Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in Heat Wave Review and Swatches

Finally, a product review! I bought this highlighter on my pre-birthday shopping trip during the school holiday, but only just got around to swatching it and wearing it. This highlighter is part of the Estee Lauder summer collection and is already out in House of Fraser, and will be coming to other retailers at the end of April.

Once again it's the new powder gelee formula and once again Estee Lauder got it so right. The formula is very similar to Mac's Extra Dimension Skinfinishes, very smooth and creamy with high frosty shine. Heat Wave is a gorgeous light gold colour, it gives a really nice sheen, but it's not glittery at all. Colourwise it is pretty much identical to Mac Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish. Swatched heavily there is a very slight difference, but once blended out, you really can't tell which is which. The powder comes with a sponge applicator, but I prefer to use a brush to apply and blend it with.

The powder costs £30 and you get 6 g which is 1.5 g more than previous colours of the same formula, but the compact is again the same as the regular Estee Lauder blush compact. It is smaller than Mac skinfinishes and more expensive, so if you bought Whisper of Gilt, you don't need this as well (unless you really want a back up). This is a limited edition product and these gelee powders sell out very quickly, so get yours while you can. Exclusively available at  House of Fraser until the end of April when it will be realeased nationwide at Debenhams, Boots and other retailers with Estee Lauder counters and online from all of the above plus the Estee Lauder website.

See more pictures after the jump!

Pink and Mauve FOTD

I did this look over a month ago when I had an entire morning to get ready and could actually experiment a bit. I really liked it, so I took pictures, and finally I have even managed to post them! I am also about to review the mascara I used, so I thought I might as well do the look first.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Estee Lauder Vivid Shine Eyeshadow in Magenta all over the lid
Estee Lauder Vivid Shine Eyeshadow in Cyber Ruby in the crease
Estee Lauder Cyber Metallic Eyeshadow in Cyber Pink in the inner corner of the lid and on browbone to highlight
Mac pigment in Helium patted on top of Estee Lauder Vivid Shine Eyeshadow in Magenta
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Crash on lower lashline
Urban Decay Heavy Metal glitter eyeliner in Catfight on the upper lashline 
Lancome Cils Booster XL mascara base and Hypnose Mascara Volume in Noir Hypnotic
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
Bare Minerals Ready Luminizer in The Love Affair

Lips:
Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in #78 Phoenix

Let me know what you think about this look in the comments!

See more pictures after the jump!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease

The new Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Blush in Tease is so pretty. I love the design and the colour, so of course I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It has taken me a while to use and review it, but I've finally managed.

Firstly, this is another one of the new gelee powder formula, so it's a powder, but feels and looks like a cream product. It is very metallic and gives a high sheen finish, so it's probably not for those who prefer their face products to be matte. It isn't glittery, but it's definitely rather shimmery.

I had a bit of trouble working out how to apply it best and it seems that the sponge applicator they provide with it is the best way to go about it. It doesn't pick up too much product and you can blend it out easily. When I tried using a regular blush brush, the result looked quite patchy. But with the applicator it looks nice and even yet not too heavy. I also found duo fibre brushes work well, but they give a much more subtle effect. With the sponge you need to be a bit careful not to overdo it, but if you do thin layers rather than try to pile it on, you'll be fine. The blush didn't last very long on me, it's practically disappeared after 5-6 hours of wear.

It's a lovely product, but even on my pale skin it's more of a highlighter than a blush. I haven't tried it on top of a powder blush, but I think it would work really nicely.

The blush costs £30 and you get 6 g which is actually more than previous illuminating powder gelees. It's still not a massive amount, but probably way more than you need. This is a limited edition product, so grab it while you can if you like what you see!

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Yves Saint Laurent Y Facettes Palette 4 Wet & Dry Eyeshadows Review and Swatches

Another pretty eyeshadow palette from the spring 2013 collection, this time it's from YSL. This is one of their hybrid / gelee powder style eyeshadows (Pure Chromatics they're called I believe), they feel quite creamy, but aren't actually cream products. They can be worn dry for a subtle look or wet for a more intense one.

I really love the colours in this quad, they are springlike, but not too pastely. You get a gorgeous frosty grass green, a shimmery light pink, a frosty mauvey purple and a frosty sky blue. Out of the four, the pink mostly just gives you pink sparkles, it's the sheerest of them all. The other three are nicely pigmented even whe dry (I haven't actually used them wet yet).

