Cream blush and BooHoo

So a little while back I picked up a cream blush on a whim while browsing Space NK. There was just something so delicious about the NARS ones that it was clearly the perfect time to give it a whirl as I've never tried one before

Do you have a preference with cream vs powder blush? I've been using the NARS multiples a fair bit recently so have become a little more accustomed to using something non-powder but it does take some getting used to. I think I kind of like it!

NARS Penny Lane

The colour looks vastly different in these two photos, and I'd say the reality is somewhere in between - kind of a dirty taupe-y peach-y pink

I've blended the swatch out a little to try and show this



Payday is looming at last thankfully so I dipped my toes in the waters of a new internet shop this week - BooHoo . It's very similar to ASOS - lots of cheap and cheerful clothes, accessories and footwear. Just like ASOS a lot of their clothes have a catwalk video which is so helpful to get a real impression of the item of clothing. So I bought some jeggings (urgh, how I hate that name) and this vest top


I love the studding all over it and it fits beautifully -the back even has a little detail


I love it. I definitely suggest checking out the site if you want a few affordable fashionable things to perk up your wardrobe!

Foundation Nightmares!

I thought I'd take an audit of all the foundation I've bought over the past few years. I managed to lay my hands on 6 bottles of it. So a little swatching and comparing and is it any wonder I consider tearing my hair out with frustration at how I can't find one that matches my skin? Look at the huge variation in colours below:

In case those labels aren't big enough to be legible, we have from left to right:
MAC Select Tint - NC20
MAC Select Tint - NW20
Estee Lauder Double Wear - 1N1 Ecru
MAC Studio Fix Fluid - NW15
Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid - Ivory 010
Revlon ColorStay Combination/Oily - 150 Buff


To my eye, none of these comes close to a perfect match for my skin. Now - I know it's my arm not my face, but they're not that different in colour, I promise you.

The ironic thing is, the worst matches are the Estee Lauder, and the Studio Fix (er, my current orange-face foundation) both of which were matched by a supposed professional!

The ColorStay is easily the best match for me, but a week of using it left my skin in such a bad state that I just don't dare risk it again. If only......

It's strange too how NW15 in SFF is actually darker than NW20 in Select Tint. What's up with MAC and their colours- why is there no regulation of shades across the different formulations? Also, I wish they had a wider range of shades.

Are there any other pale skinned ladies out there who have the same problem? Have you managed to find a foundation that matches you? If so - please share!

Tag - Products I'm loving right now

Following Muhsine's example and doing an update on this tag as it's always a fun one

Shampoo:
I alternate between Tresemme 24 Hour Body and MOP Lemongrass - I have a horrible feeling they don't make this one any more which is a shame if so as it smells divine and gives me a bit of volume.

Conditioner:
I'm afraid I still don't. Perhaps that should be one of my 2010 beauty resolutions

Shower Gel:
Iris soap from Farmacia Santa Maria Novella. Unfortunately it doesn't smell nearly Iris enough for my liking, but it's nice nevertheless.

Styling Products:
Charles Worthington volume boosting mousse. So long as you blow dry the hell out of your hair after applying this, then it works very well. And seems to maintain a bit of volume the next day too.

Body Moisturiser:
Aveda Replenishing body moisturiser or Nuxe Huile Prodidgieuse - both smell gorgeous and do the job very well.

Deodorant:
Vaseline active fresh

Fake Tan:
None. Pale and interesting

Foundation:
MAC Studio Fix fluid in NW20. Still not the right damn shade though. I loved Estee Lauder DW, but they didn't have a perfect shade either. And so the hunt goes on... Anyone else super pale had the same trouble finding something that matches? Best I've found is a Revlon Colorstay one, but my skin freaked out with that.

Powder:
MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural

Concealer:
Barbara Daly one for Tesco, or Sleek Hide It

Blush:
Milani Luminous, MAC Redhead MSF or NARS Orgasm multiple. After years thinking I couldn't wear blush, 2009 was the year I finally started to embrace it.

