Sunday 30 September 2012

Beauty Spotlight Roundup 30/09/12

London MakeUp Girl met one of her favourite makeup artists, Rose-Marie Swift. This led to the purchase of a few more RMS Beauty goodies - read about them on her blog post on her new RMS Beauty purchases.

Nothing says Fall like Halloween! Jessika from polish insomniac highlights the 2012 Halloween polishes from three brands - OPI, China Glaze and Orly!

Lola from Lola’s Secret Beauty Blog resisted the charms of Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm for a long time, but now can’t imagine living without this gorgeous pink gem!!

The Pink Sith’s Brain has a conversation with her Eyelids about three Eyeshadow Primers from Stars Makeup Haven. It’s a little bizarre.

Modesty Brown has got the blues, the navy blues to be exact. See how she gets on with the Laura Mercier Mystere eyeshadow duo.

Wanna see Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed naked? Of course you don't, nobody wants to see that - but you do want to see her Dior New Nude collection nails so come check out her swatches!

15 Minute Beauty learned a new way to curl her hair with a flat iron from the Charlotte Ronson Runway!

Looking for a yummy scent for Fall? Pammy Blogs Beauty finds her new favorite Fall scent with LUSH's Vanilliary Perfume

Have you answered the Call of the Wild? Beauty Info Zone has and they want you to see what to expect.

Visionary Beauty has an attempt at replicating the Rouge Bunny Rouge Santa Ana Autumn look.

Did you watch the Emmy's? Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, did & links to some of the looks for the night & what to use to create the looks at home.

Prime Beauty isn't the jealous but she might make you jealous when you see all the great green eyeliners in her life.

Perilously Pale fell so in love with MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Rouge in Iconic Red that she couldn't help but order six more shades! Come take at look at the beautiful array of Aqua Rouges.

Friday 28 September 2012

My New(ish) Zara Bag and Day Birger Dress

I thought I'd start by saying that I'm not in the least bit fashionable and I generally feel too uncomfortable about my figure to share an outfit of the day. However...recently I've been buying more clothes and accessories than makeup. In fact, I seem to have been buying everything but makeup for several months now. I guess this is what comes of neglecting every other area except makeup for the past three years! So, I suspect that if I don't share these 'other' things with you, we may well start to experience some blog tumbleweed!

Day+Birger+Dress2

I purchased the Day Birger et Mikkelsen Charlotte jersey dress in Burside from SecretSales back in July. I've worn it a lot since I bought it and it's such an easy item to throw on in a morning. Although I have worn it on its own, particularly when we had that brief warm spell, I prefer to wear with opaques or leggings. Now there's more of a chill in the air, I'm more likely to be wearing it a lot with knee length boots. Which reminds me that I need to keep my eyes peeled for a new pair of boots as my current pair will soon need replacing.

Zara+bag2

Zara+bag3

I've recently retired my nappy bag (sob) but I still needed something big enough carry wipes, spare clothes, random toys, as well as the odd item for me. Although I really liked the style of the popular rigid plaited shopper from Zara, this slouchy leather bag was much more appropriate for me. I love it and it does indeed hold a lot of stuff. My only gripe is that there aren't more holes on the longer handle but I suppose I could probably visit a cobblers to get some more added. The Bucket Bag cost me £59.99 and I ordered from Zara online.

Thanks for reading and feel free to let me know how you feel about me going a little off topic. I'm always interested to get your feedback.

Thursday 27 September 2012

From the Archives: NARS Dogon

As I'm struggling to post at the moment, I thought it would be good to share something from the archives. I wrote about the NARS Dogon duo when I first got my hands on it last year. I've parted with NARS Rajasthan since then but Dogon remains a firm favourite. I still love the greenish hint to the taupe and find this is another eyeshadow that works well over a base.

NARS+Dogon2

Sunday 23 September 2012

Laura Mercier Mystere Duo Applied

The Laura Mercier Mystere eyeshadow duo was gifted to me by a kind friend a little while ago. I gave its first outing last weekend whilst I had a bit of time to play with my makeup in peace. As I often find that deep blues don't look as vibrant on the eye as they do in the pan, I applied over a dark base. On this occasion, I chose the liner end of the BECCA Line + Illuminate in Belize which is black with a hint of violet. I was really pleased with how rich the blue from Mystere looked over the liner but looking back I wished I had taken the colour all the way up to the crease.


Laura+Mercier+Mystere2

To finish, I applied the taupe colour where the blue ends to soften the line and took it up the the crease. I lined the upper waterline with Kevyn Aucoin Basic Back and added plenty of mascara, I think it was Max Factor False Lash Effect in this case.

