M·A·C Me Over! Collection

It's been a while since a M·A·C collection really caught my eye but this particular collection has rather surprised me. The faces of this Autumn collection are six unknowns picked from thousands of M·A·C Me Over! entries to find new faces and personalities that would personify the M·A·C All Races, All Ages, All Sexes credo. From this concept I had really expected this to be a bold and dramatic collection, so I was surprised to discover so many beautiful neutrals and wearable colours.

It is a collection in three parts; Basics, Black Trend and Icelandic Cool. There's a real mix of limited edition and permanent shades in the line-up. It also includes a few sought after items from past releases. The 226 crease brush has been a big seller before (it's a great brush but personally I find the hairs a little scratchy) and Peachstock lipstick and the Shadesticks in Butternutty and Cakeshop have been popular limited edition items in the past.

Basics Eyeshadows L-R: Creamy Bisque, Moleskin and Outré

Basics Eyeshadows L-R: Carbonized, Mythical and Satin Taupe

Black Trend Fluidlines L-R: Avenue, Dark Diversion and Midnight Blues

There are a quite a few items that are calling my name. The eyeshadows in Creamy Bisque (dirty ivory), Moleskin (nude brown) and Outré (dirty mustard) and the Cremesheen lipstick in Offshoot (mid-tone neutral pink) all sound very 'me'. I'd also recommend Teddy Eye Kohl and Satin Taupe eyeshadow if you don't already have these. Seaside Cream Colour Base (soft peach rose), the Shadestick in Street Cool (Mid-tone grey violet taupe) and all of the fluidlines appeal to me too.

Icelandic Cool Shadesticks L-R: Butternutty, Heirloom, Street Cool

Lady Grey Eyeshadow Quad

Evil Eye Eyeshadow Quad

This definitely feels like a more accessible collection from M·A·C. I think these are colours that would certainly suit all ages and I don't mind confessing some relief at a lack of pale lilac lipsticks. You can find swatches of collection on Karlasugar.net (Basics, Black Trend and Icelandic Cool). I assume the collection will be released on 1st September as the collections are usually released on the first Thursday of the month. What do you think to this collection? Do you have your eye on anything?

BECCA Professional Brush Soap

After mentioning the BECCA Brush Soap a couple of times, I thought it was about time that I gave it a proper review. I'm without my camera at the moment so I thought a video of how it works might be helpful. It should also give you a proper idea of why I like this soap so much. I managed to wash four brushes whilst filming and the video lasts less than six minutes!

The BECCA soap is a solid soap in a tin. The way I use it is to wet the brush under running water and then I swirl the brush over the surface over the soap. You don't need to use much soap to create a good later. I swirl the hairs of the brush over the palm of my hand to work the soap through the hairs and clean the brush thoroughly. I then rinse the hairs of the brush under running water.

The beauty of this product is that you only need a small amount of soap to clean the hairs and it rinses off quickly without leaving any soap residue. My normal method of washing brushes with shampoo takes me a long time as there's always excess foam trapped in the hairs. I would normally spend ages re-lathering in my hand to make sure I get rid of all of the soap. With the brush soap I find that one quick rinse under the tap and all of the soap is gone. It also cleans the brushes very well.

The soap is scented; it's a light citrus fragrance and I don't find the scent lingers on the brushes. The hairs do feel a little drier than when I wash with shampoo and as I mention at the end of the video, it might be necessary to condition the brushes once in a while.

The soap costs £12 and I bought this tin from Zuneta. You can also find it at BECCA counters and on the BECCA website.


*Pssst: For those of you that previously subscribed to my YouTube Channel, I just wanted to let you know that I have started a new account using my blog name. Please feel free to re-subscribe. I'm just in the process of importing all of the old videos to the new Channel.

Sheer Coverage Bases including BECCA, Le Metier, RBR and Erborian

I've had this particular post in draft for months now. I'd already taken the accompanying photographs but my collection has grown since then, so I decided it was time to take some more pictures. For a lot of people, these are brands that are available online only so I hope the swatches and overview will be useful.

