at all.

The blush comes in a black compact with a small brush and a full size mirror in the lid. You get 6 g of product. As I can't find this on any website now, I have no idea how much this is worth, but I'm guessing it's in the region of £24. EDIT: I have just found it on the House of Fraser website and it's £27.

Okay, so there's probably not that much point in this review since you can't get this anymore, but since I've taken all the pictures and cropped, edited and watermarked them, I might as well post them.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did using this blush after the jump!

Friday 28 December 2012

Lancome Color Design Palette in 103 Golden Frenzy

I wasn't sure whether I should do this review since the product itself isn't actually available on its own or in fact anymore for that matter, but I decided to do it anyway because you can pick up practically everything on eBay plus this palette might actually be available elsewhere. Lancome don't sell these 5 colour palettes in the UK but they do in America, I picked up the purple one last year in Florida.


I got the palette as part of the Christmas Beauty Box back in November and sadly it isn't available anymore. It took me a while to get around to using it, but finally I have. It's a really nice neutral palette with some sparkle. The palette consists of 5 eyeshadows and they are labelled as: all over base, lid, crease, highlighter and liner. Of course you don't have to use the eyeshadows as they're labelled, I actually used the all over base colour as a highlighter and the highlighter colour in the outer corner of the lid because I don't think that such a dark colour would look good as a highlighter.

I found the eyeshadows nicely pigmented, soft and smooth, they stayed on without creasing and fading for 12 hours or so. I wouldn't say this is a must have palette especially if you have a lot of eyeshadows already, but it's a nice, all in one palette, and it certainly looks gorgeous too.

As these palettes aren't sold in the UK, I have no idea what they would cost if they were, but in the US they're around $48. You only get 4 g of product which isn't a lot, but I'm not really bothered about the weight anymore since I already have so much make up anyway, I will never use it all up in a million years.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I created using this palette after the jump!

Thursday 27 December 2012

ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Golden Vintage Eyelights and Blusher

This post is purely to show you these beautiful products I've got from the ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Golden Vintage collection. Since they are still available from Debenhams, I'm not actually being mean teasing you with something pretty that you can't have.


I got the Golden Vintage Blusher and Golden Vintage Eyelights. As you can see they are ridiculously pretty and me being crazy, of course I haven't actually swatched or used them. So there's no review today other than "look how pretty they are".

They both cost £25 and both are 10 g which is way bigger than you would need of blush or eyeshadows. They come in gorgeous gold boxes and gold compacts, everything about them is just gorgeous. What's not to like, eh?

ArtDeco products are available from Debenhams and BeautyBay (although the latter doesn't have the Golden Vintage collection).

See more pictures after the jump! 

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Guerlain Parure de Lumiere Foundation Review

This is Guerlain's newest liquid foundation, Parure de Lumiere, Light-Diffusing Foundation - Moisture Infusion. According to Guerlain it's "infused with Luminescent Water, continuously moisturises skin and corrects the appearance of imperfections to dramatically enhance light diffusion. Under its refreshing, caressing touch, skin appears smoother, more even, bathed in light."


I'm not entirely blown away by this foundation, despite being a big fan of Guerlain and their foundations as well. When I first tried a sample of this it seemed to suit my combination skin, but since I've been using it more, I've not really managed to get it to work for me very well. While it is really lightweight and feels moisturising, it is certainly a bit too "dewy" for my skin, making it look rather shiny within hours of application. It's not oily as such because the foundation itself isn't at all oily, but my skin does look rather shiny and it needs blotting.

As I get older, especially in the winter, I find that my skin is less oily, so I'm not really used to having to blot my face all the time. I'm sure this would work better for someone with drier skin, although I can't actually vouch for that myself. The formula itself is really nice though and it feels lovely and lightweight with a good, medium coverage. I got shade 02 Beige Clair. In the summer 03 Beige Naturel is more suitable for me, but in the winter, Beige Clair suits my skintone perfectly. It also has SPF 25 which is a pretty decent coverage.

The foundation also comes in a cream version which I have not tried, but I actually prefer the liquid one with a pump than having to scoop the foundation out of a pot. You get 30 ml for £36.50 (the cream version is £38.50) which is pretty expensive, but that's the price of high end make up I'm afraid.

All in all, nice foundation, but doesn't suit my skin type as well as I had hoped. I think I'll stick with my Lingerie de Peau foundation instead.

See more pictures after the jump!

Tuesday 25 December 2012

OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Metallic Lip Tars in Super NSW and Yaoi Swatches and Review

Although I'm still on my lip product no-buy I decided to break it last month because I really wanted to try out these new metallic lip tars from OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I was actually a complete lip tar virgin, I was never sure about whether I should try them since the tar bit sounds very off putting to me. But then I saw some bloggers' reviews on them and though they looked really lovely, so I ordered Super NSW and Yaoi during the Black Friday sales.


Sadly, I'm not really impressed with these. They are very pigmented and you only need a little bit, so in that way they are great. Super NSW looks lovely on, but Yaoi is actually very metallic, therefore very unnatural looking on me. I guess if you blotted it down it would look better.

My biggest problem with these is that they are very drying on the lips. OCC recommends that "to get the best from your new lip tar OCC suggest priming your lips with their Clear lip tar". I use a lip balms all the time when not wearing a lipstick or lipgloss and don't suffer from dry lips at all, so for me anything that needs special priming not to be drying is a no-no.

Shame really because I really like Super NSW, but I'm not sure I can put up with all the dryness. My lips felt like sandpaper within an hour or so, and also these aren't even that especially long lasting on me, no more than 2-3 hours. By then I have to apply balm on top of them anyway to make my lips comfortable, so of course that makes them disappear even more quickly.

I haven't tried the regular lip tars, so can't compare these to them, but to be honest, I don't even really want to after my experience with the metallic ones.

I bought mone from Cocktail Cosmetics, they currently cost £9.95 each and contain 10 ml. They are 100% vegan for those who are interested. You also get a small lipbrush that's great for applying these.

See more pictures after the jump!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas! Hope you're all having a lovely time. I'm spending mine with my closest family including 3 children and 3 cats. It's going to be everything but quiet and peaceful around here!


Thank you all for reading my blog and hope you will continue to do so after the holidays and in the new year! I really appreciate it. I also really enjoy reading your comments and hearing your opinion on products I've reviewed and maybe even influenced you to buy. So I hope you stick around and keep enjoying reading my posts!

Have a great Christmas everyone!

Monday 24 December 2012

Festive Nails Part 6 - Green and Sparkly Like a Christmas Tree

This mani definitely reminds me of Christmas trees. I used Zoya Holly with Zoya Rina on top. Rina is a green shimmer polish with loads of green bar glitter, and also some blue and holographic ones. It looks like lots of very fine pine needles in a bottle.


It took only one coat of each polish to achieve fully opaque covergae which is fantastic. Unfortunately the staying power was less impressive, I had a few small chips in the first 24 hours and it pretty much all peeled off on day 3.

Zoya polishes aren't available in the UK (as far as I know), I buy mine on eBay. Holly and Rina were part of last year's Gems & Jewels collection but they are still available for around $6 to $8 each. You get 15 ml for your money which is the standard size for these professional polishes (Zoya, OPI, Orly, China Glaze).

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Sunday 23 December 2012

Laura Geller Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom Review and Swatches

I have another pretty Laura Geller blush to show you, this is an Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom. I love it how you have different colour stripes, reminds me a bit of the Mac Blonde/Brunette/Redhead MSFs, only even prettier.


