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
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 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.

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: 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?

On the Lust List

It's been ages since I shared a wishlist type post. I try hard to be sensible about my cosmetic lusts these days, I know that many are just passing fancies so I will try to wait and see if the urge passes. My eyeshadow and nail polish ban have helped a lot in that sense. Eyeshadows are quite clearly my biggest cosmetic weakness.

It's impossible to be sensible all the time though, I still have a wishlist a mile long and these are a few of the items that keep making their way back to the top.

Source

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted
I'm not sure exactly when my interest in Just Skin started but it was cemented when I read Get Lippie's recent thoughts. I'm coming towards the end of my RBR Tinted Moisturiser and I think this might make a good replacement. The only sticking point is the price, at £55 for a tube it isn't cheap. I'll have to be in the right mood to cave on this one.

Le Metier de Beaute Creme Fresh Tint Blusher in Poppy
I promised myself I would get one of the Creme Fresh Tints when Le Metier returned to the UK. Although I initially considered Tenne, I decided that Poppy would probably be a better colour choice for me. It seems to be very popular shade and I keep missing it when Zuneta re-stock.

Source

Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Colours and Perfect Rouge Lipstick
I've never tried any Shiseido cosmetics but I go through regular phases of researching colours and filling a virtual basket. I first spotted the cream eye colours on Reigning Beauties and they have been popping up on my radar ever since. Lipglossiping recent Shiseido post set me off again. As an aside, I couldn't find the Accentuating Color Stick anywhere online so I'm assuming it's counter only. I will definitely try one of the Shimmering Cream Eye Colours once my ban is over but I can't decide whether to purchase the Perfect Rouge lipstick in Titian before then or wait. My less sensible side says buy it NOW!

Hera Sun Mate Daily
This is a fairly recent fancy and my interest in this Korean sunscreen was sparked by a YouTube video by meejmuse. I can't deny that being hard to get hold of makes it somehow that much more appealing. I found it on Ebay but at just over the £15 customs threshold and I'm nervous of getting stung with the dreaded Post Office fees. I need to do more research to find out if it's worth the risk.

Source

Sunday Riley Eyeshadow in Burnt Eggplant
Sunday Riley eyeshadows keep popping up in blog posts by my favourite American bloggers. Burnt Eggplant looks nothing like a burnt aubergine but it does sound like my kind of colour, *cough* taupe *cough*. When Marcia from Beauty Info Zone compared it to Style Snob and Satin Taupe I knew that it needed to go on my list. I'm nothing if not predictable!
 
Chanel Loose Powder in Pêche
This is another old interest that keeps on cropping up. I will admit to being rubbish when it comes to powdering my face. I prefer my skin to look natural and powder often makes me feel too made up. I also worry that it will accentuate my lines. However, I would like to give my makeup more staying power, especially as I can't touch up at work and I wonder if powder in the key. In my mind this one will work magic, particular because the shade I really want (#50 Pêche) has been discontinued!


What's on your wishlist at the moment? Are you torturing yourself with thoughts of hard to get items?

A Letter to Father Christmas

Dear Father Christmas,

I've been such a good girl this year, really I have and you know I never ask for much *cough*. Well, I know that even you can't grant my true wish for a lie-in, so instead here is a list of a few things that will keep me looking semi-human for another year. I've thrown in a couple of items to save my sanity too.

1. A pot of Oil of Olay Total Effects moisturiser (£17) please. This used to be my go to moisturiser but I've been cheating on it for a while now. The bow is drawing me back in!

2. I'd love a relaxing candle. Either a medium Josephine's Rose (£20) candle from Jonathan Ward or Neom Relax & Complete Bliss Travel Candles (£21) would be perfect.

3. In a bid to see if I can restore my love for a nice soak, I would really like a bottle of Elemis Quiet Mind Relaxing Bath Elixir. Quiet and relaxing sound so inviting! It's normally £19 but you can get 20% off using the code XMASTREAT this week on the timetospa website. Of course, I'm thinking of your budget here FC.

4. I seem to spend all day washing my hands so it would be lovely to use something a little more luxurious than the supermarket own brand. I have my eye on Molton Brown fine liquid hand wash in Myrrh Muske and Cypress (£15) as it sounds rather festive!

5. I would really like a beautiful shower gel. The L'Occitane Almond Shower oil (£16) seemed very popular when I asked around for recommendation. I've never used an oil for cleansing the body before but I love the scent of almonds so I'm keen to give it a try.

6. I know I'm pushing my luck a bit with this last request Father Christmas but you know I do like a bit of expensive makeup. Weeeellll, that Tom Ford chap extended his cosmetics line this year. I'll forgo the quads but if you could see your way to stuffing a blusher or eyeliner in my stocking I would be most grateful. The Espresso eyeliner in particular would be grand. Would a fancy mince pie from Waitrose sway you at all?

That's it for now Father Christmas. I hope this reaches you ok, do you have decent broadband in the North Pole?

