2012 Favourites - Part 1: Lips

As it's now a new year, I thought I'd do a recap of my favourite make up products of 2012. I'll only included products that were either newly released in 2012 or new to me, no point in me repeating myself over and over again (I still love Vaseline and Pleasureflush MSF is still my favourite highlighter, nothing new there).

So I'll start with lip products. The brand that stood out for me in 2012 when I think of new lip products was definitely Revlon. While I still love Guerlain lipsticks very much and wear them often when going out, on days when I'm staying in or not needing a bolder lip colour, I often opt for Revlon's Lip Butters. I acquired 10 of them over the course of the year and they've become my most used lip products.

They are moisturising, very comfortable to wear and some of them are absolutely gorgeous and actually pretty pigmented. On days when I don't need to wear lipstick but want something more colourful then Vaseline, I reach for these, and of course some of them double up as lipstick due to their fantastic pigmentation. Raspberry Pie, Lollipop and Sweet Tart are my absolute favourite shades. I did a full review on these Lip Butters here, so if you need any more details, check it out!

See which other products I loved in 2012 after the jump!

Want It: Guerlain Spring 2013 Collection

I'm really excited about seeing the promo pictures and details of the Guerlain Spring 2013 collection, so I thought I'd quickly share them with you. Firstly, another gorgeous promo picture featuring the lovely Natalia Vodianova. Can't help but wonder how photoshopped those eyelashes are though...

So there is a new mascara coming out, it's a volume creating, curl sculpting mascara.

Cils d’Enfer – Maxi Lash (£22)

• 01 Noir
• 02 Violet

The secret of this brush is all in the three polymers. “The first one wraps the lashes in extremely adherent oils, coating and thickening the lashes. The second one, made with supple waxes, acts like a conditioner, softening the lashes so you can sculpt them into just the right shape and style. The last one forms a thin film, coating the lashes to trap the wax and set the amazing curve.”

This mascara also has an innovative brush which is described the following way:” full, round brush caresses each lash to thicken and lengthen at will. The volumising effect is accentuated by the new generation hollow fibres, capable of dispensing just the right amount of mascara with each stroke. Cleverly placed in a criss-cross pattern, they carefully separate the lashes and spread the rich formula without clumping.”

The other products in the collection are as follows:

Ecrin 4 Couleurs Long-Lasting Eyeshadows (£38)

• 501 Attrape-Coeur - mauve, violet, white illuminate, prima donna purple
• 502 Coup de Foudre - green, silvery patina, bronze-khaki, vibrant coral

Eyeliner (£24.50)
 
Ebony black liner with an ultra-thin tip (I think this is permanent actually).

Météorites Perles du Paradis (£43)

New Limited Edition of Meteorites come in XXL size with a pink powder puff with a black bow on top. These Meteorites come in a box adorned with an illustration of a boudoir. The pearles come in six shades.

Rouge Automatique Lipstick (£24.50)

• 601 Romance
• 600 Ballade

Shine Automatique Lipstick (£24.50)

• 762 Rendez-vous
• 761 Flirt

Kiss Kiss Gloss (£24.50)

• 870 Cherry Pink (repromote, see swatches here)
• 849 Fizzy Mango (repromote, see swatches here)

This collection will be out in January.

Pictures and information source

See lots more pictures 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: Mac In Extra Dimension

I know, Mac In Extra Dimension came out last month, but better late than never, eh? I'm also trialling a mascara (Mac Haute & Naughty) which I wanted to include in the look (will review it later).

I used the following products to create this look:

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Mac Modern Pewter Extra Dimension eye shadow all over the lid
Mac Sweet Heat Extra Dimension eye shadow in the outer corner and crease
Mac Whisper Of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish in the inner corner of lid and on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Mildew on lower lashline
Mac Haute & Naughty mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation in 020 Cameo
Guerlain Meteorites Travel Touch loose powder in Mythic
Mac Modern Mandarin Powder Blush on cheeks
Mac Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt to highlight

Lips:

Guerlain Rouge Automatique in 143 Nahema

See more pictures after the jump!

