Glamour Check!

I instagrammed this look ages ago and promised to do a blogpost letting you know what I used.

Tardy, much?

Anyway, i'll cut to the chase ...

It was to be an evening of bar hopping and a quick pub quiz (which we won, hell yeah! Team GB).  I was going for casual attire so I usually go for something a little more glam on the eyes.

Excuse the half stripped walls in the background ...

... and excuse the monkey eyebrows!

EYES: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Ebloui as a base. MAC Woodwinked all over lid with Glamour Check! and Twinks defining outer v and under the eye.  Glamour Check! and Twinks are such similar colours you could easily just use one.  Mac Blacktrack fluidline to add a flick and line the waterline and MUFE Smokey lash to finish off.

CHEEKS:  Benefit Hula to bronze and contour.  Mac Springsheen and Illamasqua unrequited mixed together on cheeks. 

LIPS: Hmm, i'm sorry I actually have no idea - I can't remember.  How rubbish am i?! 

A special shout out to skin.  I used Smashbox Studio Skin which has been likened to Mac studio fix fluid.  I don't find the consistency quite as thick and find the colour range a little better in terms of the lighter foundations. (I sometimes find Mac SFF shades too pink or too yellow).  

A little goes a long way with this foundation and piling it on will leave your face hanging by your knees by the end of the day, it's so heavy!  However, a light application gives just the right medium coverage and is easy to blend.  It looks fresh, flawlwess and lasts all day and night.  The only judgement I have yet to make on it is whether or not it photographs well.  This is always the clincher for me.

Now I am off to work out how to make the best of this blog and possibly come up with a better look and name for it.  I feel like I have grown out of Saskia the Style Fairy ... girl feels like a numpty! Any suggestions, you can let me know :) 

x

Tempting

The make up I chose to wear in yesterdays post was a little bit inspired by the Olsen twins smokey look that they have been rocking for ions.  I toned it down for day wear so it wasn't as deep and intense as some of their more recent dramatic looks.

-Insert ancient but gorgeous photo of Olsen Twins-

- Insert posey in the manky bathroom mirror photo of moi-

I STILL haven't cleaned the mirror! minger.

I used 2 of my very favourite MAC shadows to create the look, Tempting and Twinks.  Tempting is a lovely shade which is very similar to Woodwinked (another favourite) but slightly less intense.  It's a golden bronze with a slight shimmer, super pigmented and is fabulous to use as there is little to no fall out from it!

I started layering products starting with MAC Patina then applied and blended Tempting at the outer corner.  To add some depth I used Twinks, a rusty brown, in the outer v which also really helped 'lift' the look and avoided a flat bronze appearance.

Face: Chanel Pro Lumiere
Cheeks: Benefit Hoola, MAC Sun&Moon
Eyes: MAC Patina, Tempting, Twinks; MAC Smouler liner; Urban Decay Bourbon 24/7 liner;  Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara
Lips: No7 Nude lipliner; Tom Ford Lip colour in Blush Nude; Estee Lauder gloss in Twilight Petal

I really love wearing this kind of smokey eye and it was a welcome return of the nude lip for me.  I was never truly sold on a nude lip but I think having a break from constant images of nude lips on other blogs has made it a nice change to try on myself.

Lots of you have been asking questions about my hair colour so I am just compiling a post to tell you more about it and to show off some of the products I use most on my hair!

x

The iPhone Diaries ...

It has been a struggle to dedicate time to blogging this week, I have been too busy setting up my business website, facebook, twitter, arranging and buying more goodies for  my kit and taking on board all the advice from Sam and Nic after completing the Pixiwoo intensive training.

I am dying to tell you all about it and about my transition to working as a make up artist as it's been on the cards for a long time and something I have actively pursued over the last 10 years but simply hadn't had any formal training or the guts to actually pursue it as a career.

Anyway instead of yabbering on, here's a peek at what I have been getting up to recently through the eyes of my i-phone ...

