Mini MAC Haul- 'All About Orange' Collection.

I'll be honest and say I had gone off MAC a bit. After working for a short while for Illamasqua and getting to work with such strongly pigmented products, anything I swatched at MAC just seemed watery in comparison. Alas, when I saw they were releasing a collection dedicated to orange I knew I would cave. I love orange and coral. They are without a doubt my go-to colours in the summer, give me an orange lipstick over a pink one anyday.

Afer a bit of deliberation I knew I could sort of justify a MAC splurge if it was for my kit. I've got enough MAC lippies to last me a life time.

I originally thought I wanted 'Sushi Flower' lipstick as it such a 'me' shade but I opted for a slightly more wearable 'Razzledazzler' as it would have more of a universal appeal, would suit more people and would be perfect for bridal. It's a milky coral. By no means is it bright or neon-esque, the lustre finish means it has an underlying 'sheer' quality about it and a glisten-y finish. It very much reminds me of the permanent lip glass Pink Lemonade with it's mid-tone yet brightening qualities. This will suit pale and tanned girls alike though I probably wouldn't advise it for asian skin tone or deeper. It's pretty long lasting considering the slip of the finish, 2-3 hours wear and leaves a pretty coral 'just bitten' stain behind. Easy enough to top up on the go though.

After thinking one of my MAC blushes was faulty due to it's absolute lack of pigment ('Pink Swoon' FYI) I was dubious to spend money on another. Unlike 'Pink Swoon' which is a sheertone blush (which may explain it's lack of colour when swatched) 'Immortal Flower' is a satin finish which means it's not totally matte, but there's no detectable glitter or shimmer present either. It's very peach in the pan which doesn't come across in my photos unfortunately. On me, a light dusting gives a soft peachy glow, but it can be built up a little more intense. Again, this will look simply gorgeous on a bride because it hasn't got that disco ball shimmer in it and it makes you 'glow' rather than look too blusher-y. It photographs beautifully.

Both 'Razzledazzler' and 'Immortal Flower' compliment one another when worn together. I do wish I had a bit more money to spend as I would have caved into 'Sushi Flower' any way and would have probably picked up 'Neon Orange' for the hell of it too. Unlike the other MAC collections released this year, this one has impressed me.

Thankyou for reading,

E.

Spring 'base' makeup

My 'base' makeup of choice at the moment is very different to what I have been reaching for the last few months.  The rich foundations with high coverage have been swapped for something a bit lighter.

One reason I prefer a lighter coverage is because it lets my (pathetic excuse for) freckles show through. I love freckles. Whenever I am on a makeup job I hope for a model with freckles because I just love making them a feature, and while I won't step foot in the tanning booth again (Summer 2010 was my tan bed hay-day) I do wish there was a way to make my own more distinguished. Lancome used to make a freckle crayon but I am not sure I have the guts to paint freckles on my own face just yet. I'll get back to you on that one.


I've been prepping my skin with a pea sized spoonful of Hydra Veil from Illamasqua, I don't buy all of the benefits they claim it to have, but to be fair it is the best primer I have used so far. While it offers a 'wave' of hydration to the skin (and a definite cooling effect), it keeps the appearance of my skin surprisingly matte and I do notice my makeup stays put for a bit longer than normal when I use this. It is a very unique jelly- to- liquid consistency, I don't like the presence of the alcohol content on the ingredients list but at least it is paraben free unlike a lot of their cosmetics, and it does contain hyaluronic acid which is of course a plus (great for glowy skin.)

Next I warm some of Yves Saint Laurent's 'Le Teint Touche Eclat' foundation between my fingers and work it into my skin. I really do think this foundation works best using fingers, and it isn't often you would catch me saying that (please just make sure your hands are clean first!)
I tend to ignore powder these days, but if I do use any I just dust some lightweight translucent powder on my t-zone. I follow by working a cream blusher into the apples of my cheeks, which maintains the radiant finish of the foundation. My current favourites are MAC Cremeblend blush in 'Something Special'- a bright peach pink, and Illamasqua Cream Blusher in 'Dixie' -a deep coral. For the ultimate lazy finish, I dab a bit of whichever cream blusher I have chosen for my cheeks onto my lips.