Yours ever hopeful,
Miss M Brown x

My Current Wishlist

Things have rather gone to pot in terms of my plans to send Santa shopping in the beauty halls. I was all set to buy a Tom Ford lipstick before disaster struck (or more accurately my smallest child). My phone was mauled and an immediate replacement required. Goodbye Tom Ford lipstick.

I thought I would cheer myself up with a post about my current wishlist. I can always hope that my birthday will bring more joy.


Tom Ford Moroccan Rouge

Obviously this is top of my list having had an almost but not quite moment with it. The nest time I'm in London, I will be paying a visit to Selfridges and this will be mine!

A Julie Hewett palette and a little something from Burberry

Image from www.misebeauty.com

I've mentioned both of these on wishlists before. I think both of these brands excel at exactly the sort of cosmetics I love. Beautiful neutral eyeshadows, gorgeous lipsticks and in the case of Julie Hewett, some pretty creme blushers. I'm pretty sure of my choices with Julie Hewett, the palette and pan system definitely make it easy to try a few things at once. Edit: This Hue in Mystere is the first thing on my list and you can see Gaia's amazing review over at The Non-Blonde.  It sounds even more prefect than I first though. I more unsure what to pick from the Burberry line. It's too expensive to go to crazy so I have to pick one or two pieces carefully.

Armani Eyes to Kill
Replica from Visionary Beauty started this lemming. To be quite honest, she can take credit for a good portion of my purchases (Grace can take the blame for the rest). This is a new eyeshadow formula for Armani. It's an unusual almost cream, almost powder formula and the finish and colours look rather amazing. Replica has the shade #14 a gold/black which you can see here. Cafe Makeup did a lovely swatch post of #15 and I'm eagerly awaiting Reigning Beauties swatches having seen her sneak preview.



Rouge Bunny Rouge

I'll have the lot please!

 
I don't think there's ever a moment when I don't want something from RBR. I would love one of their liquid highlighters, the blush wand in Vermeer and the Glassy Gloss in Fleur Parfait really caught my eye after the seeing the line up for the Journey Through the Stars collection. My next purchase though will most definitely be the blusher in Delicata. Grace at London Makeup Girl recently posted about her collection of beige pink blusher and it did nothing to disuade me from this lust. Although, I think she might have convinced me that Sue Devitt Koh Samui should also be added to the list....

Chanel Cassis eyeliner 
I admired swatches of this liner when it was first released with Chanel's Autumn collection. It wasn't until I saw Dempeaux's post that I knew I should have picked this up. I think it looks like a great alternative to black and it looks like it's a little richer than RBR Delilah. I think I may have found the perfect way to spend the £15 on my Debenhams Beauty Club card.

Something from Make Up Forever

Image from www.gurumakeupemporium.com

Again, this is a brand that I have mentioned too many times to ignore. 2011 will be the year for me to buy some MUFE. I want to try the Smoky Lash mascara to see how it compares to my favourite Hourglass mascara. The HD Blush is also something I'd really like to try but I'm not sure on shade choices.

I was going to mention brushes but as colour always wins over tools for me, it seems a little silly. Lets just say there are a lot of brushes I want but you can't easily justify more on the basis of "they look so soft" or "mine are all dirty and need washing". Maybe I just need to come up with some better excuses?

Do you have an after Christmas wishlist? Or will Santa be doing a spot of shopping for you this Christmas?

Laura Mercier Colour Wardrobe

I think palettes hold some mystical power over me. The minute I saw the post and swatches on The Beauty Look Book I was smitten. I actually intended to get last years colour wardrobe but I wasn't quick enough and it had sold out. This time I'm on a spending ban but it doesn't stop me lusting after it.

 

The palette has two tiers and as well as the colour items it contains two double ended brushes. The top tier contains six eyeshadows and three powder blushers, whilst on the bottom there are six lip stains and two lip glazes. Here are the official details:

Top Level
• Eye Colour in Chocolate, Sable, Twinkling Star, Stellar, Tiger’s Eye and Baroque
• Cheek Colour in Spice, Apricot Blossom and Lotus
• Double-Ended Eye Colour/Corner Eye Colour Brush

Bottom Level
• Lip Stain in Mulberry, Hibiscus, Shy Pink, English Rose, Brick Red and Mocha
• Lip Glaze in Plum and Naked
• Double-Ended Lip Brush

You will be unsurprised to learn that the first three eyeshadows from left to right (Chocolate, Sable and Twinkling Star) are all calling to me. All of the blushers look lovely but I think Spice and Apricot Blossom look particularly wearable. The lip products aren't drawing me in as much as the top tier but the Plum lip glaze looks very much my kind of colour.

The colour wardrobe costs £50 and was released last month. I found it on www.johnlewis.com but there was no sign on the SpaceNK website. I would be interested to know if any of you have spotted it at counters.

More Friday Fancies

This is basically an excuse for a bit of a make up ramble. I have so many things on my wishlist right now that I don't actually know where to start. I'm not a huge one for lists but I think in this case, writing it down rather than trying to organise a priority in my head, might be useful.