A bit of chunky bling from Primarni ... I quite liked that it was tacky with a mix of feminine and masculine shapes and material.  Sometimes you have to place tongue firmly in cheek when it comes to accessories.

Airport shopping, on my way home from Norwich I had a bit of a boring wait at Stansted Airport (that was until Danny Dyer ended up on my flight! Schwing!) .  I amused myself at MAC, Mulberry and my favourite but overpriced All Saints.  I was lucky, it was sale time, I picked up a maxi kaftan for my upcoming trip to Morocco :) 

I tried these wedges on in All Saints.  Loved them but didn't purchase.  Regret.

Yoo Moo! Something else Stansted had me hooked on.  I had never had this brand of frozen yoghurt where you fill your cup add some toppings, weigh then pay ... bit like pic'n'mix.  It was delicious and I've been craving it ever since I got home.  Is Yoo Moo available in Glasgow?  If you know, inform me! 

A somewhat shameful purchase.  A 'fake' bag!!!  I feel dirty to even admit it.  But you know, the Celine Boston Tote is somewhere in the region of £2k and it would take me until 2020 to a) save up for it b) justify that gut wrenching cost on a bag.  So, with the help of eBay I picked myself up a real leather version for £50.  Feel free to judge.

Aaah Chanel D'Illusion Ombres.  Everyone is raving about them, me included.  The latest souffle like eye cream/shadow/mousse from Chanel come in an array of metallic shades and are part of their permanent line.  I used some on the Pixiwoo course last week and loved them so picked up Epatant this week.  I did a bit of midnight make up experimenting and I can safely say it is beautiful worn alone (bottom pic) but also does a wicked job of creating a dark, dramatic smokey eye when layered and blended with a darker shade (top pic).  In this case I used MAC blackground.  Think I may go for this smokey look tonight.

In other news, this time next week, I will be flying to Morocco so I need to get myself organised and packed.  I am planning on taking minimal make up but not sure I can kid myself on by trying to downsize on the wardrobe.   I also got my first DSLR this week - the Canon EOS 600D.  I am still learning how to use it but hopefully you will see much better quality images here from now on.

Hope you are all having a fun weekend!!

x

FOTD: Pink Eye

Apologies for hideously bad quality photo booth images but it was the quickest way for me to take photos of my make up yesterday. 

I wanted to go for a soft feminine look so decided to break out all the pinks.  Eyes, lips and cheeks all in tones of soft pink.   Pink is not always the easiest shade to wear on eyes, you can potentially come out looking a little ill or bruised so tone, intensity and contour is quite important.  

This was a daytime look so I was able to keep it soft and subtle avoiding any chance of a heavy handed application.

FACE:  Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B40 Beige - Desert, MAC Select Cover up concealer in NC25

CHEEKS:  Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer in 52 (Just started using this, review will follow!) and New CID i-glow in Coral Crush 

EYES:  Clinique Strawberry Fudge palette, MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, MUFE Smokey Lash mascara

EYEBROWS:  Shavata eyebrow pencil

LIPS:  MAC Pro Longwear lipstick in Love Forever! smudged over lips applied with finger, topped off with Lipstick queen fifteen minutes of fame gloss in 2 minutes

A review on the Bourjois bronzer is coming up soon.  It's the first time I have properly strayed from my holy grail bronzer, Nars Laguna so I really want to let you know my thoughts.  Watch this space!

I kind of miss face of the day posts, I remember back when I started blogging it was one of the most popular type of posts from bloggers.  I quite like kicking it old school sometimes!

Are fotd posts of interest to you?  And what do you think of pink eyes ...?!
x

A haul post ... yes, really!

I haven't done one of these in a long long time.

After tiring of haul posts and feeling a little embarrassed by past haul posts (I mean really, the amount of money I used to waste on pointless products only to be thrown to the back of my make up drawer was ridiculous) -  I tend to stick to posting about products I know and love now or have been sent for review purpose giving honest opinion rather than a declaration of 'I bought this!'

