Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Eyeshadows in Mirifique and Epatant

Like a lot of others, I couldn't resist picking up a few shades from Chanels newcream/gel eyeshadows, Illusion D'Ombre. I bought Mirifique (black) and Epatant (grey-taupe-green). They both lived up to my expectations and I'm pretty happy with them. (So much so that I have since ordered Illusoir and Emerveille, will review them soon too.)

Mirifique is a deep black with tiny silver glitter, it's very pigmented and goes on really smooth. Epatant is a lot lighter, but it's not at all sheer, and it also has some lovely shimmer. It's quite metallic, but not overly so. I find Epatant a very easy to wear everyday shadow, you can just apply it, blend a bit around the edges and go. Mirifique was harder work as you really need to blend out the edges for it not to look too harsh, also it is pretty dark for a daytime look. I ended up applying Mac White pigment to the inner corner to lighten it a bit (I will post a FOTD soon). However, I think it would make an excellent eyeliner and a base for a smoky eye. As for the application, every pot comes with a small slanted brush that works really well for applying these eyeshadows. Because it's slanted, it would work for applying them as eyeliner too.

They are £22.50 each, so not cheap, but you only need a tiny bit, so they should last a long time. Staying power is excellent for these, I used them over Urban Decay Primer Potion and they lasted the whole day without any creasing, and with Epatant, no powder shadow to set it at all. (I did have Mac White pigment over some of Mirifique as previously mentioned.)

Have you tried these eyeshadows yet? Are you planning to? Do you like them? Let me know in the comments.

See lots of pictures including swatches after the jump!

Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol. 4 Review and Swatches

So here it is, Urban Decay's latest offering, the Book of Shadows volume 4. Well, really it's 5, because there was also the Alice in Wonderland palette, but anyway. It cost £46 and for that you get 16 just over half size (of the Urban Decay singles) eyeshadows as well as a full size 24/7 Waterproof Liquid eyeliner in Perversion (black), a travel size Supercurl Curling Mascara (black), a travel size Eyeshadow Primer Potion (original), as well as a mini speaker and cables to connect your smart phone, and a card with 5 QR codes. I don't have a smart phone, so can't test the technical side of it, but I will tell you all about the make up.

First of all, the palette is HUGE. It's probably one and a half times the size of the original Book of Shadows and some people tought even that was pretty big. This one measures 22.5 cm (length) by 15.5 cm (width) by 4.5 cm (height), so it is pretty bulky. The palette comes in a cardboard box which is different from the older Books of Shadows because those came in plastic sleeves with an extra card showing the contents of the palette, whereas we have that all printed onto the bottom of the box. The design is butterflies and rays of light, which is actually very pretty. Inside the box you have the palette with the same design which is nice. It's got a pop-up lid with a smallish mirror and a fold-up pocket for your smart phone as well as the Get the look card, and some more butterflies that are supposed to go boing up at you when you open the lid, but mine are just flat, sitting still at the bottom. Ah well, never open the lid of my Books of Shadows anyway when applying my make up. You also have the usual drawer with the eyeshadows and extras.

Now the eyeshadows are a bit dull to be honest. The bottom half of the palette is practically just neutrals (which is great I guess if you love neutrals, but you have the Naked Palette and half of the 15 Year Anniversary Palette for that already). The top half has some colours, but it's greys, blues, greens and browns and not really the vibrant variety either. There are some shades I like a lot, including Gravity, a blueish purple, Blue Bus, a nice blue, Baked, a lovely orangey copper (permanent by the way), Sin, a gorgeous pink champagne (permanent), and Skimp, a flesh toned satin textured highlighter. The good thing about this palette is that it's not glitterfest. It does include some shimmery shades yes, and it does include Midnight Rodeo (from the 15 year anniversary palette) which does have major glitter fallout, and Midnight Cowgirl, but most of the shades are not glittery. I have to be honest, when I hear the words Urban Decay and Midnight, I immediately know there will be lots of glitter involved, but Midnight Cowgirl is actually a pretty good distant cousin of the Midnight Cowboy family and is a very pretty, only slightly glittery shade.

I did have some issues with Crystal which just doesn't seem very pigmented at all, and Blue Bus needed a few layers to make it work, but most of the eyeshadows are pretty good quality. I personally would say if you can only buy one palette and you have to choose between this and the 15 Year Anniversary Palette, then I would definitely recommend skipping this one in favour of the other one. At £46 however, it's still good value, since the 16 eyeshadows (0.8 g each) would already add up to £110.93, plus the eyeliner is worth £14, the mascara worth around £8.50 (don't know how big the full size one is, but this is pretty decent size), and the Primer Potion, so we are easily looking at £140 or so. I think the question is whether it's worth £46 to you? I bought mine mainly because I have all the other Books of Shadows and thought I'd probably regret skipping this, but in all fairness, you could quite happily live without it.