Bronzer:
Barry M Natural Dazzle or MAC Strada for contouring

Highlighter:
The lightest strip of the Redhead MSF or NARS Copacabana multiple

Eyeshadows:
MAC and Inglot are mostly used. I'm having a bit of an about turn on Retrospeck - I've tried using it wet and am much more pleased with the results.

Mascara:
Clinique High Impact. I know it's lots of women's desert island essential, but - admission here - I often don't bother as I hate taking it off.

Lipstick:
MAC Patisserie or Stila Ariel

Lipgloss:
Barry M toffee

Nail colour:
OPI Cajun Shrimp - normally I'm all about the dark colours in winter but this perfect splash of colour.

Perfume:
I have a vast collection of perfume - I just love to buy it. But - this winter you'll smell me wearing Diptyque Opone or Chanel Coco (original, not Mademoiselle).

I tag you if you haven't done this for a while!

New York beauty shopping

So as promised earlier on, here's a little more on the few things I bought on holiday.

First up -

Sephora Star Gazer Palette:


It's from their 'Pure' collection, and is free of various chemicals presumably usually present in lots of makeup. The palette itself is made of bamboo.

Thoughts: much as I love the idea of a bamboo palette..it's not actually that great as it feels little brittle, doesn't shut that securely and the inserts don't fit that tightly and I can imagine them coming loose unless I treat this one with kid gloves.

That said, the colours in it are good and pigmentation seems strong:

Blush: Soleil | Eyeshadows (top L-R): Aurora, Galaxy, Polaris (bottom L-R): Heaven, Jupiter, Orion

I've used all of them and find the shades really wearable (though the glitter in the top centre and bottom right shades might restrict how often you use those two!) Aurora is a shimmery silver, Galaxy a dark matte grey with fine silver flecks of glitter, Polaris is a matte charcoal. Heaven is a shimmery very light heather colour, Jupiter a similar tone just darker Orion is a matte deep blue-y purple with pink fine glitter.

NARS Silent Night single eyeshadow:
Well this one was an impulse purchase - $9 at the till. They really know how to suck you in don't they? It's a beautiful rich gold colour in the pan:


Thoughts: Once you try using it you find there's some really chunky glitter in it and pigmentation is a little weak. You really have to get stuck in to extract much colour. I've found it works better wet. I actually don't mind the glitter too much - especially at this time of year I'm just about going to get my money's worth from this bad boy, so overall I'm happy. Had I paid full price - I'd be less happy.


Wet 'n' Wild Idol Eyes in Techno and Pixie:
These were something ridiculous like $1.99 each I think. Quite soft and creamy consistency. I like 'em.


Thoughts: As you can see, the colour payoff isn't bad either and for this price, you just can't go wrong.


NARS mini multiples set
This is limited edition available only from Sephora.


Now, these really are mini at only 0.14oz compared to the usual 0.5oz so $ for $ it's not technically great value ($40 for this limited edition set compared to $37 for a full size multiple), but it does offer an affordable way to try out three of the most popular shades.
You have Copacabana, Orgasm and South Beach.

(L-R South Beach, Copacabana, Orgasm)

Thoughts: I've mulled over getting one of these for ages so was excited to finally have three in my possession. They're all very shimmery and the shades are beautiful.

To be honest it's taking some practice applying these. As opposed to using a powder highlighter/bronzer/blush you have to take more care as to where you put them on your face. I'm just not used to using cream blush etc. But - I ike them and can see myself ending up buying one or more full size ones once these run out.

Neosporin Lip Health:
This is something I read about on Belle's wonderful blog before I left for holiday, then spotted in Duane Reade and remembered her rave review:


It's super cheap - a couple of dollars and is an 'overnight renewal therapy'. It claims to reduce/heal dry or chapped lips in 3 days.

Thoughts: well, this stuff got a real road test while we were on holiday - the wind in New York in winter is biting and it's very hard to avoid getting dry or chapped lips. So I duly slathered this on at night and it really worked! By morning they were miraculously restored. So, a big thumbs up from me for this beauty bargain as I'm sure it's one I'll be using throughout winter.

And finally...

