Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Bronzed Green Eyes Review and Swatches

I was really interested in trying out this brand before I went to America last year and I did buy a few of their face powders and blushes, but never got any eyeshadows. I bought this palette in TK Maxx a couple of weeks ago together with a blush that I will review shortly. Although this palette is for green eyes, I decided to get it because it has a nice mix of colour and also because I don't believe in only wearing certain colours depending on your eye colour.

You get 9 eyeshadows (or rather 6 eyeshadows and 3 liner according to Physicians Formula) and they range from very subtle neutrals to darker, smokier colours. The colour theme is definitely neutral, but there are some nice pops of colour including a copper and a khaki shade. The eyeshadows are grouped into 3 groups of 3, the 3 on the right giving you the most subtle look and the 3 on the left the most dramatic look. You can also use them wet for an even more intense look.

The eyeshadows are nicely pigmented and smooth, all of them metallic, but there's no glitter. I didn't have any problems with fallout or creasing when wearing them over a primer. I used the 4 shades on the right to create the look you can see at the bottom of this post (not just 3 because I'm a rebel). I didn't use the liner shade as a liner, but as crease colour instead. Of course it's up to you what combinations you do with these, but the main thing is that you have a good choice with 9 shades.

The palette contains 7.5 g product and I paid £4.99 for it in TK Maxx. On the Physicians Formula website these retail for $10.95 and come in 4 variations. In the UK your best bet is TK Maxx or eBay.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did with this after the jump!

NOTD: Barry M 344 Magnetic Gold Sparkle / Moon Dust

I'm still on the fence about magnetic polishes, even though I always get lots of complimentents when wearing them. I'd only owned 3 of them so far (one Nails Inc and 2 17 ones), and decided I wasn't going to get any more. I don't hate them but they can be quite fiddly. However, then I saw the recent shades Barry M had come out with and decided I had to try them out. I also like it that they come with different pattern magnets, so you can mix and match.

Magnetic Gold Sparkle (or as it's now been renamed Moon Dust) is an antique gold colour polish with gold sparkle. None of my other magnetic polishes had sparkle, so I thought this might look quite interesting. I didn't anticipate just how gorgeous it would look once I've put the magnet over it, in fact both my daughter and I exclaimed when we saw the result, it's truly striking.

You get silvery stripes as well as darker gold ones with sparkle, neither colour actually resembling the colour of the polish in the bottle. It's like two colours had been mixed together and then separated by the magnet. The effect is almost 3D, and it appears to move as I move my hand. I have had many compliments when wearing it, the beauty of these magnetic polishes is that they look like you've had your nails done whereas you can do them quite easily yourself.

I do find them a little fiddly to use, sometimes the design doesn't come out as sharp and sometimes I manage to touch the nail with the magnet. I also found that the stripes got a bit messed up when I applied the top coat, I don't know if maybe waiting a bit would've helped. Wear time wasn't that great, it started chipping on me within the first 24 hours. This isn't unusual, but not every polish chips on me on the first day, so I'm still not too happy about it.

I used two coats on most fingers, but some of them I had to redo several times, so I just kept applying extra layers. It dried fairly quickly and other than the top coat's brush leaving slight marks in the design, the polish was pretty easy to use.

Barry M magnetic polishes come in 5 shimmery shades and 4 non-shimmery ones, and they come with 5 different magnets (one each). They cost £4.99 each and you get 10 ml for your money. Of course there are usually deals on in either Superdrug or Boots, so keep an eye out!

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Lancome Blush Subtil in 02 Rose Sable Review and Swatches

Following on from yesterday's post, this is the blush I got in the Lancome Beauty Box. This is the Blush Subtil formula which isn't actually available anymore I don't think.

The shade I got is 02 Rose Sable, which is a muted rosy pink colour. It's very natural looking, but well pigmented, so you don't need to layer and layer it. However, because it's quite subtle, you don't have to worry about overdoing it especially if you have a lighter skintone. It has some fine shimmer to it, but no chunky glitter at all.

The blush comes in a black compact with a small brush and a full size mirror in the lid. You get 6 g of product. As I can't find this on any website now, I have no idea how much this is worth, but I'm guessing it's in the region of £24. EDIT: I have just found it on the House of Fraser website and it's £27.

Okay, so there's probably not that much point in this review since you can't get this anymore, but since I've taken all the pictures and cropped, edited and watermarked them, I might as well post them.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did using this blush after the jump!