More Guerlain News: Rouge Automatique Shine for Spring 2012

Thanks to Marina for the heads up on this exciting piece of news. As you know I'm a big fan of Guerlain Rouge Automatique lipsticks, and it appears that Guerlain will be releasing a new formula called Rouge Automatique Shine. I don't have many details other than that there will be 9 shades and they all seem to be shiny shimmery gorgeousness. I think I might have to have them all.

The nine shades are divided into 4 groups:

Reds

• 121 Rouge D’Enfer, classic red
• 221 Rouge De Damas, red with silver shimmer

Oranges

• 240 Pampelune, bright coral
• 140 Mitsuko, reddish orange with shimmer

Pinks

• 164 Chamade, warm pink with glitter
• 263 A La Parisienne, bright dark pink with sheen
• 264 Rose Pompon, sheer golden plum with

Beiges

• 104 Jicky, sheer cocoa with contrast glitter
• 202 Mi-Mai, subtle milky beige with golden sheen

See more pictures after the jump!

2011's Favourite Products: Part 3 - Lip and Nails

2011 was definitely the year of the lipstick for me. I purchased over 100 new lipsticks, spent a whole month wearing a different lipstick every day and really got into wearing bold, bright shades that I used to shy away from. So let's have a quick rundown of this year's favourite lipstick - in no particular order.

Guerlain Rouge G lipsticks have become one of my favourite lipsticks and this year out of them all Garconne and Girly, the two bright autumn shades were my absolutely favourites. Garconne is the most perfect red lipstick for me, and Girly is a fun bright pink shade.

Guerlain Rouge G in Girly (left) and Garconne (right)

Keep reading to see which other lipsticks made it into my favourites!

More Guerlain Rouge Automatique Lipstick Swatches - 100, 163, 164

You might remember that a while ago I swatched all my Guerlain lipsticks including the new(ish) Rouge Automatique ones (you can find my post here). Well, since then I have acquired a few more of them (including the two Holiday Collection Rouge Automatiques which I reviewed here), so I thought I'd do a quick post on these. If you want to read more about the formula and packaging, please check out this post.

100 Apres L'Ondee, 163 Rose Bengale, 164 Chamade

I have shades 100 Apres L'Ondee, 163 Rose Bengale and 164 Chamade to show you. Apres L'Ondee is a nude pinky brown, Rose Bengale is a pinky rosy colour and Chamade is less pink, more rosy brown. I know, I suck at describing shades. Anyway, see for yourselves what the swatches look like. 

100 Apres L'Ondee, 163 Rose Bengale, 164 Chamade
Taken with flash

100 Apres L'Ondee, 163 Rose Bengale, 164 Chamade
Taken without flash in direct sunlight

Do you own any Guerlain lipsticks? Which ones are your favourites? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

Guerlain Holiday Rouge Automatiques 169 and 170 - Review and Swatches

The last two products from the Guerlain holiday collection left to review are the new Rouge Automatique lipsticks. The two shades are 169 Flirt D'Un Jour and 170 Nuit D'Amour. They couldn't be more different, with 169 being a barely there pinky nude and 170 a very vampy blackened purple shade. Although 170 is nowhere near as dark when applied as it looks in the tube. It's more of a sheer wine colour in the swatches, of course it is buildable and can be quite dark if you need it to, or just a purple stain if you are scared of dark lipsticks.

I like them both, but I think 170 is my favourite.I'm not really a nude lipstick kinda gal. But I do really like the pink and blue sparkles in 169, and it is a nice glossy lipstick. 169 doesn't last as long as 170, probably 2-3 hours, whereas 170 lasted more like 3-4 and it faded into a nice stain on my lips. Neither of them are as creamy as most of the Rouge Automatique lipsticks I own, the formula seems a little less creamy and the colours are less opaque, but with 170 I think that's not necessarily a bad thing.

These lipsticks are priced at £24.50 and they're 3.5 g each.I bought mine from Debenhams, but they're also available from other department stores.