Last week I was in need of some serious cheering up so I popped by my local Chanel counter where I was greeted by fellow blogger Sian.  I had been eager to try the new Vitalumiere Aqua foundation so I let Sian loose on me allowing her to make me over.  It's a well known fact now that I hate having my make up done and I am never happy with it so Sian had a lot to live up to.

Well, our girl pulled through ... not only did she make me feel and look lovely, she had me sold on most of the products although I only walked away with 2.

I had mentioned a while ago that as my skin ages it seems to require a lighter foundation rather than the heavy full coverage I had been used to.  Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua is described as an Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Foundation with an SPF15.  It literally feels as light as a feather on the skin and creates a dewy, radiant finish.  Only a pea sized amount is required but it builds easily if you feel you need a little bit extra (for a night out for instance).  The finished effect is a radiant, fresh, glowing skin ... I don't feel the need to powder so I apply my blush and bronzer directly over it.  I haven't gone without powder in years so this is quite a personal achievement for me.

Sian matched me to B40 Beige which is perfect when I am wearing fake tan but will probably need to invest in a lighter shade for when i'm without.  When I say invest I mean it - £31 for 30ml is a lot of cash to part with but the flawless, light finish is worth it.  A word of warning for oily skin types however, I am not sure the dewy finish will work with oily skin so you may want to steer clear or pick up a sample first.

Sian also tried Chanel Bronze Universal on my skin ... a product I have always toyed with the idea of purchasing but convinced myself i'd hate it.  Well, it was just lovely on, it looked so naturally sunkissed and applied seamlessly over my new foundation.  Instead of opting to buy this, I decided to go for the lip colour Sian used on me.

It was Chanel's Coco Rouge in Camelia - a gorgeous medium warm pink with a slight sheen to it.  My usual lip shades go from nude to peach to orange to bright pink to red to berry.  I had nothing in my collection like Camelia ... a justified purchase don't you think? ;)

I have to say these are probably the best products I have bought in quite a while in terms of getting my money's worth.  I have worn both products nearly every day and I am sure this foundation will become a staple in my make up collection if not my holy grail!

Who else has fallen in love with this foundation?

x

Chanel Rouge Noir Dupe?

My favourite nail colour ever is the cult Chanel polish, Rouge Noir.  I have been wearing it since I was around 15 and for me it beats any other Chanel shade that has ever been released since.  As a teenager I had a poster on the inside of my wardrobe simply of a rouge noir adorned hand cupping a white rose - that's how much I obsessed over this polish.

To be honest I am not a fan of the consistency or quality of Chanel polish.  I find it chips easily and can be a little on the gloopy side, however I can put up with these insignificant details when it comes to achieving this delectable hue.

I don't like the price of Chanel nail polish so I am always after a cheaper alternative.  Lots of brands have tried to emulate the red based black of rouge noir for many years but none have managed to get that exact shade of dried blood that inspired the cult classic. Either too red or too purple, sometime just too black.

After repeated disappointment I stopped actively seeking out a dupe many moons ago and stayed faithful to my pricey Chanel.  However, a few nights ago I was rooting through my jungle of nail colour when I stumbled across this shade from drugstore brand N.Y.C.  I had completely forgotten I owned this colour ... obviously purchased then somehow lost it in the plethora of colours in my hidey hole. 

N.Y.C in Lincoln Center is pretty much an exact match for rouge noir.  You can see how similar they are sitting side by side in the bottle and even on the nails, to the untrained eye they are the same polish. 

Differences I notice on application is that N.Y.C formulation is thinner and a little runny.  It takes 2 coats to get the opaque gorgeousness of rouge noir but I went the extra mile and put a 3rd coat on.  I have not had even a hint of a chip and best of all, this polish seems to make my nails feel really hard and strong.  Something my nails are definitely not.  It dries super fast hence the name 'Quick Dry Nail Polish' ... promising to dry 'in a New York minute'.

On the other hand Chanel is a lot thicker to the point of gloopiness.  You can get away with one coat but I usually apply 2.  It isn't the quickest drying and also stays tacky for a while after, which i put down to the thick consistency.  As mentioned before, chipping comes thick and fast sometimes after just a few hours.

