Saturday 30 November 2013

The Beauty Spotlight Team: Twenty Questions with Perilously Pale

This week its time to get to know Christa from Perilously Pale, let the questions commence..

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Liz Earle Strengthening Nail Colour

What little gems these are, released this year, the collection contains a classic assortment of reds, nudes, deeper tones and a few brights.

I bought the shades, Pink Perpetue 07 (hot pink), Moment in Time 09 (classic neutral toned red) and Ebb Tide 03 (mauve grey)

The shades all have a cream, glossy finish. These are one of the longest lasting polishes I have found and they also have no detectable colour fade. After the polish is removed my nails don't feel dry/stripped (as is often the case with a lot of polishes).

I can't fault these and its all made that even more sweeter with the low price of £7.50 each (12ml bottles).
So a very short and sweet review, but I thought these worth mentioning, especially with Christmas approaching as I think these make a good quality, affordable gift.

I bought these from John Lewis

Sunday 24 November 2013

Nuit Infinie de Chanel Holiday: Charming Ombres Matelassées

Limited edition for the holiday season, when swatched the shadows from Charming Ombres Matelassées (£48) felt so buttery smooth, truly a delight compared to the normal baked quad release we receive here in the UK. Unfortunately my high hopes for this palette were completely dashed when I applied it.


The shades all have good colour payoff  and its overall very warm based, containing a satin warm cream, matte warm tan/beige, warm toned shimmery copper/bronze, dark brown with a semi-matte finish and a matte cool toned greyed purple.

I have tried this palette without a primer and then with 3 different types of primers to get a good result.
Unfortunately I find the shadows powdery, with a lot of fall out during application and difficult to blend. Blending results in a patchy mess with any depth/vibrancy of colour fading into oblivion. To get a clean line with the darker shades used as a liner I have to use them wet, otherwise the line is too powdery and does not adhere well at all.

I have seen numerous good reviews for the palette and many a beautiful eye look demonstrating it so this is one of the times I've held back my review, trying the product everyday in hope I could see the beauty in this that others see, but alas its not to be. Perhaps my lids are just naturally too dry for this, but at any rate I certainly class this as one of my regret buys.

I bought this from boots.


Saturday 23 November 2013

Beauty Spotlight Roundup: 23/11/13

Even though Givenchy has a smaller holiday collection compared with other luxury brands, Mostly Sunny is head over heels with the three pieces she has! Come take a look at Ondulations d'Or, Rose Précieux Le Rouge, and Bronze Précieux Le Vernis on her! You might just fall in love as well!

Got a boo boo on your face? Use this gel that polish insomniac discovered nightly and in a few days you will wake up without a scar!  

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog loves Susan Thompson Cosmetics Pout Poppers because they are the most amazing and effective lip plumping lip glosses on the market, and Peace is simply the most gorgeous sparkling golden nude!

There's a thrill to learning about a new line of cosmetics as long as it's as good as Frankie Rose Cosmetics. See what's getting Lisa of Beauty Info Zone so excited.  

Prime Beauty says brighten those tip for the holidays with ButterLONDON's Glam Rock Nail Lacquer Set--it's great for gift giving OR getting!

If you can resist the urge to glitter the lily….er, lid, you're a more tasteful woman than Kate. drivel about frivol features some of her fairydust favourites from Shu Uemura; it's, like, totally scintillating.

Do your unruly brows need taming? Pammy Blogs Beauty scopes out Benefit's new Gimme Brow...and is impressed!

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed tries out the latest in greatest in hair colour with the L'Oreal Preference Mousse Absolute - find out what makes it different from everything else out there and if you think the new colour is an improvement!

A Tom Ford product that is worth the splurge? Visionary Beauty shares her thoughts on the Orchid Haze eye quad.  

15 Minute Beauty has compiled a list of the best tutorials with the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. Do you own this must have yet?  

The Pink Sith has a list of her Top 10 Concealers. Is your Holy Grail concealer on her list?  

eyeliner on a cat waxes nostalgic about Besame Cosmetics past, while very much enjoying the brand's present offerings.  

Perilously Pale gives us a step by step tutorial to creating a gorgeous bronze and copper smoky eye with the Dior Golden Flower Quint for Holiday 2013.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Tom Ford Orchid Haze Eye Colour Quad

I was slightly apprehensive if this would be worth the splurge as I have had varied results with the Tom Ford line, fortunately this is most certainty a must-have for me.