Lancome Color Design Palette in 103 Golden Frenzy

I wasn't sure whether I should do this review since the product itself isn't actually available on its own or in fact anymore for that matter, but I decided to do it anyway because you can pick up practically everything on eBay plus this palette might actually be available elsewhere. Lancome don't sell these 5 colour palettes in the UK but they do in America, I picked up the purple one last year in Florida.

I got the palette as part of the Christmas Beauty Box back in November and sadly it isn't available anymore. It took me a while to get around to using it, but finally I have. It's a really nice neutral palette with some sparkle. The palette consists of 5 eyeshadows and they are labelled as: all over base, lid, crease, highlighter and liner. Of course you don't have to use the eyeshadows as they're labelled, I actually used the all over base colour as a highlighter and the highlighter colour in the outer corner of the lid because I don't think that such a dark colour would look good as a highlighter.

I found the eyeshadows nicely pigmented, soft and smooth, they stayed on without creasing and fading for 12 hours or so. I wouldn't say this is a must have palette especially if you have a lot of eyeshadows already, but it's a nice, all in one palette, and it certainly looks gorgeous too.

As these palettes aren't sold in the UK, I have no idea what they would cost if they were, but in the US they're around $48. You only get 4 g of product which isn't a lot, but I'm not really bothered about the weight anymore since I already have so much make up anyway, I will never use it all up in a million years.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I created using this palette after the jump!

ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Golden Vintage Eyelights and Blusher

This post is purely to show you these beautiful products I've got from the ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Golden Vintage collection. Since they are still available from Debenhams, I'm not actually being mean teasing you with something pretty that you can't have.

I got the Golden Vintage Blusher and Golden Vintage Eyelights. As you can see they are ridiculously pretty and me being crazy, of course I haven't actually swatched or used them. So there's no review today other than "look how pretty they are".

They both cost £25 and both are 10 g which is way bigger than you would need of blush or eyeshadows. They come in gorgeous gold boxes and gold compacts, everything about them is just gorgeous. What's not to like, eh?

ArtDeco products are available from Debenhams and BeautyBay (although the latter doesn't have the Golden Vintage collection).

See more pictures after the jump! 

Guerlain Parure de Lumiere Foundation Review

This is Guerlain's newest liquid foundation, Parure de Lumiere, Light-Diffusing Foundation - Moisture Infusion. According to Guerlain it's "infused with Luminescent Water, continuously moisturises skin and corrects the appearance of imperfections to dramatically enhance light diffusion. Under its refreshing, caressing touch, skin appears smoother, more even, bathed in light."

I'm not entirely blown away by this foundation, despite being a big fan of Guerlain and their foundations as well. When I first tried a sample of this it seemed to suit my combination skin, but since I've been using it more, I've not really managed to get it to work for me very well. While it is really lightweight and feels moisturising, it is certainly a bit too "dewy" for my skin, making it look rather shiny within hours of application. It's not oily as such because the foundation itself isn't at all oily, but my skin does look rather shiny and it needs blotting.

As I get older, especially in the winter, I find that my skin is less oily, so I'm not really used to having to blot my face all the time. I'm sure this would work better for someone with drier skin, although I can't actually vouch for that myself. The formula itself is really nice though and it feels lovely and lightweight with a good, medium coverage. I got shade 02 Beige Clair. In the summer 03 Beige Naturel is more suitable for me, but in the winter, Beige Clair suits my skintone perfectly. It also has SPF 25 which is a pretty decent coverage.

The foundation also comes in a cream version which I have not tried, but I actually prefer the liquid one with a pump than having to scoop the foundation out of a pot. You get 30 ml for £36.50 (the cream version is £38.50) which is pretty expensive, but that's the price of high end make up I'm afraid.

All in all, nice foundation, but doesn't suit my skin type as well as I had hoped. I think I'll stick with my Lingerie de Peau foundation instead.

See more pictures after the jump!

OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Metallic Lip Tars in Super NSW and Yaoi Swatches and Review

Although I'm still on my lip product no-buy I decided to break it last month because I really wanted to try out these new metallic lip tars from OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I was actually a complete lip tar virgin, I was never sure about whether I should try them since the tar bit sounds very off putting to me. But then I saw some bloggers' reviews on them and though they looked really lovely, so I ordered Super NSW and Yaoi during the Black Friday sales.

Sadly, I'm not really impressed with these. They are very pigmented and you only need a little bit, so in that way they are great. Super NSW looks lovely on, but Yaoi is actually very metallic, therefore very unnatural looking on me. I guess if you blotted it down it would look better.

My biggest problem with these is that they are very drying on the lips. OCC recommends that "to get the best from your new lip tar OCC suggest priming your lips with their Clear lip tar". I use a lip balms all the time when not wearing a lipstick or lipgloss and don't suffer from dry lips at all, so for me anything that needs special priming not to be drying is a no-no.

