Saturday 11 September 2010

Nars Daphne Eyeshadow

Purple is my favourite colour, and for as ling as I can remember I have had a dream eyeshadow colour set in my mind. I thought that I had it with MAC Violet trance but as well as leaning far too blue it has the worst payoff of any eyeshadow I've owned.


Enter NARS fall collection, enter Daphne.


This is the eyeshadow I have been dreaming about!




It does lean to the cool side of purple but it still manages to be warm and vibrant!


I admit this eyeshadow is a pain to swatch but what it does to is apply wonderfully to my eyelids.




Eyeswatches of Daphne with MUA blue mascara.


Net 2.2g/£16
Available http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk



Friday 10 September 2010

Stila Eyeshadows & Palette

A few days ago I planned a trip out to TK Maxx. I always head to the beauty section and as I've had a few bargains there in the past (pixi blush & benefit lipgloss) mixed in with the usual unitersting items and to my delight they had a whole shelf devoted to stila products.


I've been uhmming an ahhing over getting some stila eyeshadows for a long time so instantly made my way to the brown cardboard stila packaging boxes. I decided to get two eyeshadows and a palette.


Shore, a shimmering mauve toned grey £2.99
Twig, a very warm pearl brown £2.99
And silver 4 slot Stila palette £2.99




The palette is very sturdy and contains 4 magnetic slots. 
Another bonus is the huge mirror which is more than enough for me to do my whole makeup routine in front of.



Top Shore
Bottom Twig


Twig, Shore

As you can tell from the swatches the shadows are both incredibly pigmented. 
Twig has an inner 'glow' about it and shore is a cross between silver and idol eyes.


Overall I highly recommend these eyeshadows, and if you can get them for the same bargain price that I did I'm sure you'll be overjoyed with them. I'm now on the hunt for two more to fill the last two slots



MUA Eyeshadows (swatches)

Superdrug have come up trumps with their budget everything £1 range. The eyeshadows are a particular hit and are actually a very good addition to any makeup collection.


I have 7 shades at present, 6 pearl and one matte. The pearl are very pigmented and almost creamy in texture where as the matte is a little powdery but buildable.




Top row : Shades 13,3,9,18
Bottom row : shades 12,1,11


L-R : 13,3,12,11,1,18,9

Thursday 9 September 2010

Collection 2000 Naturally Radiant Foundation - Review





All summer I have been using Collection 2000's sister foundation Lasting Perfection but a few weeks ago I plumped for Naturally Radiant. As we are fast approaching wintertime I wanted a foundation with more hydration and a dewy finish.

Naturally radiant is a sheer foundation which can be applied lightly with fingers for a 'no foundation' look which evens out the skintone and adds a subtle sheen to the skin or using a foundation brush building up the layers for more coverage.

This is the foundation that I generally reach for if I want natural daytime wear that I can apply in an instant


















L-R Bare skin, Naturally Radiant applied with fingers.




The one thing I will pull up Collection 2000 on is their shade selection. Mid tones and lights are covered but darker and pale shades are not catered for which is such a shame.




Wishlist

Prodcuts that are on the to buy & to try list..


Foundations :
Chanel Pro Lumiere / Nars Sheer Glow / MAC Face & Body
I cannot for the life of me work out which one to get.


No7 Lift & Luminate / Revlon Colourstay Dry/Combo
Foolishly I got the oily/combo version and really want to try the dry skin version.


Concealers:
Bobbi Brown creamy Concealer/ Mac Moisturecover


Eyeshadows:
Inglot freedom palette / Yaby eyeshadows / MAC Shroom


Lipsticks:
17 Mirror Shine / W7 Liquid Lipsticks


Powder:
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.
Does anyone know of any pressed powder dupes to this?

Wednesday 8 September 2010

August favs

Well, September is here and so is there rain. Goodbye summer glow and hello pale winter. I love winter, I love being pale, however there are a few products that I have been using this summer that just wont suit my skintone anymore that I will really miss.






Collections 2000 lasting perfection foundation:
Back when I first got this it was a tad too dark for me, cue some sun and a slight tan and this has been my go to foundation for the summer.

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer:
This is alot lighter than the foundation and so will go through the coming months with no trouble. High coverage that blends easily and stays put.

Collection 2000 naturally radiant foundation:
See a theme emerging? This foundation is more sheer, hydrating and has a dewy look. Perfect for what I want right now as my skin is feeling a little dryer and I want some luminosity. The colour isnt perfect but the sheerness allows it to blend to my natural tone.

Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation mascara:
I love big brush mascaras and as my other collection 2000 false lash mascara and benefit bad gal had run out I plumped for this one.
Works great for me, gives me volume & depth but doesnt clump, and isnt as wet as the false lash formula. I also have this in the waterproof which is a staple.

Natural Collection blush Peach Melba:
I'm not one for pinky flushed cheeks so this is perfect for me, gives me colour and can be used as a slight contour on days where I don't need intense cheekbones.

MUA Lipstick shade 4:
Love love love this. Others think its too sheer but thats precisely why I love it.
Gives a gorgeous pink shiny mouth and as you can see it is indeed well loved.

Bourjois 3D effect lipgloss Brun Poetic:
I'm also loving a brown nude mouth lately and this is my staple lipgloss for the look. It has an element of shimmer to add fullness but still manages to look natural.

