Want It! Dior Birds of Paradise Collection for Summer 2013

I have to admit, I haven't been buying much make up lately, mostly been buying nail polish instead. The spring collections, except for a few, didn't really catch my eye, but having been looking at details of the upcoming summer collections, I've already got a long wishlist.

Today I want to show you the Dior summer collection called Birds of Paradise, full of very colourful, gorgeous, very summery products. The promo pictures are just beautiful, very eye catching.

I'm pretty sure I will want to get the eyeshadow quint used in the promo pictures and the Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duos look gorgeous too. I'm also eyeing up the metallic green polish (comes as a duo with the mint green one) and those Jelly Lip Pens look very promising too. There is also a waterproof liner that I don't seem to be able to find info on that looks gorgeous! What do you think?


Here are the details of the collection:

• Diorskin Nude Tan BB Cream
• Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo 
• Coral Glow 
• Pink Glow
• Dior 5 Couleur Eyeshadow Palette  
• #434 Peacock 
• #374 Blue Lagoon
• DiorShow Mono Eyeshadow in #273 Parati
• 1 Couleur Eye Gloss 
• #740 Zenith 
• #530 Golden Sand
• Lip Maximizer Collagen Activ in #001 Pink
• Jelly Lip Pen 
• #516 Copacabana 
• #476 Ilhabela
• #636 Carioca
• #656 Gaia
• Dior Addict Lipstick 
• #771 Passionnee 
• #751 Exotique 
• #471 Flamingo 
• #431 On The Beach
• Dior Vernis Duo 
• Bahia (green and fuchsia) 
• Samba (metallic green and mint)

See lots more pictures after the jump!

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!

FOTD: Clothes and Jewellery Inspired Look With Urban Decay Book Of Shadows

I have pretty much run out of things to blog about other than a few random nail polish posts, due to the fact that it's been half-term school holiday and I haven't been able to take any pictures and do swatches. But fear not, my children are back in school and my husband is back at work tomorrow, so I will spend the day taking pictures, swatching products and there will be many new product reviews to come (because I have been buying things nevertheless!).

But for now, here's a look I did a month or so ago. This was actually inspired by the colours on my top and the necklace I was wearing that day. Do you do looks inspired by clothing/accessories?

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Urban Decay Shattered eyeshadow in the inner corner of the lid
Urban Decay Scandal eyeshadow in the middle of the lid
Urban Decay Last Call eyeshadow in the outer corner of the lid and the crease
Urban Decay Virgin eyeshadow on the browbone to highlight
Urban Decay Electric and Rockstar 24/7 eyeliners on lower lashline
Cargo Lash Activator Mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Pet Me Mineralize Blush

Lips:
Guerlain 166 Shalimar Rouge Automatique Lipstick

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Estee Lauder Vivid Shine / Cyber Metallic

This was the first look I did with the new Estee Lauder Vivid Shine and Cyber Metalllic eyeshadows and I really liked it, so I thought I'd share with you.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Too Faced Insurance Policy
Estee Lauder Vivid Shine Eyeshadow in Arctic Sky in the inner half of the lid
Estee Lauder Vivid Shine Eyeshadow in Magenta in the outer half of the lid
Estee Lauder Vivid Shine Eyeshadow in Electric Orchid in the crease
Estee Lauder Cyber Metallic Eyeshadow in Cyber Pink on browbone to highlight
Mac Pearlglide eyeliner in Industrial on lower lashline
Guerlain Noir G Mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream
Guerlain Voilettes Invisible Skin Fusion Loose Powder in 03 Beige Naturel
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Pink Peony

Lips:
Guerlain Rouge G L'Extrait in Gourmandise

Let me know what you think in the comments!

See more pictures after the jump!

Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream Review and Swatches

Every brand is bringing out their own version of BB cream at the moment and now Boots's own brand, No 7 has one as well. I had heard about it being a good one, so I thought I'd give it a go. As I had a £5 No 7 voucher, I only has £7.95 to lose. But actually, it was money well spent.

No 7 Beautiful Skin BB cream comes in 2 different shades (fair and medium) and also there are 3 different versions according to your skin type (normal/oily skin, normal/dry skin, dry/very dry skin). So other than dark skinned ladies, everyone can find their own match (and yes, there should be a dark shade!).