L-R: Second skin, PV in shade 01, RBR 041 Adansonia, Erborian, BECCA Sand and Illamasqua Light Liquid foundation in 135

With flash. L-R: Second skin, PV in shade 01, RBR 041 Adansonia, Erborian, BECCA Sand and Illamasqua Light Liquid foundation in 135

I've included Max Factor's Second Skin, as although it is a foundation, it has quite a sheer and dewy quality to it. It evens skin tone without giving detecable coverage. When swatched, it has quite pinky undertone but it it seems to react with skin to give a good match.

Le Metier Peau Vierge is probably best described as tinted anti-ageing skincare. It contains retinol with a patented delivery system and also has an SPF of 20. I have this in the new Shade 01 and as you can see from the swatch it is quite apricot hued. I find this provides enough coverage on it's own and this was the only base I took on holiday with me. For those of you in the States and have access to Le Metier, I believe they recently launched a full skincare range which also contains the patented Syntoc Actif system. It's an expensive line but I've heard good reports from people that ordinarily suffer with skin reactions to certain active ingredients.

I bought the Rouge Bunny Rouge Sketches on Water Tinted Moisturiser from a sales site last year. I have it in the lightest shade, Adansonia. I think it has quite a neutral undertone. I find it a touch pale on my skin but it's workable as it is a sheer coverage. I wonder if the shade Quercus might be a better match when I re-purchase. I have almost finished this tube and I think this really is my most favourite tinted moisturiser. It doesn't provide a lot of colour but it's enough on it's own for me on good skin days. It feels beautiful on the skin and, like Peau Vierge, it has skincare benefits as well as offering coverage. My success with the tinted moisturiser has made me even more tempted to try their Milk Aquarelle foundation.

BB Creams have been big news this year and I snapped up this Erborian BB Crème in a blog sale. Erborian comes in only two shades, Natural and Golden. This is the shade Natural. I have swatched all of these products on the underside of my arm where my skin is very fair. With age and sun damage, the skin on my face is not as pale. I would describe myself as fair but not porcelain and this just doesn't work on my summer skin. It has a pinky blue, almost grey tinge to it and when applied this gives my face a ghostly cast. So, unfortunately I can't give any thoughts on how this works as a base. I'm hoping that I can make it work for me in the cooler months.

I have spoken about the BECCA Luminous Skin Colour tinted moisturiser before. I like this as a base, it is very sheer though and I will sometimes use it with foundation layered over areas where I need more coverage. It gives quite a dewy finish and I find Sand to be a good match for me. However, I have found that I can't wear this everyday as seems to irritate my skin slightly if I wear it continuously. I really like the fact that it has an SPF of 25+ but it's possible that the sunscreens in it are the source of my skin reaction.

I was very kindly sent this small sample of Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation by Mizz Worthy. This is in the shade 135, which the website describes as a match for light skin with golden undertones. Although this is a light foundation, it still contains quite a lot of pigment and offers more coverage than a tinted moisturiser. Like Skin Base, I find that this foundation tends to sit in my pores. It also requires more care in application than some of the other bases I have mentioned here.

I hope the comparison and overview was useful. If you want any more detailed information about any of the products or other colour comparisons, please feel free to ask. Do you have a favourite sheer coverage foundation or tinted moisturiser? I know My Lips But Better has me intrigued by the Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser and that is on my list to investigate.


Disclosure: Second Skin, Peau Vierge and Luminous Skin Colour were received as PR Samples. These are my honest thoughts about all of these products, irrespective of their provenance. There are no affiliate links in this post and the links are provided for information only.

The Spotlight is on Visionary Beauty's Makeup Bag

This week at The Beauty Spotlight Team, we're taking a look inside the makeup bag Visionary beauty keeps in her handbag. A post featuring sweet goodies (albeit with strange faces and little legs) and makeup, now what could be better.........lets take a look inside.

Global Free Shipping at Zuneta

The Bank Holiday weekend is almost upon us and to celebrate Zuneta are offering free shipping for everyone. I'm sure this is especially good news for those of you outside the UK. Just use the code FREESHIPAUG.

I was having a little look on there myself this morning and a couple of things caught my eye:

The Hourglass Vol.6 Neo-Classic Eye Palette is out already. I have been exited about this since the Zuneta blog post about it a few months ago. It looks like a really interesting selection of colours.