I have only used two colours at a time (blue and green, pink and purple), but I can definitely see using 3 or even all 4 at the same time, they go together really well. Despite their creamy formula they did not crease on me at all, but they did start to fade after about 8 hours. I also noticed some fallout, especially with the pink shade which is the most glittery. Nothing major though, and it's often expected with this kind of formula, and the glitter isn't chunky, so it doesn't bother me.

You get 3 g of product which isn't a lot, but I think these eyeshadows are generally more "fluffy" so they weigh less than regular powder eyeshadows. The palette costs £39.50. I think this is a limited edition, but not sure.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Want It! Mac In Extra Dimension Collection April 2013

I am so excited, this coming spring Mac is releasing yet another collection of their Extra Dimension eyeshadows, skinfinishes AND even blushes, in all new shades! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, I have reviewed previous collections here and here.) I have managed to find a picture of the skinfinishes and as I thought based on the descriptions the skinfinishes have split pans. Can't wait to find out more! I'm pretty sure I'm going to get everything though (maybe not the brushes).

The new split pan skinfinishes together with the pearlmatte powders from Archie's Girls

Here are the details. All credit goes to Mac-Guy and Specktra.

Extra Dimension Skinfinish
Double Definition - Soft shimmery gold / Patina bronze
Shape The Future - Pastel pink with iridescence / Soft brick with shimmer
Definitely Defined - Silvery pink / Soft rose with shimmer

Extra Dimension Eyeshadow
Zestful - Pale iridescent lime
Extra Silver - True silver
Dimensional Blue - Frosty blue
Opalesse - Opalescent white with pink pearlized pigments
Triple Impact - Opalescent lavender with violet pearlized pigment
Smoky Mauve - Mid-tone mauve

Extra Dimension Blush
Flaming Chic - Bright blue pink
Bareness - Rosy beige pink
At Dusk - Mid-tone rose pink
Fiery Impact - Burnt red bronze
Blazing Heat - Mid-tone peach

128 Brush - Split Fibre Cheek Brush

235 Brush - Split Fibre All Over Eye Brush

2012 Favourites - Part 3: Face

Here's another installment of my favourite products of 2012, this time it's the face products. I will start with the more exciting ones, ie. pretty highlighters. To me one of the most used highlighters of 2012 was Guerlain Cruel Gardenia. It is just so pretty both in the compact and on my skin. Just lovely.You can read my initial review by clicking on the link above.

See what other products I loved in 2012 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!

Mac Glamour Daze Extra Dimension Eyeshadows and Fluidlines - Review and Swatches

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post this review, but it's been pretty hectic in my house. So to speed things up I've decided to review the eyeshadows and fluidlines together.

As you can see, I bought 5 of the Extra Dimension eyeshadows and all 3 fluidlines from the collection. I decided to skip the silver, black and burgundy ones because I felt that I either have similar colours or won't wear them anyway. The fluidlines were just too sparkly to leave behind.

The eyeshadows I got are A Natural Flirt, Ready To Party, Stolen Moment, Divine Blue, Stylishly Merry. They are all pretty pastely colours except for Stolen Moment which is a gorgeous taupe. First of all, let me just say, these eyeshadows are absolutely tiny. The eyeshadows originally released in the In Extra Dimension collection were 2 g whereas these are 1.3 g, but the price remained the same (£16.50). Not cool, Mac. They are still bigger and cheaper than the Estee Lauder Gelee Powder eyeshadows which are only 0.9 g for £19.00, so I guess that's something. It's not that you necessarily need 2 g of eyeshadows, but if you reduce the quantity, then reduce the price as well!

Anyway, now that's out of the way, these are actually rather lovely and if you haven't tried the liquid powder hybrid formula, then they're worth checking out. These ones didn't feel as soft as the Estee Lauder ones to me, but I didn't actually re-test the EL ones, so my memory could be tricking me. They're not cream eyeshadows, but they are very smooth and buttery, and even the lighter colours are pretty well pigmented. I wore them over primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance) and they lasted well all day without fading or creasing. I wore Stylishly Merry in the crease by the way.

I also got all 3 fluidlines: Catch My Eye, Little Black Bow, Feminine Edge. They are all very sparkly, in particular Catch My Eye and Feminine Edge. Little Black Bow is the least unique, it's a dark grey with sparkles, pretty, but not that special. Catch My Eye is a gorgeous sparkly taupe and Feminine Edge is a very shiny, sparkly cool pink.