The stripes go from very pale pink to bright fuchsia pink. The overall effect is midtone bright pink. There's a subtle shimmer to all the shades, but no glitter. You could try using only a few of the strips together, but you certainly can't use them individually, because they are just too narrow. The powder feels very smooth and soft, but not very powdery, and it blends nicely. Another great Laura Geller product!

You will have seen the blush featured in this look already, but there's also a full face picture at the end of this post, as well as swatches of course.

I bought mine from eBay, but this is also available from QVC. It comes with a double ended brush/applicator (not pictured) and costs £23 plus £2.95 shipping cost. Also comes in a Peach colour which is like the look of, but not at that price. I paid £15 including postage for mine which is a lot more reasonable I think. You get 5 g of product for your money.

See more pictures after the jump!

Saturday 22 December 2012

Chantecaille Painting in Venice Palette Review and Swatches

If you've been reading my blog for a while you will know that I love Chantecaille and have quite an extensive collection of their pretty palettes and powders. I also have a couple of big palettes that I've managed to buy on eBay for much less than their retails price (which is somewhere around the £130 mark here in the UK) and now I have a new addition to my collection: the Paining in Venice palette.


I believe this palette was released in 2003 and it contains 7 eyeshadows and one blush. Most of the shades are actually permanent, but the beauty of this palette is that even though it's really expensive, it's still a great value. Refills for Chantecaille palettes cost $25/£23 each, that makes $200/£184 plus the empty "Ma" palette (the large 8 pan palette) costs an extra $52/£48(?). So $135/£135 is really a bargain, right?

Of course it's not just about the money, Chantecaille products are very high quality and the colours in this palette are really lovely. You get cheek shade in Joy which is a bright rosy pink colour, and 7 eyeshadows in Lasting and Shine finish: Agate, Freesia, Pyrite, Lemongrass, Peony, Patchouli and Perle. They are all really lovely and well pigmented, smooth and blendable, plus they stay on all day without creasing (over a primer).

I bought this palette on eBay and paid $80 plus $15 shipping, so it was certainly a lot cheaper than even the original retail price. Plus this isn't actually available anymore, although most of the shades are. Anyway, I'm very happy with it and will be keeping an eye out for other palettes on eBay.

You can see my rather out of date post on my Chantecaille collection that also contains my other two big Chantecaille palettes by clicking here.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Friday 21 December 2012

Festive Nails Part 5 - Holographic Silver

Holographic silver nail polishes always remind me of wrapping paper, don't they? This one is 17's new holo polish which I actually won in a giveaway from the lovely Liloo. (Check her fantastic blog out here.) As I'm a sucker for holographic polishes, I had to try this out asap!


The holo effect on this one isn't the strongest I've seen, it's probably up there with the GOSH holographic polish, maybe a little weeker. It's very pretty though and the formula was very nice. Application was a bit messy, but that's probably my fault. I did 2 coats then top coat then an extra coat to make sure the top coat didn't dull the holo effect. The only thing I didn't like about it, which I've not experienced with any other holo polish before, is how it faded by day 3 and was very dull at the end of my fingers. It lasted pretty well though, with only a few small chips by the end of day 2.

I like 17 nail polishes, they're cheap, but qood quality. You get 10 ml for £3.99 and at the moment there's a buy one get one half price offer on selected 17 cosmetics at Boots.

See more pictures after the jump!

Thursday 20 December 2012

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick Review and Swatches

This is the third Revlon product I bought to get this gorgeous free nail polish, and the one I was actually the most pleasantly surprised by.


Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain is the newest product in the Revlon lip product line. I am already a massive fun of their lip butters and have them in loads of colours, so I was intrigued to try out the balm stains too, however, when they first came out I passed on them mostly because of the minty smell. I decided to try one this time and picked Lovesick which is a bright bubblegum pink shade.

I am absolutely blown away by this. The minty smell isn't my favourite, but it disappears within a minute or so, but the product itself is so lovely, I don't even mind it one bit. It is exactly what it says on the "tin", a stain that's also a balm, so it's not drying unlike some stains are, in fact it's very hydrating. Also, the colour lasts and lasts for ages, and in fact not only a colour, but the glossiness itself. It leaves a stain behind when it fades away after several hours of wear, but also it stays on my lips really well. The colour is gorgeous too, although it looks a bit patchy in the pictures, it's definitely not patchy on the lips. I have used it many many times in the past couple of weeks, and there's hardly any missing. This is one of the best lip products I have tried I swear.

I have tried out a few other shades since, but none of them have blown me away, so I probably won't pick up any more for now (plus I should be on a lip product no-buy), but will keep an eye out for any possible new shades. Oh, the crayon itself is rectractable, so no need for sharpening. This is basically the cheap version of the Clinique chubby sticks (which I haven't tried myself, but they look pretty much the same, don't know about the products inside though).

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains cost £7.99 each and you get 2.7 g. As I said, it looks like it's gonna last forever, so although 2.7 g isn't massive, it's not too bad either.

See more pictures after the jump!

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Looks Featuring Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette - Part 3

Finally, the third part of my looks post featuring the new Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 palette. I really liked this one too, I actually wore this on a night out, with a bit more smokiness in the crease. I am sporting a few other products in these pictures which will also be reviewed soon, so stay tuned.


To create this look I used:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Tinsel eyeshadow in the inner corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Illusion eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid and in the crease
Mac Mating Call Mega Metal eyeshadow blended above the crease
Mac Vellum eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight
Mac Designer Purple pearlglide intense eye liner on lower lashline
Guerlain Noir G mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 02 Beige Claire
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Laura Geller Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom (will be reviewed soon)

Lips:
OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Metallic Liptar in Yaoi (will be reviewed shortly)

See more pictures after the jump!

Looks Featuring Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette - Part 2

Here's part 2 of the looks I did with Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette. Again as you can see, there isn't really any glitter visible (maybe a tiny bit in the crease) and the eyeshadows blended into each other really nicely. And that eyeliner (well, actually it's an eyeshadow pencil) stayed that vibrant all day. Although I have to add, I don't think those Urban Decay 24/7 eyeshadow pencils are very good as eyeshadow pencils, but they make nice eyeliners. Anyway... here's the look:


To create this look I used:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Tinsel eyeshadow in the inner corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Blue Spruce eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Twinkle eyeshadow in the crease
Mac Vellum eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight
Urban Decay Clash 24/7 eyeshadow pencil on lower lashline
Guerlain Noir G mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Guerlain Parure de Lumiere Foundation in 02 Beige Claire
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Lancome Blush Subtil 02 Rose Sable (will be reviewed soon)
ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Illuminating Baked Powder

Lips:

Guerlain Rouge G in Grace

Part 3 is coming very soon. See more pictures after the jump!

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Looks Featuring Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette - Part 1

As promised, here are some of the looks I did with Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 palette. As you will see, none of them are at all glittery, but the colours are really vivid and the shadows were so easy to blend. Really love this palette and have enjoyed using it so much!

First up is the one you have already seen a few times, actually my favourite one of them all. Part 2 and 3 will follow very shortly. Let me know what you think!


To create this look I used:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Gold Ribbon eyeshadow in the inner corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Chocolate Penny eyeshadow in the middle of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Mulled Wine eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Festive eyeshadow in the crease
Mac Peek At You Mega Metal eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight
Urban Decay Eldorado and Crash 24/7 eyeliners on lower lashline
Guerlain Noir G mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 02 Beige Claire
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Laura Geller Baked Blush in Bali
ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Illuminating Baked Powder

Lips:

OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Metallic Liptar in Super NSFW (will be reviewed shortly)

See more pictures after the jump!