Shame really because I really like Super NSW, but I'm not sure I can put up with all the dryness. My lips felt like sandpaper within an hour or so, and also these aren't even that especially long lasting on me, no more than 2-3 hours. By then I have to apply balm on top of them anyway to make my lips comfortable, so of course that makes them disappear even more quickly.

I haven't tried the regular lip tars, so can't compare these to them, but to be honest, I don't even really want to after my experience with the metallic ones.

I bought mone from Cocktail Cosmetics, they currently cost £9.95 each and contain 10 ml. They are 100% vegan for those who are interested. You also get a small lipbrush that's great for applying these.

See more pictures after the jump!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas! Hope you're all having a lovely time. I'm spending mine with my closest family including 3 children and 3 cats. It's going to be everything but quiet and peaceful around here!

Thank you all for reading my blog and hope you will continue to do so after the holidays and in the new year! I really appreciate it. I also really enjoy reading your comments and hearing your opinion on products I've reviewed and maybe even influenced you to buy. So I hope you stick around and keep enjoying reading my posts!

Have a great Christmas everyone!

Festive Nails Part 6 - Green and Sparkly Like a Christmas Tree

This mani definitely reminds me of Christmas trees. I used Zoya Holly with Zoya Rina on top. Rina is a green shimmer polish with loads of green bar glitter, and also some blue and holographic ones. It looks like lots of very fine pine needles in a bottle.

It took only one coat of each polish to achieve fully opaque covergae which is fantastic. Unfortunately the staying power was less impressive, I had a few small chips in the first 24 hours and it pretty much all peeled off on day 3.

Zoya polishes aren't available in the UK (as far as I know), I buy mine on eBay. Holly and Rina were part of last year's Gems & Jewels collection but they are still available for around $6 to $8 each. You get 15 ml for your money which is the standard size for these professional polishes (Zoya, OPI, Orly, China Glaze).

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Laura Geller Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom Review and Swatches

I have another pretty Laura Geller blush to show you, this is an Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom. I love it how you have different colour stripes, reminds me a bit of the Mac Blonde/Brunette/Redhead MSFs, only even prettier.

The stripes go from very pale pink to bright fuchsia pink. The overall effect is midtone bright pink. There's a subtle shimmer to all the shades, but no glitter. You could try using only a few of the strips together, but you certainly can't use them individually, because they are just too narrow. The powder feels very smooth and soft, but not very powdery, and it blends nicely. Another great Laura Geller product!

You will have seen the blush featured in this look already, but there's also a full face picture at the end of this post, as well as swatches of course.

I bought mine from eBay, but this is also available from QVC. It comes with a double ended brush/applicator (not pictured) and costs £23 plus £2.95 shipping cost. Also comes in a Peach colour which is like the look of, but not at that price. I paid £15 including postage for mine which is a lot more reasonable I think. You get 5 g of product for your money.

See more pictures after the jump!

Chantecaille Painting in Venice Palette Review and Swatches

If you've been reading my blog for a while you will know that I love Chantecaille and have quite an extensive collection of their pretty palettes and powders. I also have a couple of big palettes that I've managed to buy on eBay for much less than their retails price (which is somewhere around the £130 mark here in the UK) and now I have a new addition to my collection: the Paining in Venice palette.

I believe this palette was released in 2003 and it contains 7 eyeshadows and one blush. Most of the shades are actually permanent, but the beauty of this palette is that even though it's really expensive, it's still a great value. Refills for Chantecaille palettes cost $25/£23 each, that makes $200/£184 plus the empty "Ma" palette (the large 8 pan palette) costs an extra $52/£48(?). So $135/£135 is really a bargain, right?

Of course it's not just about the money, Chantecaille products are very high quality and the colours in this palette are really lovely. You get cheek shade in Joy which is a bright rosy pink colour, and 7 eyeshadows in Lasting and Shine finish: Agate, Freesia, Pyrite, Lemongrass, Peony, Patchouli and Perle. They are all really lovely and well pigmented, smooth and blendable, plus they stay on all day without creasing (over a primer).

I bought this palette on eBay and paid $80 plus $15 shipping, so it was certainly a lot cheaper than even the original retail price. Plus this isn't actually available anymore, although most of the shades are. Anyway, I'm very happy with it and will be keeping an eye out for other palettes on eBay.

