Monday, December 30, 2013

Lip Six

Good morning!!  Here's my last 6 lip choices.  My Xmas day lip was Nars Cruella.


Top row (L)  Buxom Full On Lip Cream 'White Russian'    (R)  Clarins Rouge Prodige in 134 Orchid Pink

Middle row (L)  Guerlain Rouge G in 863 Provocative (Holiday 2013) (R)  Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani in 512

Bottom row (L) Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural lipstick in N45   (R)  Stila Color Balm Lipstick in Sonya

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Christmas candle edition


Merry Christmas lovelies!  I wasn't planning to blog today but was just checking my draft posts and found this and thought if I didn't post it today it would have to wait another 365 days!!

These are the candles I have been burning like mad in the run up to Christmas Day!


Twisted Peppermint is my favourite of the bunch! It smells so sweet and Christmassy-peppermint candy canes and mandarins, vanilla and sugar.

Merry Cookie is shortbread in a candle! 

Tis The Season is liked mulled cider and apple pie!  I love my sweet scents!


Cinnamon Frosting smells like walking into Cinnabon,  so sweet and warming!

Red Velvet Cupcake is exactly like my favourite cupcake, I couldn't resist snapping it up.

Mint Chocolate is a bit like After 8 mints-and who doesn't love those at Christmas!


And finally Frosted Gingerbread!  Gingerbread is one of my all time favourite scents, I just love it.  Slightly spicy and definitely warming, I have loved walking in our apartment when this has been burning. 

I really love Bath and Body Works Candles, I know you can't get them easily in the UK but if you visit the US or Dubai do pop into one of the stores and treat yourself.  The throw on them is incredible.

I hope you have had a wonderful day-surrounded by love and happiness.  I know I have and feel very blessed and lucky.

Lots of love


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Saturday, December 21, 2013

MAC RiRi Holiday 2013-first look


I have to admit I caved and bought 4 items from this collection-however I suspect I am now firmly RiRi-ed out!

Here is a sneak peek at what I bought, I haven't had time to play with the eyeshadows yet although I have brought them with me and was planning to swatch them at least this morning.  I have NO idea how you beauty bloggers in the UK manage to get good photographs at this time of year!  I arrived home yesterday and today the weather is awful and gry and raining so no swatches today.










Both lipsticks are amazing!  Semi matte and long lasting without being too drying.  I am so glad I bought them and have RiRi Woo too.  Pleasure Bomb is bound to sell out immediately





What do you think of this collaboration?  Hit or miss?
 



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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Elemental Herbology Bio-Cellular Super Cleanse



Well hello!  I actually feel like I haven't blogged for ages-life has just totally taken over and I am relying on scheduled posts at the moment.  I honestly don't know where time is going!  A sure sign I am getting old I feel!!

Here's a review of the Elemental Herbology Bio-Cellular Super Cleanse.

Elemental Herbology is a skincare brand I have discovered in 2013 and the Bio Cellular Super Cleanse is the third item I have purchased from the range and enjoyed using.  

Firstly-who are Elemental Herbology?  Elemental Herbology was created by Kristy Cimesa and her philosophy is to produce products which are packed with nutrients, luxurious to use and deliver amazing results.  Kristy’s vision of creating a range of skincare that is devoted to balancing the main elements that affect the skin – hormones, lifestyle and environment – has been brought to life with Elemental Herbology.

The first thing I tried from their range was the Moisture Milk moisturiser which I reviewed here.  The second thing I tried was the Cool and Clear Facial Cleanser which was a great morning cleanser.

The Bio-Cellular Super Cleanse is a thick cream cleanser.  I have been using it in the evening after my first 'make up removing cleanse' as my second cleanse.  The cleanser is packaged in a squeezy tube which is my personal preference to keep it sealed and hygienic.

The Elemental Herbology website describes this as a milk but it's much thicker than that.  It's not a balm cleanser, it's more like a cold cream you apply to dry skin, massage and then rinse off (I use a damp flannel).

The cleanser is rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 to purify the skin and stimulate cell turnover.  