Revlon's Silver Screen nail polish:

Excuse the sloppy manicure - to be fair to Revlon it's been over a week since I painted my nails..

Now, I don't know if you remember me raving about their Steel Her Heart which is a dark pewter/steel colour, and how I wished they did a pure silver one? Well, it turns out they do! I don't know whether it's not stocked in the UK, or whether it's just that I haven't yet come across it but imagine my squeal of delight when I saw this in the drugstore!

I bought two bottles, just in case. And - British ladies, get this - it's $4.70 in the US...compared to something like £7 over here. Not fair!

Thoughts: I can't get over how good Revlon nail polishes are. And that it's taken my this long to discover them. Even one coat is almost passable if you're in a rush and they seem to have really good lasting power. Love it.


So there you have it. Sorry if the post ended up waffling on too long for your liking!

Back to Blighty

Our New York 5 day fairy tale is now over and we arrived back in London this morning. The rest of the day has been largely spent dozing and doing some very light unpacking and laundry. Oh the glamour.

We had a wonderful time and while we were there New York had its first snow of the year - it was so magical! I'd forgotten how often you get blue skies there...the dreary grey of English skies can feel a bit bleak at times.

Our time was largely spent prowling round our old neighbourhood, checking out old haunts and finding new places. Lots of walking, and eating and drinking. I do love a long cosy wood panelled little bar.

Although I live with my boyfriend, when you both have busy jobs it's surprising how little you see can each other what with working late and heading off to work early, so having 6 whole days to spend together felt like a real treat. And, in my opinion if you're going to mooch around somewhere hand in hand then I can't think of a better city to do it in. Bliss.

I managed to get a fair bit of Christmas shopping done for family, but apart from that, I was restrained on the shopping front, and makeup-wise I came home with the modest haul you see below...


I'll do some thoughts and swatches in another post

Barry M lip loving

There's a lovely big Superdrug near work so I popped in at lunchtime yesterday and picked up these two. They were £4.19 each so pretty affordable and despite being cheap, the packaging is great (Rimmel, No 17 - take note!)



Lipstick no. 146 - Dolly Pink, and lip gloss in no. 2 - Toffee


They're the first Barry M lip products I've tried, and overall I'm impressed. The consistency of the lipstick is lovely - I have the say the colour is BRIGHT..I'm not entirely sure how often I'll find myself reaching for this one, but nevertheless it's a fun addition.

You may already have noted my deep hatred for lip gloss but I'm determined to find one I like. This one falls very much into that 'my lips but better' category - and the effect is pretty. It's not as sticky as some, which I like. The overpowering toffee smell is a little off putting as I'm not sure I like feeling as though I'm smearing toffee sauce on my lips!

So, I'm going to try some more soon I think - which Barry M lip paints and glosses do you have? And do you like them?

More Inglot treats

We ploughed our way through the crowds at a heaving Westfield today so I could go coat shopping. The effort was worth it, and I now have a lovely new winter jacket -and a purple one at that!

I made a quick stop at Inglot to pick up a couple more eyeshadows. They're a wonderful alternative to MAC - cheaper at £11 for 3 eyeshadows and as far as I can tell so far the pigmentation is almost if not as good as MAC. And they fit into the Pro palettes.

From left to right we have:
a matte neutral shade (390)
a pearl finish pink-y mauve (445) (a little like MAC's Trax crossed with Satellite Dreams?)
a pearl finish deep red-ish purple 452 (similarish to MAC's Cranberry?)


swatched without any primer:


Love them! What do you reckon?

A trip to Westfield is complete without a) a trip to Inglot and b) a cupcake from Buttercup (I ate it far too fast for a photo!)

Where have I been?

It's been so long. Too long.

The holiday was bliss. Absolute bliss


Need I say more? Lots of Milo, nasi lemak, tiger beer, sunshine, tropical fish, monkeys and cats. And by the end of two weeks even I had got a tan.

The inevitable catching up at work after a holiday has kept me very busy.

Had my first ELF order the other day. I suspect it would have arrived quickly if all the postmen in England weren't striking (don't get me started...)