Monday 17 December 2012

Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Eyeshadow Palette Review and Swatches

I have to say, I wasn't sure if I was going to pick this palette up because I don't ever use the 2010 edition Sparkle Palette. It has quite a fallout and the shades are just too glittery for everyday wear. But I have to say, this new version is actually really quite nice.


As usual, the palette contains 12 eyeshadows, which are mostly glittery, but there are a few metallic shades in there too. Although you can see a lot of glitter in the eyeshadows, it doesn't really translate onto the eyes which makes them much more wearable. I experienced a little fallout with some of the shades during application, but once I'd tidied up, there was no more and the glitter (what tiny little was actually on my eyes) didn't migrate at all.

There are two shades, Gold Ribbon and Tinsel that are also included in the previous Sparkle Palette, although it's only Tinsel that's the same, Gold Ribbon is actually quite a bit darker and less yellow than the 2010 version. All the eyeshadows are really smooth and well pigmented, and I have enjoyed creating many lovely looks with them. They stayed creaseless all day and didn't fade either.

Sleek Make Up palettes now retails for £7.99 (bit of a step up from £5.99 from 2 years ago), which is still pretty reasonable as the quality is actually very decent. You get 13.2 g of product for your money. It's limited edition, so get it while you can. Available from Superdrug and Sleek Make Up's website. They deliver internationally, although I have to admit I don't like it that they don't do any free UK delivery. Yes, I hate paying for delivery!

I will show you the looks I did with this palette tomorrow, but I didn't want to put them at the end of this post, there are a lot of pictures. I have really enjoyed using this palette and would definitely recommend it.

See more pictures after the jump!

Sunday 16 December 2012

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Kiss Me Coral Review and Swatches

Here's another lipstick I bought to get that free gorgeous nail polish . This is also a Super Lustrous one from Revlon, the colour is Kiss Me Coral.


Despite its name, this is not actually a coral shade, it's much more orange. As a result, I'm not really sure I like it. Oranges don't suit me that well, I much prefer corals and pinky corals over them. Serves me right for impulse buying. But the nail polish was just so pretty.

It's still a nice lipstick, has the same great Super Lustrous formula I've got to know and love. This one is a cream (creme) finish, it's really creamy, smooth and long lasting. All in all, a lovely lipstick, only it's not coral. So far 2 out of 3 lipsticks I've bought to get the polish turned out to be a bit of a letdown (dupe for another colour, not coral), but the third one (which I will show you soon) has turned out to be a winner. Stay tuned to find out what it is!

Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks cost £7.49 and you get a generous 4.2 g. There's currently a 3 for 2 offer on all Revlon make up and you can get this gorgeous nail polish for free if you buy 3 or more Revlon products from Superdrug.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Saturday 15 December 2012

Festive Nails Part 4 - Sparkling Snow and Ice

I have another Christmas manicure idea to share with you today, this time it's Topshop Ice Crush over Mac Frayed To Order. I'm loving all the glittery polishes Topshop have been releasing lately, this one is just so sparkly and perfect for a Christmas party or New Year's Eve party.


I used two coats of Ice Crush, a clear polish with loads of small and larger holographic glitter on top of two coats of Mac Frayed To Order polish, a limited edition shade from 2011 (from the Jeanius collection). It's a very interesting shade, it's a matte finish, but it's got pink duochrome, so it doesn't look at all flat. The glitter in Ice Crush is very dense, but it will never go on opaque, it is definitely a layering polish. It had a good formula, not too thin or thick.

The manicure lasted really well, only started chipping very slightly on day 2, but I wore it for 4 days and it looked fine even by the end of day 4. It was so sparkly and pretty too.

Topshop glitter polishes are 8 ml for £6. Mac Frayed To Order isn't available anymore sadly.

See more pictures after the jump!

Friday 14 December 2012

ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Illuminating Baked Powder Review and Swatches

I wasn't going to get this, I swear. I have plenty enough highlighters, I did not need another one. I certainly wasn't going to get this for £30. But then I saw it, swatched it, realised I had £15 on my Debenhams Beauty Reward Card and there was a 10% off event, and somehow this little beauty came home with me.


I have to admit, I don't know much about Dita Von Teese, other than that she always looks glamorous and gorgeous. I also didn't own many Art Deco products (until now), in fact I think I only had 2 or 3 eyeshadow palettes I've never used (they were too pretty). Until recently this brand wasn't easy to come by in the UK, but since Debenhams and BeautyBay started stocking it, I've been paying a lot more attention.

Hopefully you have seen my review of the Glam Deluxe Collection (if not, click here to read it), and there's even more gorgeousness to come, but for now, check out this beautiful highlighter. This is what Mac Lightscapade MSF should've looked like when it was re-released last year (?). The powder is a blend of beige, pink, blue, orange, yellow and mixed together you get a very fine slightly shimmery pastel highlighter. The effect is very similar to Lightscapade, but the powder is even prettier to look at. It also comes in a shiny black compact with a mirror in the lid, something Mac MSFs lack.

The powder is so soft and finely milled, but not powdery, it melts into your skin like butter. You get a whopping 15 g which should last a few lifetimes for £30, although currently you get 10% off at Debenhams. I believe this is a limited edition product, but unlike Mac MSFs, ArtDece seemed to have made plenty as it has been around for a few weeks now and is still in stock. It's really lovely and actually it's not that expensive considering its size, so pick it up while you can!

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Thursday 13 December 2012

Laura Geller Baked Blush in Bali Review and Swatches

As you might know, I'm a big fan of Laura Geller blushes and have a rather extensive collection of them. I often pick up the new shades from eBay as a lot of them are either not available in the UK or only available as sets, plus eBay is usually cheaper. I picked up this baked blush in Bali on eBay too, and while I expected it to be pretty nice, I was very pleasantly surprised by just how nice it is.


Bali is described as a "warm toasted apricot", I'd say it's a warm peachy-pink colour with just the tiniest hint of gold shimmer. It's very pigmented, so you need to be a bit careful, but it does give a very nice glow to your cheeks with a pop of colour. The texture is wonderfully soft, but not powdery, and it blends nicely. It also stays put very well.

You get 6.5 g which is a very generous amount for a blush. I don't know how much this costs in the UK or if it's even available, I've found some "mono blushes" on QVC for £17.75 (plus £2.95 postage), although neither of them seems to be this shade. I paid around £14 (shipped) on eBay.

I would definitely recommend this shade, this blush has really exceeded my expectations, even by Laura Geller's standards.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Festive Nails Part 3 - Red With Silver Glitter and Stars

I have another glittery combo to show you. This time it's Zoya Sarah with Topshop Rising Star on top.


I used two coats of Zoya Sarah, but in all fairness, one would've been sufficient. It's a great polish and the colour is gorgeous too. I then added two coats of Topshop Rising Star, a clear polish with silver/holo glitter and stars in it. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this as there was plenty of glitter and the stars were pretty easy to scoop out.

The manicure lasted on me for 4 days with not much chipping, so I was very pleased with it, and it was so glittery, I couldn't stop looking at my nails.