That's my current base makeup routine- fresh faced, lightweight, quick and very easy. The foundation does contain an SPF of 19 but I would advise adding your own SPF with your morning moisturiser.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Midweek Post: Sunset Colours

I have become a little more experimental with colour recently, which I mentioned in my last FOTD post too. Wearing warm, sunset colours on my eyes is fast becoming one of my favourites, I love warm toned colours on cool toned skin as a general preference, because although it doesn't fit in with 'rules' of colour I think it keeps skin looking alive and youthful. Too many cool colours on fair pink skin can look almost morbid sometimes. A way of trying out warm, flush colours on your eyes without buying new eyeshadows is to use blusher! Illamasqua's 'Lover', 'Naked Rose' and 'Beg' blushers are some of my favourites to wear on my eyes.

EHD.

PS I'll be replying to all of the lovely comments that have been left for me in my last few posts early next week. Please don't think I am ignoring you, I read and appreciate every comment and message left for me!

Midweek post: my makeup rutt: two favourite blushers!

Estee Lauder blusher in 'Peach Nuance', £24 for 7g

Benefit blusher in 'Sugabomb', £23.50 for 12g

Whilst grabbing a familar box o'blush in a rush the other day, and then swirling it on my cheeks I realised that I looked exactly the same as I did the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that...- that I'd used that blusher the day before, as well as that foundation, that eyeshadow and that lipgloss. Urgh, that feeling, that realisation that I have become stuck in one of those 'makeup rutts'. I've heard people talk about them. I never thought one of 'them' would happen to me, after all, I have previously taken pride in the fact that I do rotate my products and do try new things, but it got me panicking...

Whilst I'm stuck in this rutt, I thought I may aswell document it for you all to see and read about. I'll start with the two blushers, the only two blushers I have used for at least the past two months now, it is absolute love I have for both of these shades, but I do understand that I can't neglect the other 1547895 blushes in my possession for much longer. I promise that from now on I will make a conscious effort to mix it up, promise.

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I have mentioned this in a favourites video in the past as it's a shade that I truley love and know I will buy again when it runs out oneday. 'Peach Nuance' is a satin finish, which means there's no shimmer or sparkle which makes it very versatile as it can be worn on it's own subtley or can be paired with a powder highlighter to add a glisten to the cheekbones if so desired.
'Peach Nuance' is no longer available as Estee Lauder recently reformulated their blushers and brought out a new shade range. However the good news for you is, you can still buy it but now it is known as 'Witty Peach' instead and while it is the same shade it now comes in nicer, more golden bling packaging and a larger travel brush beside it for better application on the go.

The colour itself is a peach coral shade, that can be deepened or lightened depending on which end of the pan you swirl your blush brush. I love the gradient between the yellow peach to the coral pink, it's so unique and beautiful to look at. The powder is so smooth to apply, and it's easy to choose whether you want a sheer wash or a flush of colour. Pefect to awaken any tired or dull complexions and one that would also look lush with a tan.

My other favourite blusher at the moment is one that has been in my possession for a long time and was given to me for free when I used to work for Benefit. Sugabomb is such a gorgeous coral for those of us who are pale skinned as it isn't too deep or unnatural. It's one of those shades that freshens up the complexion so well and I love building it up to a brighter pop of colour. Unlike Peach Nuance, Sugabomb does have a subtle shimmer running through it that transfers onto the skin as a highlight. I find this powder works best with a blusher brush that is densely packed with fibres, such as the Illamasqua brushes or even the MAC 116.

As you can see, I'm a girl obsessed with the coral blush. I think peach and coral add a lift and pop that other shades don't do. Hopefully my pink blushes won't go unloved for much longer, I'm hoping I'll transfer back to them when winter rears it's ugly, ugly face. But in the meanwhile, any help or advice to a girl stuck in a coral blush rutt? Or if that fails, any other coral or peach blushers you can recommend to 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!

GOSH Bronzing Shimmer Powder!

