Bobbi Brown Brightening Face Powder

Bobbi Brown Brightening Face Powder in 'Brightening Nudes', £40 for 6.6g.

When I see the words 'brightening' on a product, I am immediately attracted to it. I had been searching for a new face powder for a few weeks and had decided that going high end was the only way, I was done with 17 and Collection 2000's offerings. I was about to buy the MAC mineralize powder but saw this on the Bobbi website and had to try it.

The powder palette is called 'Brightening Nudes' and holds 6 different shades, all subtle and almost pastel in tone including lilac, brown, pink and cream. The top 'layer' has quite a bit of glitter but this didn't transfer on to the skin in an obvious way and once the powder has been used a few times the glitter becomes undetectable. 

I have been using a really small amount powdered over my t-zone, and while I think it does lean too pink on my skin, I love the way it lets a luminous foundation shine through and how it doesn't make me look flat and lifeless which so many powders do. It helps maintain a healthy complexion firstly by not covering the foundation in thick powder and secondly by having illuminating properties itself. It contains sodium hyaluronate which is a great ingredient for keeping skin looking happy and fresh. You can see how it looks layered on top of Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation by clicking here.

It's packaged in a mirrored compact which feels so luxurious, it also came in a velvet pouch but that soon got discarded- I can't be doing with all that faff but it would help protect the compact if you are on the go.

Overall I do think this is a fantastic product- it brightens the skin and works with radiant foundations to keep skin looking like skin and not a flat, matte mess. I have an oily t-zone and this powder makes my skin look dewy rather than shiny in this area and it doesn't cling or go cakey on any dry patches. Overall, a win win! It is expensive, £40 on a face powder is rather extravagant, but if you use as little as I do I can see it lasting a fair while.

What is your favourite face powder?

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??

MAC Strobe Cream- My thoughts..

MAC Strobe Cream, £12 for 30ml.

I'm always on a quest for perfect looking skin, and I believe that a dewy glow is part of achieving this. I've been trying out MAC Strobe Cream for a few weeks now and thought I would share my honest thoughts.

I don't find this product to be miles different to the L'Oreal Lumi Magique primer base that I reviewed here except in it's consistency and skincare benefits. The L'Oreal primer is a pearlised liquid whereas Strobe Cream has the consistency of a moisturiser and contains botanical ingredients, vitamins and green tea, all of which are known to benefit skins condition. MAC claim that it 'de-snoozes, de-stresses, moistens, freshens and boosts the look of dull, flat or tired-looking skin.' I do find it to be better quality than Lumi Magique, which on a couple of occassions seperated slightly on my cheeks, a problem which hasn't occured since using Strobe Cream.

Left; Strobe Cream. Right; L'Oreal Lumi Magique

I really favour it mixed with Estee Lauder's DoubleWear foundation because it made it lighter to apply with a fresher, more glowing finish. If I am honest, if I apply it as I would a moisturiser or a primer and use it underneath makeup, I don't notice a huge difference to the appearanc of my skin. This aside, I have been trying it as a replacement to my morning moisturiser as I feel if I used both together this would be product overload on my skin. It seems to really be doing my skin some good as I've not encountered any skin breakouts as a result of using this product.
It's very blendable and is also lovely patted on top of cheekbones to add an extra luminessence or dabbed down the centre of the nose. I also imagine this would look lovely used on the body for an occassion where photography is involved.

I bought this in the 30ml size as I thought it would be better to trial this before getting the 50ml size. I will continue to use this and unless I find a wonder product in the meantime, I'm quite certain I'll repurchase. I think it is good value for money (especially if we compare it to Lumi Magique) at only £12 for 30ml it's not a huge loss if this product turns out not to be for you!

Do you use Strobe Cream? What do you think of it? What products do you use to achieve healthy looking skin?

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?

Yves Saint Laurent 'Look Noel' 2011 Holiday Collection

I've got quite a lot to say about Yves Saint Laurent at the moment so I've decided to split it into two posts; one with a description and review of their Christmas '11 collection, and the other with YSL gifts I bought & reviews of the contents of my free makeup bag I got.

The only christmas collection that has truley excited me this season is the YSL Noel Christmas Collection. I work opposite YSL and it was becoming murder having to walk past this absolutely stunning collection everyday and remain resistant. Eventually I caved, but I remained sensible and only purchased one item when I could have easily purchased at least 4 items.

Image contains promotional photographs and some of the items in the collection (not all items are pictured here)

 The collection includes;

Two main focus palettes;

• Limited Edition Highlighter -The White Tuxedo Palette- Palette Blanc Terriblement which is the palette I chose to buy. I'm a complete sucker for highlighters and illuminators and the beauty of this palette drew me in, it was love at first sight because it looks and sparkles like freshly fallen snow (photographs don't do it much justice!). Consisting of three stripes; one pure white with dense white sparkle, pink toned glitter stripe and cool/blue toned shimmer stripe it means we can either stroke a highlighter brush up and down, or swirl to mix them together. The results are stunning and I love the finish it gives, the first day I applied this a stranger even asked what I had used on my cheekbones! It's different to any other highlighters I have, and as much as I'd like to say I'll save this for special occasions, I am beginning to use it nearly everyday! It is packaged in the YSL gold casing, but as a special addition is it is wrapped in a miniature black cumberband, linking the inspiration of the tuxedo throughout the products.

