My collection- highlighters & illuminators.

Complexion is key, if your base isn't right then the colour you add with eyeshadows and lip products won't look their best. For a polished, healthy complexion I rely on highlighters and illuminators, and due to my magpie like tendencies with said product I have managed to work up quite a collection....

MAC MSF in 'Soft & Gentle' doesn't need much of an introduction, and I choose to use it most days. It's a warm highlighter that can be dusted all over or built up in certain areas to create a glow. As it is mineral, it can be used wet or dry and this also creates different finishes, you get a huge dome of product and is a definite summer must have for me, but be careful not to build it up to a strong metallic finish- unless you want to look like the Tin Man from Oz.

YSL 'The White Tuxedo Palette' or Palette Blanc Terriblement; This was Limited Edition in the YSL Christmas Collection in 2011. It is perfect for the winter because it is cool toned and more suited to pale complexions, in the case it looks like freshly fallen snow and was almost too pretty to use. Overall it creates a pretty pink pearlescent highlight, however less is certainly more with this one. See more here.

TopShop Highlighter in 'Sunbeam'; To be honest I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this product, I can't see this suiting anybody because it is just so gold. I find it hard to apply this subtley and the finish is just all off. I've only used this a coule of times, I think it'll be cleaned and go into a future MUA kit for the more 'out there', imaginative looks. Not one for you natural Nancy's out there.

NARS Illuminator in 'Super Orgasm'; This is a pretty golden peach colour that is creamy in consistency. It's pretty applied onto the cheeks but due to it's glittery shimmer it is more suitable for night time. This isn't a product I use very much, but I am going to try and use it more.

Benefit 'Watt's Up!' this is a fairly new release from Benefit and is a creamy stick of a champagne gold colour. It's a verstaile colour as it can be used as an eyeshadow aswell. It gives a similar finish to Soft and Gentle, but is in cream form so is best suited for girls who don't set their foundation with powder, as it blends better then.

MAC Cream Colour Base in 'Pearl'- Once upon a time, I love love loved this however it began to feel a bit too greasy on my skin and didn't blend as well. The shade is gorgeous as it suits my skin tone yet adds a warm, subtle glow. This is perfect as an all over highlighter, it's delicate finish means it is perfect stroked down the centre of the nose, above the lips, on the brow bone and of course, on the cheek bone. It's best blended when your foundation is still wet!

TopShop 'Skin Glow'- I've had this one a while and am just using it up. It reminds me of Benefit's Moon Beam which has now been discontinued, but is similar in it's pink, gold pearlescent finish. It's lovely mixed into foundation or as a base before foundation but not a product I would buy again.

MAC Strobe Cream- This perks up the skin and illuminates even through thick foundation. It is a popular product and I can see why, but the smell is pretty dire.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique primer- this is marketed as a primer though doesn't particularly prolong the wear of my makeup. I like to mix this in with foundations that are a bit too dark as it pales it down whilst adding an illuminating glow. 

Benefit 'Girl Meets Pearl'- this is similar to Watt's Up in terms of it's champagne gold colour however it is in liquid form, this is beautiful and very subtle, it adds a warmth but isn't a product I'll purchase full size.

Benefit 'High Brow'; I love this because it instantly lifts the brow bone when gently applied and blended beneath the brow. It works best on fair skin tones as it will look most natural, and can also be applied on the water line to brighten up tired eyes, due to it's pinky tones it's a bit more natural than a stark white eyeliner.

Benefit 'High Beam'; This is an oldie but a goodie. Personally, I think this product is too 'high shine' for use on the cheekbones, so is best used to highlight the brow bone. This is the perfect finishing touch to an evening smokey eye, or used in the day to open up the eye area and add a beautiful sheen. The effects are very obvious so isn't one for those who like a tuned down look, and again this is best suited to fairer skins as it will just look streaky and too white/silver on anyone tanned or with deep skin tones.