GOSH Bronzing Shimmer Powder in '002 Pink', £8.19  for 9g.

Realising I hadn't bought anything from GOSH (aside from their glitter pots for nails) in a couple of years I thought it time I re-acquaintenced myself with the range exclusive to Superdrug in the UK. I used to be a big fan of their pressed powders back in the day, great for pale skin!

This is GOSH's version of the shimmer brick (similar products available from Bobbi Brown and 17 to name two), technically classed as a bronzing powder I wouldn't personally use it in this way as the colour strips are much more suitable to be used as a blusher on my complexion. The sparkle shimmer would not be appropriate if you're looking for a contour or all-over bronzing shade.

Initially there are some chunky glitter particles on the top surface of the product. These do translate onto the skin and aren't very flattering as they are green/irredescent and very obvious, however after the top surface has been used these chunky particles are no longer visible in the product. Instead, a more natural (yet still shimmery) sheen can be seen and the finish is much more satisfactory and wearable!

With primer and foundation I find this product wears well for about 6 hours. After this it does become a bit patchy and worn looking on my skin.

The colour you achieve when the product is swirled together is a dusty, dirty pink colour. It's nice for everyday, and is mostly flattering if you work indoors, as the sparkle on the cheeks isn't very flattering in summer weather. Instead, this could also be used in the evening to add a highlight to the cheekbones, or to add a little shimmer on top of a matte cheek colour.

The packaging is really impressive, I love how flat the product is, considering there's 9g of powder the case isn't bulky, instead it is sleek and protective. I like that you can see through the plastic to see the product inside, and my favourite is the click shut/push button mechanism. It keeps it secure and it so easy to use (so much better than Illamasqua packaging, does anyone else get really annoyed/break nails opening that stuff?!)

Overall I do like this product, and don't think it is too bad for the price. However I wouldn't recommend it as a bronzing powder, more a shimmer blush if you're after one that is a good everyday pink colour. It's nothing overwhelming or must have, but not a bad product from GOSH!! I also bought a lipstick and a nail varnish, so expect reviews to come on those :-)

Thanks for reading, have yourself a lovely Saturday! I'm back to cleaning and sorting stuff out now, we have Dan Smith (from LA Ink) staying with us next week and I want our place to be a bit more organised (I've been on a selling rampage on eBay!)

Sleek Blusher Review

Sleek Blusher in 'Rose Gold', £4.49 for 8g

This blusher is a welcome addition to my collection, it's well presented in black shiny packaging with a lift lid similarly to NARS blushers, except without the matte rubber casing! It's well protected and easy to use, and non- bulky.

It's a pretty pink which is peach in tone that has small gold glitter particles running throughout it. The glitter transfers to the skin to create a sheen or a healthy highlight, seperate particles aren't distinguishable and because it's gold it also adds warmth to the complexion as well as a healthy, rosey glow. It's a subtle wash of colour and is very wearable for day to day looks and can be built up for a more dramatic finish.

It goes well on my skin as it adds a flush of colour and I'd imagine it's a colour that would suit the majority of people. It's also a bit like a '2in1' product as once used, you don't need to use a highlighter aswell!

As with all Sleek Makeup products the quality is outstanding for the price, due to it's high content of talc, the formula of this blush is fine, powdery and therefore very blendable. You can also buy 'Rose Gold' in a blush palette of three at the moment which is about a tenner and is the one called 'Lace', I nearly bought this but I knew I wouldn't really use the other two colours included, plus as you all know I am a lover of singular products over palettes, generally!

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Benefit Hervana Review

Benefit 'Hervana' Blusher, £23.50 for 8g.

A new release and a new addition to the Benefit powder blushes, Hervana is a 'good karma face powder' to suit all!

The packaging is very appealing, with pinks, lilacs and blues with a 'heavenly' theme and is in the standard cardboard box that Benefit blushes are sold in. The title of the blush is supposed to have incorporated 'Her' and 'Nirvana' to produce 'Hervana'. I don't really like all the gimmicks etc behind Benefit products and wish they would just concentrate on the product inside rather than the marketing of it!