Chanel bottom, NYC top

 So how does this measure up price wise?

Chanel £17

N.Y.C £2.59

Ah this is a no brainer for me.  Despite being in love with Chanel on a whole even I can't justify the price against with the dissatisfaction of the products performance when I can get the colour I love so much for a fraction of the cost.

Even if rouge noir isn't your thing, I would definitely recommend you try an N.Y.C polish.  I will certainly be investigating the rest of their colour spectrum and at such a bargain price I can afford to pick up a few at the same time :)

x

Body Art by Chanel ... ooh la la!

Today, this overwhelming urge to get a tattoo hit me!

I have had this urge before - 8 years ago. At the time, I was living in America where everyone seemed to sport the most amazing and creative body art.

By nature, I'm pretty squeamish (read: Drama Queen) so in the end I did chicken out of the tattoo idea and opted for a naval piercing (another thing everyone seemed to have at the time), which was probably more painful than a tattoo seeing as the girl messed it up - I pierced 3/4 of the way into my belly button meaning that after 9months of constant infection I had to finally get rid of it! :( TMI?

Anyway, I have been pretty happy with my blank canvas until this past week when all I have done is think about all the pretty things I could have tattooed to my body! Anyway, while looking for designs, I came across this for Spring/Summer 2010:

Les Trompe L’Oeil de CHANEL Temporary Skin Art

This book of temporary tattoos (don't worry they are not of the lick your skin then dib dab on variety) is limited edition and is $75 for 55 designs. I guess that's not that bad then?!

The designs are based on temporary tattoos used in the Paris runway show, designed by Global Creative Director Peter Philips.
I do love the chain detailing of these designs but think I would give the Chanel logo a miss! However, I don't think I would like to stretch to $75 for a temporary tattoo, even if there is 55 designs to choose from.

Pretty though, and some nice inspiration :)

x

NOTD - OPI Midnight in Moscow

When I was 13 I had my first manicure and requested my nails should be painted in Chanel 'Rouge Noir'. I was obsessed with Rouge Noir nails to the point of having pictures plastered over my wardrobe of hands painted in Chanel! Years later when I was 16 I managed to get my hands on the real deal and since then I have bought practically every vampish nail polish I come across. A deep berry red or darker than blood red is my all time favourite nail colour.

Anyway this takes me onto a purchase I made while on holiday. I came across a shop selling OPI and they happened to have the Russian Collection which is quite possibly one of my favourites of the OPI's. The shade that really stood out to me was Midnight in Moscow.It is pretty much a black with red shimmer so it is very vamp - absolutely gorgeous. It is very similar to MACs Baby Goth Girl but a more grown up version without the gold chunks! The only drawback to this polish is that it takes at least 3 coats to create the desired effect. Anything less and the colour just looks black and dirty - the 3rd coat is essential.

What are your favourite vamp shades?

x

Cupcake Heaven!

You might remember a while ago I posted some pics of some designer junk food?? Well, here is an even more scrumptious version of our designer labels .... CUPCAKES!! I am literally salivating over these pics, my sweet tooth will certainly not help me fit into anything tho!I think i would find it hard to choose if faced with this selection but so far loving the Ageny Provacateur with its boobie-esque cakes and matching nipple tassles lol ;)

Which one would you pick?

x

Lily for Chanel

I'm sorry, I realise this must be getting boring seeing a pic of Lily pop up every few posts but this time I don't know if it's my obsession with Lily or my obsession with Chanel that has prompted the post! Probably both.

Lily was modelling the new Cocoon collection for Chanel. Apparantly Karl Lagerfield snapped these photos himself ... anyway, the padded bag in any form is one of my favourite styles. I don't have a Chanel yet but I do have a Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga Matelasse bags so I am getting there - slowly but surely.... one day, one day!
This image screams Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffany's - one of my favourite films! I'd love this bag but I can imagine the horrendous copies we are going to see on the high street already!