Other ingredients;

Patents
Apple AHA’s rich in Malic Acid exfoliates dead surface cells to help improve the skin’s texture and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Kombuchka™ helps increase skin radiance and vitality.
Lipofructyl Argan rich in Essential Fatty Acids is intensively nourishing and moisturising.
Actives
Vitamin C helps to reduce the appearance of pigmentation.
Rosehip helps to nourish and calm.
Camellia helps to smooth and moisturise dry and mature skin.
Bio-Oils
Ubuntu Baobab and Macadamia Oil help to radically improve moisture levels and soften the skin.
Lavender Oil helps to soothe and calm sensitive skin.

I find this cleanser is very soothing on the skin.  My skin has been clear and felt nourished since I have been using this cleanser.  It's definitely a 'second cleanse' product to give your skin nutrients and skin care benefits rather than a 'cleaning' cleanse because I don't feel it's very good at removing make up on it's own.  But as a 'second cleanse' cleanser it's really good.

I bought some more things from the brand to try which are still sitting patiently in my stash but so far Elemental Herbology can do no wrong!  I bought mine from Space NK here

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Sunday, December 15, 2013

L'Oreal Collection Privée lipsticks in Cheryl's Barely Greige and Julianne's Barely Peach







L'Oreal have recently launched a limited edition collection of tailor made nudes for every skintone, chosen by 6 of L'Oreals iconic spokeswomen.

I chose Cheryl (Cole's) Barely Greige and Julianne (Moore's) Barely Peach.

I really like the packaging on these lipsticks.  The matte black bullet is accented with gold and looks more expensive than its £8.99 price tag.  The lipstick bullets are a really good shape for precise application and the colour applies smoothly.  The finish on both lipsticks is very glossy, almost akin to a lip butter.  Sadly on me, Cheryl's Barely Greige is so close to my own lip colour it just looks like I have slicked vaseline on my lips.  I think this colour would have been great on me if it had a matte finish and I would have loved it.  Julianne's Barely Peach works a lot better on my (NW15) pale skintone.  It's a glossy pale pink that really brightens my complexion and makes my lips look plumped and juicy.  This has gone straight into my handbag for the perfect day time perk me up.

The lipsticks feel very hydrating on the lips and are very comfortable to wear with no bleeding outside of the lip line.  One of the best drugstore lipsticks I have come across.

Have you tried any of the L'Oreal Collection Privée range?



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Saturday, December 14, 2013

Urban Decay Naked 3-and swatch comparisons to Naked 1 and 2


Is Naked 3 the biggest beauty launch of 2013?  The hype around it has been insane!  I managed to buy mine direct from Urban Decay in the US but I believe the pre-ordered palettes from Look Fantastic in the UK have started popping through letter boxes.  Expect a flood of Naked 3 reviews on blogs over the next few days.

Mine is going to be a very brief review, including swatches from the other 2 Naked palettes-the bronze hues of Naked 1 and the taupe hues of Naked 2.  Naked 3 is more rose/pink/gold based.  Every single shade is new.  The good news is the formula is very consistent with the other two palettes-the shadows are so pigmented and almost creamy.  They're a pleasure to apply and a dream to blend.  Mostly shimmery or frosty, however the matte ones are easy to work with too.  There is some fallout from the frostiest shades such as Trick or Dust but nothing a quick swipe of a fluffy brush can't sort out.











Here's a run down of each shade:

Strange-Matte neutral cream
Dust-Metallic frosty medium pink with micro gold and silver glitter
Burnout-More peach toned than Dust and less metallic and glittery.  Medium pink/peach with a satin finish
Limit-Matte medium pink that pulls slightly mauve
Buzz-Copper toned rose with a metallic finish
Trick-Fairly similar to Half Baked but slightly browner with a rose gold undertone and silver sparkle
Nooner-Matte medium rose, pulling towards a warm plum
Liar-A warm taupe with grey tones and red microshimmer
Factory-Medium brown with a satin finish and gold microshimmer
Mugshot-A darker taupe than Liar with a light rose undertone
Darkside-Cool toned purpled taupe with a satin finish
Blackheart-Matte black with red micro shimmer

I find myself pulling to the right hand side of the palette more than the left, with my favourite colours being Liar, Factory and Mugshot.  They are definitely going to get lots of use-but being taupe toned I wonder if I could have done without this palette and just used up Naked 2?

