Rediscovering old favourites

Back in the days when I only owned a handful of lipsticks, there were two I used all the time. I liked them so much that I actually bought several back-ups of them when I found out they were/had been discontinued. They were Maybelline Watershine Diamonds in 110 Sequin Mauve and L'Oreal Invincible Platinum in 900 Platinum Candy.

Fast forward 8 or so years and there they are still sitting in my stash. (For those of you about to have a heart attack hearing about how old some of my make up is, I would like to point out that I did throw out the used ones along the way somewhere.) However, I still have 2 of the Maybelline and 3 of the L'Oreal lipsticks in there. So I dug them out and tried them on. They are not too bad. I love it actually that the Maybelline one doesn't have any scent (or has it gone away over the years?) because I'm really not keen on their Color Sensational lipsticks' scent (smell). The L'Oreal one does have quite a strong scent, but it's not unpleasant. Colourwise, they are a bit dated I think and they are very shimmery. I don't actually mind shimmery lipsticks (after all I bought the entire line of Mac's Dazzle lipsticks!), but I don't know, they just feel a bit old fashioned. 

Not really sure what I'm going to do with them as I have so many lipsticks now that I hardly ever (NEVER) go through a whole tube, and I'm actually pretty good about not buying back ups of them anymore, I only have one. Never mind, they only cost a few quids. I do like the Maybelline one most, I can see getting more use out of it than the L'Oreal one which actually used to be my very favourite lipstick. I guess people change, eh? Have you rediscovered any forgotten old favourites lately?

See more pictures and swatches after the jump!

Mac Peacocky Mega Metals Eyeshadow in Mating Call

Mac's new collection Peacocky is due to launch in the UK on Thursday 3rd February (and online on Tuesday 1st February) and I have here one of the Mega Metal eyeshadows in the colour Mating Call. (Please note, although it says sample on it, I actually bought this on eBay, it's not a free sample - for me anyway.) It's a light purple with a pink tinge to it (not quite duochrome, but you can see how the pink shows up in some of the swatches). It has a metallic sheen to it, but it's not shimmery or glittery at all.

I have read in reviews that the texture of these eyeshadow is creamy, which I can't really say about this one, it actually feels pretty hard in the pan. The brush doesn't kick up any powder (it's certainly not powdery), but it does pick up a good amount of colour which then applies and blends beautifully. Although it's not a very unique shade, it is very pretty and I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of the collection. These shadows are a larger size (2.2 g) than normal Mac eyeshadows, they are in fact the same pan size as Mac blushes and mineralize eyeshadows, plus the Tartan Tale single eyeshadows that came out last December. I believe they will be priced at £15.50 each. 

See below for more pictures and swatches!

It's all about pinks and greys this spring: Dior Cannage Eyeshadow palette #002 Whisper Grey

I have already reviewed the 5 colour eyeshadow palettes and Cannage palette #001 Dawn Grey and now it's time for my review of the second Cannage palette #002 Whisper Grey. I actually thought it was a brown palette at first, but it's also a grey and pink palette like #001 Dawn Grey, but instead of a black shade it has a white shade (the other colours aren't the same either, but similar as in there's a pink and a silver grey, but the darker grey isn't metallic like in #001 Dawn Grey). It's a nice soft coloured palette, probably more suitable for daytime wear, whereas #001 Dawn Grey would be more of an evening look palette.

Otherwise, the packaging is exactly the same as the other palette (please see my review for reference), very classy and luxurious, but then it is Dior after all.

See more pictures and swatches after the jump!

Shopping My Stash: Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes Video Review and Looks

I've done another little video, this time on my Sleek eyeshadow palette stash and also done a couple of looks with the Bad Girl palette and the Good Girl palette, so check them out below! Let me know if you'd like to see any swatches. For my review of the Sparkle palette go here!

See what looks I've done after the jump!