The Film Noir Lash Lacquer that Cafe Makeup reviewed recently is also available as well as an expansion of the Hourglass brush range. I think the concealer brush looks very enticing.

The nail varnishes from the BECCA Lost Weekend collection are already available ahead of the collections release in September. My personal favourite is Billy Tea after my manicure earlier this year.

I also spied the BECCA Butter Balm which is part of the new collection and a personal favourite for Rebecca Morrice Williams. I love the packaging and the balm is beautifully scented.

I am just about to write a review of the BECCA Professional Brush Soap but thought it was worth mentioning here too. This has revolutionized my brush washing and I would highly recommend giving it a try.

If you need any more shopping inspiration feel free to browse my previous post about Rouge Bunny Rouge, Hourglass, BECCA and Edward Bess. Happy shopping!

A Shocking Confession!

I have always thought of the voice behind The Bristol Beauty Blog as being a sophisticate and sensible young women with impeccably good taste. So, it was a shock to discover TBBB's terrible secret and realise that although she is indeed sophisticated, lurking below the surface is a complete disregard for personal safety as part of her grooming routine. Not to mention hair murder. Anyway, I will let you see for yourselves. Any Health and Safety Officers reading better look away now!

Confession is good for the soul, go ahead and unburden yourself! I promise I won’t judge. 
 

Well Aunty Brown I need to confess a truly terrible crime against beauty. I have many sins, but this one is probably my worst crime...

I love my GHDs – I cannot describe what a difference they have made to my life, turning my hair from a frizzy mess to sleek and smooth. When I wash my hair I just leave it to dry naturally – I almost never use my hair dryer. I then straighten it. And I confess that I can be impatient and often I straighten my hair before it is dry. My hair makes sizzling noises, steam comes off it – surely this isn’t good for my hair?! And sometimes, my hair isn’t just a little damp and I use my GHDs to actually dry my hair. Does this explain my split ends?

You do WHAT with your GHDs?!

There, don’t you feel better now?

A little! I promise to get more acquainted with my hairdryer!

Aunty Brown has a few more questions though; it’s true that I’m the nosy type.

When was the last time you visited the hairdresser?

About a month ago and I wish I hadn’t! I’ve been growing my hair long for the last 18 months, and although I’ve been having regular-ish trims, she took quite a bit off (aforementioned split ends) so I’ve got a bit more growing to go.

Which bit of beauty trickery couldn’t you live without?

I’m not that into trickery, but I’ve discovered the joy of underarm waxing this year and I’m a convert. I also never leave the house without concealer.

You’ve overslept and have 5 minutes to get out of the house. Are you going out with dirty hair or no makeup?
Dirty hair! I can’t leave the house without makeup, but my hair can just be pulled back.

Which trend still makes you cringe?

There was a trend in the mid-nineties for white nail polish – like Tippex. I wore it religiously every weekend for about 6 months (I wasn’t allowed to wear it for school). I’m sure I even tried using Tippex to do the look.

Will you be wanting top coat with that?

---------------------------------- 

Hopefully at some point today I will recover from this shocking revelation! Definitely time to get friendly with your hair-dryer!! Thank you for sharing TBBB. If you have something you need to get off your chest and want to take a turn in the Friday Confessional you can email me at modestybrown@googlemail.com. It's open to everyone: if you have something to confess, I'm happy to hear it!


'Shocking' hair image from http://www.waltsense.com/

NARS Delphes Applied and an Update

I posted pictures of the NARS Delphes trio a few weeks ago now. I have been playing with it for a while in an attempt to share a successful eye look. I thought that I had taken pictures of the look I was happy with. Unfortunately I was mistaken and I only have pictures of my first attempt. I hope you will forgive me for sharing a less than stellar effort but I think it will at least demonstrate some of the trios 'issues'.

 

Knowing that the lightest shade is more glittery than pigmented, I did not use it as a base colour. Instead, I applied the green all over the mobile lid and attempted to use the grey as a crease colour. As you can see, the green dominates and the grey is barely visible despite layering. I applied a little of the lightest shade at the edge of the crease for a little sparkle. I think I also chose my cheek and lip colour unwisely here. They seem to accentuate the green and make it look more unflattering on my colouring. Black would also have been better choice as a liner. This wasn't a good makeup day!