Mystere+Irreverence1

Eyes
BECCA Line + Illuminate pencil in Belize - liner end (original review)
Laura Mercier Mystere duo
MAC Brule on brow bone and to tidy up
Kevyn Aucoin Basic Black*

Laura+Mercier+Mystere5

Face
Mix of Bourjois Healthy Mix and Max Factor Second Skin*
elf HD powder
Blusher unknown - the folly of waiting a week to write this post!
Laura Mercier Pink Tourmaline Mosaic Shimmer Bloc highlighter*

Lips
Rouge Bunny Rouge Irreverence

* Items marked with an asterisk were received as press samples

Saturday 22 September 2012

Beauty Crazed: What's in My...??

For some time we've suspected that Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed is all kinds of nuts but her turn with the Beauty Spotlight's "What's In My...?" proves it beyond any doubt! Take a trip into her twisted mind and overstuffed dressing table and be sure to stay tuned for her upcoming appearance on "Hoarders - Beauty Edition"!


Thursday 20 September 2012

Bargain Alert! BECCA 50% off End of Summer Sale

If you're in the mood for a bargain, you might enjoy a browse of the BECCA 50% off sale. It includes various eyeshadows, eye creams, brushes and some of the previous limited edition palettes. I've filled and emptied my basket several times, I don't really have the money to spend at the moment but that doesn't stop me eyeing up those eyeshadows!



As ever the links are for information only and I am not affiliated with BECCA.

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector

Clinique Even Better Eyes has been a bit of a life saver for me recently. This peachy cream instantly gives the effect of brightening my dark circles and the unusual applicator nozzle is so cooling and soothing, it's very relaxing to apply. Given that my sleep is always disturbed and school problems have had me holding back the tears, you can see why something like this is a bit of a God send!

Clinique+Even+Better+Eyes1

Clinique+Even+Better+Eyes2

I'm not sure it has any lasting effects on the darkness under my eyes, I suspect that a lot more sleep and a better diet are the only way I'm going to make a serious difference. It is silicone based so I know it won't suit everybody. However, the soothing and instant brightening are quite sufficient for me to give it a big Mummy thumbs up.

Clinique+Even+Better+Eyes3

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector costs £28 for 10ml.

Disclosure: press sample

Monday 17 September 2012

My Everyday Face

I feel like I need to start with a confession. This post is missing a vital ingredient, a picture of the products on my face. Things are dire at home at the moment, so faced with the choice of posting an incomplete piece or nothing at all, I went with the former and frankly writing about makeup is a welcome break from creating five point behaviour scales and reading social stories.

Although I was really worried about restricting my selection of products for a month, it's turned out to be very useful. Getting everyone ready and out to school is even more frantic than it was last year and fortuitously the products that I picked out for Operation Use it Up (plus a couple of additions) combine to make a quick and easy face.

daily+face2

I use a mix of Max Factor Second Skin and Bourjois Healthy Mix as a base and usually apply with a flat topped kabuki for speed. On the eyes I apply the Rouge Bunny Rouge Atlas Swallowtail cream eyeshadow from lashline to crease, line with BECCA automatic liner in Goa (sometimes taking it under the eye) and add a generous coat of mascara. The beauty of using Atlas Swallowtail is that it looks good on it's own but I can also add eyeshadow when I return home, if the mood takes me.

I use BECCA creme blush in Turkish Rose on my cheeks using my Hakuhodo G5552 brush. It has a slightly dewy finish so I can dispense with adding a separate highlighter if I haven't got time. Although I mostly favour Rouge Bunny Rouge Murmurings lipstick to complete this look, I have worn it with Chanel Bonheur, Hourglass Fresco and even Rouge Bunny Rouge Coy lipgloss.

I'm surprised how much I've enjoyed wearing the same thing pretty much everyday. It's quite nice to have a no-brainer look to reach for when I'm pushed for time and I fear it may have compounded my guilt at having so much makeup!

Saturday 15 September 2012

Beauty Spotlight 15/09/12

The Beauty Spotlight Team is back with more of their favorite posts. If you look carefully we have a new member of the team. Welcome to Lola of Lola's Secret Beauty Blog. She might need to change that name since she's not a secret anymore!


So we have all heard the buzz about BB Creams? Well, now there is a newer and "better" version? Enter the CC Cream! Pammy Blogs Beauty tries Wei's Ideal Skin Perfect Finish CC Cream (and falls in love) in the Wei To Go Sleep Over Beauty Kit.

polish insomniac has bottle shots from the new Sally Hansen Lustre Shine collection - is this the return of Sally Hansen Nail Prisms we have all been waiting for???