Zoya Sarah came out 2 years ago, but is still available on eBay and also from Zoya's website. It costs $8 for 15 ml. Topshop Rising Star is a new addition to their nail polish line, I'm not sure if it's permanent or not, they seem to be bringing out new shades constantly. It costs £6 for 8 ml.

See more pictures after the jump!

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Laura Mercier Illuminating Eye Colour Review and Swatches

As part of their Art Deco Muse collection Laura Mercier came out with 4 new, limited edition eyeshadows for the holiday. The collection was inspired by the decorative architecture, style and mood of the Art Deco perios in Paris in the mid-1920’s.


These eyeshadows have "a multi-dimensional, luminous pearl finish with a soft, bouncy texture for excellent colour pay-off and a smooth, even application" according to the official description. I'm not sure about the soft and bouncy bit, but these eyeshadows are certainly very smooth, buttery, and indeed give a gorgeous luminous finish. They remind me of the Mac Extra Dimension eyeshadows, only better. Extremely smooth, pigmented, they apply and blend really well and look gorgeous on, they also last for hours on end without creasing and fading. They have a high sheen, but they're not glittery and there was no fallout from them either. While they're not cream shadows, they certainly feel creamy. They really are lovely, and will most probably be my choice for a Christmas party make up.

They come in 4 shades: Gilded Rosegold, Gilded Platinum, Gilded Bronze and Gilded Moonlight. Gilded Rosegold is a warm, coppery pink shade, Gilded Platinum is a shiny white gold, Gilded Bronze is a taupey bronze colour and Gilded Moonlight is a yellow gold shade. I've worn them all and they all have the same wonderful texture and colour pay off. I have to say I am now very happy I passed on the Dior holiday quints because these are possibly the nicest gold/bronze eyeshadows I bought this year - probably similar to the Guerlain Calligraphy palette if not nicer.

The eyeshadows cost £20 each and you get 2.5 g which isn't too bad. For the quality, I think these are well worth their price, honestly, they are really really fantastic.

See more pictures including swatches and looks I've created with them after the jump!

Monday 10 December 2012

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Cherry Blossom Review and Swatches

The other day I showed you the gorgeous pink glitter nail polish you can get for free (from Superdrug) if you buy 3 other Revlon products, so let me now show you one of them. I bought this gorgeous Super Lustrous lipstick in the shade Cherry Blossom.


I have said before, I absolutely love Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks, especially the cream finish ones, but having said that, Cherry Blossom is a pearl finish and it's also very nice. Creamy, well pigmented, non drying and long lasting, Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks have to be my favourite drugstore/high street brand lipsticks. Nowadays I actually very rarely buy non high end lipsticks (and not just because the no-buy I'm supposed to be on - oops), but if I buy some, they'll most probably be from Revlon. I also love it that these lipsticks are unscented. While I don't generally mind scented lip products, I hate that sickly sweet fake smell drugstore lipsticks often smell of, Maybelline being the worst offender for me.

So was this lipstick worth falling off the (no-buy) wagon for? Yes and no. Quality-wise I really cannot fault it, it's lovely, really great, beautiful shade, lasts for hours while feeling very comfortable on the lips. My only problem is that this is not actually a unique shade. By that I don't mean it's similar to 20 lipsticks in my collection, I mean that it's almost exactly the same as Revlon's own Cherries In The Snow (you can see my review here). I swatched them side by side and there's hardly any difference. So truthfully I didn't actually need it. The other weird thing is, there's apparently another shade of Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherry Blossom available which is a pale pink colour. If you google it, you get two very different shades. I wonder whether the light shade is an old, discontinued shade, but what a weird way of recycling a name, especially when the colour is actually very different.

Anyway, this is a lovely lipstick in a gorgeous shade, so would definitely recommend it if you don't already own Cherries In The Snow. Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks cost £7.49 and you get a generous 4.2 g. There's currently a 3 for 2 offer on all Revlon make up and you can get this gorgeous nail polish for free if you buy 3 or more Revlon products from Superdrug.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Sunday 9 December 2012

Chantecaille Les Fetes Trio Review and Swatches

Chantecaille released a cute little palette for the holidays called Les Fetes and I have it here to show you. "The three festive shimmer shades will inspire anyone to celebrate the Holidays with glamour. Colours glide on seamlessly and adorn your lids with a joyful glow." - Space NK


The palette contains the following 3 shades:
Moonstone - a soft pearl with hints of gold and pink highlights
Diamond - a silvery slate infused with diamond-like sparkle
Pink Sapphire - an effervescent rose to brighten the eye

The trio is actually a great little palette, very nice for a smoky eye with shimmer, perfect for a night out. Moonstone is a beautiful highlighter colour with a pinky-gold sheen, Pink Sapphire is a lovely rosy pink with a slight sheen and Diamond is a dark grey with a sequin/sparkle/stardust formula, it's a very shiny, almost wet finish.

The eyeshadows were very nice and smooth, and nicely pigmented Moonstone and Pink Sapphire especially. I found Diamond had to be packed on a bit more, but once it was on, it lasted well. I had no creasing from any of them and the look stayed vibrant for hours.

The palette also comes with a double ended brush/applicator and the compact has a full mirror in the lid. It costs £65 from Space NK, I luckily managed to buy it from eBay for around £41. You get 5 g for your money which is not huge, but decent.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Friday 7 December 2012

Get A Free Revlon Ruby Ribbon Nail Polish At Superdrug!

First of all I want to say that I've given up on the nail polish no-buy. I can't do it, so might as well not pretend that I'm not buying nail polish, and since I am, I might as well show off what I've got. Right?

So today I thought I'd show you this beauty I picked up yesterday in Superdrug - for free! As well as a 3 for 2 offer you get a free glitter nail polish if you buy 3 or more Revlon products. As this is not available to buy on its own, I just had to buy 3 things, which sadly made me fall off another wagon, but I'll tell you later about that.


Ruby Ribbon is a bright pink glitter polish with holographic bar glitter. It's really gorgeous, very sparkly and festive. It reminds me of Zoya Kissy (link by Scrangie) from last year's Gems and Jewels Collection. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know what it's like, but it looks like it has a good coverage on its own. Alternatively I guess it can always be layered over a similar coloured polish.

You get 14.7 ml and Revlon nail polishes usually cost £6.49. *P.S. Boots also have the same offer including Sequin, a gold glitter polish which I haven't actually seen in person myself.

See another picture after the jump!

Thursday 6 December 2012

ArtDeco Glam Deluxe Collection Review and Swatches

Once again apologies for the erratic posting, but I've spent the last couple of days Christmas shopping and rushing around. I'm slowly getting there, but to be honest, it'll take a few more days for me to catch up.

Anyway, let's get on with this. I have 6 eyeshadows and a blush from ArtDeco's Glam Deluxe collection to show you. The eyeshadows are another variation on the cream/powder formula, like Mac Extra Dimension eyeshadows and Estee Lauder gelee powder eyeshadows. The blush isn't the same formula, it's a powder blush, but it comes with a similarly pretty design.


Overall, the eyeshadows aren't as pigmented as I expected (except for Glam Bronzed Fabric and Glam Blissful Taupe), they are quite sheer. The formula is similar to the Mac and Estee Lauder eyeshadows, it feels quite creamy, but it's definitely powder. The blush I was a bit disappointed in as I thought it was the same formula as the Mac Extra Dimension Skinfinishes, but it's just a regular powder blush. It's actually a bit too powdery for my liking, although it is a nice, natural colour with just a hint of shimmer.

