Estee Lauder Orange Crush

When it comes to the latest of the Estee Lauder Pure Colour collection it was Pure Love at first sight!

I guess orange isn't everyones idea of a wearable colour especially in eyeshadow form, no matter how refreshing a shade it may be for summer.   I always felt the same ... and as much as I adore an orange lip or a peach cheek, the idea of wearing it on my eyes just seemed obscene.

That's until this week when to my surprise and excitement these 3 new limited edition shades dropped through my post box.  Created by Tom Pecheux for the Derek Lam's Spring 2011 runway show, inspired by 1960's California, Lauder have taken this bold look from the runway to real life with these 3 beautiful products.

Sugar Cube, Orange Crush and Orange Crush Gloss

Pure Colour Eyeshadow in Orange Crush (RRP £16) is an utterly stunning shade of bold, bright orange.  The pigmentation is fantastic, a lighter hand will give a subtle wash of colour that can built upon to create a slightly bolder finish.  With a slightly heavy hand, a vibrant finish can be achieved which is equally as stunning if not a little more daring.  The second shadown in the collection is Sugar Cube a shimmering white that is a fantastic highlight and blends fabulously with Orange Crush.

As above, sugar cube, orange crush and orange crush gloss

The absolute beauty and most wearable of this small but perfectly formed collection is the Pure Colour Gloss in Orange Crush (RRP £16).  This is quite a fiery orange and has a high shine finish, it's lush on the lips and lasts for hours (although its shine does fade) which is a bonus!

The minute I got this I tried to recreate a similar look to the runway creation.  I used a bold line of orange crush on the lashline and blended with sugar cube, taking sugar cube up to under the lashline as a highlight.  I used MAC blacktrack to line the eyes but I think this colour would look equally as good if not fresher without they liner.

Hideous photobooth quality but you get the idea

On the cheeks I stuck with an old favourite NARS Laguna to bronze/contour slightly and for blush,  MAC springsheen which is lovely peach shade and complemented the oranges very well.  I lined my lips lightly with a nude liner before applying Orange Crush gloss.  I'm not sure if Estee Lauder would recommend wearing the bold eye and lips at the same time but it certainly worked for me. 

Even with my red hair which I initially thought would clash with these colours, I could really make this look work and it was something different to the same old neutrals.  It's definitely a gorgeous summer look that can easily be taken into autumn.  It's especially gorgeous for us blue eyed babies out there ... the contrast between the orange and blue just makes your eyes .... POP! (there, i said it!).  Even with pale skin, these shade rocked it... I can only imagine how much more amazing they would look had I been tanned!

Anyway, it seems this collection is so exclusive it is only available at Harvey Nics in London, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh.  I would recommend you try and pick these gorgeous shades up if you can though - they look stunning, apply wonderfully and make a statement as bold or as subtle as you like!

Anyone else brave enough for orange eyeshadow?

x

Clinique Strawberry Fudge

Cliniques latest LE holiday collection, I have to say is pretty sweet.

Almost quite literally.

Strawberrry Fudge palette described as strawberry dipped in chocolate is super pretty with a dusky pink blush and a mixture of pinky shades for the eye including a dark chocolate berry shade for depth and contouring. The palette has a good pigment and is long lasting. The blush is particularly lovely and easy to wear giving a natural looking flush to the cheeks.
This is also a great palette to take your from day to night. Add a bit of depth with the deepest shade and create a soft pink smokey eye.

I thought pink was quite an unusual offering of colours but it works very well and I think Clinique have been really smart releasing it. At this time of year when every other cosmetic brand are showcasing shades of gold, berries and red, Clinique have provided us with a bit of variety.

Pinks for winter are so wearable, soft and pretty on the face. The palette is priced at £25 and I think it is a real winner.

The other stand out product for me is the Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Lip Colour in Strawberry Bliss. This is a gorgeously wearable shade that will probably suit most skin tones. It's just so pretty and feels smooth on the lips. The Lip Smoothie lip colour retails at £13.50.
Have you tried the Strawberry Fudge collection?

What are your thoughts on pink for winter?

x

Estee Lauder's Extravagant Christmas Collection

Tom Pecheux is quite possibly the best thing to happen to Estee Lauder. His pure colour collections are strong, modern and outstanding.

Following on from the Blue Dahlia collection, Estee Lauder now present their dazzling Christmas collection which is just as gorgeous. The collection features 2 palettes - a lip and and an eye palette, 2 lipsticks, 2 lipglosses that compliment the lipstick, 2 nail polishes and a mascara.

Reds, berries and golds feature strongly which is especially fitting for the Christmas season. It perfectly mixes brights with neutrals which gives the ideal palette for creating both subtle and dramatic looks with only a few products.

So, you wanna see?

I was kindly gifted these products for review purposes and hope to do some fotd posts soon using them as it really is a wonderful winter collection.