The Orchid Haze palette (£62) contains a shimmery/frosted peachy/pink champagne, shimmery warm taupe, satin dusty mauve rose and a matte deep aubergine (it looks like it contains a slight sparkle but I don't notice it when applied)

The colours are just meant for each other and the results is a refined natural look with a dusty warmth.

The shadows are beautiful smooth and apply like a dream. I think even if you had poor quality brushes, these shadows would still apply well, as they really do just glide on and blend effortlessness.

The pigment level is very good and they apply true to the pan with no fall out. There is no room for improvement in the quality of these shadows, they really are just that good.


I bought this from harrods.com

Sunday 17 November 2013

MAC Holiday: Nocturnals Lip Gloss set & Mineralize blush from the Divine Night collection

I try to avoid going into a MAC store at this time of year as I know I'll succumb to the lure of the holiday collections, of course I couldn't resist having a tiny look......

I bought the Nocturnals Lip Gloss set in Nude (£25.50).
The set contains one Dazzleglass in Phiff! (beige almost clear base with golden glitter) and three Cremesheens in Boy Bait (sheer beige), Over Indulgence (brick red) and Richly Revered (plum)

The Cremesheen is my favourite MAC gloss formula as I find its the least tacky/sticky and has a smoother application and lighter consistency. Though I am not the fan of the dazzleglass formula is does have quite a good wear time for a gloss, of course whether lingering glitter is a good thing depends on personal taste :)


The only item from the Divine Night collection that stood out to me was the Lured to Love Mineralize blush (£22). When I tried this in store it swatched as the prettiness peachy pink, not too warm and with a slight glow (though not shimmered finished).


Unfortunately once away from the in store lighting my beautiful blush is actually apricot/orange. On my pale skin and pink undertones, this doesn't work and looks unnatural. It has a smooth texture, yet slightly dry in feel and a tad powdery, though I find it blends in really well. I think the pigment level is very good but I did notice that this doesn't last as long as as a normal MAC blush.
Swatched below with two swipes and then blended,

To round up, I'd say if you have a similar skintone to me to avoid the blush, but certainty for those who can wear warmer shades and want a mineralize blush that does not have a high shine/frosty finish, Lured to Love would be a good one to try.
Although sheer is pigment, I think the lipgloss set is great value and gives you a wearable range of shades and would make a good present (but if you are anything like me then I tend to find makeup gifts I buy somehow end up in my own collection....)

I bought these from a free standing MAC store.

Saturday 16 November 2013

The Beauty Spotlight Team: Twenty Questions with Pammy

Its time for a new series from the Beauty Spotlight Team, each fortnight a member will answer question both about blogging and also personal. So lets kick off the series with Pammy.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

MAC Gorgeous Eyes Collection: Melt My Heart

You'd be forgiven for not noticing the MAC Gorgeous Eyes Collection for this Fall, the release of pre-filled eyeshadow quads featuring re-promoted or permanent shades barely made a whimper on its release (unlike the useful fanfare that accompanies a MAC collection), even at the counter I went to the quads were stuffed at the side not even having a proper stand, how very sad...

At £30, which is quite a bit cheaper than if you bought a 4 pan and filled it yourself, I thought these were well worth a look. I bought the Melt My Heart Eye Shadow Quad which contains the below, 

Forgery: sheer glittery silver (Lustre) 
Melt My Heart: very shiny/metallic silver (Veluxe Pearl) 
Heather Belles: deep charcoal (Satin) 
Silver Ring: satin grey (Veluxe Pearl)


I can't say that any of the shades are unique and truth be told I do think its a bit too shiny/metallic on me, but the overall quality is quite good, with the lustre being the worst performer (though that's just the way of Lustres; not very smooth and lacking the pigment punch).



It delivers in creating a smoky look with a good graduation in colour intensities within the same family. I think this is nice to have if you haven't already got similar colours in your collection but its not an essential.

I bought this from maccosmetics.co.uk

Sunday 10 November 2013

Rouge Bunny Rouge Raven Glaze liner and the New Nocturnal Ink Satin eyeliners

Rouge Bunny Rouge have just brought out a new eyeliner called Nocturnal Ink. The Satin Eyeliner is available in three shades,
Friesian – Soft black with satin finish
Dark Bay – Deep ebony brown with satin finish
Blue Roan – Midnight petrol blue with satin finish

To say I don't get on with pen style liquid liners is an understatement, I've tried many, even those supposedly mistake proof 3 dots ones that Clarins/Bourjois brought out, but there are only a few I've found able to use. I love the look of them on others but I find the majority smudge, transfer onto the top of my lid, have too wet a consistency that bleeds out, and I can only get a really thick line that is extremely uneven.