As the green dominates the grey, I've since tried the reverse placement. The grey works OK as a lid colour but when applied to the lid the grey is quite sheer. I was surprised by this as it does not appear to be sheer when swatched. I also found that the grey needs to be applied over a primer. Applied to my bare lids, it is a little patchy.

I have to concede that Delphes has been a disappointment. It looks very nice in the pan but the colours and eyeshadow formulas are very hard work for me. I find it interesting how NARS can be so variable in terms of their powder eyeshadow, these are complaints I have encountered before.

Have you tried this trio? How do you find it? Is there a particular knack to it?

Guesting on Escentual.com

I'm over on the Escentual.com blog today giving my answers to the Pick & Mix Beauty questions. I'd be thrilled if you went and had a little read!

In the next couple of days I will also be a posting my answers to some non-beauty related questions that people were kind enough to pose via Twitter. If there's anything you've always wondered about Modesty Brown, now is your chance to ask. Let's keep it clean though...

No.7 Poppy King Lipstick in Glamour

I pulled out my No.7 Poppy King Lipstick in Glamour at the weekend and applied it in preparation to take pictures. I intended to write about my disappointment with this lipstick, both in shade and texture but I actually surprised myself with a little U-turn.

I bought this lipstick when the Poppy King/No.7 collaboration was launched earlier this year. I had intended to buy a couple and had saved a number of £5 off vouchers in preparation. Like a knitwit I forgot to take all but one of the vouchers along with me to Boots. I picked Glamour as my one lipstick, a bright medium pink, as I thought it would be interesting to try something a bit different. As the lipsticks from this range are quite sheer, I also thought it might be a way for me to try something a little more colourful. Poppy King herself describes this colour as flirty, feminine and a little bit cheeky!

I've worn it a few times now and always felt rather unsure that colour worked with my colouring. It is sheer but I tend to layer several swipes to get more colour on my pigmented lips. The texture is different to other lipsticks that I own. It feels moisturising but it has a clingy rather than slick or cushiony feeling. It also becomes drier with wear. Londonmakeupgirl mentioned a strange scent to her tube of Glamour. Mine is mostly without scent but there's a hint of something in the background and I've struggled to put my finger on it. It's not the usual lipstick smell yet I wouldn't describe it as perfumed either. If you have a sensitive nose, I would recommend a sniff test!

So, I applied the lipstick, fully expecting not to like it again but was actually very pleased with how it looked. I applied Glamour without any other makeup on (hence the lack of full face image). It seemed to brighten my bare face somehow. Consequently, I added only minimal makeup; tinted moisturiser, a bit of bronzer, liner and mascara. It seems I can carry this colour off as long as I treat it like a red or other bold lipstick shade. It's usual for me to apply eyeshadow first which I suspect is why I haven't liked it in the past. I do wonder whether my lightly tanned, summer skin has helped a bit too.

I've never been back to buy any more of the Poppy King lipsticks after my initial experience. I'm intrigued to go back and look at them again. However, I'm not sure that I'm keen to buy at full price. These retail for £12 and although I've spent far more on lipsticks, the texture doesn't feel quite luxurious enough to warrant the price. I have wondered if I'm being a little snobby just because it's a Boots own item. Whatever the reason, with one of the £5 off vouchers Boots often seem to have, I'd be more inclined to spring for another.

Have you ever done a U-turn on an item of makeup? I'd also be interested to hear your thoughts on the No.7 Poppy King lipsticks if you have tried them.

BECCA Lost Weekend Eyeshadow Palette

Full marks to you all for correctly guessing that yesterday's pictures were of the Lost Weekend palette from BECCA's soon to be released Autumn collection. It has been a struggle to keep quiet about this one as I suspect this trio of eyeshadows will be extremely popular.

The colours in the palette are Moleskin - a soft matte stone, Chino - a matte, chocolate brown and Moiré - a shimmery mushroom brown with hints of pink and maybe even slight mauve undertones. I find Moiré hardest to describe yet it's definitely my favourite. I'm obviously fighting the urge to call it taupe!