I think that powder is my favourite medium to use at the moment so I am looking to expand on my powder highlighter collection- do you have any that you can recommend to me??

Simple British themed FOTD; 'English Rose'

Though proud to be British, I'm not particularly patriotic. The whole Diamond Jubilee has washed over my head a bit and the sight of union jack flags, cushions, duvet covers, dinner plates and nail art sickens me slightly. 

However, in a nod to this weekends goings on I thought I'd create a simple 'English Rose' themed FOTD. This embraces long eyelashes and that whole 'peaches and cream' complexion that is so simple yet elegant about traditional British beauty. 

FOTD:

Base

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation (02) mixed with Benefit 'High Beam'

Chanel Poudre de Universelle (01 Clair)

MAC Harmoney (contour)

MAC MSF 'Soft and Gentle'

Estee Lauder signature blusher 'Peach Nuance'

Eyes

MAC 'Showstopper' on brows

Estee Lauder 'Sumptuous' mascara

Lips

TopShop lipstick in 'Coy'

Champneys lipgloss.

Have you adopted more extreme makeup looks for the Jubilee, i.e. blue eyes and red lips, painted flags on your face, or will you be keeping it simple like me?

Two TopShop Makeup Brushes; Review

TopShop Blush Brush £8

TopShop Concealer Brush £5

I am a bit of a brush snob, always choosing expensive brands over ones you can buy in Boots or Superdrug because of previous bad experiences with molting Max Factor brushes (the Real Techniques brushes aren't included in this sweeping generalisation).

I thought I'd try these TopShop brushes purely because they were cheap and in the packaging looked like they'd be 'alright' quality. I've been using them for a couple of months now so thought it was about time I shared my thoughts with you.

Blush Brush;

This is a medium sized powder brush that isn't very well rounded in my opinion, it's fairly full in terms of it's head of fibres, but is a peculiar shape and dependant on which way or angle you use it, it can be quite flat.

It picks up little but even product which is an advantage if you wish to build colour, or if you only wear a small, natural amount of blush.

The fibres themselves are quite rough and scratchy to the face, application isn't always a smooth process.

This brush does the job and is good for it's price if you like a full cheek of colour rather than precision application, and if you like a subtle wash of colour as the brush doesn't pick up too much product because the fibres themselves aren't densely packed. I've been using it here and there but if I'm honest I've been really enjoying using the Real Techniques Buffing brush to apply my blusher recently, I love the soft focus finish it gives.

Concealer Brush;

For me, this is a regretful purchase. I often hold an on/off relationship with concealer brushes, sometimes I think they are useful but sometimes I believe you can't beat a bit of finger action to blend that baby in!
This brush picks up product well but doesn't disperse it evenly and offers nothing in terms of blending it in at all. It makes any area concealed fairly obvious which destroys the point of using concealer! The synthetic fibres are too stiff, basically...I couldn't find a way to make this brush work for me!

I like the packaging of these in the plastic slip that they come in, I also like the way the brushes are presented with their black handles. However, my original opinion still remains that forking out money for decent makeup brushes is definitely worthwhile. Some things you just can't do on the cheap!

Barbie Nails ♥

TopShop Nail Varnish in 'Adrenalin', £6 for 8ml.

I saw this and obviously had to get it, meant to be on a polish ban as my storage shelf has overflowed onto my dresser and it looks unslightly so was hoping to refrain from anymore until I buy an extra storage shelf!

The varnish is a new addition to the TopShop collection and is a pound more than their standard core collection. With the right amount of time between layers, this formula has impressed me because I was expecting it to be gloopy and annoying like so many glitter polishes that are cheaper in price....however it dried fairly quickly (but do allow time when you're using this to avoid any smudge disappointment).

It's a sheer top-coat style polish with a mix of fine and larger round shaped silver glitter sparkles suspended within it. The sparkles catch the light, and a holographic shimmer bounces off (fairly similar to that of Models Own 'Juicy Jules')

It is so stunning, it has a very sheer wash of pink within it that builds a small amount of colour, but not much.