I have noticed over time that Benefit have changed the boxes from being a lid you remove to a flip lid, containing a mirror. In the process of doing this they've decreased the amount of product you get for your money- very cheeky! Blushes that used to be 12g are decreasing to 7 or 8g. Hervana is 8g, which is still generous if you were to compare it to a NARS blusher which is £20 for 4.5g.
I also think the brush deserves a quick mention- before now Benefit box brushes have been too square, personally I never use these brushes but a lot of people would, and it's nice that they've moved onto an angled brush for better application.

In the pan the blusher looks like an ice cream swirl of four different shades; an apricot peach, berry pink, a pale rose pink and a pale lemon- cream. There are teeny tiny specks of shimmer that transfer onto my skin a little. The colour it shows on my skin is a strawberry pink colour, very lifing to the complexion.

In the photo above I've placed it next to Sugabomb, another one of Benefit's blushes, for reference so that you can see the colours. Sugabomb shows as a subtle, glowing peach pink with shimmer on my skin, whereas Hervana is showing up deeper and more pink in colour.

This colour is a gorgeous pink that will definitely become a go-to for me. I like the powdery consistency of Benefit blushers, it makes them blendable and the colour buildable. Would recommend!

Will you be buying this? What's your favourite Benefit blusher?

Dainty Doll (Nicola Roberts Girls Aloud) Review #1

Dainty Doll Powder Blusher in 001 Hippy Shake, £13.50 for 7g.

I have been curious about this collection for a while, being a pale gal myself seeing a collection released exclusively to cater for us really interested me and made me think 'about time!'. If I'm honest, the celebrity endorsement part put me off a little, as they often have little to no involvement and it all seems a bit unnecessary to me.

Hello Nicola!

Telegraph website

After a slight mouth- drop when I saw that 1) the palest shade of foundation was actually too pale for me, (I'm always the palest!) and then 2) the foundation is £22 I decided to test the waters of the collection with a blusher instead. I normally wouldn't flinch at a £22 price tag on a foundation, but for that I'd expect it to be on a makeup counter, with advice available from trained staff, from a high end brand. This was on a messy stand in Boots, to me that doesn't warrant £22 on a foundation...but we'll see.

There is three shades of blusher powder available in the range. Shade 001 Hippy Shake is a very very pale pink that is lilac toned. It wasn't a colour I'd really seen before and was curious to try it.

 The pigmentation is very good, the colour in the pan is the colour you'll get on the face. I had my suspicions and unfortunately it is too pale to be a blusher on my skin, so I would think this would apply to the majority of people too. However, it acts as a good highlighter, it has a very slight pearl sheen. Below I took some photographs of it on the skin before I added any blusher on top;

Pictured; Dainty Doll 001 is used on my cheekbones, with Benefit's 10 (review here) on top of foudation. Pictures taken on the same day, in different lighting.

Have you tried anything from Dainty Doll? Would you be tempted to?

Benefit Review #2 Bronzer & Highlighter

Benefit '10' £23.50 for 7g.

 Underneath the absolutely disgusting packaging (why, why, why?) is a product that I've now come to use daily, without fail as my contour product. 10 contains two shades; a bronze powder and a light pink highlighting powder. There are a couple of options on how to use this product, a blusher brush can be swirled around the box which mixes the two shades together or the blusher brush can be moved in a straight, back and forth motion which picks both sides of the product up on either side of the brush. This is pictured below;

I use this product for a couple of reasons!;

• It adds warmth to my skin tone during a time of the year when it is so important to have a bit of colour on the skin without trying to look like you've been on a two week holiday to the Caribbean!
• It adds soft- focus dimensions and contours to my face when brushed on in the '3' pattern.
 

Because the pink highighter is pale and the bronze isn't too overpowering it works on my pale skin really well. A bit of blush on the apple of the cheeks et voila!! It's soft so blends really easily,blendability is a necessity with bronzer or it can look muddy or overdone on the face.  There isn't any orange pigmentation which is another bonus, I love this powde, but I wish there was more product for the money, I've owned it two weeks and I've hit pan...

Do you use 10? What powder do you use to contour with?