As I said above, other than the bronze and taupe eyeshadows the others are a bit sheer and rather similar as you'll see in the swatches below. The white shade has a slight shimmer to it, the others are mostly just metallic. The formula's good, they didn't crease or fade on me for 12+ hours (I wore them over primer).

The eyeshadows cost £16.50 each and you get 2.5 g. The blush is £21.50 for 10 g. I'm not completely bowled over by them, but the bronze and taupe eyeshadows are definitely worth having. Available from Debenhams and Beauty Bay. Debenhams currently have a 15% off offer going (until Sunday).

See lots more pictures, including swatches and a couple of looks I did with the products, after the jump!

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Festive Nails Part 2 - Red With Golden Glitter

When it comes to Christmas, nothing beats a lovely red nail polish. I have OPI The Spy Who Loved Me with China Glaze Golden Enchantement on top for extra sparkle. Lovely!

Taken without flash in direct sunlight

I did 2 coats of each nail polish and sealed it with Seche Vite. The result: shiny, shimmery gorgeousness. It lasted pretty well on me with no chipping on the first day and only minimal chipping on day 2.

The Spy Who Loved Me was part of a set, it's a mini size 3.75 ml, but it's also available in full size. I think OPI polishes are now around £11, but I never pay full price, always buy on eBay from the US usually. Golden Enchantement is a permanent shade, it's also a dupe for Angel Wings from the new Holiday Joy collection. China Glaze polishes cost around £6.95, but again I tend to buy them on eBay for a lot less.

See more pictures after the jump!

Monday 3 December 2012

Mac Sequin Lipstick Review and Swatches

This is not a new purchase, but I wore it the other day and felt it was rather unappreciated in my collection, because it's actually a really lovely shade. I bought Mac Sequin lipstick with my Back to Mac empties a while (2 years or so) ago, but I've not really given it much love.


Sequin lipstick is a frost finish, so can be a little uneven, but two layers should sort that out. Mac says is "plum-pink with pink shimmer", but it looks more brown-pink on me. It's a nice colour and it's very suitable for my colouring. It lasted on me for an average 2-3 hours depending on whether I drank anything or not, it did not last through eating.

As with other Mac lipsticks it costs £14 for 3 g. Sequin is one of Mac's permanent lipsticks, so it is available to purchase at any time. Check it out next time you're at a Mac counter!

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Sunday 2 December 2012

Festive Nails - Part 1

Since it's now December I thought now would be a great time to start a series about festive nail polishes. However, as I'm still playing catch up and have had absolutely no time to take, crop and watermark pictures, I thought I'd start out with a quick recap of the festive NOTD posts I did this time last year. I have gained a lot of followers since last year, so some of you might not have seen these posts anyway, and even if you have, it's always nice to get some ideas for Christmas.

So without further ado, here are the links to last year's festive NOTD posts, and I will be back soon with some frest posts. To see more pictures and read the relevant posts, just click on the pictures.

China Glaze Champagne Bubbles

Check out some more festive nail ideas after the jump!

Friday 30 November 2012

For Your Eyes Only - Chantecaille Les Petales De Rose Powder

Aah, Chantecaille. You always come out with the prettiest powders and palettes just to tempt me. Which is not good, seeing how all these pretties are actually very expensive. Thanks crunchie for eBay is what I say.


"Inspired by the gossamer, soft color and texture of crushed rose petals, Chantecaille has created a limited-edition highlighting powder that will brighten up your powder room as well as your face."

"Les Pétales’ kaleidoscope of colorful powders blend together beautifully to impart a sheer, flattering glow on all skin tones. Unique light perfecting powders provide a veil of subtle radiance, while flexible polymers help provide lasting, comfortable wear."

This is such a lovely, soft, finely milled, slightly shimmery, light pink illuminating powder. It really only has very very fine shimmer, it gives a subtle sheen to the skin. I haven' worn it, it's simply too pretty to distroy, but I did swatch it carefull to see what it was like. I would liken it to the Guerlain Meteorites, they give similar effect.

Les Petales De Rose costs a whopping £64 and you get 12 g for your money. I bought mine off eBay for around £45, it didn't come boxed and the label's missing from the bottom,but it's the powder that matters.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Thursday 29 November 2012

NOTD: Milani 3D Holographic Nail Polish in Cyberspace

As I said the other day, I might not be able to muster up anything other than nail polish posts for the next few days due to chronic time shortage. Thankfully I have plenty of pretty polish to show you, so hope you will enjoy them. Here's the first one, Milani 3D Holographic Nail Polish in Cyberspace.

Taken without flash in direct sunlight

I have already showed you another one of these polishes, 3D, a yellow subtle holo.Cyberspace is a light blue polish with a stronger holo effect than 3D, It looked especially pretty in the sunshine. I did 2 coats for this full coverage you see in the pictures. I added another coat on top of the topcoat to see if the holo effect got any stronger, but it didn't seem to matter. The formula was nice and quick drying. It started chipping on me on the first day, but actually then lasted really well even through scrubbing the oven! So I was pretty happy with it.

I bought this nail polish from Cherry Culture and it cost $3.99. You get 13.2 ml which is great. Their shipping is also very reasonable and they often have 20% off sales, so it's worth registering with them.

See more pictures after the jump!

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Guerlain Rose Aux Joues Blush Duo 05 Golden High Swatches and Review

I have managed to get my hands on another shade of the new Guerlain blush duos, this time I have Golden High to show you. If you have missed my reviews of the other shades, you can check them out here: Peach Boy, Over Rose, Pink Punk and Chic Pink.


Golden High is a mix of reddish brown and light peachy pink. The reddish brown shade has a slight sheen to it, the light peachy pink shade doesn't. This blush is the worst texture wise of the 5 I have tried. The reddish brown shade is extremely hard and very difficult to pick up with your brush. The light peachy pink shade is softer, but even that's not very soft. I don't know if this is just a dud, or this shade is simply this hard to work with.

Then upside of the hard texture is that's it's really not easy to overdo this blush. I had to swipe it twice with the brush to get the colour you will see on my cheeks in the picture at the bottom of the post. It gives a very natural result. The peachy pink shade works well as a subtle highlighter, or if you're very light skinned, maybe even a blush.

These blushes cost £32.50 and you get 6 g of product which is not huge. I'd like to point out that I have not paid full price for any of them (thanks to eBay) and probably wouldn't, although they are nice, but I feel there are better blushes around for a lot less money.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Stila Luxe Palette Review, Swatches and a FOTD

Before I show you this lovely palette, I just want to say that I'm really struggling with writing new posts at the moment. Firstly, I am currently very busy with school and children related activities. Secondly, due to the gloomy weather we've been having in the UK, I've found it incredibly difficult to take proper photos of products, which means if I can't take pictures of my new acquisitions, I then can't start using them, and obviously can't review them in detail. So for the time being I think you might be seeing a few more nail polish posts, I have a big backlog of NOTD pictures that were taken back in the autumn when we still knew what the sun looked like. Hopefully I'll be back with some proper product reviews soon.

For now, here's a lovely palette from Stila to drool over. This one is called Luxe palette and it contains 3 matte and 6 sparkly eyeshadows, plus a smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in Ladyfish (an exclusive shade). You also get a small booklet with ideas on looks to create with the palette. I bought it with my £5 off discount code StilaKiss which is valid for another 3 days on the Stila UK website (minimum spend £25).