Revlon Vital Radiance lipstick 002 Bare:
Very creamy and moisturising goes perfectly with the bourjois lipgloss.

Nars Daphne Eyeshadow:
This is my perfect eyeshadow, its the colour I have been dreaming of forever and I'm so happy that this arrived in my world. This is everything that I wanted violet trance to be.




I know I have been mia for a long time but I really promise to keep up with the blogging. I have accumulated so many products over the summer that I need to review & swatch for you all.

Much love, Violet x







Wednesday 30 June 2010

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation - Review




Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation 




                                                    (source)


Claims

·    Ultimate wear foundation provides up to 16 hours of flawless skin 
·     Lasting Perfection Foundation will take you from dawn to dusk and back again, with no need for reapplication
·     SPF20 to keep skin safe in the sun
·     Transfer proof and water resistant



Reality 

· A medium coverage which can be sheered or built up depending on application and blends effortlessly. 
· Gives a satin finish but can suffer from oils, so I prefer to powder the t-zone.

· It REALLY does last, and it lasts well! I love the finish of this as it doesnt stick to or exaggerate dry skin and its still going strong after 8 hours.

· The only downfall of this product is the shade range. I have Vanilla (1) which would usually be far too dark for my cool toned pale skin but as I have developed a slight tan it matches my skin. They really need to add lighter and darker shades to the range.

· Added bonus of SPF 20, great for summer.






£5.99 Available from Boots & Superdrug

Monday 28 June 2010

CK Calvin Klein Lipsicks - 108 Naivete, 101 Oasis, 104 First Kiss


I recently purchased 3 Calvin Klein Lipsticks online. Originally these were high end but I believe they were discontinued last year and are now being sold on various websites - I picked these up for the bargain sum of £2.99 each. The lipsticks come in beautiful shiny black cases with CK printed on the top and white outer boxes. The only downside to these is thre omission of an SPF which means applying a base is necessary in sun exposure.

I am loving the quality of these. However, online swatches are making the buying process a bit hit & miss but I definitely intend on buying more.


CK Delicious luxury creme lipsticks - 108 Naivete, 101 Oasis, 104 First Kiss






No. 108 Naivete is pinked tinged nude. Creamy finish, can be applied sheerly or built up to an opaque sheen which makes my lips feel moisturised. My favourite of the bunch.






No. 101 Oasis. A shimmering peach tinted beige. The finish is once again lovely, however I find the colour hard to wear against my pale skin and slightly dryer in texture than the 108. Becomes a pale beige nude once applied over concealed lips. 






No. 104 First Kiss. A purple toned medium pink. A safe colour that has the softest shimmer an extremely creamy finish. Love this one too.



Swatches



108, 101, 104



Ingredients





Hope everyone finds this mini review useful and if anyone has any other CK lipsticks please let me know! Would love to read more about them.

Wednesday 28 April 2010

E.L.F Shielding Hydro-Tint SPF 15 - Ivory & Light Beige

I've been searching for a good tinted moisturiser for a while and tried quite a few along the way (expensive ones & lower end). I am please to report that this is one  of the best I've come across.


Price - £1.50
Amount - 12g
Shades - 7
Availability - www.eyeslipsface.co.uk



The eyeslipsface.co.uk isn't the best for swatches so I looked around various blogs to try and get a more accurate idea of what the shades are really like.



Ivory & Light Beige
Ivory is a very pale slightly yellow toned shade that when blended becomes even paler.
Light Beige is a more rosy toned colour that is slightly darker.





I love both of these, the ivory suits my very fair skin even on my palest of days (it really is very very pale) and both give enough coverage to even out my slightly rosy cheeks and can be built up in areas where I need a little more evening out.
Although the Light Beige looks darker when first applied it blends in to become a very natural shade that gives my skin a translucent glow.

The finish is a nice natural sheen, not  a glossy or sticky mess that you can get with other tinted moisturisers and lasts pretty well. I had this on for 6 hours around the house and had minimal fading and had the added bonus of very soft skin once I took it off.

It's worth mentioning that whilst the SPF is great, I wouldn't rely on it solely unless you're not going out or are going to reapply every few hours.


Overall I am so so happy with these, I finally have a tinted moisturiser that I feel confident in and for only £1.50. I plan to get a few more of these as the tubes are only small 12g, but you only need a little and I want to try out some darker shades for summer.
10/10 


UPDATE : Ivory, light beige & rosy beige applied & blended.







Thursday 22 April 2010

E.L.F Luscious Liquid Lipstick - Baby Lips

Let me start off by saying that I love liquid lipsticks, but unfortunately this isn't one.

Baby Lips is a sheer nude pink dotted with light pink shimmer. Now when I say sheer, I really do mean it! Hopefully you can tell from the swatches.

The fact that this is a sheer 'lipstick' doesn't mean that it's not good. The formula is very nice, it goes on evenly and you can build up the colour somewhat. It's not sticky, which I love but also means that this isn't a laster but the thing I found really great was that it truly does make my usually very dry lips feel moisturised. 





The Liquid Lipsticks come in a click pen with sponge applicator and you get 0.05oz/1.5g for £1.50



Swatches -



Lip Swatches -




Overall I would reccomend this to anyone who likes a sheer, glossy coverage on their lips and who can benefit from the moisturising properties.