So, Pink Ice custom eyeshadow, eyeliner brush from the Studio line, and Warm Bronzer, also from the Studio line.

Had a scary allergic reaction where my face puffed up and I had to go to A+E, and the doctor floated the idea it was a reaction to any new makeup I had..argh - was it the bronzer? Well, I can report a few days later I used it again, totally forgetting what the doctor had said, and I am fine. So phew - I'm not allergic.


So yes, the bronzer is lovely. Give it a go if you haven't already.

Hope you're all well. I'm off to take a tour around all my favourite ladies blogs now!

Reviews - new bits and bobs

Rubbish posting of late - I am in awe of all you ladies with busy jobs who still manage regular wonderful posts. I'm struggling to keep up at the moment.

Anyway, a few recent purchases (all very cheap and cheerful I hasten to add)
Pink wallet - now, how cute is that bad boy? My regular wallet is huge - mum sized - and I love it, but sometimes I want to be a bit more lightweight so I spotted this in Matalan. Who cares if it only lasts a year - at £4 I can't complain.

I bought a couple of things from Boots 17 range - I really am going back to school with my shopping at the moment. A nail varnish so vile and middle aged I've binned it already. And that 'green glimmer' eyeshadow. Beautiful consistency and pigmentaion. But no - I just have no idea how to wear this without looking like I'm about to take a leading role in Wicked. I wish I could. Any tips?

So I got the 'Bronzed & Gorgeous' palette for free with those 2 purches. Containing:
1 lip colour (it's pants. Just ignore)
2 eye colours - 'ivory coast' a good highlighter colour and 'statuesque' an Ondine-alike (yay!). Both are again beautiful consistency and pigmentation
1 instant glow bronzing powder - actually, this isn't bad. Needless to say use the brush at your own risk - but with a proper brush, it's quite a nice contouring colour.

So overall, not bad for a freebie.

And - something I've never looked at before, a bit of M+S make up. This is what lunch hours working in the city do to you - you're left to browse M+S as there are no other remotely fun shops nearby. Just Pret. And Eat. And Itsu. Not much lippie in any of them.

Anyway, it's an Autograph Sheer Gloss Lipstick. And I like it. Very creamy, feels nice on and a good selection of shades. And for £7.50 I might investigate a few more in the range. Oh, and I LOVE the packaging. Simple and beautiful and expensive looking.

And, after intially adoring my Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation in Ecru, I became increasingly convinced it's not the right shade for me. My face is a distinctly different colour to my neck, which is awful. Apparently it's the lightest shade they do, but I'm giving a sample of Shell (more pinky toned) a go to see if that's any better. So far...so good. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, holiday is not too far off so soon I shall be thinking about tropical island make up!

Some recent disappointments

A quick rundown on a few things I've bought recently. I'm sorry to say, most of these have disappointed me, but perhaps you've found differently?

Group (fuzzy) shot:
Barry M Natural Dazzle, GOSH velvet touch eyeliner in black ink, MAC Eccentricity quad and Bourjois blush in Rose d'Or.

So, one by one

Well, I read the raves, I loved the swatches and so I went out and bought the famous Natural Dazzle. I don't know I've just got a bad one but it's incredibly hard to get any colour from this. I have to literally scrub it with a fingertip to get any colour, so as for managing to load anything onto a brush - fugeddaboutit! At a tenner I'm reluctant to shell out for another on the off chance I just got a bad one... had anyone else had this problem?

The Bourjois blush
So, Rose d'Or - golden pink - sounds perfect right? But again, it's very hard to get any colour from this and oh, the smell of it is disgusting - kind of powdering and old...like make up that's been festering somewhere for far too long.

Colour Craft Eccentricity
Pretty colours - I really love this selection a lot. And I love getting four colours so much more use to me than a single and not much more expensive. But - the glitter fallout on these is really tiresome. With I'd been more diligent with my research and hadn't bought this in such a hurry.

As for the GOSH eyeliner - I love it. Despite it's waterproof claims, it doesn't stay on my waterline for very long at all, but then I can't imagine anything would. Otherwise, big thumbs up.