Urban Decay 15-year Anniversary Set UK Launch Date 1st February

I've just had comfirmation from Urban Decay that the 15-year Anniversary Set is going to launch at Debenhams.com on 1st February and in store on 14th February. Exciting!

Will you be buying it?

Christian Dior Spring 2011 Collection 5 Colour Eyeshadows Review

Another spring collection review, this time it's Dior. I have already shown you the Cannage Eye Palette #001 Dawn Grey  (plus I also have #002 waiting to be reviewed, if you're good I will show you a picture at the end of this post) and now it's time for the 5 Colour Eyeshadow palettes: 034 Gris Gris and 018 Soft Pink Design. 

First up is the Designer quint 018 Soft Pink Design. This is basically an eyeshadow palette that contains a whole look, it has a base, an all over lid colour, a crease colour, a highlighter and a cream liner. I think there have been 5 or 6 of these released already in different colours: blues, greens, smokey greys, nude pinks, browns, pinks. I think they are especially good idea if you struggle with putting colours together as they can make your life a lot easier. I like them mainly because I like Dior eyeshadows and since I got a few of them  I might as well collect them all (I do this with a lot of things!). If you haven't seen it yet, check out my Dior eyeshadow collection (must update it though, I have more than that now)!

Soft Pink Design has a white base, a light pink all over lid colour, a taupe crease colour, a very sparkly pink highlighter and a cool brown liner. The texture of the highlighter is very fine, it almost feels like cream, but it's not. However, you might find applying it with your fingers easiest. You also get 2 double ended sponges as with all Dior eyeshadow quints and also instructions on how to use the palette. See below for product pictures swatches! By the way sorry about the last product picture, I forgot to take one without the clear plastic cover before swatching the palette, hence the finger marks.

Chanel Spring 2011 Collection Sneak Peek

Chanel's spring collection is due to launch in the UK on Friday 28th January, but I was lucky enough to snatch up a few items from eBay, so I thought I'd share my initial thoughts on them. I haven't worn most of them yet, so it's all based on swatches.

I got Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow quad in Regard Perle, Le Crayon Yeux Precious Eye Designer in Gris Scintillant, Rouge Coco in Jersey Rose, Rouge Allure in Flamboyante and Glossimer in Nakkar.

Read my review and see photos and swatches after the jump!

Paws...

... is our new little kitten, 10 weeks old tomorrow. We only got him last Sunday, but he has settled into our family very well. The children adore him, especially my two daughters, and so do I! He is gorgeous, cuddly, cheeky and very playful. 

Here are some photos of him. Hope you like them. 

Guerlian Meteorites Illuminating and Mattifying Pressed Powder review

Last (but not least!) from the Guerlain spring collection are the Meteorites Illuminating and Mattifying Powders. They come in 3 shades, just like their regular Meteorites: Teint Rose, Teint Beige and Teint Dore. 

But instead of having different colours in them like the Meteorites or the Voyage Powders, they are just one colour. It's like if you take the different coloured balls and break them up, then mix them and make into pressed powder. They claim to be illuminating and mattifying at the same time, and that's exactly what they do. I always find with Meteorites that they illuminate your complexion, but these also give a matt finish, they are certainly not shimmery. They are very finely milled and feel really nice on the skin. They have the same gorgeous parma violet scent as the other Meteorites powders. Love it!

Teint Rose, Teint Beige, Teint Dore

As you can see, I got all 3 shades, partly because I'm a sucker for Meteorites and partly because there isn't actually a huge difference between them. I am quite pale in the winter, so Teint Rose and Teint Beige suit me fine, and in the summer Teint Beige and Teint Dore will both be good. These powders don't give a full coverage, they blend into the skin rather than change the colour of it, so you can get away with using any of the shades really (okay, maybe not if you're very pale or very dark). You will see below in my swatches how they melt into the skin, and I didn't even blend them at all. I haven't used them much, but I can see that they will become my new best friends when it comes to pressed powders.