As per usual Lily looks fabulous!

x

FOTD - Liquid Metals

Here is a quick face of the day/night. I realise I look like an extra from Fame in these photos and I make no apology for it.... don't laugh, ok?! ;p
Looking back at past FOTD they all seem to turn out similar to this ... i am not sure why as it really isn't a look I do all that often. My everyday look is very plain with winged liner and big lashes so it's a bit of a treat to use eyeshadow or any colour on my eyes these days.Products used:
FACE
ME ME ME Liquid Mineral Foundation mixed with Mac Lustre drops
Mac Select cover up in NW20
Barry M Natural Dazzle to contour and Nars Laguna to Bronze
Mac MSF Redhead to highlight
Nars Orgasm
EYES
Sleek Storm Palette - Champagne shade all up to brow bone as highlight; golden bronze on lid and rich bronze brown to contour
Illamasqua liquid metal solstice on inner corner of eye and Enrapture on outer corner blended out
Chanel Exceptionelle Mascara
LIPS
Mac Oak Lipliner
Barry M 136 Lip paint
Barry M nude gloss (don't have shade to hand - think it is No.3)Posey Poserson Alert!! A bit of vacant gazing never goes amiss on a beauty blog ;P!

So what do you think of this look? Is it just too similar to my usual looks?

x

Illamasqua goody bag

So in my last post I mentioned the goody bag the lovely Joanna from Illamasqua gave me. Well here is the fantastic booty that was inside...

First up is this amazing lipstick in the shade Perilous ( i think... it has rubbed off slightly). It's a full on bright orange!
Now, I can imagine you looking at this and thinking its a bit wild but in fact its actually really wearable. It will look great with a summer tan but when i was wearing it, I was still pretty pale and it looked pretty cool. It just has a bit more of an edge to it. It can be worn well with both neutrals and brights, I wore it with blue on my eyes and it looked great! I was also given a medium pencil in shade 'Thrash', this is an orange and i think i will line my lips with this the next time I wear this lippy.

Next up is an eyeshadow called 'Roulette', its like a burnished red. Very lovely colour. I have not yet tried this out properly so any tips on how it could be worn would be great. I think it will be lovely on!Volume Mascara in 'Harness was also in the bag. Now, I think some people may be put off this because there is a slight smell of Germolene that comes with it. Fortunately for me I quite like this smell. Obviously once on your lashes you cannot smell this, its only when applying. I've mentioned before, i am very fussy with mascara and so far Chanel Exceptionelle is my ultimate. Now, I do like this mascara but not so much for its volumising properties. I like that it applies smootly to the lash without clumping or reshaping the lash too much. For me, its the perfect mascara to wear in tandem with falsies. I am not sure I could wear it on its own .... but I shall keep on experimenting with it.

I won't show you the nail polish again as it was in my previous post but I do absolutely love it ... and no chipping!!

Thank you Joanna! x

Dry Skin Rescue

For anyone who met me at the Body Shop Event (sorry, feel like we are all going on and on about this ... I will try and make this my last post about it for a while) ... they may have noticed the issues I had with dry skin on my face.

A couple of weeks beforehand, I had an almighty outbreak of spots .... this is totally foreign to me .... I didn't even suffer spots or acne as a teenager so feel very lucky to have got off lightly with that one. I thought my spots were caused by using Chanel Pro Lumiere but this has yet to be confirmed (thinking of giving it another go this week!).

Another week or 2 later after switching my make up, I started to notice the skin on my face becoming really dry. All round my eyes and all over my cheeks and even my chin was so dry it was starting to crack. I was scared to smile as I knew this would crack the skin and it also looked like wrinkles if I did this, so I had a couple of weeks of looking glum ... which is actually quite difficult for me, I'm usually a bit of a happy chappy! I did find out the culprit though, Benefit make up. I had recently purchased Boing and had been using this as concealer under my eyes and on blemishes and had also used some other Benefit products ... forgetting that the reason I stopped using them in the first place was because they dried my skin so badly.