For those wondering, it doesn't seem far off OPI's 'Teenage Dream' from what I can make out. I always wanted that polish. Both have a tinge of pink in the polish, the size of the glitter parts do differ between the two, but it is pretty much a match.

So far I've tried it two ways, but I am looking forward to layering it over more pink shades and experimenting with it over a mint green...

One layer of 'Adrenalin' over Barry M's 'Peach Melba'.

Three layers applied over a sheer basecoat.
Unfortunately the polish only lasted a day on my nails before it began chipping (with topcoat.)

I'm a sucker for sparkles. Such a girl.....

Will you be buying this?

Bold Spring Time Lips...Using new Bourjois Lipgloss!

Hi there lovelies I hope you've all been enjoying this lush weather we've been having if you're a UK person! Just a quick post to show you a lip combination I am loving at the moment and wore out today, which I think is a great statement lip for this exciting spring time of year.

TopShop Lipstick in 'Coy', £5 for 2.3g

Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss in '52 Coral Idyllic' £7.59 for 5.7ml

Due to its light, touch of neon shade and soft matte finish 'Coy' can look almost too much on it's own and of course it clings to the lips even if put on top of a nourished surface. It is very, very bright and although the application is smooth because it is a creamy pencil it didn't feel right on my lips without a gloss, which brings us onto....

This is a brand new lipgloss shade from Bourjois and has recently been released as part of their spring collection which is called 'Sweet Paris'. It's a gorgeous coral gloss that has a sprinkling of gold glitter in it. It is very sweetly scented and it reminds me of those parma violet sweets! I partly chose to wear it because it is a perfect accompanying shade to 'Coy' but also because this gloss claims to have a nourishing ingredient contained within it that is meant to hydrate your lips for up to 8 hours, which would make it the perfect choice to put it on top of a matte lip colour.

I've noticed since wearing 'Coy' that it is a slightly pinker (and I mean very slightly!) version of Illamasqua's 'Brink' lipstick which is a colour I have been absolutely loving since my boyfriend bought it for me for Christmas. Similarly to the TopShop colour, you have to be careful wearing it as it shows all dry parts of the lips and the Illamasqua formula is so matte that it just drags across the lips and dries them out throughout the day. Not a lip colour you can wear everyday but a colour that is really fun when you do, but I would urge you to wear either of these with a gloss or balm on top, overly dry lips just aren't a good look!

Coy on the lips;

'Coy' and 'Coral Idyllic' together;

Left to Right; Bourjois Effet 3D LipGloss '52 Coral Idyllic', TopShop Lipstick in 'Coy', Illamasqua Lipstick in 'Brink'.

So there we are, a neon coral statement spring lip!

I'd like to think that oneday I could enjoy wearing this coral lip in this over- indulgent borderline ridiculous but I love it anyway coral dining room! I could see me sauntering around with a beehive and some palazzo pants with my coral lips in this coral room, absolutely living the dream before I go for a paddle in my swimming pool ;)  (Oneday...)

Image from trendzona.com

 Will you be trying colours like this? Have you tried any of these products, what do you thinkof them? 

Would you pick 'Coy' or 'Brink' and do you feel compelled to add a glossy finish on top of such unforgiveable shades and formulas?

Topshop Makeup Review #2 Lipstick

TopShop lipstick in Mink, £8.

I had been thinking about purchasing a new lipstick for a couple of weeks. I wanted my new lipstick to be sophisticated, but also bold. I wear red a lot,and wanted something a bit different.

Initially I went into TopShop to buy the 'Rumour Has It' lipstick from the Autumn collection 'Smoke and Mirrors' that I reviewed here. I really loved the idea and the branding of the collection, and felt 'Rumour Has It' would be the lipstick to fulfil my search, plus I preferred the packaging of this in comparison to the white with sketchy polkadots and stripes of the core collection.