The compact, while very similar in design to the Voyage Powders, is smaller and a lot lighter, feels more plasticky than metal (probably because it is plastic) which I guess makes it a very handbag friendly compact. Also at £34 it's a lot more affordable than the Voyage Powders that retail for just over £100! Unfortunately the compact isn't refillable, which is a real shame, since £34 for 7 g is still a pretty hefty price tag. I guess unlike the Voyage Powders, you don't pay for the compact as much as the powder itself. (You can buy refills for the Voyage Powders for about £30.) 

Inside you get a smallish powder puff (on top of the powder, not in a compartment below) and there is a mirror inside, so they work really well on the go. I know that I will keep one of them in my handbag once I finished my sad looking Rimmel pressed powder.

Right then, see below for lots of photos and swatches!

Guerlain Spring 2011 Limited Edition Eyeshadow Singles review

Guerlain has also released 3 new eyeshadow singles (not sure if they're limited edition, but they probably are) this spring which I also got. The shades are L'instant D'une Ombree, L'instant D'une Entreinte and L'instant D'un Soupir. Ombree is a beautiful grey shade, Entreinte is a pearly white and Soupir is a gorgeous brown shade. They all have subtle shimmer to them, but they aren't frosty or glittery at all. They are housed in a gold compact and come with a small applicator.

L'instant D'une Ombree, L'instant D'une Entreinte, L'instant D'un Soupir

They are absolutely lovely, the texture is soft, buttery and very easy to blend. They are very pigmented and the colour in the pan is what you get on your skin. Admittedly, they are quite pricey (it is Guerlain after all!) at £20.50 each, but you do get a lot of product for your money as they are 3.6 gramms, compared to a Mac eyeshadow (1.5 g). In fact, gramm per gramm Guerlain is cheaper at £5.69 compared to Mac at £7.66! Whether you will ever use up 3.6 g of eyeshadow is of course a different question.

See more pictures and swatches after the jump!

Guerlain Serie Noir Rouge G lipsticks and Kiss Kiss lipglosses

This spring Guerlain has come out with 4 limited edition shades of Rouge G lipsticks and 3 limited edition Kiss Kiss lipglosses. I got all the lipstick, but only 2 of the lipglosses. The third shade, Moka Shake is brown and it didn't really appeal to me (although I've not seen it in person, so I might change my mind when I do).

The Rouge G lipsticks are normally housed in a metallic case (that also has a mirror that unfolds when you pull the lipstick out), but the Serie Noir ones come in a black case. Very classy and cool. The shades are Rouge Sensuel, Orange Euphorique, Fuschia Delice and Rose Desir. They do look slightly scary in the tube, especially the first two, but they apply a lot more sheer, so are actually very wearable. Rouge G lipsticks are the ultimate luxury lipsticks, they are excellent quality, apply beautifully, are moisturising and feel really luxurious. Combine this with the designer case and you have yourself a very big £28.50 price tag! Gulp. Are they worth it? Not sure. They are certainly a lot better quality than your average drugstore lipstick and the design of the case is just gorgeous, but you don't really need it. I try to buy these lipsticks on eBay as you can find testers of them for as little as £7-8 and if you're not fussed about the case, then that's great value.The lipsticks themselves are lovely, there's a huge range of shades to suit everyone, I personally own about 12 or more of them. They last pretty well and feel very nice on the lips.

Continue reading to see more pictures and swatches of the lipsticks and my review and photos of the lipglosses!

More exciting things to come to Pleasureflush!

Sorry I'm taking so long reviewing the Guerlain spring collection, I am a busy mum of 3 young children and a new kitten (wanna see photos?), but I am trying to do at least one more review today. In the meantime, here are some pictures of what other products I have lined up from the recent spring collections. 

Be sure to check back soon!