I have managed to do lip swatches for 170, but unfortunately I don't have any for 169. However you can see some arm swatches as well as lots of other pictures after the jump!

My Guerlain Holiday 2011 Collection Haul

As you know by now, I love Guerlain. So I'm pretty sure it comes as no surprise that I single handedly managed to purchase the entire holiday collection as you can see below.  

Check out all the product reviews by clicking on the links below!
Parure de Nuit Highlighter
Guerlain Rouge G lipstick in Gardner
Guerlain Meteorites Perles de Nuit
Guerlain Vol de Nuit Perfumed Shimmer Powder
Guerlain Les Ombres de Nuit Eyeshadows
Guerlain Holiday Rouge Automatique lipsticks

Feel free to let me know in the comments if you've purchased anything from this collection yet and how you're liking it.

WANT IT! Guerlain Holiday 2011 Collection - Belle de Nuit

Guerlain is one of my favourite beauty brands and I always look forward to their holiday collections because they usually are very very pretty. It's the same again this year, Belle de Nuit is just a simply gorgeous collection. Once again the promo picture features the ever beautiful Natalia Vodianova and the collection is all about sparkles. (Although her face does lok a bit odd in this picture, don't you think?)

To find out what products make up the collection, continue reading after the jump!

Swatching My Stash: Guerlain Rouge Automatique Lipstick Swatches

As you know, I love me a bit of Guerlain. (Well, actually, I'll have a lot of it please!) So it probably won't come as a huge surprise that I've well and truly stocked up on Guerlain's latest offering - the Rouge Automatique lipsticks. I now have 11 of them, still wanting to get 2 or 3 more, but they are very pricey, so now I've also resorted to buying testers of them on eBay. I don't mind testers, got a lot of them, if I can save £15 off the price of these beauties, well then be it.

I have already reviewed Guerlain Rouge Automatique lipsticks (click here for my review), so I won't repeat myself, this post is mainly to show you what they look like swatched. However, if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments! Also, let me know which one is your favourite!

See more photos and swatches after the jump!

Guerlain Rouge Automatique lipstick review and swatches

Guerlain has released a new lipstick line called Rouge Automatique and I have 3 of the shades to show you today. I purchased one of them in Florida, but now they are available in the UK too, priced £24.50 each (ouch!).They cost £3.50 more than the regular Kiss Kiss line, I think the price difference is partly due to the case and partly the new formula. So what are these exactly? They are basically very creamy, soft, gorgeous, moisturising lipsticks in a quirky case which has no cap, instead you pull a button on its side down and that pushes the lipstick up. So if you need to, you can apply your lipstick one handed. (Only question is, just how often do we actually need to apply lipsticks with one hand? I'm perfectly capable of taking the cap off my lipsticks while doing pretty much everything, although I tend not to apply them while cooking/driving/wiping nose, whatever you need your other hand for.)

Anyway, it is still a very very lovely lipstick, whether you need one or two hands to apply it. The formula is soft, creamy, long lasting (especially the darker shades) and glossy. They last for about 3-3.5 hours on me depending on the shade and whether I eat/drink. Not quite as long as I have seen on some other blogs, but it's not too bad for me. I have 3 of them at the moment, but hoping to pick up a few more in the future, fortunately they are permanent. The shades I have are 141 Quand Viend L'Ete, 143 Nahema and 165 Champs-Elysees. Incidentally Champs-Elysees is the shade the gorgeous Natalia Vodianova is wearing in the promo picture above. You will see in the swatches that 141 and 143 are surprisingly similar, although 143 is pinker and slightly lighter. I bought 141 in Florida and 143 from eBay unseen, so that's how I ended up with two similar shades. They're both very pretty though, so I'm happy. The lipsticks seem quite small when pushed up, but they are the standard 3.5 g size, same as the Rouge G lipsticks, and in fact 0.5 g more than Mac lipsticks. The case is lightweight, unlike the Rouge G case, so much easier to carry around in your handbag.

Finally, see some more product pictures, swatches and a photo of me wearing Champs-Elysees.