I tried using my husbands very strong eczema cream and also my own little collection of expensive moisturisers, exfoliaters etc but I always looked dirty, caked and just plain BLAH! Well, Thank goodness I went to The Body Shop last week because I came away with quite a few products that seem to have worked wonders for my dry skin.

I've changed up my routine a bit this week and it seems to be doing the trick. At night I am removing my make up with Body Shop Camomile Eye Make Up Remover then using the Vitamin E Wipes all over my face (they feel so soft and a little silky compared to other branded face wipes) ... after that I using my foam wash and tone using a darphin toner. Then I apply Body Shops Vitamin E Facial Oil .. this product is amazing.. a few of the girls have raved about it since Thursday and I can only confirm their satisfaction with this product. When you think it comes in at roughly £15 ... this is only a fraction of the cost of say, a decleor oil and it does the same job if not better.

After the oil, on alternate evenings, I have either been applying Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream (an amazing product for dry skin) or Vitamin C Plus Time Release Capsules. The Vitamin E Cream has a lovely scent and its pink! It feels lovely and soothing on the skin and perfectly compliments the oil which acts as a pre moisturiser. The Vitamin C Capsules are twisted to open then you can apply to your face. The formulation of this feels so rich and silky, it feels like a silk mask is being applied to the face... lush!With this new routine, within 48 hours I noticed a vast improvement to the condition of my skin. It feels much smoother and more hydrated than last week. At last I am able to wear foundation again without it looking scaly.

I will mix this routine up from time to time but will definitely be sticking with the Vitamin E Oil and Vitamin E Intensive moisturising cream.

Chanel Foundations Review

Well calling this a review might be bigging it up a bit too much, its really just a quick overview of the 3 Chanel foundations I have tried or use at the moment. Vita Lumiere is missing from this list but to be honest I am not sure its one i will even try simply because I have heard it gives more of a dewy finish .. and as much as I would love that I tend to find anything that is too dewy just makes me look greasy ... even though i do not suffer from oily skin. So anyway lets move on to the ones I have used

Chanel Pro Lumiere - I have started with this as this is the one I actually purchased (the rest were samples). I bought Pro in cendre/shell but looking back I could have done with purchasing in Clair/Cameo as I am a bit pale at times. However, I have been bronzing this week and the colour is looking absolutely fine. Pro has a lovely rich texture and is neither too thick or runny. I do find however once it is on the skin it can take a bit of working into. So far I have not applied with a brush and finding the application pretty good with just my fingers. So far this is probably the only foundation I have found that gives me a flawless finish with a dewy sheen. It was described to me as medium coverage but not sure I would agree with that i would say it is more full. It is a semi matt foundation but to be honest it does give me quite a dewy finish and that is without the presence of already oily skin so I do feel the need to powder afterwards and for the first few days of wearing it I did have to re-powder quite a lot but now i have managed to work out the right amount of powder in the first place. Apparantly there is a presence of silicone in the formula and has reflectng pigments which really helps give the impression of really smooth surface on the skin. I would definitely recommend this product, even though it can at times seem a bit thick I still use on a daily basis but may start saving to great the flawless effect on glam nights out!

Chanel Matt Lumiere - Ok, so i used a sample of this. A sample lasted me over a week, less is more with this particular foundation. I used it in clair/cameo which was perfect for me. Again I used with my fingers and was so easy to blend and did not require too much effort. Now I have said before that Pro gave a flawless finish but if its possible to be even more flawless then this is the one to do it. To me Matt usually equals dry but there was just the right amount of sheen from this product to keep it looking fresh on my face. I felt i looked really polished using this as my base and was the perfect blank canvas for my face. Where the pro had a dewiness that sometimes required a re-powder, this did not .. it was long lasting and stayed put all day long and looked perfect all day long! I didn't feel overly made up at all but again I may not use this product in Summer as there is a lot of coverage with it. I am definitely going to purchase this foundation and can see it becoming my HG base!

