Chanel Rouge Coco No5 Mademoiselle

I suppose you could say I’m a bargain hunter at heart. I love high street makeup and buy more of it than I do high end. That doesn’t stop me going all warm and fuzzy when I occasionally do get to own a properly luxurious item though. To me this lipstick is in every way exquisite. 

The packaging is weighty and cold to the touch as it is made of metal. It closes with a quiet but satisfying snap.  The bullet has Chanel carved into is and the lipstick has a beautiful rose scent. It smells exactly like good quality Turkish delight actually. It feels, looks and smells special every time you get it out to use it. 

Does the lipsticks live up to the promise of its packaging? I think so. This is the deep browned pink work by the gorgeous Vanessa Paradis in the advert. I know some people have found it a bit dark but on my highly pigmented lips it looks very subtle and natural. The texture is smooth and while not totally opaque it is fairly pigmented and leaves a glossy finish. I don’t find it very moisturising but it isn’t too unforgiving on my chapped winter lips. Lasting power is distinctly average on me. 

Now these cost £21.50 and I honestly do think you get your moneys worth. I know some people think if you’re going to treat yourself to a luxury lippie you should buy a really unusual colour but I love that this is something I could happily wear every day. I want to get a lot of use out of it if I’m spending that much money! I have my eye on another one already x

*I got this as a Christmas present, thanks Nan-in-law!”

Why do blondes get all the fun?

If there is one thing that bugs me in the cosmetics industry it’s the marketing idea that a certain set of colours can only be worn by blondes, or brunettes, or brown eyed people, or blue eyed people etc. I say wear what you want, when you want! I bought these lipsticks despite their ‘blonde’ label so :p to you L’Oreal. Anyway these are from their Made For Me Naturals range and cost £7.99 though as always with drugstore brands you’d be mad not to wait till they inevitably go on offer. Both are nude/ natural lip shades. Here we have Taffeta which is a creamy soft pink and nude which a slightly warmer peach. 

For some reason they look very sheer in the swatch but they seem more pigmented on the lips. The texture is very slick and they feel pretty moisturising on. The trade off is that the lasting power is only average. Somewhere between the NYX round lipsticks and MAC Lustres I think. Both of these have some slight shimmer evident in the tube but on the lips they just look slightly glossy rather than shimmery which I love. 

Nude on the left, Taffeta on the right;

Nude;

Taffeta;

They have a very faint lipstick smell. It’s not that horrible plasticine smell, it’s quite hard to describe but it’s faint and doesn’t linger so it doesn’t bother me. The packaging looks quite nice but feels a lot more light weight and flimsy than you’d expect. I’ve had these a while though and they haven’t disintegrated in my hand bag yet. Over all I quite like these and I would consider buying more shades when they are on offer. And if I do I’ll buy whichever shade I want whether it says blonde, brunette or red head on the label :p x

*I bought these myself*

ELF Mineral Lipsticks: Barely Bitten and Runway Pink

I’m a huge fan of a red lip but it has to be the right red on me. For me that can be pretty much any shade (red toned, orange toned, dark, bright, yeah I’m pretty lucky that way :p) but I like ‘em sheer and wearable. I spotted a swatch of Barely Bitten somewhere and it seemed to fit the bill nicely and at £3.50 each I couldn’t resist picking it up. Runway Pink is pink/ nude shade that gets a lot of press too so into my online basket it jumped. 

The ELF Mineral Lipsticks are somewhat deceptive. The packaging feels light weight and cheap however the quality of the product itself far surpasses expectations. Both are creamy in formula and don’t dry my lips out at all, very important during the colder months where my lips turn into dry, flaky disasters.

Barely Bitten is a slightly deep, slightly orange (on me) sheer red. There is a slight shimmer in the tube but on the lips it just look a bit glossy. It is infinitely wearable and I find it to be totally office appropriate. If you are loving the red lips for Autumn look but feel self conscious in a full on red for £3.50 it’s a very good way of trying out a more wearable version of the look. 

For me Runway Pink is a little less easy to wear. It’s quite pale and although there is a hint of shimmer in the tube it looks pretty matte on. This makes it unforgiving on lips that aren’t in tip top shape and because of my pigmented lips I need to be quite heavy handed with the application. Once it’s on though it’s really quite pretty. I don’t ‘do’ concealer lips and this has enough colour to be nude but not corpse like. 