These are all the beautiful things catching my eye:

NARS Rajasthan eyeshadow duo
I was keen to get this several weeks ago but forgot all about it. Lipstick Rules recent post about the duo has got me hot under the colour again. It's a really pretty duo and the beige shade sounds beautiful.

 A Julie Hewett custom palette of Hues and Cheekies
I was originally looking at the Julie Hewett lipsticks after hearing great things but when I spotted the Hue in Mystere, a stunning taupe cream, I was suddenly all over the palettes!


MUFE Aqua Creme no. 15 (Taupe)
One of my lovely commenters Nina/Inthesweetshop mentioned this shade after Katie's guest review. She was kind enough to take some photos for me and it looks beautiful. Definitely my sort of shade!

OPI Burlesque collection
Sarah from London Beauty Review  was wearing one of these polishes at the MAC event. I was really taken  with it and now I'm very tempted to buy one of these glittery polishes.

Chantecaille Tigers palette
After reading Replica from Visionary Beauty's post with photos of this palette, I'm very keen to see this in person. I think it looks even more beautiful once the overspray is gone. It's an extremely spendy price though and would wipe out the cosmetics budget very swiftly. I can't get it out of my head though!

MUFE HD Blush
Another Make Up Forever item. I have been admiring the swatches for these since their release. I do have a bit of a blusher problem it seems, I don't need more, I just want more and these look beautiful.

MAC Shale eyeshadow
This eyeshadow has been mentioned in the comments of my giveaway post. I had wanted to try it a while ago but then forgot all about it. I think it's a very 'me' sort of colour. I also keep looking at Copperplate and wondering if I should get it.

Illamasqua Art of Darkness collection
I mentioned in my Art of Darkness post that there were a few things catching my eye. Alluvium pigment and Superior Liquid Metal immediately spring to mind. They're not my usual colours but it's always nice to go for something a bit different and the jewel tones are just stunning.

Rouge Bunny Rouge
I always have a huge RBR list, so it's almost a post in itself. I keep looking at the blushers, both Gracilis and Delicata look like they would be ideal colours for me. The Devotion Ink in Tiger Essence keeps cropping up and now new eye kohl shade in Vera is tickling my fancy.

Burberry Cosmetics
I've wanted to try these for a while, I've no doubt that I will love the lipsticks and eyeshadows but I would like to get it in person rather pay a massive delivery charge. One of these days, I will make it in to Harrods for a look.

So, as you can see, the list is epic. There's no way I can get everything so I have to bite the bullet and choose one or two things. What would you go for? Do you have similarly enormous lists or am I just a greedy beauty blogger with eyes too big for my bank balance?

SpaceNK Iconic Products

I received a mail out from SpaceNK the other day that I found quite interesting. A number of the brands and the faces behind them are featuring in the October issue of Vogue. Many of these are brands which I've heard lots about but never actually tried and the list of iconic products includes lots of items that I have wanted to try for some time.

Iconic products I'd love to try.....

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm
I've heard great things about this cleanser. It's similar in style to Eve Lom but as @KennethSoh and Beauty Mouth rate it, I know it must be worth a look! I intend to buy the starter pack that SpaceNK sells when I need a new cleanser.

Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial
Again, I've Sarah Chapman skin care mentioned a lot on blogs and on twitter and I'd really like to try it out for myself. The idea of making my skin facial fresh whilst I sleep is definitely a selling point for me. It range has a fairly high price point but with good results I don't mind spending a bit more.

Lipstick Queen
The Iconic product in this case was actually the Medieval lipstick but I'm rather keen to try either a Saint or Sinner lipstick. I'm not sure on shade, probably nothing too radical but you never know, occasionally I have been known to go a little more statement! 

Not lusting.....

By Terry Baume de Rose
I know this probably has quite a cult following and I know it's a firm favourite with Lollipop26 but I just don't feel tempted go spendy on a lip balm. I am however quite tempted by the tinted Lanolips tubes that are coming to the UK very soon.  

Not on the list but lemming.....

Chantecaille Tigers in the Wild Palette
Chantecaille doesn't make it on the list purely because it's not a SpaceNK exclusive. I first fell for this when Replica at Visionary Beauty pointed me in the direction of some pictures. She's has some dastardly ways that one, I tell you! This beauty will set you back £73 and contains three eyeshadows and one blush shade. I think it's a leap too far for me but it won't stop me lusting! What I do like about this collection is that it aims to raise awareness about the plight of the wild tiger and Chantecaille is supporting TRAFFIC, a an international wildlife trade monitoring organisation to help save the remaining tigers in the wild. What do you mean you can hear me justifying from over there?........

Looking forward to....
The reward card! SpaceNK recently announced that they will start a loyalty scheme for customers. The programme is called N.dulge and you will be able to collect points and get rewards as well as exclusive invitations to events and birthday treats. I've already signed up as it sounds great!

So, tell me what are your favourite products from SpaceNK? What have I missed from my list!