So though I was extremely grateful to be sent the eyeliners to review I did think that having someone like me use them was testing them to the extreme. I am also going to review the Raven Glaze liner, a regular in the range but I thought it useful to compare the two formulas.
Swatched below L-R: Blue Roan, Dark Bay, Friesian and Raven Glaze

All the liners come in a slim-lined pen style and the Nocturnal Inks have a textured section to hold onto so there is no slip. The applicator tip is slim and flexible which allows you to create fine or more dramatic lines. There is a lot to like about both formulas, they are all quick drying (though the Raven isn't quite as quick) with a very long wear (I have watery eyes and would say these seem water resistant). They do not transfer, nor do they smear/smudge. The Raven Glaze liner has a more fluid texture and in some ways I find the satin liners more easy to apply, as I need to work quicker with the Raven, that said the Raven gives such a intense inky black colour that I do think it will warrant a place in your collection.

However good a liner these are the fact that I cannot hold my hands steady means I will never get a perfect line, however these are the best liquid liners I have tried, and I would say the Nocturnal inks allow you to play around more allowing them to be more mistake proof.
I was very surprised by just how comfortable these are, I am actually able to use these as base on my sensitive /dry lids, with no tightness nor unevenness, as shown below with Blue Roan used all over the lid with loose glitter pigment in Spun From Sunny Seawater and Sleeping Under a Mandarin Tree dabbed over (unblended) and then a mix of Raven Glaze and Friesian in a heavy line.


Disclosure: These were sent to me for free. You can buy RBR from http://en.rougebunnyrouge.com/ 

Wednesday 6 November 2013

A Classic from Nars: Tokyo Duo Eyeshadow

I get so distracted by all the new shiny makeup coming out that my older products can often be neglected. Such is my buying regularity of all things new its not often that I will re-buy the same colour product, but as I did in fact use up and felt the need to buy another Nars Tokyo duo (£25) I thought I'd give it a mention.

If you have a love of eyeshadows, chances are that you have a duo that you go for when you want a fail safe, natural looking lid. Often this will be a champagne for the lid and a light brown/taupe for the crease.

Tokyo is a great duo for those who want to achieve a similar effect of natural definition but with a much cooler tone. The duo consists of a pearly silvery/white and a satin grape with a hint of grey.

The shades are quite smooth and do need a primer to prevent colour fade but the pairing is perfect. Though colours are muted this duo really does excel to create that understated, yet polished look.

A thumbs up from me and certainly a classic to check out if you like your cooler tones.

 I bought this from http://uk.spacenk.com

Sunday 3 November 2013

Tom Ford Illuminating Highlight Pen

The Illuminating Highlight Pen is meant to "allow you to enhance, contour or diminish your features to create the appearance of symmetry". There are eight shades, 4 shimmery and 4 matte, the shimmery ones are meant to "catch the light and bring focus to the cheekbones and eyes to create balance and symmetry"  and the mattes are to "act as skin–priming concealers to diminish flaws and shadows". All eight tones are meant to "soften and diffuse light for a smooth and undetectable finish".

The concealer comes in a mahogany tube and has a white synthetic brush head. The product dispenses via twist-up packaging. I bought 05 Naked Bisque (£40) which is a ivory/nude shade with pink undertones.
Shown below on the left with the Burberry Sheer Luminous Concealer in Light Beige on the right to show the pink tones of the Tom Ford.

It has a creamy texture and more pigment that say YSL Touche Eclat. It gives light coverage and a slight illumination, though matte in finish rather than shimmery. It does make the skin texture look smoother and flaws softened and looks very natural on.
Texture/performance wise it goes on easily and doesn't migrate into lines, to get a full days wear I do have to set with powder though.
Shown below before and after,

I am tempted to pick up 07 Amber Eclat to use as a colour corrector under concealer as I have read many positive reviews about that particular shade for offsetting dark circles.

Ingredients:


In terms of finish and texture this is one of the best types of this product I have tried so far, though as I have dark circles I would always need to use this in conjunction with a heavier coverage product.

I bought this from harrods.com
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