Finished! October Edition

Over the last month or so I’ve gotten to the bottom of a whole load of products. So many they wouldn’t all fit in the one photo. Is it sad that it fills me with a real sense of pride? Even sadder is the fact that there is a little basket under my desk that I put finished items in till  I’ve taken a photo of them for this blog... and occasionally wave it under hubbies nose to say ‘look I do use all this stuff!’ Anyhoo...

Treseme: Heat Defence Spray: Love this. Leaves my hair super soft and really reduces frizz. I have already repurchased. In fact I believe this was one of the first reviews I ever did!

Garnier Night Cream: I did like this however there is a scent and I think it’s the perfume that stung a little if my skin was feeling particularly sensitive. Most days it was fine though. I won’t be repurchasing simply because I prefer the Simple night cream. 

Carmex: (original): Love this stuff. Have gone through hundreds of these little tubes and no doubt will go through hundreds more. Most of the flavours have SPF but the original doesn’t so this is the one I keep on my bedside table. 

Simple Eye Cream: It was nice and cooling to apply. Again this lacks SPF so because the eye cream that I used at night. I have a few others to try first but I’d be happy to buy this again in future. It probably wouldn’t cut it if you were looking for some heavy duty anti ageing but for my 23 year old skin it was fab. 

Smashbox Lash DNA in Burgundy: Loved the colour but hated the giant wand. Seriously it was bigger than my eyes... IT stank of play dough when I got it and progressively got smellier throughout its life. Needless to say I won’t be repurchasing. 

Blistex: Smells, tastes and feels foul but for severely cracked lips there is no better product. I hate it but I’ll never be without it. It sinks in quickly leaving your lips feeling so much better. This is usually the lip balm I have on my dressing table. I apply it first thing in the morning and by the time I go to apply my lipstick it has totally sunken in. Fab/ horrid. 

No7 Cleanse and Care Eye makeup remover:  Got this as a freebie thankfully. I really didn’t like this. It took loads to remove any makeup and I always still woke up with panda eyes the next day. Would not purchase personally. 

ELF Clarifying Pressed Powder: Honestly for £1.50 I wasn’t expecting greatness and I certainly didn’t get it. Mattified ok but quickly started to look cakey and unnatural. Euch. 

Lancôme Day Cream SPF15: Another gift with purchase. I expected this to be too heavy for my skin but I experienced zero breakouts or irritation. Whilst it is a little heavy for summer for me I may well repurchase during the winter. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Mouse (foundation of Dooooooom): Thankfully I dropped this (by accident I swear) and over half of it fell out. Their lightest shade is, on me, the colour of a Wotsit. I managed to use it up by mixing it with a lot of sunscreen to lighten it. I am not sorry to see the back of this!

L’Oréal Absolute Eye and Lip Makeup Remover: This was ok actually but I’ve used better, cheaper products since so I won’t be repurchasing. Everyday makeup wasn’t a problem but it really struggled with anything waterproof. 

Not a bad month really! X

*I bought the above products myself*

Smashbox Fall Reign 2009 collection bargains

I know, I know. I’m several months late on this one. It’s just Smashbox is rather expensive but I am a sucker for a bargain. This collection is currently on clearance at Debenhams so hurry, if you’re quick you should be able to grab some before it disappears. I got all this for around £35 when it should have been around £70!

First impressions are rather good. The mahogany coloured boxes are lovely if a little convoluted. The charm on the lip gloss is cute and the faux (I’m assuming) leather eye palette with embossed logo is to die for. Here I have the Monarch palette, there was another but I preferred this one. These are three shimmery brown/ bronze colours with matte colours in the centre of each. This is my perfect work palette. I wear these kinds of colours almost every day to work so I know I will get a lot of wear out of it though I haven’t had time to try it out yet so I can’t comment on the formula. The mirror is a good size too. I tried for a good 10 minutes to get a photo of the palette open but whenever I opened it her highness decided she should be reviewing it herself.