I've only worn Feminine Edge so far, it was a quite hard to spread smoothly and the line ended up broken with chunky glittery bits rather than a smooth line. I think that shade in particular would work better as cream eyeshadow/base. It stayed on my lids and didn't fade or crease as a liner, but I haven't tried it as cream eyeshadow yet. (EDIT: I've been wearing Catch My Eye as a cream eyeshadow today (Sunday) and it's stayed creaseless and hasn't had any fallout all day.) You get 3 g of fluidline for £15.50 which is definitely a better deal.

So here you go. I will aim to do a post about the look I did with most of the eyeshadows and Feminine Edge fluidline tomorrow and will also review the nail polish you can see in the pictures soon.

In the meantime, see loads more pictures after the jump!

Estee Lauder Violet Undergroud Eyeshadow Palette Review and Swatches

Estee Lauder have really outdone themselves this summer/autumn (whatever you want to call this time of the year) and have released some more beautiful eyeshadows. Not only they're beautiful, they are also Cyber Metallic finish that I love so much. And as pinks and purples are my favourite, I really couldn't be happier (although tecnically there isn't a violet/purple shade in this palette, despite its name).

Violet Underground contains 5 shades: a light pinky beige colour, a bright magenta colour, a warm coppery brown, a navy blue and an almost matte black. The eyeshadows have a metallic sheen, some stronger than others, but all in all, they're very wearable and not shimmery or glittery at all. They are very smooth and well pigmented, and stay on all day without creasing or fading.

The pinky-beige shade is the most metallic of them all. I used that as a highlighter, but for my skintone it's a bit dark to be a proper highlighter. It makes a gorgeous colour to wear in the inner corner or all over the eyelid (think black eyeliner and lots of mascara). I thought the magenta shade was pretty close to the Magenta shade that was released last month in the Vivid Shine collection, but this one is actually a lot pinker. Although the colours are a funny mix, they do work together, I did a look using 4 of them the other day (see bottom of the post). The only one I couldn't fit in was the brown shade, but it would work with the pinky beige and magenta, and even the black (which can be worn wet as a liner, that's what I did).

The eyeshadows are housed in a special purpley blue compact, not the usual gold which is very pretty. You get 4.4 g eyeshadows which is pretty small for a palette, but these Cyber Metallic eyeshadows seem to weigh less than regular powder eyeshadows (the singles are only 0.9 g in weight). The palette costs £40 which isn't bad considerinig the single eyeshadows retail for £19 each, so you get 5 for the price of 2. The palette is limited edition, so it probably won't be around for long. Available from the usual places (department stores and online).

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Estee Lauder Vivid Shine and Cyber Metallic Pure Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadows Review and Swatches

Estee Lauder launched a new collection called Pure Color Vivid Shine that contains (among others) 16 shades of Gelee Powder eyeshadows. These eyeshadows (well, 6 shades) initially came out in January and I have reviewed them here and here. I really liked the initial shades and the subsequent five colour palette that came out at the beginning of this summer, so of course I jumped on the Gelee Powder eyeshadow wagon once again. I purchased 9 new shades (leaving just one out) and here they are:

I bought Pop Pistachio, Magenta, Fire Sapphire, Ultra Marine, Electric Orchid, Cyber Ice, Arctic Sky, Cyber Ruby, Cyber Gold. The eyeshadows are devided into two categories: Vivid Shine and Cyber Metallic. The first 5 on my list are Vivid Shine and the last 4 are Cyber Metallic. I have no idea what the difference is, I think the Vivid Shine ones are less metallic and more pearly/satiny. The only one I didn't get (other than the original 6 shades) is Lights Out which is the black one. There is a black shadow in the Violet Underground fall eyeshadow palette, that will be plenty enough black for me.

I urge you to read my initial review, because these are basically the same products just with more colour variety and some less metallic than others. Overall I'm very pleased with these eyeshadows, although so far I have only used 3 of them, they swatched beautifully and the ones I wore lasted all day without creasing (over primer). You can use these dry or wet, they tend to be more intense when used wet, but I actually like using them dry. Over primer (I'm currently using Too Faced Shadow Insurance) they last all day long without creasing or fading and there's no fallout from them at all. They are powder, but feel like cream eyeshadows, very similar to the Mac Extra Dimension eyeshadows (limited edition from May).