Chanel Teint Innocence - this was another sample and i used it in claire/cameo as per the Matt Lumiere. This was a much lighter consistency and very easy to apply with brush or fingers .. i preferred using my fingers (i was really just too lazy to clean my brushes!!) ... I have freckles on my face and the application of this was sheer enough for them to show through. It was long lasting but didn't give as flawless a base. I do think this is a great purchase for Summer however and will be looking to purchase when the sunny days come in and I want to get the freckled sunny look back on show again!!

Hope this helps anyone looking to purchase Chanel foundations... it is a bit of a ramble as I have my husband beside me pestering me to help him sell something on ebay!!! Never get any peace round here, honestly!! he he ;)

Chanel Pro Lumiere and Revlon Colourstay Combo

So last week after months of hunting for the perfect foundation, I decided on Chanel Pro Lumiere. (Majorly influenced my Pixiwoos wicked tutorials - love love love)

I have worn it quite a bit now but as much as I love it and think it gives great coverage, I believe i was sold the wrong shade. I am quite pale but wear a lot of fake tan. On this basis i was sold a shade that was slightly darker - 1.5 Cendre. Now i didn't really think this was a good idea at the time but i tested it on my skin and thought it was fine in the shop (underneath all the artificial lighting!!! isn't that such a pain!?). However, since then i have felt it just makes my skin look dirty! Flawless ... but dirty! If that sounds possible.

After reading Hele's blog and her trouble with returning products to Chanel I decided against going back and thought i could just use it for nights out when i am tanned to the max ... however, this morning while putting on my make up I noticed that my Revlon Colourstay in Sand Beige was actually very similar to the Pro Lumiere in 1.5 Cendre although the Chanel is a tad darker. So i decided to mix and see what i came up with.

Well, it came out almost perfect in colour .... just the inbetween of the 1.5 Cendre and 1.0 Clair/Cameo that my skin needs when i am tanned! Whoop Whoop! Not only that but the coverage it gave seemed to be a lot smoother and less shiny that the Pro on its own and less dry and matt than the revlon colourstay on its own - fab! Now i would post pics of what it looked like on and the differences of them on their own but I am afraid to say i do still feel a bit shy about this. Not sure why!! Will need to pluck up courage in the future.

I do love Pro Lumiere but sometimes i feel i need to powder my nose so to speak with it on as i seem to look overly shiny at times. However, for my next purchase i think i will go with the Matt Lumiere in 1.0 Clair/Cameo as I tried this as a sample and it left my skin looking flawless and was the perfect base for the rest of my make up. It would be great for wearing to work through the week when i am not always so tanned.

So top tip girls if your foundations aren't quite working like you want them to mix them up with a li'l something else and customise your own!!

The search begins ...... and mini haul!

So after the warm/cool debate ........ i decided for myself i must have a warm skintone and lucky for me the Mac assistant agreed with me when i went in to have a look in store today! yay!
However she did say i should still wear my NC foundation but break it up with NW concealer and powder to set so that i don't end up looking too golden yellow! I still haven't chosen a new foundation yet but i did pick up some Chanel pro lumiere samples and my friend bought YSL perfect touch and it looked great on her! So now i know I am warm toned (sorry but i had been needing confirmation of that for like 2 months before i could move on with my life! lol) i can begin the search for the perfect foundation to give me flawless beautiful skin.

So my little look around the shops turned into a bit of a shopping spree ..... and here is what i got!

• I picked up a cute pair of little purple pumps fromCoast in the sale ..... normally not the kind of thing i would go for but they were so cheap (£16) that i could not leave them in the store!
• Chi Volume Boost and the infamous Chi silk infusion ... this is my second bottle of this in the past month but again its going so cheap in Sally's just now that i would not dare leave it!
  
• RMK eye make up remover ...again another sale item. I have never tried this before but i have just run out of eye make up remover so nice timing!
• YSL Faux cils mascara in black ... love this!
  