As for the extras, the eyeliner is very nice and easy to apply, lasts all day and is definitely waterproof (took a while to remove with my Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Make Up Remover, probably need something like Lancome Bi-Facil instead). The mascara doesn't do it for me I'm afraid, it doesn't add any volume and only adds a little lenght, and since my lashes are naturally curly, no matter what mascara I use, I don't really need a curling mascara (and can't really say if it does a good job at curling or not). The Primer Potion is a very good base, I use it all the time, and it's nice to have a travel size one to take on holiday, etc.

Okay, enough of the rambling, there are lots more photos, check them out after the jump! I will be posting a couple of looks soon, so be sure to check back!

My Mac Me Over Collection Haul, Review and Swatches

Mac released a huge collection with 51 (!) pieces earlier this month called Mac Me Over and today I want to show you which products I ended up buying from the collection. To be honest, I wasn't that excited about the whole collection as it looked a bit too boring in all fairness, but there were some pieces that interested me, including some new (and permanent) lipsticks and some eyeshadows. I also picked up a fluidline gel eyeliner.

So what did I buy? I got Avenue fluidline, a dark brown colour with gold flecks, 2 eyeshadows: Satin Taupe (silvery taupe colour) and Mythical (pinky copper), and 3 lipsticks: Rebel ("vivid pinkish purple"), Oh, Oh, Oh ("plum bronze with pearl")  and Runaway Red ("rich red-blue"). The fluidline cost £13.50, the eyeshadows were £11.50 (except for Satin Taupe which is permanent, so I bought it as a pro palette refill pan and that way it was only £9.50) and the lipsticks were £13.50 (except for Runaway Red that I got free with my 6 Back 2 Mac empties). Oh and I also got a 116 blush brush (not pictured).

I have to confess that I haven't worn everything yet, but I am very happy with everything based how they swatch. I wore Avenue fluidline the other day and it is so soft and creamy, easy to apply, but it stays put for hours on end and the colour is just lovely. The gold flecks are not quite as visible as in the swatch, but it's still gorgeous. I also wore Runaway Red lipstick and it lasted on me for a good 3 hours or so and it is a beautiful red shade. It's a strange one actually as it looks really dark in the tube, swatches quite light and pinkish, but is actually red when worn. Sadly I didn't get around to taking photos of Runaway Red on my lips, but I have some photos of Avenue fluidline in action at the bottom of the page.

Be sure to continue reading and see lots more pictures after the jump !

Urban Decay Rollergirl Is Finally Mine!

Although it seems the UK isn't getting Urban Decay's Rollergirl sets, I've managed to get my hands on the eyeshadow/lipgloss set thanks to eBay. I would also love the mini nail polish set, but so far I haven't had any luck. Still hoping the sets will make it to the UK, but considering that these are for the summer and it's already mid-July, I doubt it. Still, at least I have the eyeshadow/lipgloss set which is what I wanted most anyway.

The set contains a 4-colour-eyeshadow palette, a miniLip Junkie lipgloss and a travel sized 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Whiskey. The colours in the palette are Woodstock, Verve, Suspect and Darkhorse. If you think you've heard them before, it's because some of them have been released in sets before and/or are permanent single eyeshadows. Woodstock came out as a Sephora exclusive single, but has also been included in the recent Fun Palette. Verve is exclusive to this palette, not available separately. Suspect was included in the I♥NYC Book Of Shadows (which is currently available on the Debenhams website by the way!), but it is not available to purchase as a single. Darkhorse has been included in two palettes: The Naked Palette and also The Feminine Palette. It isn't available to purchase as a single either.

I think this palette is a great, more travel friendly alternative to the Naked Palette, in that it contains 3 neutrals that can create a variety of looks including smoky eyes, but also you can jazz up your look with the bright pink Woodstock. You also get Whiskey eyeliner (also included with the Naked Palette, not available to purchase separately) which is a nice dark brown, less harsh than a black one, and a hot pink lipgloss. The eyeshadows are soft and buttery (Woodstock less than the other 3, but still nice), the eyeliner is smooth and has excellent staying power, and Crush Lip Junkie has a lovely cooling mint scent (for reference, I have not tried it on yet, only swatched it on my arm). The set retails for $32 in the US and is a great value for money considering that it contains 4 eyeshadows (1 g each which is 2/3 of the full sized singles that cost $17 each) which alone would add up to $45, plus a travel size 24/7 eyeliner pencil and mini Lip Junkie lipgloss. Of course it's not that great if you already own half the shades, but I thought that instead of buying Woodstock on its own for £13, I'd fork out £9 more and get Verve and the other two (which I already have), plus a back up for my Whiskey liner and try out the Lip Junkie lipgloss. Would be mad not to, right?

