My Current Favourites - Part 1 : Make Up

As it's been a long time since I last blogged frequently, I thought I'd put together a couple of posts about the products I currently use the most. I'm starting off with make up and will also show you some of my nail related favourites.

First up is Chantecaille White Tiger powder which is just possibly the most luxurious face powder you can find. In the picture below it looks a little sad as the gorgeous picture's almost completely disappeared, but you can see a picture of how it used to look here (need to scroll down a little). I love this powder, it's really nice, well, I guess it had better be anyway since it cost £88! It appears to have been discontinued now, which is a shame, but luckily I have a few back ups of it.

While still on the subject of face powder, my favourite brush to apply it with has been the Guerlain Meteorites brush. This particular one is an older, limited edition one, but they're pretty much all the same except for their colour.

See what else I've been loving lately after the jump!

Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose Shimmer Brick Review and Swatches

I've bought surprisingly small amount of make up lately which isn't like me at all, but this is one of the lovely things I did buy, Bobbi Brown's new Lilac Rose Shimmer Brick. You know how I love and collect Shimmer Bricks, so of course I couldn't not get this one, I just have to have them all.

Lilac Rose is part of the spring collection that I've already told you about here. I didn't get anything else, although there are undoubtedly some gorgeous bits and bobs in the collection. The Shimmer Brick comes in the usual square black packaging with a full size mirror in the lid. You have 5 different colour stripes, "featuring bright pink, golden pink, and icy pink pearl pigments perfect for light to medium skin tones. Each bar also doubles up as eye shadow." (Quoted from the Bobbi Brown website)

Despite its name, there is nothing lilac about this Shimmer Brick, but at least there is rose. Swirled together the shades give a frosty light rosey pink colour. This is definitely a highlighter, not really dark enough to be worn as blush, also it is rather frosty. In the pictures below I wore it on top of Bobbi Brown Maui Illuminating Bronzing Powder (by the way, Bobbi Brown, it's not a bronzing powder, it's a BLUSH!!!) and it gave me a nice sheen. It can be easy to overdo, so you definitely need a light hand when applying it.

It costs £32 for 10.3 which is the standard weight of Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks. It is a limited edition shade, but luckily Bobbi Brown collections don't sell out very quickly, so it is still available from Bobbi's website and some department stores.

See more pictures after the jump!

Want It! Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose Collection for Spring/Summer 2013

Aah, just how gorgeous is the promo picture for Bobbi Brown's upcoming Lilac Rose collection for spring/summer? My heart skipped a beat when I saw it.

I don't want much from it, but that Shimmer Brick is going to be mine. It is called Lilac Rose (obviously) and it will be a worthy part of my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick collection. It's so pretty!  I also love the Lilac Sparkle Eyeshadow.

I don't know when it's going to launch, but when it is, I'll be first in line!

See more pictures after the jump!

Bobbi Brown 24 Karat Shimmer Brick Review and Swatches

Aah, I love Bobbi Brown's shimmer bricks, they are just so pretty. So of course I had to buy the newest one, 24 Karat, that was released for the holiday.

As usual, it contains 5 strips of shimmery colour that can be worn as eyeshadows or swirled together as a highlighter. It is quite frosty, but if applied with a brush, it can be sheered out. The result is a soft golden sheen.

I absolutely love the outer packaging, the compact comes in a cardboard box decorated with pearls. So pretty. The compact itself is the regular shiny black with the Bobby Brown emblem. You get 10.3 g for £35.

I have an old post that shows my Bobbi Brown collection, you can see it here. It doesn't include my most recent additions, I might have the time at some point to take an updated pictures.

For now see pictures including swatches of the 24 Karat shimmer brick after the jump!

Bobbi Brown Bronzer/Blush Duo Bahama Brown/Pink Peony Review and Swatches

Now this is one confusing product. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I see the words bronzer and blush, I think brown and pink. But when it comes to this duo, you have to reverse that. The blush is brown, the bronzer is pink. Say what?

This bronzer/blush duo contains Bahama Brown Shimmer Blush and Pink Peony Illuminating Bronzing Powder. For some reason Bobbi has many pinky shades of the Illuminating Bronzing Powder available, including Antigua and Maui. I couldn't see myself using these as all over bronzers, but they make very nice blushes.

I actually have Pink Peony in a full size compact, it came out with a set I think, but I wanted to try Bahama Brown and this also makes an easy compact to travel with. I found this version a bit harder, less easy to get a good pigmentation out of. It still works fine, but my other one is softer. It is a very pretty corally pink colour. You can see me wearing it in this look. Bahama Brown Shimmer Blush is a shimmery brown shade (unsurprisingly), it can be used for conturing with Pink Peony on the cheeks. It's too shimmery to be used as bronzer all over thoough, but also makes a nice blush too. Not too dark or muddy for my medium light complexion.