The Vivid Shine eyeshadows are all limited edition, and I believe also Arctic Sky and Cyber Ice are limited, but the rest of the Cyber Metallic eyeshadows are now permanent. The most interesting shade of the collection for me has to be Arctic Sky, it's a beautiful duochrome light blue/pink/purple. My pictures don't so it justice, it's really stunning. I'm also very happy about Pop Pistachio as I also wanted a green shade and Pop Pistachio is a very pretty one. I guess it depends on what colours you prefer, but the blues are also very nice and so is Magenta. Well worth checking out.

These eyeshadows cost £19 each. You get 0.9 g which is pretty small, although I think the formula is probably more ligtweight than powder.   

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

FOTD: Estee Lauder Summer

Here is the look I did with the new Estee Lauder summer products. I don't know about you, but I still feel like the teal shade doesn't work very well with the other shades, certainly not the copper. Or maybe it's just me. Let me know what you think.

Here's a list of all the products I used to create this look:

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Estee Lauder Pure Color Five Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadow Palette gold shade in the inner corner of the lid
Estee Lauder Pure Color Five Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadow Palette copper shade in the middle of the lid
Estee Lauder Pure Color Five Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadow Palette teal gold shade in the outer corner and crease
Estee Lauder Pure Color Five Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadow Palette white shade in the inner corner of lid and on browbone to highlight
Stila Smudge Stick in Peacock on lower lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero on waterline
Mac Zoom Lash mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:

MUA Beauty Balm BB Cream
Mac Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in Shimmering Sands on cheeks
Mac Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt to highlight

Lips:

Mac Riviera Life lipglass

See more photos after the jump!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Five Color Gelee Powder Eyeshadow Palette Review and Swatches

The other product I was really excited about from the Estee Lauder summer collection is the five colour gelee powder eyeshadow palette (if you missed it, you can read my review of the Illuminating Powder Gelee in Shimmering Sands here). This is basically the same as the Cyber Eyes Gelee Powder eyeshadows in a palette, but with the same pattern as the Shimmering Sands powder.

The colours in this palette are so beautifully summery, I love them. Although I also have to add that I'm a little bit unsure about the turquoise/teal colour in the middle. I thought it would be brighter, whereas it's actually quite a dull, bit greyish colour. To me it doesn't work very well with the rest of the palette. The other shades are all lovely, they work well together and swatch beautifully, soft and buttery. The teal shade swatches and applies well too, it just looks a bit faded, not as vibrant as the other colours.

I did a look with them (photos to come soon) and they applied and blended beautifully and lasted really well, there was no creasing even after 10 hours. I would love to see another few palettes with this formula in other colours, pinks, purples, blues, greens perhaps. The eyeshadows have a high metallic sheen but are not glittery and there is absolutely no fall out from them. They really are lovely.

The palette contains 4.4 g of eyeshadows (roughly the same size as 5 single Cyber Eyes eyeshadows) and costs £35 which is actually not too bad considering that the singles cost £19 each! This is a limited edition product and judging by how popular these eyeshadows have been, it will probably sell out fast. At the moment it's available from Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser and other department stores.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Shimmering Sands Review and Swatches

Estee Lauder once again has a lovely summer collection and there were two things in particular that really interested me when I saw the promo pictures, the 5 colour Gelee Powder eyeshadow palette (review to come soon) and the Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee in Shimmering Sands.

This is the third Illuminating Powder Gelee hybrid that Estee Lauder has come out with in a short space of time. The formula is very similar to Mac's Extra Dimension Skinfinishes, very smooth and creamy with high frosty shine (although less frosty than the Mac skinfinishes). Colourwise this shade is different from all 3 Mac skinfinishes, it's darker and redder than Superb, but lighter and less orange than Glorify. I think this shade will look good on darker skintones or on me once I have a tan (which is not looking too likely judging by how the weather's been lately), but it is possibly to pull it off when you're pale if you use a very light hand (apply with a brush rather than the sponge applicator) and I think it works pretty well as a contour shade too.