Annoyingly, it had sold out. A week later I returned, it still wasn't there (sad face). I had to reconsider my options...

I bought from the core collection. 'Mink' was pound cheaper than 'Rumour Has It' and seemed like a similar colour match.

Top; With Flash. Bottom; Without.

The texture is so easy to apply, a lip balm underneath is a definate must to avoid cracks (it can be quite dry) and reapplication is necessary, but only every few hours. The colour is what I determine as a dusty pink but with peach/brown/lilac undertones. I find it is really wearable, it applies neither completely matte nor too shiny, a perfect inbetween and doesn't leak or smudge easily.

If it is worn with brown shades on the eyelid, or dramatically dark eyes it looks gothic (same goes if paired with a neutral, brown toned blush). It can also look really 90's- I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I'm the 1990's biggest fan (I'm sure there's a post coming up on how much I love the 90's..)

For a more modern, contemporary look wear this lipstick with whites, creams, peaches and other nude colours on the eyelid (bright eyes!). Pink blush also compliments this look well, so do sparkly/highighted cheekbones :-)

My cupids bow is indeed non existent

I'd recommend this lipstick because it is affordable, pretty 'on trend', autumnal, wearable, subtle yet different.

Do you use TopShop lipsticks? What shades are your favourite at the moment?

Topshop A/W 11 Smoke & Mirrors Makeup Range

Image used from the TopShop blog

I have real life excitement for this range. I'll be honest, so far I have little experience of TopShop makeup, when it was first launched true horror ran through my head - "think of the quality!" "It's gonna be a rip off!" ..Blah blah blah, I was so so wrong. I am truely impressed with the forward thinking colour palettes and products TopShop have produced, and have heard rave reviews of their blushes...at only £6 I'm gonna pick one up tomorrow afternoon when I'm in Swansea, I'm having a real blush dilemma at the moment.

So...I thought I was completely ready for autumn last week, I feel (and I'm sure you'll all second me in this) completely ROBBED of a summer. When it was hotter a few months ago, I was always working, and I unfortunately didn't get a summer holiday (apart from a lovely couple of days in Stockholm earlier this week), but then I spent an afternoon on Oxford Street a couple of days ago, and realised I'm so not ready. Partly because at the moment I have a budget so can't afford the maxi skirts, new boots, leather accessories that I want and partly because I WANT TO WEAR SUMMER CLOTHES!!!

This feeling has bothered me a little bit, until I saw Smoke & Mirrors from TopShop. Well, in true Welsh fashion (I have to try and speak like 'em now I'm living on their land!) All I can say is...Lush! I love the colours, and the limited collection.

The eyeshadow palette are the exact colours I love to use, particularly for autumn. They are earthy, natural but edgy (never tried navy blue before). With a fresh, dewy face, a sweep of bronzer and a hit of my NARS illuminator in Super Orgasm, this eye palette will come alive, all I can hope is that the pigmentation is strong but judging from the rest of their makeup, it should be pretty satisfactory.

The lipstick looks gorgeous, I like the tortoiseshell packaging, it's classic and screams style, I love seeing people in vintage tortoiseshell glasses, I just hope it doesn't look cheap up close. The colour is feminine, but strong, I think it reminds me of my Amplified MAC lipstick in Blankety- which I will blog about soon. 

I've not heard much nor have I tried the TopShop mascara's, but maybe after my last post I will.

Although TopShop state that "Smoke & Mirrors rebels against the grunge glamour of trends past by concentrating on a more alluring, captivating look” I believe that these shades could be used in conjunction with a strong red lip, even an aubergiene shade lip, the gothic/grunge look that has been present in makeup and high street fashion for about 18 months now. Having said this, I'm glad TopShop are trying to steer away from that grunge look in terms of this makeup range, it is a bit done and we've all become a bit comfortable with it, time for a change! 

A definate positive of this range is that I think the shades will suit all skin types, pale, bronzed, black, these shades will look classic, and cool if used in the right way.

I'm ready for autumn!