You get 9.6 g of product for £27 which is a pretty good deal as 4.8 g of each product would be £21.60 and £14.40 respectively which adds up to £36. Plus Pink Peony isn't available otherwise (except on eBay) and Bahama Brown doesn't seem to be on either website I've looked, so I guess it's easiest to buy the two together. Available from Bobbi Brown's website, Debenhams, House of Fraser and other department stores.

See more pictures including swatches 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!

Bobbi Brown Rose Gold and Wild Rose Shimmer Bricks Review and Swatches

I've got the two newest Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks to show you from the Rose Gold collection. They are called Wild Rose and Rose Gold and I was especially excited about Wild Rose, it's such a pretty one. As I collect Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks and own all that have been released (you can check out my collection in this rather old post - it shows all of them except for the Party shimmer brick that came out for last Christmas), of course I had to buy both of them.

I do like both of them, but Rose Gold works more of a highlighter on me whereas Wild Rose I can use as blush. They both have a metallic sheen, but they are not glittery. If used lightly, they give nice highlight, and even a more heavier application of Wild Rose didn't look too shimmery on me. On a darker skintone both would be highlighters rather than blushes. Of course they can also be used as eyeshadows. I swatched the shades separately with my finger and also blended together with a brush, so you can see the colours and the sheen properly.

Rose Gold is definitely the warmer one of the two, whereas Wild Rose is a cooler pink. It reminds me of Rose shimmer brick without the white stripe. Rose Gold reminds me of Nectar shimmer brick, but lighter. Nectar works as a blush on me, but Rose Gold doesn't really.

You get 10.3 g with both of these and they cost £30.50 each. These are limited edition, so if you like them, get them while you can.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

FOTD: Stila Naturaleyes Eyeshadow Palette Neutral Look

Following on from my review of Stila Naturaleyes Eyeshadow Palette here's the look I did with some of the shadows. I used Kitten, Bare and Sunset to create a neutral look which was very well complimented by Damsel Smudge Stick. Let me know what you think!

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Stila Naturaleyes Eyeshadow Palette:

• Kitten all over lid 
• Bare in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
• Sunset in outer corner and crease

Stila Smudge Stick in Damsel on lower lashline
L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara in Black
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Mascara / Top Coat in Plum Sparkles
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation in 02 Lys Rose
Mac Truth & Light Magically Cool Liquid Powder
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Peony as blush

Lips:
Guerlain Rouge Automatique in 170 Nuit D'Amour

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!

Bobbi Brown Black Ruby Sparkle Eye Palette Review and Swatches

After buying a lot of Bobbi Brown palettes last year, I swore I won't be tempted by any of them this time around, but since I love her Sparkle eyeshadows so much, I gave in and picked up this little beauty.

The Black Ruby Sparkle Eye Palette contains 4 sparkly, almost cream like eyeshadows in the following shades (left to right, top to bottom): Pink Rose, Crushed Silver, Black Ruby and Onyx. The eyeshadows, as the name suggests, are very sparkly, but it's not chunky glitter at all, just very very sparkly shimmer. They apply slightly sheer, but they're buildable and there isn't much fall-out from them despite all the shimmer. There's some during application, but I didn't experience any after that for a good 10-12 hours, but then that's usually the time when my make up starts to melt off my face anyway. There certainly wasn't any shimmer on my face, lips, etc. I used Urban Decay Primer Potion on my lids as a base and there was absolutely no creasing even after 10-12 hours of wear.

For £34 you get 8 g worth of eyeshadow which is reasonable I think, especially considering that Bobbi Brown single eyeshadows cost £15.50 each and they're only slightly bigger than the ones in the palette at 2.8 g. You also get a teeny tiny eyeshadow brush with the palette, but in all fairness, it's so tiny, I can't really be bothered to use it. There is also a mirror in the lid of the palette.

I will post the FOTD I did with this palette tomorrow, so be sure to check back. For now, I'll leave you with lots of pictures and swatches.

Yves Saint Laurent Pure Chromatics Eyeshadow Palette Review

Ever since Yves Saint Laurent released their new Pure Chromatics eyeshadow palettes I'd been wanting to try them out, but in all fairness, I couldn't justify paying £37 for one. But luckily I found this one on eBay for £25, so I thought I'd give it a go. Out of the 6 palettes available no. 6 (this one) seemed the most interesting to me. Some of the other palettes seem more complete with a highlighter shade included, but this one has 4 shades that don't all go together that easily.