You can see my rather out of date post on my Chantecaille collection that also contains my other two big Chantecaille palettes by clicking here.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Festive Nails Part 5 - Holographic Silver

Holographic silver nail polishes always remind me of wrapping paper, don't they? This one is 17's new holo polish which I actually won in a giveaway from the lovely Liloo. (Check her fantastic blog out here.) As I'm a sucker for holographic polishes, I had to try this out asap!

The holo effect on this one isn't the strongest I've seen, it's probably up there with the GOSH holographic polish, maybe a little weeker. It's very pretty though and the formula was very nice. Application was a bit messy, but that's probably my fault. I did 2 coats then top coat then an extra coat to make sure the top coat didn't dull the holo effect. The only thing I didn't like about it, which I've not experienced with any other holo polish before, is how it faded by day 3 and was very dull at the end of my fingers. It lasted pretty well though, with only a few small chips by the end of day 2.

I like 17 nail polishes, they're cheap, but qood quality. You get 10 ml for £3.99 and at the moment there's a buy one get one half price offer on selected 17 cosmetics at Boots.

See more pictures after the jump!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick Review and Swatches

This is the third Revlon product I bought to get this gorgeous free nail polish, and the one I was actually the most pleasantly surprised by.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain is the newest product in the Revlon lip product line. I am already a massive fun of their lip butters and have them in loads of colours, so I was intrigued to try out the balm stains too, however, when they first came out I passed on them mostly because of the minty smell. I decided to try one this time and picked Lovesick which is a bright bubblegum pink shade.

I am absolutely blown away by this. The minty smell isn't my favourite, but it disappears within a minute or so, but the product itself is so lovely, I don't even mind it one bit. It is exactly what it says on the "tin", a stain that's also a balm, so it's not drying unlike some stains are, in fact it's very hydrating. Also, the colour lasts and lasts for ages, and in fact not only a colour, but the glossiness itself. It leaves a stain behind when it fades away after several hours of wear, but also it stays on my lips really well. The colour is gorgeous too, although it looks a bit patchy in the pictures, it's definitely not patchy on the lips. I have used it many many times in the past couple of weeks, and there's hardly any missing. This is one of the best lip products I have tried I swear.

I have tried out a few other shades since, but none of them have blown me away, so I probably won't pick up any more for now (plus I should be on a lip product no-buy), but will keep an eye out for any possible new shades. Oh, the crayon itself is rectractable, so no need for sharpening. This is basically the cheap version of the Clinique chubby sticks (which I haven't tried myself, but they look pretty much the same, don't know about the products inside though).

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains cost £7.99 each and you get 2.7 g. As I said, it looks like it's gonna last forever, so although 2.7 g isn't massive, it's not too bad either.

See more pictures after the jump!

Looks Featuring Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette - Part 3

Finally, the third part of my looks post featuring the new Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 palette. I really liked this one too, I actually wore this on a night out, with a bit more smokiness in the crease. I am sporting a few other products in these pictures which will also be reviewed soon, so stay tuned.

To create this look I used:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Tinsel eyeshadow in the inner corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Illusion eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid and in the crease
Mac Mating Call Mega Metal eyeshadow blended above the crease
Mac Vellum eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight
Mac Designer Purple pearlglide intense eye liner on lower lashline
Guerlain Noir G mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 02 Beige Claire
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Laura Geller Ombre Baked Blush in Pink Blossom (will be reviewed soon)

Lips:
OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Metallic Liptar in Yaoi (will be reviewed shortly)

See more pictures after the jump!

Looks Featuring Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette - Part 2

Here's part 2 of the looks I did with Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette. Again as you can see, there isn't really any glitter visible (maybe a tiny bit in the crease) and the eyeshadows blended into each other really nicely. And that eyeliner (well, actually it's an eyeshadow pencil) stayed that vibrant all day. Although I have to add, I don't think those Urban Decay 24/7 eyeshadow pencils are very good as eyeshadow pencils, but they make nice eyeliners. Anyway... here's the look:

To create this look I used:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Tinsel eyeshadow in the inner corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Blue Spruce eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Twinkle eyeshadow in the crease
Mac Vellum eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight
Urban Decay Clash 24/7 eyeshadow pencil on lower lashline
Guerlain Noir G mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Guerlain Parure de Lumiere Foundation in 02 Beige Claire
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Lancome Blush Subtil 02 Rose Sable (will be reviewed soon)
ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Illuminating Baked Powder

Lips:

Guerlain Rouge G in Grace

Part 3 is coming very soon. See more pictures after the jump!

Looks Featuring Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Palette - Part 1

As promised, here are some of the looks I did with Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 palette. As you will see, none of them are at all glittery, but the colours are really vivid and the shadows were so easy to blend. Really love this palette and have enjoyed using it so much!