Chanel spring collection

Mac Mega Metals eyeshadow in Mating Call

Dior 5 colours designer palette Soft Pink Design

Dior 5 colours eyeshadow palette Gris Gris

Guerlain Serie Noir Blush G review

Well what can I say? This blush is just gorgeous. I mean just look at it. Could it be any more perfect? That's it, review done. See below for more pictures.

Only joking. But to be honest, there's not that much I can say about this other than how gorgeous it is. A huge size as well at 8 g, Plus you get a beautiful pink brush in the bottom compartment of the black shiny compact it's housed in. It retails for £41.

It has 4 shades raging from coral through fuschia to pink. My favourites are the top and bottom shades. It's not really big enough to use the shades separately, maybe the top one if you're careful. However you get a gorgeous glow if you mix the shades together. I haven't tried the brush included, so I can't comment on it, but who cares anyway, it's so pretty and pink! 

See more pictures and swatches after the jump!

Guerlain Rue de Rivoli eyeshadow palette review

I've got a lot of things to review from Guerlain's Spring 2011 collection and also Dior and Chanel as well as Mac Mega Metals eyeshadows so I will keep this as short as possible. I will show you some beautiful pictures and swatches, and of course you are more than welcome to ask questions in the comments below!

So this is Guerlain's Rue de Rivoli eyeshadow palette, containing 6 harmonising shades that you can use to create a huge variety of looks with. There's a pale highlighting shade as well as a dark shade you can use as a liner or to create depth in the crease, and 4 medium shades to mix and match. Only one of them is matte, the others come with some degree of sheen/shimmer. Some of the shades are on the sheer side, but can be layered. I have not used it yet, but am looking forward to creating looks with it.

The eyeshadows are housed in a beautiful silver compact with intricate design and the trademark bee. On the inside you have a mirror that you fold out to the right and the eyeshadow palette also comes with a small double ended brush (rather than sponge applicator). The palette costs £52.50 and you get 7.3 g of eyeshadows. 

See more photos and swatches after the jump!

Laura Mercier Silk Road Spring Collection Eye and Cheek Palette

When I saw the photos of Laura Mercier's spring collection, I knew I wanted to get this palette, as I love purples very much (I'm wearing purple eyeshadows right now). I was lucky enough to buy it one day before it's official release because I asked at the counter since it wasn't out yet, but they'd already had it in the drawers, so they let me take one. It launched on Saturday 15th January (in the UK).

This is a limited edition palette featuring 4 eyeshadows and 2 powder blushes. I'm not too sure if all the shades are new and/or limited edition, but I definitely didn't own any of them. Palace Pink blush is a light pink shimmery blush, probably works better as a highlighter. Persian Rose is a lovely pinky coral blush with good pigmentation. The four eyeshadows are all pretty shimmery and frosty, except for Regal Violet which has beautiful pink specs of glitter in it in the pan, but it doesn't seem to transfer onto the skin, it just comes out as very dark and a bit dull purple. Maybe using it wet would help. The other shades are lovely, especially Rare Taupe and Lavender Silk, but Golden Sands is a bit sheer (would make a good highlighter though). The palette costs £37 and it's a good deal considering that one eyeshadow costs £18 (although the Laura Mercier single eyeshadows are 2.6g whereas the eyeshadows in this palette are 1.4g each, but you also get two 3.4g blushes).

See more photos and swatches after the jump!

Guerlain Spring 2011 Collection sneak peek

Just a quick post to show you what's coming soon!

Yep, that is practically the entire Guerlain Spring 2011 collection (I didn't get one lipgloss). Be sure to check back soon to see my review on everything you see above!

EDIT: These have all been reviewed now here (Rue de Rivoli eyeshadow palette), here (Blush G), here (Rouge G lipsticks and Kiss Kiss lipglosses), here (single eyeshadows) and here (Meteorites compacts)!

I've also got some more Dior and Chanel Spring 2011 collection products and a Mac Peacocky sneak peek, so if you're interested in those too, this is the place to visit again in the next few days!