I have to say, I'm a bit on the fence about this palette, I'm just not sure about the matte shades. I would've preferred either 3 more sparkly eyeshadows instead of the matte ones, or at least shades that go better with the rest of the palette. Quality-wise I can't really fault the palette, because the matte shades are really nice, the sparkle shades are gorgeous and the eyeliner is lovely too.

I have only worn the eyeshadows over a primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance), but I didn't experience any creasing and there was only minimal fallout (usually during application). The smudge stick is really long lasting, even on the waterline.

The matte shades are a bit brown for my liking. Actually Bubble Bath is a pinky highlighter colour, it's pretty, but I prefer highlighting with more sparkly, satiny colours. I couldn't combine the two different finishes in the palette. I did do a look with the mattes, it was a nice, but rather boring look for my liking.

I also used the shadows in the middle row which resulted in a lovely pink/purple look. But my most favourite shade in the palette has to be ♥ Of The Ocean. At first it looks really dark and a bit dull in the palette, but on the skin it turns into an amazing teal/peacock green colour with loads of pearl. Absolutely gorgeous! I've included pictures of the look I did with it (actually not including any other eyeshadow from the palette, I used it with Sassy Marshmallow and Time Resist White L'Oreal Infallible as well as Stila Peacock smudge stick on the lower lashline). It was really lovely, probably even better in real life.

The palette costs £30, but you can get £5 off with StilaKiss on stila.co.uk. I'm too tired to work out how much value you get, but altogether there's 13.5 g eyeshadows and 0.28 g eyeliner, so you can be sure you're getting great value for your money. I also like it that you get a mirror in this one, definitely something that was missing form the other Stila palettes before.

See lots more pictures including swatches and a look I did after the jump!

Monday 26 November 2012

Want It: Guerlain Spring 2013 Collection

I'm really excited about seeing the promo pictures and details of the Guerlain Spring 2013 collection, so I thought I'd quickly share them with you. Firstly, another gorgeous promo picture featuring the lovely Natalia Vodianova. Can't help but wonder how photoshopped those eyelashes are though...


So there is a new mascara coming out, it's a volume creating, curl sculpting mascara.

Cils d’Enfer – Maxi Lash (£22)
  • 01 Noir
  • 02 Violet

The secret of this brush is all in the three polymers. “The first one wraps the lashes in extremely adherent oils, coating and thickening the lashes. The second one, made with supple waxes, acts like a conditioner, softening the lashes so you can sculpt them into just the right shape and style. The last one forms a thin film, coating the lashes to trap the wax and set the amazing curve.”

This mascara also has an innovative brush which is described the following way:” full, round brush caresses each lash to thicken and lengthen at will. The volumising effect is accentuated by the new generation hollow fibres, capable of dispensing just the right amount of mascara with each stroke. Cleverly placed in a criss-cross pattern, they carefully separate the lashes and spread the rich formula without clumping.”

The other products in the collection are as follows:

Ecrin 4 Couleurs Long-Lasting Eyeshadows (£38)
  • 501 Attrape-Coeur - mauve, violet, white illuminate, prima donna purple
  • 502 Coup de Foudre - green, silvery patina, bronze-khaki, vibrant coral

Eyeliner (£24.50)
 
Ebony black liner with an ultra-thin tip (I think this is permanent actually).

Météorites Perles du Paradis (£43)

New Limited Edition of Meteorites come in XXL size with a pink powder puff with a black bow on top. These Meteorites come in a box adorned with an illustration of a boudoir. The pearles come in six shades.

Rouge Automatique Lipstick (£24.50)
  • 601 Romance
  • 600 Ballade

Shine Automatique Lipstick (£24.50)
  • 762 Rendez-vous
  • 761 Flirt

Kiss Kiss Gloss (£24.50)
  • 870 Cherry Pink (repromote, see swatches here)
  • 849 Fizzy Mango (repromote, see swatches here)

This collection will be out in January.

Pictures and information source

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Sunday 25 November 2012

Dior Holiday 2012 - Grand Bal Palette

Dior really know how to make you drool over their products, don't they? When they make it this pretty, how can you possibly say no? This is their newest holiday palette, Grand Bal.


It contains 2 eyeshadows (gold and silver), 2 lipglosses and an eyeliner pencil, housed in a gold clutch type compact with a full size mirror in the lid. The pencil holds the clutch closed as it's threaded through the two circular barrels in the front.

The eyeshadows are so incredibly beautiful, not just the colours but the pattern. I carefully swatched them, but I'm really not sure i want to use them much as it would ruin the gorgeous design. However, they seem so lovely, it would be silly not to use them. They are very pigmented, smooth, and the colours are lovely. The gold is a light coppery gold and the silver is a white silver. The eyeliner is a straightforward black, quite creamy and well pigmented.

I didn't swatch the lipglosses (a shimmery sheer golden colour and a medium reddish coral colour), because I really didn't want to mess them up, but they would be good to apply on top of a lipstick or wear alone. For those who don't like their powder and cream products in one palette, you'll be pleased to know that the glosses are hiding behind a little flap.

Not only the clutch itself is gorgeous, but it also comes wrapped in white tissue paper with gold CD printed all over it. The whole thing just screams luxury. Unfortunately the pricetag is rather luxurious too at £60. You get 5.3 g product (doesn't say individually) which isn't much, but like with many other luxury products you also pay for the name, the design and it doesn't get much more luxurious than Christian Dior.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Saturday 24 November 2012

NOTD: Enchanted Polish Once Upon A Time

Time for another NOTD post. This time it's Enchanted Polish Once Upon A Time. Enchanted Polish is quickly becoming one of my favourite nail polish brands, their polishes are really gorgeous and quite different to everything I own. Although having said that, Once Upon A Time did actually remind me of China Glaze Liquid Crystal, only better.

Taken without flash in direct sunlight

The glitter particles in this polish are smaller than in Liquid Crystal, making the whole effect smoother, and this also has subtle holo, something I love in Enchanted Polish nail polishes. This was the polish I wore in my Nail Polish Stash And Storage Video if you want to see it "in action".

I used 2 coats for the coverage you see in the pictures,which is pretty opaque. I had a tiny chip after about 24 hours and managed to chip another nail quite badly the next day, but after patching it up I wore it for the total of 4 days. So all in all, a good little nail polish. I bought mine from Llarowe, it cost $15 for 15 ml, although sadly it's not available anymore. The only downside of this brand is its very limited availability. She only makes them in very small batches and once they're gone, they're gone. If you like this though, check out China Glaze Liquid Crystal for a similar effect.

See more pictures after the jump!

Friday 23 November 2012

My Chanel Holiday 2012 Collection Haul - Review and Swatches

At last, the Chanel holiday collection has arrived to the UK as well. Must have been the last of the high end collections, it was released on 9th November. Yes, sorry, it has taken me this long to finally review it, I still have quite a backlog of things I haven't even photographed, or swatched or used.

But for now, here's what I bought from the Chanel holiday collection:


I got the eyeshadow quad, Harmonie de Soir, the blush called Star Dust and the new Illusion d'Ombre in Apparence. I knew I wanted the quad when I saw pictures of it sometime in the summer, it just looked so pretty, I had to have it. I was on the fence about the Illusion d'Ombre, especially after swatching it as it seemed to be pretty much the same colour as the gold in the quad. The blush I wasn't even going to get, but once I'd swatched it, I couldn't leave it behind.

