Monday, July 29, 2013

Lip Six!

Here are my lip choices over the past 6 days!



Top row (L) Mac lipglass in Viva Glam VI (R) Bourjois Rouge Edition in 11 Fraise Remix

Middle row (L) YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in 14 (Corail in Touch) (R) Mac mineralize rich lipstick in Lady at Play (see how it is almost identical to the Bourjois one above!!)

Bottom row (L) Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in Princess Extreme (R) Mac Cremesheen lipstick in Pink Pearl Pop

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Sunday, July 28, 2013

Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Mystère and Le Vernis in Taboo


This is the first Chanel eyeshadow quad I have owned in a while so I was interested to see how the quality compared to my much loved Mac, Dior and YSL eyeshadow palettes.

Les 4 Ombres 43 in Mystère is due to launch in the UK in August along with the much anticipated Chanel cream blushers, all part of the Superstition collection for Fall 2013.  Already launched in the US, I have bought and reviewed Le Blush Créme De Chanel in Révélation and Ombre Essentialle in Gri Gri from Nordstrom, both scoring high marks on the 'expatmakeupaddict-ometer'.


Sorry yes that is Ali in the top left corner, he wasn't for moving out of the way today



The quad I have is a US formula which I believe differs to the UK formula and on first sight looks like a classic grey smokey eye palette.  On closer inspection the shades are actually variations of cool toned khaki and taupe.  A couple of the shades have golden sparkles.



The winning shade for me in the quad when swatched is the slightly shimmery looking taupe bottom left of the quad and second from right in the swatches below.  The two darker colours feel a bit flat.





I have seen this palette compared to the Armani Eyes to Kill quad which is also called Mystery (see Sara at Color Me Loud's post on this same palette).  When I look at swatches online I actually prefer the Armani palette!  I used the palette this morning and am really on the fence about it to be honest.  The taupe colour in the bottom left which was my favourite when I swatched it comes off as a very dull and flat mid toned grey on me.  I blended the bottom right colour into the crease and it blended away to almost nothing.  The colours have loads of fallout when you put your brush in the palette as they are so soft but the fall out isn’t too apparent when you apply it to your lids. 
The colours are easy to blend and without doubt pigmented but they haven’t wowed me.  The surprise colour is the white in the top right.  I applied this to my inner corners and found it to be very powdery, but when I put a little bit on a Mac 217 blending brush and blended it around the darker shade I had applied in the crease it really brought out the khaki tone in the darker colour and gave some definition to the eye.  It is quite a glittery colour though so I am not 100% sure that it’s really suitable for work where I am wearing it today.t feels like a completely different formula to Gri Gri which I absolutely adore.  And now I kind of remember why I didn't like the first Chanel eye quad I purchased.

There is a much more favourable review from Amy at Cafe Makeup and her swatches look amazing and make me want to try again with this palette.  I couldn't pick up the sparkle she has managed to in her beautiful photos.

Trouble is this has now made me really want the Armani quad.....

My second purchase was the absolutely beautiful Taboo nail polish.



I've wanted this deep, velvety red toned purple for an age but I think it might have only just launched in the UK and it's still not in Dubai.  It has subtle iridescent shimmer and although I haven't worn it yet I know exactly what to expect having drooled over numerous swatches of it online for what seems like months.

Are you going to be picking up anything from the Superstition collection?


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Saturday, July 27, 2013

What's in my bag?


I'm very excited that tomorrow I have a new handbag coming from Michael Kors which I have bought from the Nordstrom sale.

I am very particular about my 'work' handbag-it has to be a tote that is big enough for me to chuck everything in (I feel sometimes like I literally carry everything but the kitchen sink) and it has to have no fancy zip or flapover closure because I like to have the easiest access to the contents!  I also prefer short handles to carry it in the crook of my arm.  I am lucky that in Dubai no one walks anywhere unless it's round the mall and so I am not as security conscious as someone who works in a city or commutes on the tube might be.  I remember handbag shopping with someone from London who was horrified I would consider a bag without a secure zip closure but it's honestly never something I think about.