The lasting power of these is nothing special but it isn’t ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ either. I’d happily buy these again and I’d like to try out some other shades. Just not Bare Brown. That’s a long story... don’t trust the swatches on the ELF website.... x

*I bought these myself*

30 Days of Lipstick

I have seen a few of these posts on various blogs including Pleasureflush and several others that I can’t remember right now. I love the idea of making sure you show some love to all of the products in your collection. I have far too much lipstick (48 if you must know) and while I do know that there are plenty of bigger collections out there that would put mine to shame I still feel it’s more than enough for me.

see more dog and puppy pictures

Long story short I have to pick a different lippie everyday for the entire month of November. Every so often I will post swatches of what I’ve been wearing to prove I haven’t been cheating! I think it will be interesting to see which are the 18 lipsticks left unloved at the end of the month... x

October Favourites

Happy Halloween everyone! I love October. It’s all snugly jumpers, deep colours and spicy scents. Here’s what I’ve been making dents in throughout the month:

Mememe Boxed Blush in Rouge – a gorgeous reddish pink with subtle gold shimmer. This is the kind of shade that suits me best and I love blushes with a touch of red in them for getting a ‘just in from the cold’ flush. And it’s less than a tenner, score!

Sleek Storm Palette – This is my favourite of all the Sleek palettes. I have a ridiculous amount of eyeshadow and yet I keep coming back to this when I’m rushing to get ready for work. 

Clinique Super balanced Foundation – My skin doesn’t know what’s happening right now. It’s still oily thanks to my two weeks in the sun but the dry patches associated with the colder weather are starting to appear. This foundation works for all areas. This is the lightest shade (Alabaster) and whilst it’s a perfect match for me in the summer it will probably be a touch dark in the winter so I wanted to get as much use out of it while I still can. 

ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner in Golden Olive – less harsh than black, prettier than brown and office friendly. I’ve already made a fair sized dent in this. 

Benefit Browzings – I find this holds my unruly brows in place far better than even my beloved clear mascara so whenever I have time to use this in the morning I do. Also as I recently dyed my hair darker and redder I’ve been doing a stronger brow and loving it.

No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in Pink Crush – I actually got this free in one of their gift with purchase sets. I love the formula which is completely none drying and the sheer deep pink shade is a wearable introduction to a slightly berry lip. I’ve been wearing it under...

 Lippie on the bottom, gloss on the top ^

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Frankly Flirty – I think this has been discontinued unfortunately. I got it at an outlet shop ages ago and haven’t seen it anywhere else. It’s a gorgeous berry shade. In the tube it has micro fine silver glitter but it doesn’t really look shimmery on the lips at all. If you see it snap it up! (Or if it’s not discontinued let me know ;-) 

If you’ve done a monthly favourites post please leave a link in the comments. I love reading them x

*I bought all the above products myself*

Shu Uemura Supreme Shine Lipstick

When I first saw this Shu Uemura picture I gasped! Both the model and the makeup are absolutely stunning, and the lips had me mesmerized. I HAD to own that lipcolor! The Shu site says that the model is wearing Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine Lipstick ($30) in BG935 with OR520 in the center. Despite the torrential downpour today, I had to detour to Bergdorfs to see these lipsticks! They are all lovely in person but at over $32 a pop here (with NYC taxes), I realized I'd have to make do with just one.

Shu describes the Supreme Shines as a "fusion of breakthrough watery dewy shine and rich color payoff. Revolutionary film keeping capsule, ultra shine oil and shu uemura's signature hybrid pigment create a smooth, thick veil on the lips that glides on easily to deliver unforeseen shine and vibrant pure color payoff."

Hyperbolic though that may be, this is one fine lipstick! It's ultraglossy but not at all tacky or gooey, and smooth and moisturizing but isn't nearly as thick in texture as Clinique Buttershines or Stila Shine Lipsticks. This formula really feels unique.

I can't speak for all of the colors, but BG935 is definitely on the sheer side. It's a pretty neutral beige pink with almost holographic microshimmer. It doesn't exactly make my lips look like those of the model's (that would require Photoshop and surgery!), but the color is actually pretty close. Sometimes I'll see a lipstick advertised or credited in a magazine and it appears a completely different shade in person. In this case I actually believe that the color stated is the one used. The OR520 was much more vibrant--a coraly orange--than I'd anticipated based on the image but I can see how tapping it lightly over top would create the exact shade represented.

Compared to Bobbi Brown Baby (which is on the left):

Recent Rediscoveries

This past spring I purchased the Gilded Garden Mosaic Shimmer Bloc ($38) and Tiger Lily Stickgloss ($20) from Laura Mercier's Gilded Garden Collection. I'm not usually a fancy shimmer powder person but this Shimmer Bloc was so pretty I couldn't leave it there. And a peachy pink Stickgloss? Add in the words "limited edition" and my willpower didn't stand a chance. I bought both, wore them once, spent days gazing adoringly at their beauty and hadn't used them since. Until today. It's a dreary, horribly raining day here in New York City--about as far away from a Gilded Garden as can be--and I thought using something pretty might boost my mood. I used the powder over my blush and Stickgloss by itself, no liner or gloss.