So the eyeshadow quad. It's soft, silky, pigmented, gorgeous. Easy to use, blendable, long lasting, non-creasing shadows that look satiny. Love it. Only drawback is you only get 4 g of product which is teeny, especially considering the pricetag (£43). But then having said that, I'd rather pay that much for 4 g of loveliness than £30+ for a mediocre Mac quad. Anyway, I have used all the colours except for the gold one and they all looked great 12+ hours later, didn't crease (over Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer) and didn't lose their sheen. I apologise, I didn't take a picture of the look because that day was the gloomiest, darkest day and I knew the pictures wouldn't come out right.

The Illusion d'Ombre is a gorgeous not too yellow gold colour, it's also not very warm, so should suit people with cooler complexions. Not as yellow and sparkly as Vision Illusion d'Ombre, it's more of a muted colour. Still sparkly, but not as metallic as Vision. It's a very lovely colour. If you have the quad you probably don't need this as well, because the two golds are very similar, but Illusion d'Ombres are a different products, they are cream eyeshadows that don't crease and stay on all day (I only use them over primer). I love them on those days when I only have 10 minutes to put my make up on, they are just so easy. You get 4 g of eyeshadow for £23.

As I said, I wasn't even going to get Star Dust blush, but it's just so sparkly, I couldn't say no to it. Also, Stardust is one of my favourite films (watch it if you haven't see in yet!), so the name really appealed as well (yeah, I know, lame excuse). Star Dust is a very sparkly light pink blush, more of a highlighter really, and defitinely more for nights out than school runs (although I wear crazy colours to school runs, so whatever you want to do really). It's very finely milled and just lovely. It's not huge, you only get 4 g and it's pretty pricey at £31.

While the Chanel collection isn't my favourite of this year's holiday collections, the products I've bought are all really lovely. I didn't got for the lip products or nail polishes for obvious reasons (no-buy), but they also looked nice.

See more pictures after the jump including swatches and a look I did with Apparence Illusion d'Ombre and Star Dust!

Thursday 22 November 2012

My Lancome Holiday 2012 Collection Haul - Review and Swatches

One of my favourite holiday collections this year is by Lancome (obviously the other one being Guerlain). I've bought two of the Petit Tresor eyeshadows and the two khol pencils (which I wouldn't actually describe as khol, but we'll get to that later), as well as the gorgeous sparkly gift set I've already shown you.


The eyeshadows are really lovely and sparkly, even the compacts they come in are so glam. It's definitely 10/10 for packaging for Lancome! I bought Fil d'Or and Fil' d'Argent, the gold and silver ones. I also liked the bronze one, but decided to skip that as it was the least interesting shade for me. The silver one is actually more taupe than silver, which probably makes it more wearable, but if you're after a proper silver shade, this won't be the one for you. The gold one is a light yellow gold, very pretty. Both are sparkly, but not glittery, very smooth and easy to use. They aren't massively pigmented, but they give a very nice wash of colour to the lids.

The khol pencils are nothing like khol, they remind me a lot of Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencils. They are soft, smooth and really nice. They don't drag, but they're also not too soft. There are two shades: 015 Jazzy Taupe and 016 France In A Glance. The latter is a bronzy brown colour, Jazzy taupe is... taupe. They compliment the eyeshadows perfectly.

You get 1 g in each eyeshadow for £18 and the khol pencils are £16 for 1.2 g (same size as the Urban Decay ones). The eyeshadows are pretty expensive gram per gram, but I don't mind since I'm never going to use them up anyway.

See more pictures after the jump including swatches and a taupe look I did!

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Laura Mercier Petite Baked Eye Colour Trio in Golden Metallics Review and Swatches

This holiday Laura Mercier has released some very pretty palettes and I picked up this Petite Baked Eye Colour Trio. Although I'd already owned one of the shades, I thought it was still worth picking up.


The palette contains 3 baked eyeshadows in the following colours: Gold Leaf, Black Karat and Emerald. Out of the 3 only Black Karat is permanent. Because they're baked, they can be used both wet and dry, and usually look more intense when used wet. I tried Gold Leaf and Black Karat dry on the lid and then Emerald wet as eyeliner and they looked very pretty. I didn't take any pictures of the look, sorry.

Even when used dry they're nicely pigmented and there isn't much fallout from them, what little there was occured during application and not afterwards. I used them over primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance) and they stayed creaseless all day. There's a lovely shimmer to them, but no chunky glitter, so if you like some shimmer, these could be a good choice for you. I can see this as an option for a Christmas party make up look.

You get 3 x 0.5 g of product which isn't a lot, but it's worth keeping in mind that baked eyeshadows are often lighter than non-baked ones. The palette is slightly worse value at £20 than buying the eyeshadows individually (although technically you can't anyway), because the singles cost £18.50 and you get 1.8 g for that. If you don't think you want to fork out £20 for this, then wait until the sales because I have seen other Laura Mercier palettes go on sale after Christmas, clearly they are not as limited edition as Mac products are. If you like it though, best get it now, just in case.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Update On My No-Buy 2 Months On

In case you're not a regular reader of my blog (and why not?), to fill you in, 2 months ago I went on a no-buy for lipsticks, lipglosses and nail polishes (you can also read my original post by clicking here). Well, an intended no-buy anyway. I have been doing well in some areas (lips) and not so well in other areas (nails).

Firstly, the positives. I haven't bought any new lipsticks this month, so that's a definite well done to me. I have bought 6 lipglosses, but those were still (just about) within my limit, and now I've reached that, I'm not going to allow myself any more.

Secondly, I can't stop buying nail polish. I did better than last month (not hard), but still bought far too many. The picture below shows a small portion of my nail polish haul. I have to say, 9 of them came from my wishlist (those gorgeous holographic Color Club polishes on the front and left of the picture and the Enchanted Polishes on the right), and one was sent to me by the lovely Liloo as a prize (the other gorgeous holo by 17 on the right), so surely that doesn't count, right?


The trouble is, there are just too many pretty, glittery, holo polishes out there, and I'm too weak. But I'm trying. I have quite a long wishlist now and I have been better about not just buying things when I see them on a blog or in a shop, so hopefully it's a start. However, feel free to give me a kick up the bum and tell me to stop buying them since I already have enough nail polishes to last me 20 years or so!

Monday 19 November 2012

Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait in M27 Luxure - Review and Swatches

Probably one of my very last lip product reviews for a while since I'm now on a no-buy indefinitely when it comes to lipstick and lipgloss. Today I have Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait liquid lipstick in M27 Luxure to show you.


I have reviewed these liquid lipsticks before, so I won't be doing a lengthy review today, if you would like to, check out this post. M27 Luxure is a darker, warmer red than M25 Colere which is very much a blue based red. This is still not orangey, it's probably quite neutral as far as reds go.

I got a similar wear time out of this as I did with the other shades, around 4 hours without eating, it does disappear while eating. It doesn't feel drying on my lips, despite being matte, although there is a slight sheen to it, so it's not a true matte anyway.

Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait lip colours cost £29.50 and you get 6 ml for your money. They are expensive and you mostly pay for the fancy case with the mirror, but the case is very nice and the lip colour inside is pretty good too.

I included a quick lipswatch at the end of the post, no full face picture though, sorry, I was not looking my best that day. The lipswatch isn't great either, it was a dark, gloomy day I'm afraid. (Also sorry about the lip fuzz.)

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Sunday 18 November 2012

Illamasqua Nail Duo Bright - Glitterati and Viridian

I bought this set of two Illamasqua nail polishes from Debenhams, named Nail Duo Bright. The set includes Viridian, a metallic peacock green and Glitterati, a glittery plum shade.