I bought the shade fair and as I have a normal/combination skin, I opted for the normal/oily version. The colour is a pretty good match for me and the consistency works well with my skin type. It did need blotting/powdering halfway through the day, but that's normal for me. The coverage is medium and the cream doesn't feel at all heavy on my skin. Blends in like a dream, doesn't feel at all tacky and doesn't make my face shiny. I really like this one.

It also qualifies as an actual BB cream as it has skincare elements as well as SPF15 and 5 star UVA protection, and it's also a pretty good tinted moisturiser/foundation. I can't confirm whether it's moisturising on its own or not, because I always use my usual daycream under it, but it's certainly not drying on me.

I think this BB cream is comparable to the 17 Blemish Balm, but it's more lightweight, has a slightly less coverage, has less SPF and is more expensive. So there are pros and cons to it. This one costs £12.95, but if you manage to get hold of a £5 off No 7 voucher (Boots are handing them out right now!), it is a very good deal as you get 40 ml with this, whereas the 17 Blemish Balm is just 30 ml. 

So all in all, I think this is a very good BB cream and would happily recommend it. I really like that they cater for different skin types. On that note, has anyone tried the new Garnier BB cream for oily skin? Is it any good? I'm too scared to buy one, I hated the original one so much.

See more pictures 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!

MUA Beauty Balm BB Cream Review

It seems every brand is coming out with their own version of BB cream at the moment, and this time it's Make Up Academy's (MUA) turn. Their version is called Beauty Balm instead of Blemish Balm, but since they put a big BB on it, we'll just assume that's supposed to be the same thing.

Although technically this is not a BB cream, because it doesn't include any SPF. They claim the all in one, multi-functional formula primes, protects and conceals. I'm not sure how it's supposed to protect your skin without any SPF though. Okay, so what does it do? It's basically a medium coverage foundation as far as I can see. For the price it's not a bad one either. The formula is a little on the thick side for my liking, but it does blend out eventually, and it gives a good medium coverage, so I don't need extra concealer on my spots/scars. I chose the medium shade as the light one was too light for me (it comes in 3 shades by the way), and other than being a little pink for my colouring, it's a very good match. It has a slight scent, but it doesn't bother me and fades away quickly anyway. I always set my foundation, so didn't test it without setting powder, but with it this lasted on me for a good few hours before I had to do some blotting, which is very much the same as any other foundation I own.

I'd say for £4 (or rather £3 at the moment in Superdrug!) this is a good foundation. It's a good size at 30 ml too. I would prefer it to have some SPF, but for the price it's really hard to fault it. Out of the four BB creams I have tried so far (MUA, 17, Garnier and Ginvera) this is not my favourite, but probably comes close to the 17 one. The Ginvera BB cream is still leading, although it contains the least product and costs the most, so I'd probably go for the 17 one when it came to repurchasing. I hated the Garnier one so much, I got rid of it, but I will be keeping and using this one, however, probably won't repurchase it if I ever run out. 

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Chanel Eclosion Eyeshadow Quad

I've been meaning to post this look that I did using my new Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad. I really liked this look, it's nice and neutral but with a bit of a kick. I personally love the glittery highlighter shade and also the mauvy plum shade.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Barbara Daly Even Smoother Eye Base
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad peachy pink shade on middle of lid
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad mauvy plum shade in crease
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad beige shade above crease to blend out
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad shimmery highlighter shade in inner corner and on browbone
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Crash on waterline
Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara in black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream
Guerlain Radiant Butterfly Meteorites Voyage Powder
Mac Subtle Breeze mineralize blush

Lips:
Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipgloss in 871 Frosted Rose

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Guerlain 66 Boulevard du Montparnasse

This is the look I created with the Guerlain 6 colour palette 66 Boulevard du Montparnasse. I think it's a really lovely palette and you can create soft and more dramatic looks depending on what you want to do.I didn't like the gloss with this look, but since I'd already applied it, I left it, but I think something more pink would have looked nicer.

I have included a picture of the palette below so you can see which shades I used as it's a bit difficult to explain which shade is which.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Barbara Daly Even Smoother Eye Base
Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs 66 Boulevard du Montparnasse eyeshadow palette shade 4 on middle of lid
Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs 66 Boulevard du Montparnasse eyeshadow palette shade 5 in crease
Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs 66 Boulevard du Montparnasse eyeshadow palette shade 6 in outer corner and lower lashline as liner
Guerlain Ecrin 6 Couleurs 66 Boulevard du Montparnasse eyeshadow palette shade 2 in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero on waterline
Guerlain Noir G de Guerlain mascara in Noir
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream
Guerlain Radiant Butterfly Meteorites Voyage Powder
Guerlain Meteorites Cruel Gardenia Highlighter

Lips:
Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipgloss in 869 Rose In Bloom

See more pictures after the jump!

Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream Review

BB Creams are the new big thing in the UK and every brand seems to be bringing out their version of it at the moment. Some seem to be better than others, some labelled as BB Creams are no more than tinted moisturisers, but some are really worth paying attention to. Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream is certainly one of the good ones, in fact I will go as far as saying that it's the best one I've tried so far. (I have already reviewed a couple: Garnier BB Cream and Boots 17 BB Cream, click on the links for the reviews.)

The most unique thing about this BB Cream is that unlike the others I have tried, this has a nude shade, so not so pink as some others. When you apply it in fact, it looks quite grey on the skin, but it blends in really nicely and gives you a great skintone by enhancing your natural tone rather than covering it. Coverage is light to medium I'd say, not as heavy as the 17 BB Cream, but certainly a lot better than the Garnier BB Cream. It doesn't come in more than one shades and says it's suitable for all skin tones, but I would struggle to see this work for very light or very dark skintones. I haven't tested this though, so don't take my word for it!

Once again there are a lot of claims this product has to live up to and it actually does what it says "on the tin". It does blend easily, gives a natural matte finish that lasts, evens out skintone, and it has an SPF30 sun protection which is really good. I can't say it gives a completely flawless coverage, although if you have relatively good skin, then I guess it would, and I can't really comment on whether it's hydrating (although it's not drying on my skin) or whether it helps reduce the formation of lines, which I guess you'd only notice after long term use. All in all this is a good BB Cream, and I would happily recommend this.

My only complaint is the price tag, this is the most expensive one I've tried so far at £20 and you only get 25 ml, so it's also the smallest. Although you can currently get it for just £15 (plus p&p) from Janiro, the new UK distributor of Ginvera products. You can also request a free sample before committing to buying the full size product by clicking here.

See more pictures after the jump!

17 Blemish Balm All In One Magic Make Up Review - This One Is Good!

After the disappointment that was the Garnier B.B. cream I swore I wasn't gonna buy another one, but somehow I ended up getting the new 17 B.B. cream. I actually like this one though, so it wasn't a waste of money.

The formula is much thicker than the Garnier one and as a result provides a much better coverage. They claim it's full coverage, but I wouldn't go that far, however you certainly get a decent medium coverage. It feels more like a foundation than a tinted moisturiser to me actually. I got the light shade and it's a very good match for me, but I suspect it will be too dark for those who have a lighter skintone (I'm a Mac light medium (NC/W20-ish) in winter). I think this only comes in light and medium, so there won't be a match for everyone for sure. It lasted very well on me, and I only had to touch up my oily bits once, but that's the same with other foundations too (if I'm lucky). This certainly doesn't make my face look oily or dewey like the Garnier one did, so that's a major plus too. It also hasn't made me break out which that did, so another plus goes to 17's B.B. cream.

I still don't like the use of the word magic in the title because quite frankly it's not. It's a decent tinted moisturiser/foundation, but I see nothing magic about it. It's great that it has SPF25 as I'm lazy about my suncream in winter, so that gives enough protection for me. I can't really say if it's moisturising, but it's certainly non drying, and I would also disagree with the weightless formula because it actually feels a bit heavy on my skin, but like I said, at least this way it gives a good coverage.

You get 30 ml for £6.99 which makes it more expensive than the Garnier B.B. cream, but it's on par with 17 foundations, so it's fine (plus I'd much rather pay more for a better product anyway). So all in all I would recommend this, but I really need to add that this is in no way a miracle product, so as long as you're not expecting one, you'll be fine.

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD With Barbara Daly Satin Swirl Eyes Eyeshadows

This is the look I did with my new Barbara Daly eyeshadows, Navy Reflection and Cinder Shine. I used Cinder Shine all over the lid and Navy Reflection in the crease.