So as I empty out one bag to switch over to my new bag I thought I might do a 'farewell' post to my much loved and well used Longchamp Roseau bag.

The Roseau bag is part of the core collection from Longchamp and I have had mine for over 2 years.  They are the perfect tote shape and have a magnetic closing and toggle-although mine is never fastened with the toggle.  Mine is the larger of the two Roseau bags with short handles and this is the 'Croco' material-the crocodile style full grain leather.  It's a soft tote not a structured tote and the leather is incredibly durable, even though I have used this bag almost every day for work it has barely a mark on it.  It's also extremely lightweight.  I don't think this exact bag is available currently but other colours are and it retails for approximately £280.

I've literally taken pictures of everything currently in the bag and also tipped out my make up bag as it currently is.  My make up bag is from Louis Vuitton and I have had it for about 12 years.

This is what I generally carry round on a day to day basis.


I suffer from asthma and with all my dental trauma of the last few weeks I carry round a little medicine bag with my inhalers, antihistamines, painkillers and various other meds.  Also also don't drink caffeine so carry some Pro Plus for when I am super tired!


Do people still have address books?  I am guessing not but can't think of a better way to store all my addresses!



The Prada bits were gifts from my friend Danielle and the Aspinal diary from my friend Hannah.  I love pink and these bits are easy to spot in my handbag.  In the Mulberry pouch I keep my headphones, a spare phone battery and my ipod when it isn't plugged into my car.





And here what is currently crammed into my makeup bag!



Worthy of mention here is that the Guerlain kabuki brush is really scratchy and not worth the money at all-compared to the Hourglass one this is like swiping sandpaper across your face!  And the Blistex lip balm has been a total lifesaver with all my trips to the dentist which have resulted in extra dry lips.


The Diorshow corrector is brilliant for clearing up any under eye make up smudges!


Enough lipstick for every day of the week..and then some



Thank you to my little helpers this morning!



This is my second 'What's in my handbag' post-I did another one with my lovely Prada handbag here when I travelled to London.  I'll instagram pictures of my new bag tomorrow.

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Friday, July 26, 2013

Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick in 11 Fraise Remix


I do like a bright lip-all year round as well!  In summer I like bright corals, pinks and oranges whilst in winner I'll go for bright reds and plums.

Admittedly I do not have a large collection of drugstore lipsticks but I saw Gemma from Miss Makeup Magpie wearing one of these Bourjois Rouge Edition lipsticks on Instagram I was curious because Gem looked stunning!

This is the only Bourjois product I currently own but I think a Bourjois lipgloss in a very pale baby pink was the first ever lip gloss I bought.

A quick google of swatches and I chose '11 Fraise Remix' and soon it was winging its way to Dubai.



What I like:

The colour is amazing-it's a bright pinky coral and has a slightly glossy finish

It's really long lasting without being drying on the lips-and when it does fade it fades really nicely and evenly

It doesn't bleed-some of my brighter Mac shades bleed bizarrely on only one side of my top lip



  
What I don't like:

The packaging is ok but is the one thing that makes this lipstick, to me, drugstore.  It has a white sticker on the side of the lipstick and I just think it cheapens it and is unnecessary.  Why not just put the name of the lipstick on the base?  The embossed Bourjois on the side is really nice so why ruin the packaging with a cheap sticker?


You really need to apply this to smooth lips otherwise it catches any dry skin.  I recommend building up very thin layers with a lip brush and blotting each one down before applying the next rather than direct from the bullet as I find the coverage is more even that way.

Overall I am impressed and would buy more...not that I need any more lipsticks of course......



NB-wrote this post at the weekend but when I was getting ready this morning for work I chose my Mac Mineralize Rich lipstick in 'Lady at Play' and this Bourjois lipstick is an EXACT dupe of this colour at half the price....I was amazed-even down to the formula, finish and feel on the lips......




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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Payday treat! Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Favourite



Lots of lip posts this week sorry but I've wanted this lipstick for so long!  But I had never seen it in Dubai until last week when I was wandering aimlessly round Sephora and found ONE in stock.  Payday treat sorted.