In direct sunlight to catch the shimmer in Moiré

At first glance, the Lost Weekend palette looks similar to the Enigma palette. However, side by side the differences are obvious. Enigma is cooler and more grey toned to Lost Weekend's warmer and more caramel and chocolate hues. The colours are also a touch lighter in the Lost Weekend palette.

L - Lost Weekend, R - Enigma

L - Enigma, R - Lost Weekend

Left-hand swatches - Enigma, Right-hand swatches - Lost Weekend

Left-hand swatches - Enigma, Right-hand swatches - Lost Weekend

The texture of the eyeshadows is similar to that of Enigma. The eyeshadows are quite dry (though not at all chalky) rather than having a creamy consistency. Chino is the most pigmented of the three colours. Moleskin and Moiré have medium pigmentation but they're buildable.

I find the Lost Weekend palette is perfect for creating pretty, relaxed daytime looks. It's possible to make a darker more smoky look similar to that shown in the promo images by pairing with the BECCA automatic pencils. I really like the colours but I have to admit that I find the warm brown of Chino a little tricky with my colouring. I think this palette will certainly appeal to neutral fans. The colours work nicely together and I think the fact that you can produce different looks using the three colours is appealing.

The BECCA Lost Weekend collection will be released exclusively in Fenwicks on 29th August. It is due for national release in September. I believe it will also be available in America sometime in September. The palette will cost £35. I will do a separate post about the other items that are coming out with this collection and I will also make an attempt to re-create the promo look when my camera returns!


Disclosure: I received this item without cost for review purposes.

Sneak Preview

I've been sitting on this one for the longest time and because I can contain myself no longer, here's a sneaky peak of what's coming in tomorrow's post.

Anyone want to have a guess at what it is? There are no prizes I'm afraid, just a tremendous feeling of satisfaction if you get it right.

So, can you tell what it is yet?

Rouge Bunny Rouge Face Contour Brush

Rouge Bunny Rouge make extremely luxurious brushes. The Face Contour (012) brush is made with natural squirrel hair and is the softest face brush I have ever used. Although the hairs are soft and silky to the touch, they're still able to pick up and deposit pigment well. I often find that synthetic brushes feel soft yet lack the required grip to actually pick up colour.

I have included pictures of the RBR brush compared to other contour and face brushes that I own. The RBR Face Contour brush is paddle shaped and the shaping is most obvious in profile. It's not as rounded in it's shape as the MAC 109 or as wide and fluffy as the MAC 129. In fact, I don't have another face brush that compares to it shapewise. I certainly don't have anything else as beautifully soft.

L - RBR Face Contour, R - MAC 109

L-R: MAC 129, RBR Face Contour, MAC 109

Top - MAC 109, Bottom - RBR Face Contour

L-R: MAC 165, RBR Face Contour, MAC 109

I'm sure I have mentioned before that I favour contour brushes for blusher application. I find it allows me to be precise with colour placement. So my experience of using this brush is mostly as a blusher brush. However, the pointed tip and shaping allow you to contour below the cheekbones with the brush held at right angles to the face. For blusher application, I use the flat of the brush to apply colour to the cheek, sweeping upwards. I find this brush the perfect size for my cheeks and it's good for creating a wash of colour.

I did encounter some shedding with this brush. It lost quite a few hairs in the first couple of weeks of use but this seems to have stopped after a couple of washes. When I washed it the first time, I noticed an animal odour to the hairs but the smell vanished once it was dry. I get a hint of it each time I wash it but it is fading. I believe there is a way to deordorize brushes but I haven't bothered with this as it is odourless when dry. It washes well, dries quickly and retains it's shape.

The Face Contour brush costs £46. There's no escaping the fact that these aren't cheap items but Rouge Bunny Rouge is a luxury brand and the brushes are extremely high quality (I also have their crease and large shader brushes). I think of brushes as investment items and if you take care of them, they will last for years. I find it easier to justify the initial outlay because they will last. I think if you enjoy a splurge every now and again, these are worth it in my opinion.

Rouge Bunny Rouge products are available from Zuneta, who ship worldwide.


Disclosure: This brush was sent to me without cost for consideration for review.