This will be a massive seller this Xmas and I am glad to get my hands on one even if I feel somewhat like a lemming following the crowd!

The formula is impeccable, Urban Decay shadows are probably the ones I find easiest to work with with incredible pigmentation and lasting power.  But I think I have more love for Naked 1 and Naked 2 at the moment.




Are you going to be buying Naked 3?


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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Fatal and Initiation


Chanel have launched two new Illusion D'Ombre eyeshaodows with their Holiday 2013 collection.  I talked about not being too taken by the collection in my post about the Chanel Joues Contraste in Accent here, forgetting I had also picked these up in my Nordstrom Haul.

Illusion D'Ombre eyeshadows have an unusual mousse-like 'bouncy' texture and feel quite wet to the touch.  I prefer to apply them to my lid with my finger as they set quite quickly so it's easy to apply and blend out this way.  I find if I use a brush I need to use much more product to get the same opaque coverage I achieve with my finger.  Once they are set they do not move all day.  The formula is so impressive-no creasing or fading of the colour.  It also doesn't dry the lid out and they make a good base shadow if you want to blend powder shadow over them.

I have a few of these shadows and my tip is to store them upside down to stop them drying out. 



Initiation arrived and it was a funny shape-almost like the product had dried out and shrunk.  However, it's fine and has the same bouncy texture as Fatal.  But a lot of people mentioned they have experienced this with these shadows after I posted pictures of the eyeshadow in my Nordstrom Haul post.  Considering Chanel is one of the most luxurious brands on the market, it's disappointing that quality control let this through.

Initiation is a mid bronze gold with a LOT of sparkle.  It's far more iridescent than I expected it to be but it's very pretty.  In the light your eyes literally do sparkle.  It almost has a wet look finish to it and wear time was over 10 hours no problem.  Even though it looks sparkly on the lid there is no texture of glitter and grittiness in the eyeshadow.  I'm planning to wear this tomorrow for our office Xmas party!



Fatal is much less sparkly and more appropriate for daytime wear.  It's a lilac taupe colour but can look quite complex with different facets in the light.  Sometimes it looks greyer, sometimes more purple and sometimes with subtle silver sparkle running through it.  But I don't find it quite as pigmented as my other Chanel Illusion D'Ombre shadows and seem to need to pack more on.  This colour really does brings out the green in my eyes.


Have you picked up anything from the Chanel Holiday 2013 collection?


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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Dior Holiday 2013 Diorific Minuit review






Well hello Dior Holiday 2013 collection!  I am proud of myself for being so restrained over this collection which I stumbled on in it's full glory at Dubai Duty Free a couple of weeks ago.  I really wanted to love the two highlighters but when I swatched them they were literally a glitter-fest on my hand and I couldn't get past that.

What I did plump for was this quite frankly stunning lipstick called Minuit.  Firstly, how stunning is the packaging?  It's gold and gorgeous with a good weight behind it.  It looks a little like a mini dumb bell but I can see past that!

Onto the lipstick.  The bullet is quite a hard formula with a angular bullet for application.  Because of this I find it easy to apply straight from the bullet because the hard formula allows for that bit extra control.  The colour is opaque with one pass and the colour has the tiniest metallic sheen to it with tiny tiny red micro glitter.  It's very pretty.  The formula lasts on my lips a good 3-4 hours and fades evenly.  It can be a tad drying so prep your lips beforehand.  It's comfortable to wear on the lips and dries down to an almost velvety matte finish.

This colour is limited edition so be sure to snap one up now if you love it!!

I also picked up another item from the Dior Holiday collection to give away to one of my bloglovin followers to celebrate hitting 400 readers.  If you already follow me on Bloglovin you will automatically qualify.  If you don't you can follow me here.  Full details can be found in this post



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