Smoky green paired with rich copper; perfect colours for fall, Visionary beauty looks at the Chantecaille Elephant palette

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog has discovered that Le Métier de Beauté's Dualistic Eye Pencil in Tamarack might just be the most gorgeous multipurpose eye pencil ever invented!

Are you burnt out on hearing about subscription boxes? Beauty Info Zone thinks that seeing the PopSugar Must Have box will change your mind.

The Pink Sith brings you a review of the new Balenciaga Florabotanica Eau de Parfum With a Film Noir Detective Narration to get you in the mood!

Modesty Brown has a go at re-creating the Rouge Bunny Rouge Santa Ana look…then realises she has to do the school run.

Prime Beauty asks: Want super long "drag queen" lashes? Does a beauty addict have Sephora on speed dial? Of course! Get bat-worthy lashes with SENSAI Eye Lash Base 38c! You're welcome.

London MakeUp Girl has been using Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash mascara for a month now. Has it given her lashes to rival Elizabeth Taylor's? Read her review of Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash mascara to find out.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed wants her Canadian and US readers to look as good as Cindy Crawford so is giving away a Meaningful Beauty skincare system - enter now for supermodel potential skin!

Check out what Paula, from Older Girl Beauty, thinks is her Favorite Fall Polish.

Christa at Perilously Pale has been busy swatching her Inglot Freedom System Eye Shadows for us. Check out her more colourful 20 pan palette.

Friday 14 September 2012

Simple Pleasure: My Shower Routine

Shower bits

Sometimes, it really is about the little things. I'm not really a morning person but the products above are currently combining to lift my mood before I step out of the shower.

Firstly, the Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner. I really hesitated over this purchase because of the cost but the products are so highly recommended, I had to give them a try. As promised, you don't need to use a lot to get the desired results and I'm thrilled to report that the shampoo foams and rinses away completely, which is something I've had trouble with previously with other SLS free formulas. I really like the smell too which is always a bonus.

The Live Native Essential Earth Exfoliating Cleanser* has a really unusual texture and looks a little strange. To use, you scoop out a small blob of the paste and mix with water to get the desired consistency. I prefer to use it in the shower as it creates less mess. It's recommended that you use a press and roll type action with it but I confess, I tried this and failed and resorted to my more usual massaging in large slow circles method. This works just fine for me and I think of it as my little cave woman moment!

I bought the Haus of Gloi Spring Tonic #1 Whipped Soap with my Valentine's order and it has sat patiently in a drawer ever since. I've not tried any of the whipped soaps before but I love the texture. It feels a bit like a very creamy shaving foam (the tradition variety). The Spring Tonic #1 scent is refreshingly zesty without being overpowering which is perfect for my grumpy morning self.

What are the simple pleasure in your morning routine?


*press sample


Wednesday 12 September 2012

My Current (Random) Wishlist

I honestly thought I would have loads of extra time for posting now that Miss MB is at nursery two mornings a week. I was clearly delusional! The six hours I gained were swiftly eaten up with cleaning the house and other unsavoury chores. My spending money has taken a battering too with the nursery fees to pay, leaving me with very little to spend on the 'pretties'.

So, to cheer myself up, I thought I would compile a little wishlist. I can see that there has been a definite shift in my spending habits lately as my list is a mix of beauty and other things. Wonders never cease!

navy converse
Navy Converse
This is actually a bit of a lie. What I really want are a pair of the Catwomen Converse but sense (and the school run) tell me the navy would be a better investment. After years of avoiding navy, my wardrobe seems to be full of it, so I really do require some footwear that isn't black.

Illamasqua Magnetism lipstick
I have been crushing on this lipstick for ages. I knew I had to have it when I first heard the description and then London MakeUp Girl's tweet sealed the deal. I may wait till it's available through ASOS.

Lotus Wei

Lotus Wei Inner Peace Energy Mist
I came across the Lotus Wei mists and elixirs when I visited the Content Beauty store over the summer. The names sound so appealing and I've lost count of how many times I've wished I had the Inner Peace mist in the last week. The return to school has been bumpy to say the least!

Trollbeads
I finally purchased a bracelet to put my beads on. I bought the leather bracelet in beige and my two beads look rather lonely on it. I'd really like to get some more artisan made beads and I have been stalking Summerday's store on Dawanda and Suzielaws's store on Etsy for the last month or so.