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

FOTD: Gold, Green and Blue Look With Mac Unsurpassable

I did this look the other day using some of my goodies from Mac Semi-Precious collection, and I thought you might like to see it. I really loved the eyes, especially the eyeliner, although sadly it doesn't show very well in the close-ups, Urban Decay's Distortion added multicolour sparkles to the look. (You can see some sparkles in the full face photos though.) Let me know what you think!

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
Mac Unsurpassable mineralize eyeshadow

• Gold veins all over lid 
• Blue and green veins blended into the crease

Mac Illusionary Burning Ambition mineralize eyeshadow

• White gold shade on browbone to highlight
• Brown shade under lower lashline

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Corrupt on lower waterline
Mac Superslick Liquid Eyeliner in Treat Me Nice and Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Distortion on upper lashline
Diorshow Blackout Mascara in Black Khol
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:

17 Photo Flawless Foundation in Soft Ivory
Guerlain Poudre C'est Moi
Mac Goldstone Mineralize Skinfinish as blush and highlighter

Lips:


Mac Dare to Wear Lipglass in Wind Me Up


See more pictures after the jump!

My favourite eyeliner pencils

I have a lot of eyeliners. I love them. In fact, I can't be seen without one. Eyeliner and mascara are my two absolute essentials, because my eyes have no definition without them. My eyelashes are short, thin and sort of mousy colour, so without mascara and eyeliner they just don't look right. Also, eyeliners are lots of fun. As much as I like black eyeliners, there are so many gorgeous colours out there, I can always find one to match my mood and my eye make up.

My eyeliner pencils

As you can see, I have quite a collection of eyeliners. My absolute favourite ones are Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencils, they are just so smooth, but they don't smudge, stay on all day and come in every colour of the rainbow (except for red actually). I also like Mac Pearlglide Intense eyeliners and when it comes to cheaper brands, Gosh and L'Oreal are my other favourites. So it wasn't too easy to pick my absolute favourites for this post, but actually despite owning this many eyeliners I tend to reach for a very few of them most often, so I went for those.

See which eyeliners I choose after the jump!

Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Review and Swatches

Stila has recently released their version of waterproof liquid eyeliners which are basically identical to Make Up Forever's Aqua Liners (see my review here) and Mac's Superslick Liquid Eyeliners. The main difference between these are the colour selections and the price. But then again, even those are not big differences, because they are in a very similar price range from £13.50 (Stila) to £16.50 (MUFE). Some colours come very close, some are a bit more unique. For colour comparison I urge you to check out the brilliant Christine's post on Temptalia.

I purchased Bora Bora (turquoise), Rock Candy (brown), Royal (purple) and Flash (khaki).They are all sparkly and vibrant. My favourite is definitely Royal, it's such a beautiful purple. These eyeliners claim to be waterproof, smudge-proof and long wearing, all of which but waterproof I can vouch for. I don't know if they are indeed waterproof as I've not swam or showered in them, but once set, they don't come off with water very easily, you need a lot of rubbing and some kind of make up remover. They are easy to apply and set very quickly. I certainly recommend them. I got mine from BeautyBay and they cost £13.50 each.

See more photos and swatches after the jump!

Make Up Forever Aqua Liner review and swatches

Make Up Forever has some new amazing liquid eyeliners called Aqua Liners and I have 4 of them to show you now. I've ordered them from Guru Makeup Emporium and they cost £16.50 each. They come in 15 shades literally in every colour of the rainbow. I got Diamond Lagoon Green, Iridescent Electric Purple, Iridescent Fuchsia and Diamond Multicolour Black. I was especially wowed by Iridescent Fuchsia and Diamond Multicolour Black as they are both very unique shades. I mean how often do you get a bright pink eyeliner? 

Diamond Lagoon Green, Iridescent Electric Purple, Iridescent Fuchsia, Diamond Multicolour Black

As their name suggests, these liners are waterproof, and they trully are smudgeproof and waterproof, once they dry (pretty quickly as well), they do not budge. However, they are easy to remove with a waterproof make up remover like Lancome Bi-Facil. The applicator and in fact the whole tube is very similar to Mac's Superslick Liquid Eyeliners that came out with Fabulous Felines which is by no means a critism as I love those eyeliners and own a good few myself. The applicator is very easy to use and it packs on lots of colour, but just the right amount of product! The multicolour black seems a bit light, dark grey rather than blck, but I can forgive its sheerness when I look at all the pretty multicolour sparkles it contains.

To be honest, there isn't really a big difference in the formula, but I have to say the MUFE colours are just so pretty and vibrant, and definitely more unique. These MUFE Aqua Liners are slightly more expensive at £16.50 compared to Mac's £15.00, and you also only get 1.7 ml instead of Mac's 1.8 ml, but in all fairness, I don't think that's going to make a huge difference, after all, I have never run out of liquid eyeliner myself.