• Urban Decay Velvet rope set - i have been hearing about these eyeliners from everywhere at the moment ... they are just so gorgeous and creamy and such a lovely colour selection - so wearable. love love love!
• My beloved Nars Orgasm. Its a kind of peachy pink blush with a gold shimmer going through it ... hmm lush!
• Mac select cover up concealer in NW20 and Mac select sheer pressed powder in NW20 ... i have never tried either of these so i am hoping they work well. I bought the powder because the other night i dropped my studio fix in the toilet while getting ready to go out for the night - whoops!! Hopefully this will be better than studio fix as it could be a bit cakey. I also bought Patina eyeshadow but didn't get a picture of this as i put it in its palette then misplaced it in the house somewhere .... so at the moment i desperately want to try a look with it but can't find it!!! idiot!
  
• Finally, i bought a candle from Nars called Shangri-la .... ooh it smells so gorgeous

So all in all quite a good spree i would say. I have a few other things I am on the look out for when i finally decide on a new foundation .... like Estee Lauders signature palette in 'Amber Honey' ... I've always thought of Estee Lauder as a brand for older woman but i am really drawn to this palette ... has anyone else used or uses Estee Lauder?
What do you think of it?
Rate or slate?!

xx

Too cool for school?!

So .... first post on my blog! wow! Here goes ..........

Since around about Christmas time I have been looking for a new foundation. I normally wear Mac Studio fix fluid in NC25 .... however i find it can be a bit thick ... look patchy after a while ... and tends to make me look a little on the jaundiced side!

So being an NC this would mean i am a cool skin tone, which is exactly what the Mac assistant advised me when i purchased the foundation. (Bear in mind i have been wearing this shade for around 3 or 4 years now). Now, I have red hair, quite a deep auburn in fact. I have blue eyes and very pale skin - in fact i never tan nor even burn but i do have a multitude of freckles! I am rarely seen in my naked ghostliness however as I am a major fake tan addict so i always have a bit of colour about me ...... sorry Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud - i just don't do pale!!

So already i think i am sending mixed messages according to the following chart:

Cool: Eyes are typically blue or grey. Haircolor typically blonde, brown or black. Skin has definite blue and pinkish undertones. Cool-toned people look best in colors such as blue, red, pink and purple, or "gem-tones". Usually look best in silver jewelry. In natural light, the color of the veins on the underside of your wrist are bluish. You can wear a white shirt and it is flattering on you.

Neutral: Eyes may be any color. Hair may be any color. Skin has unspecifiable undertones, such as pink, olive or yellow. Those with neutral coloring can wear just about any color clothing and look good. Can wear gold or silver jewelry (no preference as to which looks better)

Warm: Eyes are typically brown, green or hazel. Haircolor typically brown, black, red, auburn, blonde or strawberry blonde. Skin has yellow/orange or olive undertones. Warm-toned people look best in earthy-toned clothing, such as browns, yellows, oranges, yellowish green and ecru. Look best in gold jewelry. In natural light, the color of the veins on the underside of your wrist are greenish. You are most flattered by an off-white, cream or ecru shirt (i.e. pure white makes you look washed out)

So blue eyes = cool ......BUT .... auburn hair = warm

But to add more confusion ... I suit both autumnul tones(warm) and 'gem-tones'(cool) ..... i get away with gold jewellery (when i have fake tan on) and silver jewellery but suit gold clothing better than silver clothing!!????

I am sooooo confused!!!

All i know is that with my current foundation I don't look as sparkling as i should and can look washed out in photos. I also wear Nars Fiji from time to time but again i am not sure whether that shade is warm or cool. I guess i should ask the assistant next time about that one but i am not sure they ever really get it right either!

This week I am hoping to pick up a new foundation so kinda need to know whether i am aiming for warm or cool tones ... i am looking to pick up one of the following foundations so if anyone can rate or slate then go ahead:

Chanel pro lumiere
Estee Lauder double wear
YSL - can't remember the name but it has its own brush attached

So cool or warm, what is your take on this - does it even really matter?