ILIA_moodboard_fall_blog
Mood board from ILIA Beauty blog

Ilia Lipstick in Ink Pot
I know I probably don't need any more lipsticks but when I spied this via the ILIA beauty e-newsletter, it grabbed me (look to the bottom right of the mood board). I'm positive this is the shade that Sasha's Mum recommended I keep my eyes peeled for too. What's not to love about purple?!

More Kjaer Weis
I've wanted to buy some more Kjaer Weis pieces for ages. On my shopping list are the Blossoming cream blusher and eyeshadow in Charming. I imagine I will purchase both in the pan form. If you're in the UK, you can buy Kjaer Weis from Slowfashionhouse.com


pirates

Pirates: An Adventure with Scientist on DVD
I am a child and I am not ashamed!!

Care to share what's on your wishlist at the moment?

Monday 10 September 2012

Topshop Adrenalin Nail Polish

Topshop+Adrenalin

This is another of my recent Topshop purchases. The rather oddly named Adrenalin is a lilac-y pink glitter polish with a mixture of small and medium sized pieces of glitter. The glitter is more densely packed than in the Junk Yard polish that I showed you last week but you still need to daub it on quite thickly to load the nail with glitter.

The glitter in Adrenalin has an iridescent quality which is very pretty and I have been admiring my nails a lot since I applied it. Strangely, the glitter coverage looks heavier in real life compared to the images below, which I don't really understand.  I am wearing Adrenalin over Essie Demure Vixen in these pictures (two coats of Demure Vixen followed by two coats of Adrenalin). This combination has lasted quite well again: glitter polishes really do seem to have reasonable staying power on my rubbish nails!

Adrenalin+Demure Vixen7

Adrenalin+Demure Vixen5

Adrenalin+Demure Vixen4

Adrenalin+Demure Vixen1

Adrenalin nail polish cost £6 from Topshop. I bought it from a reasonably sized store but I see you can also buy the makeup online.

Sunday 9 September 2012

LEGO Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria

It's Son2's 5th Birthday today. The day started unsurprisingly early but the present opening session more than made up for the lack of lie-in. As we're somewhat geeky parents, we were more than happy to oblige when he asked for a LEGO Lord of the Rings set for his birthday. After a trip to the LEGO shop in Milton Keynes last week, he settled on this one: The Mines of Moria. I think his favourite piece is the cave troll but for me, it's the other characters that have captured my geeky little heart! The attention to detail is really impressive.

Lego+LOTR2

If you're here for the makeup, you'll probably want to give this one a miss. However, if like me you loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy and you've always wondered what Gandalf and Gimli minifigures would look like, keep scrolling...

Lego+LOTR3

Lego+LOTR4

Lego+LOTR8

Lego+LOTR5

Lego+LOTR6

Lego+LOTR7

Happy Birthday W!

Saturday 8 September 2012

Beauty Spotlight: What's in Perilously Pale's...

It's Perilously Pale's turn for the What's In My...? series and she thought you might like a peek inside her professional makeup kit to see what products she trusts for her clients.

mystery

Friday 7 September 2012

Rouge Bunny Rouge GWP & Santa Ana Look Video


Zuneta presents Rouge Bunny Rouge ¬ Get The Look ¬ Santa Ana from Zuneta Beauty on Vimeo.

Here's the Zuneta video for the new Rouge Bunny Rouge Santa Ana look that I had a go at re-creating yesterday. I will be interested to see if I can improve my copy of the eye look after watching how it's done in the video.

I've also just spotted the GWP offer in the weekly e-newsletter. The offer is for a free Sleeping Under A Mandarin Tree loose glitter pigment with every order of Rouge Bunny Rouge products worth £40. I really like the RBR loose pigments as they're not as messy to apply as most, especially if you use the applicator in the tube.

My Fringe Makeover

Picture Courtesy of Fox

As you will probably guess from the picture above, I'm referring to Fringe the TV show and not the hair above my eyebrows. With my terrible hair history, fringe cutting is a very, VERY bad idea. Anyway, getting back to the point, I've had a virtual Olivia/Fauxlivia makeover courtesy of Into The Palette. If you'd like to see the the placement breakdown and end results, you can find the post here. You can also see what I would look like with a fringe (and red hair) in my Fauxlivia look. Enjoy!

Thursday 6 September 2012

My Attempt at Re-Creating the RBR Santa Ana Look

RBR_SantaAna_WEB

As soon as I saw the latest Rouge Bunny Rouge look, Santa Ana, I knew I had to have a go at re-creating it. It's bold but seemed relatively easy to follow in terms of products. You can see a full breakdown and description of placement in Perilously Pale's post here.