My first impression was that neither of these polishes looked as bright or glittery in person as they did in the stock picture on the Debenhams website. Fair enough though, things never do. I still think naming them as "bright" is a bit misleading because they're not.

Viridian is rather dull, darker and a lot less metallic than I expected, even based on what it looks like in the bottle. I ended up jazzing it up a little by Zoya Maisie, a blue/green flakie polish.

Glitterati is very misleading in the bottle as you can see loads of sparkles, but they mostly end up being sandwiched between the layers you apply (I did two) and also just floating inside the polish. The end result was much less glittery than I thought it would be.

Both manicures took 2 coats to look opaque, the formula was nice, not too runny or thick and they applied evenly. Both started chipping slightly in the first 24 hours, even though these polishes are supposed to be "extremely hardwearing and chip-resistant" according to Illamasqua. Once I applied Zoya Maisie on top of Viridian, it lasted really well (3 more days), but that credit goes to Zoya Maisie. Glitterati was very badly chipped on me by the end of day 3.

The set costs £22 from Debenhams (currently £19.80 in the sale - ends tonight!) and interestingly £24 on the Illamasqua website. Single polishes cost £13.50 and as both are full size (15 ml each), this is a good value set. (I can't actually see Glitterati on the website, maybe it's exclusive to the set?) Whether I'd recommend it is another question. If you don't mind that they're not as bright as advertised and aren't chip resistant like Illamasqua claim, then I would. I'm myself a bit disappointed with this set, and since these are my first Illamasqua polishes, not sure this was the best introduction to the brand's nail polishes.

See lots more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Saturday 17 November 2012

Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Review and Swatches

I have another pretty palette from Too Faced to show you, this time it's the Shadow Bon Bons palette. This one is also a very good value offering. Of course it's not just abut value, it's also the quality that counts. Luckily this is also a great quality palette. Well done Too Faced!


Shadow Bon Bons contains 12 eyeshadows, a trial size Candlelight Shadow Insurance primer and a full size LashGASM mascara. I have to admit, I actually bought this palette for just one of the eyeshadows (and the fact that I got £17 worth of points on my Advantage Card in Boots when I spent £50). I'm happy to say that all the eyeshadows in the palette are actually very nice, with the exception of Nude Beach which has quite bad fallout, although it's a pretty shade. This palette isn't as colourful as the Sweet Indulgences palette, so better for those who prefer neutral looks, but there's still plenty of variety in there. Not just colourwise, but also regarding the finishes, there are matte, metallic and shimmery shades.

Some of the shades in this palette can also be found in the Sweet Indulgences palette (Peach Fuzz and Lovey Dovey) and I'm pretty sure I've come across some of the others before too, but this is such a nice, comprehensive set, and not too bulky to travel with either.

The Candlelight Shadow Insurance primer has a nice golden sheen, so it's great under shimmery shadows. It grabs onto eyeshadows and makes them stay vibrant and creaseless all day long. The LashGASM mascara gives me nice lenght, although not much volume. It has those plastic bristles/spikes I like and the brush is a nice size, not too big at all. The formula is pretty nice too.

All in all, a great set and well worth the £33 price tag. According to Beauty Bay the value of this set is £130. It contains 10.8 g eyeshadows which is £95 value, plus the full size (12 ml) LashGASM mascara £16.50, and the 5 g Candlelight Shadow Insurance primer is an extra £7.50 value, which makes it £119 in my books, but either way, it's great value.

Have you bought anything from Too Faced's holiday collection yet? Or are you waiting for Santa to bring you something nice? Let me know in the comments! Also see if you can guess which one is my favourite shade in this palette? And which one is yours?

See lots more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Friday 16 November 2012

Bobbi Brown 24 Karat Shimmer Brick Review and Swatches

Aah, I love Bobbi Brown's shimmer bricks, they are just so pretty. So of course I had to buy the newest one, 24 Karat, that was released for the holiday.


As usual, it contains 5 strips of shimmery colour that can be worn as eyeshadows or swirled together as a highlighter. It is quite frosty, but if applied with a brush, it can be sheered out. The result is a soft golden sheen.

I absolutely love the outer packaging, the compact comes in a cardboard box decorated with pearls. So pretty. The compact itself is the regular shiny black with the Bobby Brown emblem. You get 10.3 g for £35.

I have an old post that shows my Bobbi Brown collection, you can see it here. It doesn't include my most recent additions, I might have the time at some point to take an updated pictures.

For now see pictures including swatches of the 24 Karat shimmer brick after the jump!

Thursday 15 November 2012

Stila Positively Pink Powder Blush and Lip Glaze Set

Stila has released this gorgeous set of blush and lip glaze for Breast Cancer Awereness month (October) and as I'm a sucker for pretty powders, of course I couldn't say no. It also helped that this set was an absolute bargain at £12.50.


I'd like to apologise in advance for the lack of swatches, but I didn't want to mess up the powder (yes, I'm weird) and I have so many glosses right now, there's no point in opening another one. I think I will just keep the set nicely boxed up as it is.

A portion of proceeds will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (although Stila doesn't specify how big that protion is). The powder is 7.9 g and the gloss is 1.5 ml. The set costs £12.50, but the powder is also available on its own for £10.

And here's a £5 off code for you to use on orders of £25 or over at stila.co.uk, just enter StilaKiss at the checkout. It's valid until 30th November 2012. I've already ordered the Sparke Luxe eyeshadow palette, will review it as soon as I can.

See more pictures after the jump!

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Mac Guilty Passions Crushed Metallic Pigments Review and Swatches

Sorry it has taken me this long to show you swatches of the Mac holiday crushed metallic pigment sets, but here they are finally. As you know, I bought all 3 of these sets because I absolutely love these pigments, they are just so pretty.


The packaging is adorable, they come in these cute mini sized "hat boxes" with a bow on top. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with mine yet, but they are good for storing little things you might have hanging around, although unfortunately due to the bow on top they can't be stacked, so they may not be that helpful. That aside they are very cute and pretty.

You get 4 pigments in each set and there are 3 sets: Sweetly Smoky, Brilliantly Cool and Tenderly Warm. There are a couple of repromotes, but most shades are new. Of course that doesn't mean they're not dupeable, although the testure of these is quite different, so the colours might look similar, but not the overall effect.

These crushed metallic pigments are all very high sheen, some are more than others. The sets contain a complete look with a highlighter shade, a couple of light/medium shades and a darker shade included in each one. Due to the nature of these pigments they are less finely milled than regular pigments which makes them less easy to blend and more prone to fallout. I have tried 3 of the shades from the Brilliantly Cool set on my eyes and I found the easiest way to apply these is with your finger. Another way is with a dampened brush. I used them over Too Faced Glitter Glue which made the blending even mor diffcult, and sadly there was some creasing too, not sure if it's due to the Glitter Glue or the pigments. Will have to keep experimenting. The set with the most finely milled pigments is definitely Tenderly Warm. I've found Brilliantly Cool the most "rough". Despite all this, I still love them because the colours are so pretty and the effect is so gorgeous.

The Guilty Passions set cost £25.50 each (Debenhams currently has 10% off beauty by the way) and you get 12 g of pigments in each set. That's good value since Mac pigments cost £16.50 for just 4.5 g (although these are not the same products and can't be bought individually).

See lots more pictures including swatches and a look I did with Brilliantly Cool after the jump!

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