See more pictures and swatches after the jump!

My new Urban Decay goodies

When I went to Florida, I was very excited to be able to check out all the Sephora exclusive Urban Decay eyeshadows (little did i know that they'd immediately become available in the UK from Debenhams, they are still cheaper in the US though) and also some of the new releases that are either not available yet or I've not had a chance to check out in person as there's no Urban Decay counter near me unfortunately. So I came back with a whole load of Urban Decay goodies and I thought I'd show you in detail what I got. (You can also check out this post where I showed you my amazing huge US haul.)

So there they are: 5 eyeshadows, 3 eyeshadow pencils, a glitter eyeliner and Primer Potion in Eden. I'll start with the eyeshadows. There were 6 shades released last year as Sephora exclusives and I'd been wanting to get them ever since. Two of them, namely Psychedelic Sister and Haight were released in the newest Book of Shadows, so I had them, and I didn't get Woodstock in the end because it's coming out with the Rollergirl palette that I really want (anyone knows when it's coming out in the UK by the way?). So in the end I got Dashiki, Free Love and Aquarius, and also Hot Pants and SWF that were also not available in the UK before.

Find out what else I got, see lots more pictures and swatches after the jump!

Urban Decay 15-year Anniversary Set Is Online at Debenhams.com!

A big thank you to the lovely Charlotte for letting us know. You can also find lots of photos and swatches on her website. The set costs £60 and is available HERE.

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?

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

Want It: Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary Set

Unfortunately this is not available in the UK just yet, but the lucky people in the US can purchase it tomorrow on Urban Decay's website. The rest of use will need to wait until next year to get our hands on it. For those of you who don't know what this is, there's some more info below!

Boots No 7 Christmas Collection eyeshadow compacts and eye pencil sets

This time of the year is proving to be very expensive to me because there are just too many nice products on offer. Today I would like to tell you about Boots's own No 7 brand's limited edition Christmas Collection. I'm not going to review the Mirror Ball collection (the highlighter, eyeshadow quad, lipstick, jumbo pencils, etc.), but concentrate on the limited edition 9 colour eyeshadow compacts and eye pencil sets. Both of them available in 3 colours: Candy Cane, Smoky Jewels and Precious Metals. The colours work very well together, so you can co-ordinate the eye pencils with the compact with the same name, which I think is pretty cool.

Candy Cane, Smoky Jewels, Precious Metals

Right then, first off the eyeshadow compacts. In style they remind me very much of a small compact Lancome did a couple of years ago also with 9 colours, only difference is, these eyeshadows work much better together (the Lancome shadows are very hard to use together). You get 3 rows of co-ordinating shades, although of course you don't have to stick to using them together. Candy Cane is a nice soft pastel palette, with blues, pinks, purples and greens. Smoky Jewels has darker, "smokier", jewel toned colours, blues, greens, purples, browns. Precious Metals has a collection on metallic shades: gold, silver, bronze. The eyeshadows are nicely pigmented, smooth and easy to blend. You get 3.6 g for £12.50 (the pans are about the size of a 5p coin, so that's why they're only 0.4 g each).There's often a 3 for 2 offer on No 7 products or at the moment you get a free gift if you spend £22 or more on No 7 - check it out here!

Read more of my review and see lots of pictures and swatches after the jump!

More Midnight Cowboy anyone?

I have just received the above e-mail from Urban Decay telling me about their new Cowboy Junkie Set which contains 4 eyeshadows, a travel size 24/7 eyepencil and a Lip Junkie lipgloss for just $38. Now this sort of sounds good - however 3 out of the 4 shades included in the palette are from the Midnight Cowboy family. I don't mind Midnight Cowgirl much, it's actually a very pretty shade and has the least glitter of the 3, but Midnight Cowboy (MC) and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (MCRA) have loads of chunky glitter which is of course recipe for fallout disaster! And MC and MCRA have literally been included in every Book Of Shadows Urban Decay has ever released. So if you are a fan of Urban Decay, chances are you already own at least one each! If you don't, believe me, you haven't lost anything! I love Urban Decay, but MC and MCRA are literally the worst ever eyeshadows they ever came up with. And now a set of all of them? No, thanks!

Anyway, if you are interested in this, here are the details:

The set contains an eyeshadow palette with MC, MCRA, Midnight Cowgirl and Romp (an exclusive shade to this palette - I'm guessing to sell the set better?!), a 0.8 g (normal size is 1.2 g) 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Whiskey and a Midnight Cowboy Lip Junkie Lipgloss. 

Are you interested in this? Will you be buying it? Or have you had enough of MC and co for life?