What did she think?

‘One finds it quite charming’ her eyes seem to say. ‘And tidy your room’. That’s me told...

I also picked up the lip gloss in Crowned which is a rather sexy peach shade. It seems much more spring/ summer to me than an autumn/ winter colour so I’m actually glad I bought it now. The gloss has a slightly sugary sweet smell to it that I’m not too keen on but the formula is nice. Not too sticky, lasts quite well and the colour payoff is good for a gloss even on my dark lips.


The only let down is the mascara – Lash DNA in plum. Now I love the colour, I even like the formula but there are some major negatives for me. For a start the packaging is quite dull (I’m being spoilt by the lovely Rimmel Sexy Curves at the moment. It reminds me of Cadbury Easter egg wrappers). Then there is the GIANT double helix brush which is too big for my piggy little eyes so it makes application difficult. But the real problem for me is the smell. I opened the tube to the unmistakable scent of...... playdough. I don’t know if I just got a dud tube but it really is quite off putting. I’ll try and wear it a couple of times anyway just because the plum colour looks fab with my very dark eyes and lashes.


All in all a very productive shop and I stand by my verdict that the packaging is very lovely. If you still fancy getting some of this collection then you had better be quick!

Cue final gratuitous cat pic:

Some of My Favorite Face Brushes

I have a lot of brushes. An embarrassing amount, really. Luckily, brushes don't take up much room stored standing upright but it makes it easy to amass a collection. Here are some of my favorite face brushes:

• Bare Escentuals Feather Light Brush- Bare Escentuals brushes may not be the softest and most luxurious brushes out there, but they are a good value and do their jobs well. The Feather Light Brush is sort of like a denser skunk brush is is perfect for applying and buffing in the Bare Escentuals Radiance products, or any other highlighter. The compact size makes it easy to use.
• Bare Escentuals Angled Face Brush- the angle on this brush is cut just perfectly for my face. It applies color on the cheekbones and blush in the perfect spot. It's also not so stiff that it applies color heavily or so soft that it splays all over your face.
• Smashbox Brush 1- this is a very large powder brush and one of the softest brushes I've felt. It's not inexpensive but if you're looking for a high quality powder brush that feels as sofy and silky as can be, this one is a great option. It's much better than comparable brushes from brands of greater prestige.
• Bobbi Brown Face Blender Brush- this is perfect for applying bronzers and Shimmer Bricks. The top is gently rounded and works for so many purposes.
• Sephora Flat Blush Brush 42- I picked this up on a whim one day since I was intrigued by the usual shape and am glad I did. It's perfect for those of us with a small face. Rather than applying product with the top, you use the side of this brush for really great control and precision placement. I use this so often I'm considering picking up another one. It's very well-priced to boot!
  

New at Nordstrom

Nordstrom.com has some interesting new cosmetic items up on their site (in addition to the new huge MAC Spring Collection). Anything look interesting to you?

Trish McEvoy Allover Face Highlighter ($35) in Capri (bronze) and London (champagne)
Laura Mercier Zen Face Palette ($60) has 4 shadows, 4 Lip Glazes and a plum blush.
Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Bronzer ($39) uses the same technology as the Halo foundation and highlighter and makes some pretty interest claims.

Trish McEvoy #37 Bronzer Brush ($68) and M44 Precision Concealer Brush ($25)- how gorgeous is this bronzer brush? The size and shape look perfect and you can tell from the picture it must be soft and luscious! But oy the price!

New Items at Nordstrom and Sephora

We're seeing more and more spring items emerge!