Santa Ana Groupshot

I don't own all of the products used (as shown in the image above) so I substituted where necessary with products that I hope are of a similar colour or texture. The red lipstick - Raw Silence was a tough one, as I don't think I have anything quite the same colour or with the same creamy finish. I'm really tempted to buy the Selena Eye Kohl used in the look as the MAC pencil I used as a substitute seems to be reaching the end of it's useful life.


Here are the products I used:

Santa+Ana+attempt13

RBR Face Contour Brush // RBR Blusher Brush // Max Factor Second Skin and Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation mixed // Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer // MUFE HD Powder // MAC Bronzer in Golden // Laura Mercier Pink Tourmaline Mosaic Shimmer Bloc to highlight tops of cheeks and brow bone

Santa+Ana+attempt14

Sigma E25 Brush // MAC 239 // RBR Large Shader // MAC 219 // MAC Mystery Eye Kohl // RBR Eyeshadows in Umber Firefinch, Unforgettable Oriole and Olive Violeteare

Santa+Ana+attempt16

Lips prepped with BECCA Lip Butter // MAC Liner in Cherry // Max Factor Colour Elixir in Ruby Tuesday // Tom Ford lipstick in Smoke Red // MAC lip brush

For the eyes, I used two of the three eyeshadows as used in the Santa Ana look and I substituted Golden Rhea with Unforgettable Oriole as the base lid colour. As I don't have the Loose Glitter Pigments in Sleeping Under the Mandarin Tree, I used a small amount of the Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc on the brow bone. I also applied some to the high points of my cheeks. Highlighter isn't listed in the product breakdown but I can definitely see a sheen on the tops of the cheek.

Santa+Ana+attempt10

Santa+Ana+attempt12

I primed my skin with Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and used a mix of Max Factor Second Skin and Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation. As you may note, all three of these items are on my list of products to use up! I used a little bit of MUFE HD Powder on the T-zone. To be honest, I prefer a less matte base on my skin and would probably have opted for a tinted moisturiser had I not been trying to copy the look. 

I tried out two different lipsticks to try and replicate the colour of Raw Silence. Neither are perfect, so of course this gives me the go ahead to buy a new red lipstick without guilt (don't say anything!). Here's how it looks with Max Factor Colour Elixir lipstick in Ruby Tuesday...

Santa+Ana+attempt6

Santa+Ana+attempt1


And now, with Tom Ford lipstick in Smoke Red...

Santa+Ana+attempt8

Santa+Ana+attempt7

Right, I'm off out to do the second school run of the day wearing this look. Let me know if you have a go at copying this look yourself. Santa Ana will launch at Zuneta tomorrow and my sources tell me there will be a special exclusive gift with any purchase of Rouge Bunny Rouge to celebrate. Shopping lists at the ready girls!

Disclosure: Some of the items I used here were sent to me as press samples but not in connection with this launch (and not exclusively RBR). There is a fairly even mix of purchased items and press samples.

Wednesday 5 September 2012

My New Makeup Storage

This is one of the main reasons I braved the IKEA labyrinth with a four and six year old. The other reason being book ends. Book ends seem to be rather rare these days and someone very nearly came to harm when I was told they were out of stock. Fortunately I managed to locate them in the end so all is right in the world again.

Alex+Storage1

I've been meaning to buy the nine drawer Alex for a few month now. I needed something bigger than my old plastic four drawer unit and more aesthetically pleasing. As before, the drawers sit inside my wardrobe so that my makeup is hidden away from prying eyes.

It's not as ordered as I would like it to be and I need to buy more boxes or separators to make the most of the drawer space. For now I'm using small plastic containers, Jo Malone and Zuneta boxes and there's even a rogue Glossybox in there. I do hope to find some purpose built organisers for lipsticks etc. but I know some of them may be too deep for the drawers.

Here's a little peep at what's inside...

Face products (minus foundation)

drawer1

Eyeshadows palettes, foundations, lipsticks and pencils

drawer2

Eyeshadow - singles, customs palettes and some more pre-made palettes

drawer3

Nail polishes

drawer4

Skin care, treatments and hair care

drawer5

Lip glosses, makeup brushes and other miscellaneous items

drawer6


Although my makeup is now in reasonable order, my perfume, bath and skincare items remain here, there and everywhere. The majority of it is split between my bedside table and the overflowing baskets in the bathroom. If any of you have any inspired ideas about how to tidy that up whilst keeping it accessible, I'd welcome some advice.

Bedside+table1

bathroom3



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