First up is the one you have already seen a few times, actually my favourite one of them all. Part 2 and 3 will follow very shortly. Let me know what you think!

To create this look I used:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Gold Ribbon eyeshadow in the inner corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Chocolate Penny eyeshadow in the middle of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Mulled Wine eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid
Sleek Make Up Sparkle Palette 2 Festive eyeshadow in the crease
Mac Peek At You Mega Metal eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight
Urban Decay Eldorado and Crash 24/7 eyeliners on lower lashline
Guerlain Noir G mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 02 Beige Claire
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Laura Geller Baked Blush in Bali
ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Illuminating Baked Powder

Lips:

OCC Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Metallic Liptar in Super NSFW (will be reviewed shortly)

See more pictures after the jump!

Sleek Make Up Sparkle 2 Eyeshadow Palette Review and Swatches

I have to say, I wasn't sure if I was going to pick this palette up because I don't ever use the 2010 edition Sparkle Palette. It has quite a fallout and the shades are just too glittery for everyday wear. But I have to say, this new version is actually really quite nice.

As usual, the palette contains 12 eyeshadows, which are mostly glittery, but there are a few metallic shades in there too. Although you can see a lot of glitter in the eyeshadows, it doesn't really translate onto the eyes which makes them much more wearable. I experienced a little fallout with some of the shades during application, but once I'd tidied up, there was no more and the glitter (what tiny little was actually on my eyes) didn't migrate at all.

There are two shades, Gold Ribbon and Tinsel that are also included in the previous Sparkle Palette, although it's only Tinsel that's the same, Gold Ribbon is actually quite a bit darker and less yellow than the 2010 version. All the eyeshadows are really smooth and well pigmented, and I have enjoyed creating many lovely looks with them. They stayed creaseless all day and didn't fade either.

Sleek Make Up palettes now retails for £7.99 (bit of a step up from £5.99 from 2 years ago), which is still pretty reasonable as the quality is actually very decent. You get 13.2 g of product for your money. It's limited edition, so get it while you can. Available from Superdrug and Sleek Make Up's website. They deliver internationally, although I have to admit I don't like it that they don't do any free UK delivery. Yes, I hate paying for delivery!

I will show you the looks I did with this palette tomorrow, but I didn't want to put them at the end of this post, there are a lot of pictures. I have really enjoyed using this palette and would definitely recommend it.

See more pictures after the jump!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Kiss Me Coral Review and Swatches

Here's another lipstick I bought to get that free gorgeous nail polish . This is also a Super Lustrous one from Revlon, the colour is Kiss Me Coral.

Despite its name, this is not actually a coral shade, it's much more orange. As a result, I'm not really sure I like it. Oranges don't suit me that well, I much prefer corals and pinky corals over them. Serves me right for impulse buying. But the nail polish was just so pretty.

It's still a nice lipstick, has the same great Super Lustrous formula I've got to know and love. This one is a cream (creme) finish, it's really creamy, smooth and long lasting. All in all, a lovely lipstick, only it's not coral. So far 2 out of 3 lipsticks I've bought to get the polish turned out to be a bit of a letdown (dupe for another colour, not coral), but the third one (which I will show you soon) has turned out to be a winner. Stay tuned to find out what it is!

Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks cost £7.49 and you get a generous 4.2 g. There's currently a 3 for 2 offer on all Revlon make up and you can get this gorgeous nail polish for free if you buy 3 or more Revlon products from Superdrug.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Festive Nails Part 4 - Sparkling Snow and Ice

I have another Christmas manicure idea to share with you today, this time it's Topshop Ice Crush over Mac Frayed To Order. I'm loving all the glittery polishes Topshop have been releasing lately, this one is just so sparkly and perfect for a Christmas party or New Year's Eve party.

I used two coats of Ice Crush, a clear polish with loads of small and larger holographic glitter on top of two coats of Mac Frayed To Order polish, a limited edition shade from 2011 (from the Jeanius collection). It's a very interesting shade, it's a matte finish, but it's got pink duochrome, so it doesn't look at all flat. The glitter in Ice Crush is very dense, but it will never go on opaque, it is definitely a layering polish. It had a good formula, not too thin or thick.

The manicure lasted really well, only started chipping very slightly on day 2, but I wore it for 4 days and it looked fine even by the end of day 4. It was so sparkly and pretty too.

Topshop glitter polishes are 8 ml for £6. Mac Frayed To Order isn't available anymore sadly.

See more pictures after the jump!