This is a bright matte coral pink shade.  It has a velvet matte finish and is really comfortable to wear-it doesn't tug at the lips when applying and it's not drying at all.  It also feels really lightweight on the lips.

The packaging, as you would expect from Chanel, is beautiful.  Timeless, classic but modern with its black and gold bullet.  Am more than happy to whip this out on a night out to re-apply!

Am loving this paired with a nude eye and Benefit Coralista on my cheeks! It's really girly and perfect for summer nights drinking cocktails!





One word of warning, I recommend with this type of formula (anything with matte in the name) that you take time to prep your lips beforehand.  My lips have been really dry with going back and forth to the dentist so before I wore this today I scrubbed my lips with the Sara Happ lip scrub and removed it with a flannel for extra exfoliation, then slathered on lip balm.  But when I then applied it, this formula still picked up every little bit of dry skin that even I couldn't see.  I removed it and slathered on some Nivea SOS (the only thing I have found that really sorts out dry lips) and two hours later the lipstick went on perfectly.  As matte formulas are drying and can be clingy, it's definitely worth taking an extra 5 minutes to ensure your lips are super super smooth before puckering up and applying your matte lipsticks.

What's your favourite lipstick at the moment?


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Monday, July 22, 2013

Lip Six!

My last six days lip choices!


Top row (L) Mac Pro Long Wear lip gloss in Persistent Peach (R) Bite Beauty Luminous Crème lipstick in Pepper

Middle row (L) Mac cremesheen lipstick in 'On Hold'  (R) Nars lip gloss in Ophelia

Bottom row (L) Mac Amplified Creme in Chatterbox  (R)  Mac Amplified Creme in Craving

Definitely shopped my Mac stash this week!



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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Christian Dior Mystic Metallic eyeshadow in 'Bonne Etoile'





Dior's 'Mystic Metallics' collection for Fall 2013 is definitely up my street when it comes to the shimmering metallic textures and shades and the 'Bonne Etoile' eyeshadow palette is the first release (in the US) from the range.

And what a way to launch the collection-I am in love with this star embossed palette.  It's almost too pretty to use.

I have long been a fan of Dior's eyeshadows-they're buttery soft yet pigmented and very easy to apply and blend.  They feel and look high end and I have never been disappointed with a Dior palette.  I always go for the metallic or satin finishes over the matte finishes.

All of these colours are shimmery-my personal favourite texture and finish-they have a similar texture to what you expect from the Mac Veluxe Pearl, Stila, Urban Decay and L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows.  You can apply these shadows wet or dry.


The top left is a deep khaki gold colour with tiny microglitter.  It reminds me of Mac Greensmoke in colour and texture.  In some lights it can appear almost charcoal-y with a green shimmer and will be a shadow I use for evening.  It's much prettier in real life than it appears on my photos.


Top right is a shimmery mauve/pewter colour and the lightest of the five.  I LOVE the embossed stars on this section.  This is the most glittery colour of the 5 but there is little fallout when applied.  It works well as a base colour over the lid and this colour really intensifies when applied with a damp brush.


The central 'CD' embossed shade is brown with golden shimmer.  Of the 5 colours, I feel this is probably the one I have the most dupes for in my collection already-but obviously it is the sort of shade I love to have numerous versions of it!!  Mac Woodwinked springs to mind, and the paint pot Eclair in a cream format.  I am sure I will get a lot of use out of it.


The bottom right is a sea green with a good golden metallic undertone when swatched.  Blends really well with the khaki colour.


Finally is a stunning blue/green teal.  Again a very metallic finish which is heightened when swatched with a damp brush.  This has a silver undertone to it and really is gorgeous.

All the colours are quite complex and look different in different lights.  That's what I love about the quality and finish of these type of shadows and the fact that you can get different effects just by dampening your eyeshadow brush.  I am an absolute sucker for anything duochrome and these beautiful swatches on The Beauty Look Book here give a good reflection of how versatile this palette is-I can see me getting so much use out of this even right up to Christmas.

What do you think?


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