Lancome Ultra Lavande Spring 2011 Collection Review

Following my review of (some of) the Yves Saint Laurent spring collection I thought I'd show you what I bought from the new Lancome collection. It's an absolutely gorgeous collection of spring shades (mainly pinks and purples), and includes an eyeshadow palette, a gorgeous powder blush, 3 new shades of special edition French Touch Absolu lipsticks, 3 new shades of Ombre Magnetique eyeshadows and some new mascaras, nail polishes, lipglosses and eyeliners. I don't have all the details of the collection myself, but I can show you all the lovely things I've bought.

They are:

Ombre Absolue Minerale eyeshadow palette in Warm Harmony

Butterflies Fever mineral blush in Ballerina Nude

French Touch Absolu lipstick in Berry Rose

Ombre Magnetique crease resistant eyeshadow in Ultra Lavande

Here they are in the standard silver Lancome packaging, which is as you can see, nothing special. Inside it's only the eyeshadow palette that comes in a special packaging with a pretty bow and butterflies on it. Sadly, the blush doesn't come in a special packaging, despite it having the same design on the inside as the outside of the eyeshadow palette.

Continue reading to find out details about the products and see some more photos including swatches!

Face of the day 17/01/2011

I did this look the other day and really liked it, so I thought I'd share it with you. It's nothing amazing, just soft grey smokey eyes and coral cheeks, but I think it's pretty nice and very wearable. I actually find that grey works really well for me and I like coral blushes a lot.

Here's what I used to create this look:

Eyes

Barbara Daly eyeshadow primer

Mac Silverthorn eyeshadow on inner and middle lid

Nars Tzarine eyeshadow duo grey shade in outer corner and crease

Mac Electra eyeshadow above crease and inner corner

Nars Tzarine eyeshadow duo lighter shade below browbone to highlight

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Gunmetal on lower lashline 

Diorshow Extase mascara in black

Mac Brow Set in Show Off on eyebrows

Face

No idea about primer and foundation, sorry

Mac Natural MSF in Medium

Nars Orgasm blush on cheeks

Nars Albatross highlighter on top of cheekbones

Lips

New CID cosmetics i-gloss in Honey Pot

See more pictures after the jump!

It's spring! Yves Saint Laurent Boheme Libertine spring 2011 collection review

Okay, I know it's not technically spring yet, but as far as the beauty brands are concerned, it is, because the new spring collections are all coming out and I have already indulged in a few of them.

First up I will show you my rather small (by my standards anyway) haul from Yves Saint Laurent. The collection consists of quite a few items (details can be found here), but only these three caught my eye (and I'm still wondering whether or not to cough up £39.50 for the eyeshadow quint - when did YSL get this expensive???).

I got the Pink Celebration Palette and two of the four Golden Glosses (#40 and #41). Pink Celebration Palette is a gorgeous light pink highlighter powder. It's not too shimmery, but it does give a lovely sheen. I didn't swatch this as I don't like ruining the design straight away, but I did swatch it at the counter and it is gorgeous. Golden Glosses has a wonderful texture, not sticky, not too thick, they are shimmery and are definitely one of my favourite lipglosses. I got Golden Impertinence (bright pink) and Golden Insolence (bright pinky purple). Both have good pigmentation, but are sheerer than they look in the tube. There's also a lighter pink and a coral gloss in the collection, but they felt quite sheer to me, so didn't get them.

Overall, I don't think Boheme Libertine is my favourite spring collection, but there are some nice products, and I definitely recommend checking it out. There are some lovely cream blushes that some of you might like too (I'm not a cream blush person myself) and the eyeshadow quint has some interesting shades (love the pink and green!). 

See more photos and swatches after the jump!

Guess how many lipglosses I have: video and giveaway!

*** THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! ***

I'd been planning on doing this video about my lipgloss stash and storage, and finally I've managed to record it, so here it is! And once you've watched it, be sure to take part in my giveaway to win some of my favourite high street / drugstore make up products!