ArtDeco Dita Von Teese Illuminating Baked Powder Review and Swatches

I wasn't going to get this, I swear. I have plenty enough highlighters, I did not need another one. I certainly wasn't going to get this for £30. But then I saw it, swatched it, realised I had £15 on my Debenhams Beauty Reward Card and there was a 10% off event, and somehow this little beauty came home with me.

I have to admit, I don't know much about Dita Von Teese, other than that she always looks glamorous and gorgeous. I also didn't own many Art Deco products (until now), in fact I think I only had 2 or 3 eyeshadow palettes I've never used (they were too pretty). Until recently this brand wasn't easy to come by in the UK, but since Debenhams and BeautyBay started stocking it, I've been paying a lot more attention.

Hopefully you have seen my review of the Glam Deluxe Collection (if not, click here to read it), and there's even more gorgeousness to come, but for now, check out this beautiful highlighter. This is what Mac Lightscapade MSF should've looked like when it was re-released last year (?). The powder is a blend of beige, pink, blue, orange, yellow and mixed together you get a very fine slightly shimmery pastel highlighter. The effect is very similar to Lightscapade, but the powder is even prettier to look at. It also comes in a shiny black compact with a mirror in the lid, something Mac MSFs lack.

The powder is so soft and finely milled, but not powdery, it melts into your skin like butter. You get a whopping 15 g which should last a few lifetimes for £30, although currently you get 10% off at Debenhams. I believe this is a limited edition product, but unlike Mac MSFs, ArtDece seemed to have made plenty as it has been around for a few weeks now and is still in stock. It's really lovely and actually it's not that expensive considering its size, so pick it up while you can!

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Laura Geller Baked Blush in Bali Review and Swatches

As you might know, I'm a big fan of Laura Geller blushes and have a rather extensive collection of them. I often pick up the new shades from eBay as a lot of them are either not available in the UK or only available as sets, plus eBay is usually cheaper. I picked up this baked blush in Bali on eBay too, and while I expected it to be pretty nice, I was very pleasantly surprised by just how nice it is.

Bali is described as a "warm toasted apricot", I'd say it's a warm peachy-pink colour with just the tiniest hint of gold shimmer. It's very pigmented, so you need to be a bit careful, but it does give a very nice glow to your cheeks with a pop of colour. The texture is wonderfully soft, but not powdery, and it blends nicely. It also stays put very well.

You get 6.5 g which is a very generous amount for a blush. I don't know how much this costs in the UK or if it's even available, I've found some "mono blushes" on QVC for £17.75 (plus £2.95 postage), although neither of them seems to be this shade. I paid around £14 (shipped) on eBay.

I would definitely recommend this shade, this blush has really exceeded my expectations, even by Laura Geller's standards.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Festive Nails Part 3 - Red With Silver Glitter and Stars

I have another glittery combo to show you. This time it's Zoya Sarah with Topshop Rising Star on top.

I used two coats of Zoya Sarah, but in all fairness, one would've been sufficient. It's a great polish and the colour is gorgeous too. I then added two coats of Topshop Rising Star, a clear polish with silver/holo glitter and stars in it. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this as there was plenty of glitter and the stars were pretty easy to scoop out.

The manicure lasted on me for 4 days with not much chipping, so I was very pleased with it, and it was so glittery, I couldn't stop looking at my nails.

Zoya Sarah came out 2 years ago, but is still available on eBay and also from Zoya's website. It costs $8 for 15 ml. Topshop Rising Star is a new addition to their nail polish line, I'm not sure if it's permanent or not, they seem to be bringing out new shades constantly. It costs £6 for 8 ml.

See more pictures after the jump!

Laura Mercier Illuminating Eye Colour Review and Swatches

As part of their Art Deco Muse collection Laura Mercier came out with 4 new, limited edition eyeshadows for the holiday. The collection was inspired by the decorative architecture, style and mood of the Art Deco perios in Paris in the mid-1920’s.

These eyeshadows have "a multi-dimensional, luminous pearl finish with a soft, bouncy texture for excellent colour pay-off and a smooth, even application" according to the official description. I'm not sure about the soft and bouncy bit, but these eyeshadows are certainly very smooth, buttery, and indeed give a gorgeous luminous finish. They remind me of the Mac Extra Dimension eyeshadows, only better. Extremely smooth, pigmented, they apply and blend really well and look gorgeous on, they also last for hours on end without creasing and fading. They have a high sheen, but they're not glittery and there was no fallout from them either. While they're not cream shadows, they certainly feel creamy. They really are lovely, and will most probably be my choice for a Christmas party make up.