Anybody else hate (or love?) these products?

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

After 2 weeks of using this every day, I am hoping it's safe to give it a review. First up big thanks to Gail for alerting me to how great it is!


First off, if you're interested I'd strongly recommend going to an Estee Lauder counter, asking them to colour match you and then asking for a sample to take home and try so you can be sure of the colour, and sure that your skin isn't going to react. It's something I used to be reluctant to do, but if you're going to spend £20+ on a foundation, then the least they can do it let you sample it first.



So - it's considerably thicker in consistency than previous foundations I've had, but then the coverage is of course more thorough. I know others have success using a 187 brush to apply this, but I haven't tried using mine yet as I've been happy using the 190 foundation brush. After applying I buff it in a little with a kabuki - it seems to just make sure there are no streaky bits and it generally 'softens the edges'.

The one thing I have found with this is that you need to make sure your skin's really well moisturised before applying. I found I had a few slightly dry patches I hadn't taken much notice of until I started using this, however E45 cream has worked miracles and everything works very well together now.

It gives a matte finish, and my skin really has never looked so perfect. I did find the first few days I was appallingly vain and kept examining myself in mirrors.

I'm also very happy to report that (touch wood) I've had no adverse reactions to this - no breakouts or anything else - and my skin really can be a little sensitive which is why I was reluctant to try MAC's Studio Fix as I'd heard of so many break out horror stories.

So, overall a big thumbs up from me for this. If you want a medium to full coverage foundation, definitely give this one some consideration.

'My' makeup

I've been thinking about shelling out for a makeup lesson at my local MAC store. From what I can find out online it looks like it costs £50 and I believe (you would hope, wouldn't you?) that that fee is redeemable against anything you buy.

Though youtube has been a revelation in terms of teaching me a huge amount about how to apply my makeup, I still feel I'd like to know more. And I feel I need help in terms of the colours to use. If at the end of it I have a better understanding of how to make the best of myself, then I think it would be money well spent.

Have you ever paid for a makeup lesson?

In my eyes, the picture of perfection is Blair Waldorf (and I do mean Blair, not Leighton Meester, who though jaw-droppingly beautiful, never looks quite as perfect in real life as when she's being Blair). Ideally I need to kidnap the Gossip Girl makeup artist and hold him/her hostage until they've taught me all their secrets. But that could be tricky.

New foundation

I am in need of a new foundation. I think I've whinged about this before. Then the other day I watched Gail's Ode to Estee Lauder Double Wear and realised after hearing such deep love from someone for a product I had to give it a try.

So today I coerced a very grumpy and reluctant sales woman in House of Fraser into finding a shade for me and giving me a sample to take home and try for a couple of days. Her attitude wasn't great, then she amused me when colour matching me, when she sighed and said "I'm afraid you're going to have to be the lightest shade".....should I be ashamed of my pale skin?!

Trying a new foundation really terrifies me - the prospect of it breaking me out is a scary business, but so many work for some people and not for others. You can read reviews until you have them coming out of your ears, but the only way to really know is take the plunge. Hopefully I will love it and soon be back handing over cash for a proper bottle of it. I will report back.

So, Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ecru........here I come. Please be kind to me. I feel like we could become great friends.

Review - So sleek

I've read various people raving about the Sleek palettes, so decided it was time I jumped on board the bandwagon. And at £4.87 a pop you really should give them a whirl if you haven't already.

My local Superdrug had 3 options - Original, Storm and Chaos. I bought Storm

All are shimmery unless stated otherwise
Top row, left to right: taupe, white-gold, matte taupe, gold, light golden-pink, gold-burgundy



(apologies for the shoddy photo quality of this one)


Bottom row, left to right: rich brown, dark aqua, v. dark green-black, dark petrol blue, matte dark brown, matte black

I can see myself using pretty much all of these, and some of them an awful lot. My only disappointment is the burgundy colour top right which was the main reason I bought this but it's the only one where you have to work a little to get strong colour.

I love the palette - it's simple and stylish and it has a huge mirror - they've packed a lot into a smallish space and it's still handbag sized. The little applicator that comes with it isn't great, but you could keep it in case of emergency when you have nothing else to hand.