The powder costs £28 and you get 4.5 g which actually seems very little (half of the Mac skinfinishes), but the compact is the same as the regular Estee Lauder blush compact so I think the powder gelee formula must be lighter than a regular powder. I don't think I will run out of this anytime soon ever as you only need a tiny bit, so the actual amount of product doesn't bother me too much. This is a limited edition product and these gelee powders sell out very quickly, so get yours while you can. Available at Debenhams, House of Fraser, Boots and other retailers with Estee Lauder counters and online from all of the above plus the Estee Lauder website.

See more pictures after the jump!

My Mac In Extra Dimension Haul Pictures and Swatches

I was very excited about this collection when I first heard about it and as I thought I would, I ended up buying nearly everything. The only things I didn't buy were the brushes and 3 eyeshadows: the black one because I don't really use black eyeshadows, the silver one because it's very similar to the Estee Lauder silver Cyber Eyes eyeshadow and the brown/bronze one because again, I don't use that much brown. The rest I just had to have.

I would like to point out that I haven't actually used any of these as I wanted to wait until I can photograph them which I finally managed to do yesterday, so I can't really report on wear time, etc. I have only swatched them on my arm, so I can only comment on that. The texture of these eyeshadows is very similar to the Barbara Daly ones I've reviewed here and here, they also look suspiciously similar. They are definitely powder shadows, but they also feel creamy and they're wonderfully smooth. My favourites are definitely the purples, although they are all really pretty. I'm a bit sad there weren't some more interesting shades like green, yellow, fuschia, etc., but what can you do?

The skinfinishes are even creamier and very smooth. I swatched them heavily and then blended them out with my finger and they are very blendable. They are also very frosty, so you need to use them sparingly, unless you are going for a sexy cyber woman look.

The eyeshadows cost £16.50 each and you get 2 g, the skinfinishes are £21.50 each and they're 9 g each, much like the regular mineralize skinfinishes. Most of these are still in stock on the Mac website except for Whisper of Gilt and Superb skinfinishes. Debenhams is almost entirily sold out, but then they did have a 10% off and 500 bonus points event.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Cyber Eyes Gelee Powder Eyeshadows in Cyber Lilac and Cyber Teal

You have no idea how long it's taken me to get my hands on the remaining two shades of Estee Lauder's new Cyber Eyes eyeshadows. I bought the other 4 shades at the end of December, but it took me about 4 weeks to finally get my hands on the lilac and teal ones as they were unavailable everywhere. Apparently they were delayed in production and weren't sent from the US for ages. I literally asked everywhere and had my name down on 4 waiting lists, plus stalked every website that carries the Estee Lauder line. I got them in the end, and I believe they are now widely available at counters and on the Estee Lauder website, but of course they are limited edition, so it's only a matter of time before they're all gone.

I will not do a full review on these, if you are interested, please look at this post in which I reviewed the other 4 shades. Were these two shades worth the wait though? Yes, they were, they are both really lovely and if Estee Lauder came out with more shades (I'm thinking blue, bronze, (grass) green, gold) I would definitely buy them too. Good news is, in April Mac is coming out with a collection of 10 Extra Dimension eyeshadows which are supposed to be very similar to these Cyber Eyes shadows and there's bound to be some fun shades in that collection! Hopefully those will be a bit cheaper too as that's one of the drawbacks of these eyeshadows, at £19 each they are not cheap!

Anyway, there are some more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Cyber Eyes Gelee Powder Eyeshadows Review and Swatches

Ever since I heard about these amazing looking Estee Lauder eyeshadows I decided I wanted to get them all. At the moment I only have four of them because the lilac and teal ones are not available yet anywhere. According to Estee Lauder they've been delayed in production. Hoping to pick them up as soon as they're available.Out of the four I have I love Cyber Green the most which is actually not green at all, it's black with gold flecks. But I do love Cyber Lilac and Cyber Teal very much too and can't wait to pick them up.

These eyeshadows are gelee/powder hybrids, they certainly feel like powders, but don't swatch like them, swatch more like cream eyeshadows. You can use them wet for more intensity, but they are already very pigmented and apply very nicely even when dry. I wore the pink and silver ones the other day and they lasted all day without creasing or fading, so they are really excellent shadows. According to the packaging these are 0.9 g each which is weird as they aren't that small (same size as Estee Lauder single eyeshadows), but they must be very lightweight because usually eyeshadows of this size are more like 2-3 g. They cost £19 each which is quite a lot for a single eyeshadow, but then that's high end make up for you. Anyway, enough with the maths, let's see some more pictures, shall we?