They come in 4 shades: Gilded Rosegold, Gilded Platinum, Gilded Bronze and Gilded Moonlight. Gilded Rosegold is a warm, coppery pink shade, Gilded Platinum is a shiny white gold, Gilded Bronze is a taupey bronze colour and Gilded Moonlight is a yellow gold shade. I've worn them all and they all have the same wonderful texture and colour pay off. I have to say I am now very happy I passed on the Dior holiday quints because these are possibly the nicest gold/bronze eyeshadows I bought this year - probably similar to the Guerlain Calligraphy palette if not nicer.

The eyeshadows cost £20 each and you get 2.5 g which isn't too bad. For the quality, I think these are well worth their price, honestly, they are really really fantastic.

See more pictures including swatches and looks I've created with them after the jump!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Cherry Blossom Review and Swatches

The other day I showed you the gorgeous pink glitter nail polish you can get for free (from Superdrug) if you buy 3 other Revlon products, so let me now show you one of them. I bought this gorgeous Super Lustrous lipstick in the shade Cherry Blossom.

I have said before, I absolutely love Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks, especially the cream finish ones, but having said that, Cherry Blossom is a pearl finish and it's also very nice. Creamy, well pigmented, non drying and long lasting, Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks have to be my favourite drugstore/high street brand lipsticks. Nowadays I actually very rarely buy non high end lipsticks (and not just because the no-buy I'm supposed to be on - oops), but if I buy some, they'll most probably be from Revlon. I also love it that these lipsticks are unscented. While I don't generally mind scented lip products, I hate that sickly sweet fake smell drugstore lipsticks often smell of, Maybelline being the worst offender for me.

So was this lipstick worth falling off the (no-buy) wagon for? Yes and no. Quality-wise I really cannot fault it, it's lovely, really great, beautiful shade, lasts for hours while feeling very comfortable on the lips. My only problem is that this is not actually a unique shade. By that I don't mean it's similar to 20 lipsticks in my collection, I mean that it's almost exactly the same as Revlon's own Cherries In The Snow (you can see my review here). I swatched them side by side and there's hardly any difference. So truthfully I didn't actually need it. The other weird thing is, there's apparently another shade of Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Cherry Blossom available which is a pale pink colour. If you google it, you get two very different shades. I wonder whether the light shade is an old, discontinued shade, but what a weird way of recycling a name, especially when the colour is actually very different.

Anyway, this is a lovely lipstick in a gorgeous shade, so would definitely recommend it if you don't already own Cherries In The Snow. Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks cost £7.49 and you get a generous 4.2 g. There's currently a 3 for 2 offer on all Revlon make up and you can get this gorgeous nail polish for free if you buy 3 or more Revlon products from Superdrug.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Chantecaille Les Fetes Trio Review and Swatches

Chantecaille released a cute little palette for the holidays called Les Fetes and I have it here to show you. "The three festive shimmer shades will inspire anyone to celebrate the Holidays with glamour. Colours glide on seamlessly and adorn your lids with a joyful glow." - Space NK

The palette contains the following 3 shades:
Moonstone - a soft pearl with hints of gold and pink highlights
Diamond - a silvery slate infused with diamond-like sparkle
Pink Sapphire - an effervescent rose to brighten the eye

The trio is actually a great little palette, very nice for a smoky eye with shimmer, perfect for a night out. Moonstone is a beautiful highlighter colour with a pinky-gold sheen, Pink Sapphire is a lovely rosy pink with a slight sheen and Diamond is a dark grey with a sequin/sparkle/stardust formula, it's a very shiny, almost wet finish.

The eyeshadows were very nice and smooth, and nicely pigmented Moonstone and Pink Sapphire especially. I found Diamond had to be packed on a bit more, but once it was on, it lasted well. I had no creasing from any of them and the look stayed vibrant for hours.

The palette also comes with a double ended brush/applicator and the compact has a full mirror in the lid. It costs £65 from Space NK, I luckily managed to buy it from eBay for around £41. You get 5 g for your money which is not huge, but decent.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Get A Free Revlon Ruby Ribbon Nail Polish At Superdrug!

First of all I want to say that I've given up on the nail polish no-buy. I can't do it, so might as well not pretend that I'm not buying nail polish, and since I am, I might as well show off what I've got. Right?

So today I thought I'd show you this beauty I picked up yesterday in Superdrug - for free! As well as a 3 for 2 offer you get a free glitter nail polish if you buy 3 or more Revlon products. As this is not available to buy on its own, I just had to buy 3 things, which sadly made me fall off another wagon, but I'll tell you later about that.