To enter my giveaway and win the above goodies, all you have to do is answer this question: *** THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! ***

How many lipglosses do you think I own?

Anyone can enter, you don't have to be a follower and the giveaway is open worldwide, but you can only enter once (so be sure to watch the video, because otherwise you will not be able to guess correctly). Please include your e-mail address if you can't be contacted through your profile (entries without e-mail address won't be eligible). The winner is the one with the closest guess. If there is a tie, the earlier entry will win. Giveaway will close at 11:59 pm (GMT) on Monday 31st January. *** THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! ***

And here's what you can win: 

• Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips
• Barbara Daly (for Tesco) eyeshadow base
• No 7 Extreme Lenght Mascara in Iridescent Sapphire (sample size)
• 17 Ultimate Volume Lipgloss in Pink Ice
• 17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in Pink Grapefruit

And now, here's the video! Enjoy!

This is what £300 worth of make up looks like!

Don't get much, do you? This is my haul from Mac's latest collections: Cham Pale, Mickey Contractor and Stylishly Yours (plus one permanent item). Actually, strictly speaking this isn't quite £300, because I forgot to include I Get No Kick eye khol, but with that it comes just over £300. Crazy eh?

Wanna know what I got? 

From Cham Pale I got the two highlighting powders Chez Chez Lame and Rose Ole, all 4 new lipgelees, Caviar Dreams eyeshadow quad, all 4 new paint pots and I Get No Kick eye khol. From Mickey Contractor I got the two new fluidlines and Mehr lipstick. From Stylishly Yours I got the 3 new pigments (I already own Violet) and Style Curve lipstick. I also picked up Rubenesque paint pot. 

Sorry, no swatches at this time, but here's another photo for you. Did you indulge in any of these collections? If so, what did you get?

Quick update

Hello Everyone!

Sorry I've not been around much, but I wanted to let you know that I'm still alive (just) and I have a few posts planned, and hopefully I'll be able to do one or more tomorrow. The reason I've not been posting much is because I've not been well, I have laryngitis and throat infection, I've been on antibiotics and not been sleeping well due to lots of coughing. Also my children only went back to school yesterday and it's impossible to do anything much with them around.

I am planning some videos about my lipgloss and lipstick stash, I want to link one to a competition/giveaway too, but I need to wait until my voice is back to normal - otherwise the video will be full of croaking and coughing. I've also got some lovely products from the new spring collections to show you, including Yves Saint Laurent and Mac.

So bear with me and I will be back with some interesting posts and an exciting giveaway! Hope you're all well and your year's started well.

My first Bourjois lipstick! Sweet Kiss lipstick in Rose Pare

Considering the size of my lipstick stash you may be surprised to hear that this is my first ever lipstick I've purchased from Bourjois. I have a few lipglosses, eyeshadows, even a highlighter, but for some reason I never got around to buying any of their lipsticks. However, the other day I had 15 minutes to kill while waiting for a prescription, so I had a look around the cosmetics isles in Boots (as you do) and found this little beauty.

Bourjois Sweet Kiss lipstick in #47 Rose pare is a lovely slightly shimmery rosey pink coloured lipstick with a light floral scent. It's quite sheer, but goes on smoothly and evenly. It's quite moisturising, although I've only worn it for 2 hours, it's lasted pretty well. The scent is quite subtle, but it's very pleasant anyway, not like Maybelline's Colour Sensational lipsticks which really make me gag.

The packaging is a little different from usual, it has a little button on the side that you have to push downwards to get the lipstick out. Hope it doesn't break off, but it's not a complicated mechanism, so you should still be able to push the lipstick out with a needle or pen. I myself prefer traditional lipstick case design, but nothing's wrong with this either.

Bourjois Sweet Kiss lipsticks cost £7.99 and are available from Boots and Superdrug and other pharmacies and supermarkets too.

See more pictures and swatches after the jump!