 -

• LE Eyeshadow- The Black Tuxedo Palette- Palette Noir Terriblement (View Here) is the perfect smokey eye palette. Consisting of 5 colours, the centre stripe is a pure sparkle white, and is surrounded by two black variants either side. It looks like a tuxedo and is packaged also with a cumberband surrounding the case. Lloyd Simmonds is a MUA for YSL and has quoted;

“Black is a color. Without black there is no line. At Yves Saint Laurent, black is rebel, potent, yet all so elegant. It is alive, it is the supreme emotion. Its force comes from the interior. It is light itself.” 

So while some may deem this palette as a bit of a cop- out, as it contains 4/5 shadows in black I believe it encompasses what YSL stand for; classic,stylish, stunning. To me, the palette is an artwork in itself, but that may be the makeup junkie/Art History graduate in me speaking!

• Two miniature eyeshadow palettes that embody classic winter/seasonal shades; Ombres Duolumières Noel 39 and 41 (View Here). 39 is rich gold pigment and a contrasting dark shadow. 41 is the same but with pure silver pigment. Combined both shadows are embossed with the YSL symbol and are accompanied with two miniature applicators. Both are beautiful, I was really tempted by 39 as I'm really into golds at the moment. The are soft and buttery in texture so would blend brilliantly.

• 3 LE lip gloss shades in Sparkling Transparent White, Sparkling Snow White and my personal favourite (which I need in my life) Sparkling Fushia- a stunning purple with fine holographic glitter particles. All add a frosted, icy finish to the lips and are shades that are completely different to any others I've seen recently.
• 8 shades of the bestselling Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks, these have also recently been voted the best lipstick on the market by The Independant. Shades include beautiful purples, burgundy reds and roses.
• Two nail varnishes- one gloss black finish and one matte black finish- Manucire Couture N°6 Terriblement Noir Duo- to create the YSL black manicure pictured in the campaign photographs. As striking as this take is on the classic french manicure, I do believe this look could be created with a cheap black varnish- using a matte top coat and then keeping it glossy for the tips.

The collection is inspired by the iconic YSL Le Smoking Tuxedo. This was created in the 60s and caught attention because it was a tuxedo for women, therefore breaking traditional boundaries of male and female dress, and in turn offering empowerment to women. We can thank the androgynous fashion that we all adopt now to Le Smoking Tuxedo.

Photography by Helmut Newton, 1975

The collection embraces everything that is winter and what winter should be; glamourous, exciting, using deep hues and daring colour. I think it is forward thinking and a new/improved version of the 2008 Autumn Androgyny collection. I adore the contrast between the black and white, laced with seasonal metallics and then the warmth from the deep magenta and purple accents found in the lipglosses and lipsticks. Sophistication is the word to decribe the collection, (compare this to the M.A.C. Glitter and Ice holiday collection which I found to be completely uninspiring and tacky this year) and that is why it is so appealing, it is a product of the YSL brand and it really is something special.

NARS review #1 Super Orgasm Illuminator

NARS Illuminator in Super Orgasm, £21.50 for 30ml

My memory of buying this a few months ago was when I was in Space NK, and they were short staffed. The lady called over to me because she could see I was looking and asked if she could grab me something, and I remember; "yes please, the NARS Illuminator in Super..," and before I finished we both said "orgasm!" across the shop floor. I'm glad no-one else seemed to hear as we were in the rather well- to- do Henley on Thames, dahling.

 ...Aaaanywho I love NARS as a brand, their New York style sleek packaging and excellent reputation really appeals to me, and people never seem to be disappointed by their products. I intend on increasing my collection. Although I'm not disappointed in this product, it does exactly what you expect and to a high quality, I'm just not sure it really needed to be added to my already vast collection of illuminators and highlighters!

The product is a creamy, thick liquid, a smooth texture and has stunning light reflecting pigments in. It also has some really exciting ingredients in it which I feel makes it stand out in comparison to other illuminators out there; Vitamin B5 (Conditions and protects skin), and Polar Berries (antioxidant properties) are amongst them.

Left flash, Right without.

It is a really feminine, coral shade with really fine gold shimmer particles. I tend to use it on top of/underneath a blusher for extra impact, but on it's own in summer over a tinted moisturiser it gives a really natural glowing look. It's pearly, and due to it's golden shimmer particles it adds warmth to the skin- something important all year round. The shimmer stays all day.

All in all, the product is going to last a long time, so excellent value for money in the long run. I use less than a pea sized amount each time. It's also really versatile; I've mixed it in with foundation which gives a subtle, all over radiance and I've also used it on my lips with a lipgloss on top, as well as using it on my cheeks and cheekbones.

Pictured here on cheeks and lips

I'd really like to try it in the Copacabana shade, but I have a feeling its silver & pink pigmentation may be too similar to Benefit's High Beam, so it might not be a necessary purchase until I eventually run out of that!

Have you used NARS illuminators, or are you tempted to? Which other NARS products would you recommend?