The four shades are olive green, warm golden yellow, light pink and dark purple. These eyeshadows seem very similar to Bobbi Brown Sparkle eyeshadows and Laura Mercier Sequin eyeshadows, they look like cream shadows, but they are actually powder. You can apply these both dry and wet, apparently you get more intensity wet (I have not tried them wet yet). There are two double ended applicators included in the compact, one for applying with dry, one for wet (which are more plastic than foam looking). I usually just use brushes for application, but you always have the option.

Below you will see some swatches (dry) and a look I created using the olive, yellow and pink eyeshadows. I couldn't really fit the purple shade in there. Next time I'll try pink, purple and yellow I think. The eyeshadows didn't crease all day, the colours did fade and migrated a bit by about 12 hours' wear, but other than that, I was very happy with how they performed. I'm still not sure these palettes are worth £37, but for one third less I'm happy I've got this one. Have you got any of these? Are you tempted to get one?

See more pictures, swatches and the look I created with this palette after the jump!

FOTD: Make A Splash With Rimmel Colour Mousse!

Here's a quick and easy look I've created with Rimmel Colour Mousse in Splash. I used it as cream eyeshadow and just added a bit of highlighter, coloured eyeliner, mascara and voila! As this mousse eyeshadow is absolutely brilliant, it doesn't need a primer and still stays put, doesn't crease or fade all day. It's very easy to apply and I absolutely love this colour, it has a gorgeous gold sheen to it. Just to add, I don't think Rimmel Colour Mousses are waterproof, but I think they'd probably be okay with a bit of splashing.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Rimmel Colour Mousse in 004 Splash
Mac White Gold pigment to highlight browbone
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Zero on lower lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Electric on lower waterline
Diorshow Black Out mascara in black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Cheeks:
Bobbi Brown Apricot Shimmer Brick

Lips:
Mac Thrills lipstick

Sorry, no idea what foundations and setting powder I used for this look, probably Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid and Mac MSF Natural. Anyway, let me know what you think of this look in the comments!


See more pictures after the jump!

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadows vs. Laura Mercier Sequin Eyeshadows

I ordered a couple of Bobbi Brown's Sparkle Eyeshadows and I just received my order this morning, so thought I'd review it straight away. And while I was taking photos I realised that these eyeshadows are actually quite similar to Laura Mercier's Sequin Eyeshadows (from her recent Mystique collection), so I thought I'd include those in this review as well. I bought Bobbi Brown's Sparkle Eyeshadows in Denim (from the Denim & Rose collection) and Black Velvet (from the new Black Velvet collection). Denim is a shimmering blue, Black Velvet is a glittering deepest plum - according to Bobbi Brown. Denim is pretty, but to me Black Velvet is amazing, it has these multicolour sparkles that are just gorgeous! Unfortunately the photos don't do it justice, my camera couldn't really pick up the sparkles in it. I did include a slightly blurred swatch photo that shows the sparkles a bit better.

Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eyeshadows Denim and Black Velvet

Denim

Black Velvet

Denim, Black Velvet

Denim, Black Velvet (click on image to see those sparkles properly!)

Read my review on Laura Mercier's Sequin Eyeshadows and see pictures after the jump!

Bobbi Brown Beach and Pink Oyster Shimmer Bricks

There was one more thing I'd been planning to write a review about, and it is the infamous Bobbi Brown shimmer bricks. As you know I'm partial to highlighters and also collect these lovely compacts. Bobbi Brown has released two shimmer bricks with the latest Beach Club collection, although unfortunately one shade was only released in Asia (however, thanks to the very kind Stephanie on MUA, I could get my hands on one). The rest of the world got Beach which has bronzy, natural shades. Pink Oyster - the Asian exclusive - has lighter, pinky shades. While Beach could work as a bronzy blush, Pink Oyster is definitely a highlighter, even for the lightest skintones. It mostly reminds me of Pink, a permanent shade, but if anything it's even lighter. Beach is a cross between Bronze and Nude.

Beach Shimmer Brick

See pictures of Pink Oyster and my shimmer brick collection after the jump.

Apologies for not being around...

Firstly, I'm really sorry I've not been around lately. I've had so much going on, you wouldn't believe it! It was my little boy's birthday last Friday and his party on Sunday, so I was constantly looking around for presents, wrapping paper, party bag presents, party food, etc. I was also involved in my daughters' school's summer fete which took place on Saturday. Add to this my husband being away for 4 days last week and having to buy a new computer because my old one had died (it was 7.5 years old, so fair enough I guess), and you can see why I didn't have time to update the blog.

But I really wanted to show you all the wonderful things I have bought lately, so here's a sneak peak and will try my best to add all the details today / tomorrow / later this week. Until then, enjoy these pictures...