Ruby Ribbon is a bright pink glitter polish with holographic bar glitter. It's really gorgeous, very sparkly and festive. It reminds me of Zoya Kissy (link by Scrangie) from last year's Gems and Jewels Collection. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know what it's like, but it looks like it has a good coverage on its own. Alternatively I guess it can always be layered over a similar coloured polish.

You get 14.7 ml and Revlon nail polishes usually cost £6.49. *P.S. Boots also have the same offer including Sequin, a gold glitter polish which I haven't actually seen in person myself.

See another picture after the jump!

ArtDeco Glam Deluxe Collection Review and Swatches

Once again apologies for the erratic posting, but I've spent the last couple of days Christmas shopping and rushing around. I'm slowly getting there, but to be honest, it'll take a few more days for me to catch up.

Anyway, let's get on with this. I have 6 eyeshadows and a blush from ArtDeco's Glam Deluxe collection to show you. The eyeshadows are another variation on the cream/powder formula, like Mac Extra Dimension eyeshadows and Estee Lauder gelee powder eyeshadows. The blush isn't the same formula, it's a powder blush, but it comes with a similarly pretty design.

Overall, the eyeshadows aren't as pigmented as I expected (except for Glam Bronzed Fabric and Glam Blissful Taupe), they are quite sheer. The formula is similar to the Mac and Estee Lauder eyeshadows, it feels quite creamy, but it's definitely powder. The blush I was a bit disappointed in as I thought it was the same formula as the Mac Extra Dimension Skinfinishes, but it's just a regular powder blush. It's actually a bit too powdery for my liking, although it is a nice, natural colour with just a hint of shimmer.

As I said above, other than the bronze and taupe eyeshadows the others are a bit sheer and rather similar as you'll see in the swatches below. The white shade has a slight shimmer to it, the others are mostly just metallic. The formula's good, they didn't crease or fade on me for 12+ hours (I wore them over primer).

The eyeshadows cost £16.50 each and you get 2.5 g. The blush is £21.50 for 10 g. I'm not completely bowled over by them, but the bronze and taupe eyeshadows are definitely worth having. Available from Debenhams and Beauty Bay. Debenhams currently have a 15% off offer going (until Sunday).

See lots more pictures, including swatches and a couple of looks I did with the products, after the jump!

Festive Nails Part 2 - Red With Golden Glitter

When it comes to Christmas, nothing beats a lovely red nail polish. I have OPI The Spy Who Loved Me with China Glaze Golden Enchantement on top for extra sparkle. Lovely!

Taken without flash in direct sunlight

I did 2 coats of each nail polish and sealed it with Seche Vite. The result: shiny, shimmery gorgeousness. It lasted pretty well on me with no chipping on the first day and only minimal chipping on day 2.

The Spy Who Loved Me was part of a set, it's a mini size 3.75 ml, but it's also available in full size. I think OPI polishes are now around £11, but I never pay full price, always buy on eBay from the US usually. Golden Enchantement is a permanent shade, it's also a dupe for Angel Wings from the new Holiday Joy collection. China Glaze polishes cost around £6.95, but again I tend to buy them on eBay for a lot less.

See more pictures after the jump!

Mac Sequin Lipstick Review and Swatches

This is not a new purchase, but I wore it the other day and felt it was rather unappreciated in my collection, because it's actually a really lovely shade. I bought Mac Sequin lipstick with my Back to Mac empties a while (2 years or so) ago, but I've not really given it much love.

Sequin lipstick is a frost finish, so can be a little uneven, but two layers should sort that out. Mac says is "plum-pink with pink shimmer", but it looks more brown-pink on me. It's a nice colour and it's very suitable for my colouring. It lasted on me for an average 2-3 hours depending on whether I drank anything or not, it did not last through eating.

As with other Mac lipsticks it costs £14 for 3 g. Sequin is one of Mac's permanent lipsticks, so it is available to purchase at any time. Check it out next time you're at a Mac counter!

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Festive Nails - Part 1

Since it's now December I thought now would be a great time to start a series about festive nail polishes. However, as I'm still playing catch up and have had absolutely no time to take, crop and watermark pictures, I thought I'd start out with a quick recap of the festive NOTD posts I did this time last year. I have gained a lot of followers since last year, so some of you might not have seen these posts anyway, and even if you have, it's always nice to get some ideas for Christmas.

So without further ado, here are the links to last year's festive NOTD posts, and I will be back soon with some frest posts. To see more pictures and read the relevant posts, just click on the pictures.

China Glaze Champagne Bubbles

Check out some more festive nail ideas after the jump!