Definitely swing by Superdrug and give these a go.

Glorious soap

I just got back from a trip to Florence and Pisa to celebrate our anniversary. I will post a few photos in a bit (especially for Rocaille) but just a word quickly about the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy. I bought some soap there. Soap - not very exciting you might say, but I beg to differ. Ever since my French penpal arrived one summer, armed with gifts for all the family as usual and gave my Ma a bar of Chanel No.5 scented soap I've appreciated the small luxury a decent bar of soap can give you. Our bathroom smelled of Chanel no.5 until that poor little bar of soap was worn down to nothing.

So while in Florence, I dragged Mr C to the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy - or the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella to give it its full title. If you've been to Florence and you're at all interested in perfume etc then you'll probably have been as it's world famous.

It's well over 400 years old, and other than the arrival of electricity, not much as changed - it's quite simply one of the most beautiful shops you'll ever go in. Room after room of soap, perfume, pot pourri, potions, lotions, elixirs and more - many are made to the same formula they've been using for hundreds of years. Just look how beautiful is it - a sea of marble, wood and paintings - a feast for the eyes:


Bit different from Boots or Duane Reade eh?

I showed immense restraint, and bought only 3 soaps - one for us and one for each mother. Have you seen a more beautifull packaged soap before?


I've been sniffing it since we got back. I could hardly bear to open and start using it....until I discovered there's a branch here in London. So re-stocking won't require a return trip to Florene. What a shame

Review- More cheap treats

I haven't bought any make up in an age, and today I caved - however I can at least hold my head up high as I kept it cheap. One cult(ish) item and one 'it's so cheap why the hell not give it a go' item.

I'm desperate to find an eyeliner that will stay on my waterline and won't just melt away 20 minutes after application so I got GOSH Velvet Tough Eyeliner in Hypnotic Grey. It's very dark grey, nothing half-hearted.

These eyeliners come in 27 colours, and even the teeny little Superdrug I bought mine in had a good 16 or so. GOSH claims they are very highly pigmented and extremely waterproof and durable. Makeupalley members would seem to agree. It certainly goes on beautifully smoothly and doesn't drag your skin so we'll see now how well it lasts.

My super cheapo why-not buy was a 2True lipstick in no.8:


Now, I don't 'do' nude lips - they just look awful on me, unlike so many people on here who I see looking beautiful with them. Perhaps because my lips are pretty higly pigmented naturally so it just looks very wrong? I don't know. Anyway, this is more my cup of tea, perhaps more than my normal cup of tea: It's a blueish-fuscia pink - bit 'more' than I'd usually go for, but surprisingly, I like it. I'm not going to be reaching for it every day by any means, but at this price why not have it for the occasions you do.

Swatches:

What are your favourite cheapo treats in the make up world?

Perfecting the blank canvas

I read with horror that MAC's Select Tint SPF15 tinter moisturiser/foundation has been discontinued. Why? Is it really selling that poorly? It seems to be they don't have anything comparable in their range so it's strange to remove the only tinted moisturiser they do. But perhaps there's more to it than that.

After the initial feeling of disappointment however, it got me thinking how it's not been the best product for me as it doesn't give me the perfect blank canvas that I'm after. I want perfect airbrushed skin dammit!

I've stuck with it, because I have temperamental skin that's easily annoyed and Selet Tint doesn't bother it at all. In all honesty though I want a little more coverage so this is a good opportunity to start the hunt. I thought I was happy with YSL's Perfect Touch for something a little heavier but again I'm finding myself increasingly not thrilled with it.

I wondered about trying Studio Fix or Select SPF, but I've heard scary things from a lot of people about both causing major breakouts and I'm loathe to find out the hard way. Plus, times are tough and due to some financial belt-tightening I'd like to try and find a drugstore foundation to do the job. The two I've heard reasonably good things about are:

Revlon ColorStay

and Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse


Have you tried either of these? How did you find them? Did they break you out? Was the coverage good? Or any other budget reccomendations?