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

Eyes:
Barbara Daly Even Smoother Eye Base
Barbara Daly Satin Swirl Eyes Eyeshadow Cinder Shine all over the lid
Barbara Daly Satin Swirl Eyes Eyeshadow Navy Reflection in the crease
Chantacaille La Baleine Bleue Eyeshadow Palette light grey shade on the inner corner of lid and above crease
Chantacaille La Baleine Bleue Eyeshadow Palette highlighter shade on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero on waterline
Gosh Velvet Touch Waterproof Eyeliner in Cool Mint on lower lashline
No 7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
17 Blemish Balm (will review this soon)
Guerlain Radiant Butterfly Meteorites Voyage Powder
Chantecaille Blush in Laughter
Chantecaille La Baleine Blanche Face Palette

Lips:
Chanel Rouge Allure in Belgravia

See more pictures after the jump!

Garnier Miracle Skin Protector Daily All-In-One B.B. Cream Review

I hadn't even heard about BB creams until just a few months ago (I know, call myself a beauty addict?), but once I read up on them and realised that there were a few coming out in the UK, I thought it was time for me to try them out as well. So I bought Garnier's Miracle Skin Protector Daily All-In-One B.B. Cream (from now on just BB cream). As my skintone is light to medium, I picked up the colour light which actually suits my skintone pretty well.

My problem with this product, that once the word "miracle" is in the title, it's hard not to expect just that. Having heard that BB creams are these fantastic all-in-one cream/foundation/primer/magic potions, I had huge expectations for this one. Did it live up to them? Sadly, no.

I mean, it's not a bad product, it's a decent tinted moisturiser, but I'm afraid it did not live up to all the claims. It's supposed to immediately perfect my skin, giving an even skintone and healthy glow, blur imperfections, hide redness, smooth the appearance of fine lines, hydrate for 24 hours and protect the skin with SPF15. It is hydrating and it does give a glow (ie leaves my face shiny), but it did not cover up any imperfections on my face whatsoever and my skintone was not evened out in the slightest either. Once I set it with Mac MSF Natural, it looked fine, but to be honest, my skin would look the same with normal moisturiser and Mac MSF Natural. The coverage is so light, I really can't say it's an all-in-one product, because I still need a concealer and foundation to cover the redness and imperfections. I also has some breakouts while using the product, but I can't say for sure whether it was related or not.

It's not too expensive at £9.99, but equally not that cheap for something that doesn't actually live up to its claims. You get 50 ml, and little goes a long way, so it will last you for a good while, but I just can't see myself reaching for this regularly I'm afraid.

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Bobbi Brown Black Ruby Sparkle Eye Palette

Following on from yesterday's review of Bobbi Brown's Black Ruby Sparkle Eye Palette, here's the look I created with all 4 eyeshadows. Let me know what you think in the comments.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Bobbi Brown Black Ruby Sparkle Eye Palette all 4 shades
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Rockstar on lower lashline
Clinique Lash Power Mascara in Black Onyx
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-one BB Cream in Light
Mac Truth & Light Magically Cool Liquid Powder
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Maui on cheeks
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Platinum Pink to highlight

Lips:
Mac Dazzle lipstick in Snazzy

See more pictures after the jump!

Laura Geller Baked Marble Eyeshadow/Eye Rimz in Cinnamon Swirl/Mint Chocolate Chip + FOTD

Bit of a mouthful, huh? Anyway, this is my newest Laura Geller baked eyeshadow, it cam out in the same (Vanilla Nudes) collection as the Baked Dreams Cheek Highlighter and Blush I told you about the other day.

What you have hereis basically a baked eyeshadow duo. On the left you get a mixture of autumnal shades: orange, brown and khaki swirled together. On the right you have a very shimmery blackened green eyeshadow that can also be used as a highlighter. I have found that it is best used wet because otherwise it's a bit chalky and the shimmers get lost when applied to the eyelids dry. I used it wet as an eyeliner and it is gorgeous. The left side of the eyeshadow is slightly larger and has good chunks of separate colours, so I managed to pick out the orange and khaki (but there's a nice big brown patch too) to create the look you can see at the bottom of the post. The left side is perfectly good applied dry, in fact I never even tried it wet.

I used my Barbara Daly eyeshadow primer under this and the shadows didn't crease at all and still looked the same 10+ hours later. There was minimal fallout during application, but nothing afterwards. The compact is 1.8 g, so pretty much standard baked eyeshadow size. As it was part of a set, I haven't got a price for this, I don't think it's available to puchase on its own anyway.

Make sure you go all the way down to the bottom of this post as I have a look I've created with this eyeshadow duo which I think turned out really well actually. There are also swatches after the jump.