Shiseido Luminizing Lip Gloss ($22) promises to be light, silky, moisturizing and non-sticky with Satin Smooth Pearl and Dual Optimizing Powder. It has a brush applicator and comes in 8 shades.
Shiseido Luminizing Satin Face Color ($30) has the same technology as the gloss but comes in 6 shades to make your cheeks glow.
Smashbox Glambox Beauty in Bloom Kit ($68) is a great value since the products retail for $190. You get 3 shadow/liner trios, Cheek Highlighter, Lip Tech, Lip Enhancing Gloss, Mascara and a fan brush.
Nars Love Thrill Set ($58) contains Orgasm Blush, Sex Machine Lip Pencil and Sexual Healing Lipstick at a discount off of retail. Hmmm...I wonder what message Francois is trying to convey?

Sephora Give Me Some Lip Valentines Day Set ($25) has 7 lip products in pink and red shades from brands like Tarte, Korres, Laura Mercier and Bare Escentuals.

Josie Maran Natural Wonder Powders Palette ($35) offers 5 shadows, 2 blushes and a bronzer all without parabens, sulfate, synthetic fragrances or pthalates.

Sephora by OPI Too Good for Him Nail Color ($9) is clear with purple, red and blue glitter. Pretty!

Tons of Beauty Gift Sets On Sale at Nordstrom.com

For those of you who hesitated in picking up some of this year's holiday beauty offerings when they debuted, you're in luck! Nordstrom.com has marked down a slew of holiday products and gift sets from the likes of Bobbi Brown, Prescriptives, Philosophy, MAC, Jo Malone and more 20-50%! I'm not sure if this sale is going on in store as well (a Nordstrom is the one store we're missing here in NYC) but if you live near one it's probably worth the trek to find out. You can view the full list online but here are some of my picks:

Bobbi Brown Eyes and Cheeks to Go Set (was $60, now $47.90)- this set features 8 shadows and a Pot Rouge in one of Bobbi's new signature customizable palettes. There are also a few gloss sets on sale as well as the Goldstone palette and a brush kit.

Jo Malone Bath Oil Collection (was $85, now $67.90)- 6 mini bottles of Malone's top-selling bath oils in a beautiful gift box. You'll also find a soap set and another gift set on sale.

Smashbox Wish For The Stars Set (was $20, now $14.90)- an amazing price for a kit containing a Soft Lights Highlighter, Lash DNA mascara and Lip Enhancing Gloss in Illume. Best of all, $1 from each purchase is donated to Children's Miracle Network to help sick and injured children.

Smashbox Eye Wish Palette (was $44, now $32.90)- 16 shadows and a mini Phot Finish Lid Primer along with a $1 donation to Children's Miracle Network. There are a few other Smashbox sets as well.

Prescriptives Holiday Warm Eye & Cheek Palette (was $45, now $30.90)- the last Prescriptives holiday collection ever. This palette contains a beautiful mix of shades but is refillable with the line's regular shadows and blushes. Look for several other Prescriptives sets marked down.

MAC Eye Shadow Palette (was $36, now $27.90)- this pretty palette, along with almost every other item from MAC's holiday collection, is 20% off!

Laura Mercier Baked Eye Color Palette (was $48, now $35.90)- this palette has 5 exclusive baked eye shadows and a double ended brush. There are several other Laura Mercier sets on sale including 2 larger color palettes, a brush set, and her signature bath and body products.

Fekkai Golden Shimmer Gelee (was $20, now $9.90)- more than 50% off, this spray provides shine, golden shimmer and hold.

Bare Escentuals Pretty Delicious Eye and Lip Collection (was $36, now $25.90)- 3 shadows and 3 matching 100% Natural glosses.

Bare Escentuals Sweet Obesession Eye Color Collection (was $48, now $35.90)- 9 eye shadows shades, almost all of them new. There are a few other Bare Escentuals kits including skin care on sale.

Philosophy Classic Cookbook Set (was $35, now $25.90)- 6 mouthwatering mini shampoo, bath and shower gels. Mmmm...Spicy Pear Cobbler! There are numerous other Philosophy goodies 25% off as well.

L'Occitane Almond Indulgence Set (was $33, now $25.90)- 8 oz size of the fabulous Almond Shower Oil and mini sizes of the shampoo, conditioner and Repairing Concentrate.