Well wouldn't you know, I can't believe how many compliments I received today! How fresh I looked! How nice! how--dare I say--pretty!! Needless to say, both items will be joining my repertoire of regularly used products. And both are still available on lauramercier.com.

Lipsticks I'm Loving Right Now

Yes, I know I just posted about loving my new Berry lips, but at heart (and for everyday) I'll always be a warm nude/peachy pink girl. Here are some of my current favorites.
From left to right:

• Chanel Como Aqualumiere ($28)- this is the perfect warm pink beige shimmer. I believe it may have been limited edition but it's absolutely worth tracking down.
• YSL Sensual Silk #2 Rouge Volupte ($34)- this is a creamy light pinked beige. It is almost too light on it's own so I generally use a lip liner with it, but I love the pale pink (but not mod) mouth it gives. Just soft and pretty.
• Dolce & Gabbana Naked Shine Lipstick ($30)- you can see my review along with more pictures here!
• Bobbi Brown Lip Shimmers in Berry Shimmer and Rosebud Shimmer ($22)- Berry Shimmer is poorly named--it's actually a warm nude with white shimmer while Rosebud Shimmer is a rose-beige with silver shimmer. (Rosebud Shimmer looks nothing like Rose Bud Creamy Lip Color currently featured in the Earth Metal palette). Both are on the sheer side and look fabulous layered over one another. Bobbi discontinued this whole line of lipsticks, but you can still find them at CCOs.
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Baby ($22)- this has been my favorite lipstick for some time. It's shade I can just slap on and go when I don't have the time or inclination to think about what lipstick to wear. Find more pictures and a review here.
  

My Fall/Winter Berry Lips

With full lips and pale white skin, I've never felt comfortable wearing the deep, vampy berries and burgundies that debut each fall. They look fabulous in magazines and on the runway, but walk into a staff meeting with black cherry lips and all of a sudden you'll feel a bit out of place. Or at least I do. With Chantecaille Ceylon Lip Chic ($30), I've finally found a deep berry color I can embrace wearing, whether it's work or play time. Chantecaille describes Lip Chics as a hybrid between a gloss and a lipstick. Packaged in slim, gunmetal lipstick tubes, the product glides on semi-sheerly and feels moisturizing and smooth. Ceylon is a warm browned berry that would flatter many skintones.

Estee Lauder Freebies!

Be proud of me! In an effort to spread the cost of Christmas out so I don’t end up reaching for the credit card come December I did a fair bit of Christmas shopping over the weekend, in Boots of course. I had a very nice surprise when I checked my advantage card balance afterwards. Almost £60 worth of points! (Saved up over time with the help of lots of vouchers). Hmm... new foundation!

Funny story – even though I recently had 2 weeks in a tropical paradise Chanel still don’t make a foundation pale enough for me. Even the Tango lady herself at the counter said they looked too orange. Undeterred I took my pasty pale arse over to Estee Lauder where a reassuringly porcelain girl was working. One bottle of Double Wear Light (in Ecru if you’re wondering) and a loose powder later and she informed me that I could pick a free gift. Basically you get a choice of two sets, both the same just with different shades, when you buy two or more items. They all come in this rather nice shiny purple makeup bag:

Inside is a dinky little eyeshadow quad with the coolest opening mechanism ever. You kind of slide then flick it. Fab!

A lipstick creatively named ‘Beige’. I like neutrals but prefer to go a bit darker in the colder months so this is right up my alley. Estee Lauder lipsticks do have a bit of a floral scent so be aware of that if you are sensitive to scents. 

I love this dinky little sample bottle of Pleasure. It’s a lovely fragrance and the teeny little spray pump is both adorable and much less messy than normal sample bottles. 

Aw a baby bottle of Advanced Night Repair serum. I won’t be trying this out until my skin has dried out a bit mid winter. 

The little pack of wipes is, again, super cute and I suspect it will come in very handy for a weekend away some time. 

Double Wear mascara. I’ve tried another EL sample mascara that I can’t for the life of me remember the name of and I did like it so I have high hopes for this one. 

Day Wear Plus with SPF15. Again I think I’ll be waiting until later in the year to try it. 

And the best thing (aside from the adorable miniature packaging)? FREE! I do love a good sample. The fact that I didn’t even pay actual money for the products I needed in order to get this makes it all the sweeter. If you’re an Estee Lauder fan, or you are Christmas shopping for someone who is, then head down to a counter quick! x