The first of the 2 palettes is the eye palette 'Extravagant Gold'. There are 5 shades of golds, champagne and browns. Great for a smokey eye or an everyday neutral.
Next is the lip palette with one true red lip colour surrounded by 4 sheer glosses that compliment the red in gold, champagne, berry and an utterly gorgeous coral.
The 2 lip colours are absolutely gorgeous, covered in a gorgeous gold glitter which doesn't transfer onto lips (i almost wish it did). The 2 shades available are Extravagant Ruby and Extravagant Berry. Extravagant Berry is my absolute favourite, it is the perfect balance between goth and glamorous and will definitely be my winter lipstick of choice.

Extravagant Berry

After searching for months for a perfect berry, it lands on my lap out of the blue. Berry lovers, you will definitely want to get your hands on this.

Extravagant Ruby

To compliment the lipstick we have 2 beautiful glosses in star ruby and extravagant plum. I wore star ruby on it's own today and I loved it. A lovely sheer pinky red on it's own, I imagine it will top up Extravagant Ruby lipstick wonderfully.

Star Ruby (L) Extravagant Plum(R)

Finally, I was given one of the nail polishes - 'Extravagant Night'. A glitter infused purple berry shade. What I like about this is that instead of being a gold shimmer, it is actually an infusion of silver sparkle throughout ... like little sparkling stars in a winter nights sky.
I really like this collection, it's sophisticated and modern and gives us just the right mount of sparkle needed for a Christmas promotion. The colours are so versatile that I will be packing them in my suitcase for my winter sun holiday. The gold neutral eye palette and coral in the lip palette will adjust well to lazy days on the beach as much as it fits perfectly into a backdrop of a winter wonderland.

What products do you think are a must from this collection?

Will they make it onto your Christmas list?

x

Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia

Lucky old me has been given a sneak preview of Estee Lauders Autumn 2010 collection, Blue Dahlia, created by Lauder's Creative Makeup Director, Tom Pecheux.

I don't get that excited over new make up collections (sometimes) but I had already seen this gorgeous palette on Lipglossiping and Getlippie's blogs and virtually couldn't wait to get my hands on it. To some it may seem a bit of a boring palette (which is one of 2 palettes in the collection coincidentally) ... but I think it's not only an unusual colour choice but it is daringly sophisticated. I adore navy and teal on the eyes so I was lusting after this one.


Firstly, the packaging. The palette is encased in glamourous gold packaging with the Lauder logo/emblem etched on it. The casing has a mirror on the inside as do the individual Estee Lauder shadow palettes. I think every item of make up should come with a mirror attached, I really do. The only draw back to the packaging is sometimes it can be a bit sticky to open and I do worry that I will crack/break it. The palette. Urgh, in my opinion, it's just gorgeous. The shadows look and feel silky to touch.
Clockwise from top we have
A shimmering teal blue
A gorgeous mink
A smokey navy blue
A sparkly white with flecks of teal glitter
And in the centre there is a matte blackThe sparkling white is really quite something, here is a closer look where you can see the teal sparkles. I would use this to highlight the browbone and inner corner of the eyes or simply to add some sparkle over another colour.

Swatches. This is the colours in the same order as mentioned above. The white needed to be layered quite a bit to get the pigment as shown in the swatch photo but the rest of the shades applied well with good pigmenation. I especially love the teal and mink but I will endeavour to do a face of the day with this palette to show it off on the eyes.

This beautiful palette is available along with the rest of the collection featuring nail colour, glosses and gloss sticks from August 2010, in stores and online at www.esteelauder.com

x

Sleek Cherry Lips ... Oh! and the Graphite Palette too!

I stopped by Superdrug today looking for nothing in particular but ended up at the Sleek stand. Everyone has been going on about the new limited edition Graphite Palette but I hadn't really planned on purchasing as sleek shadows do nothing for me at all. However, once I seen it I thought for only £4 or so it really didn't matter if I ended up disliking it like. You see, the colours are the perfect smokey eye palette so the concept is ideal, the shades are spot on but I have yet to test the quality which for me never seems to sit well on my lids. Anyway, here is the palette - I haven't swatched them or tried them out yet but I am sure you have seen it on everyone else's blogs by now anyway.
What I have been on the lookout for recently is a lovely berry shade of lipstick. Once upon a time I only wore dark berry shades on my lips but since switching to mostly pinks, I find it hard to adjust to seeing myself in darker shades.

I have been determined to get just the right shade but while picking up the Sleek palette I had a look at their True Colours lipsticks... they are only £3.44 (I think?) so again I thought if it doesn't suit it's hardly a loss. I picked up the shade, Cherry. I also picked up what I thought was a darker shade but when I came home it turned out I had 2 of the same Ugh!
The lipstick comes in sleek, black compact packaging which is nice and doesn't look as cheap as it costs. As for the shade itself ... well, I take it as a good sign when my husband arrived home and told me 'Now, that's a red that suits you!' Cheeky so and so!
The lasting ability of this is particularly good - I have had it on since about 5pm, it's now 9.30 and I only touched it up to take a quick photo - other than that it was looking pretty reasonable. Certainly for a product as bargainous as this - I think it's great!

Has anyone else tried Sleek lipstick? What shades do you like?

x

The Body Shop - Thank You!

Last week The Body Shop held a beauty bloggers event in London. I had been invited to this but unfortunately I had already a booked a night at the Edinburgh Festival for my husbands birthday so I couldn't attend.

After catching up with some blogs after it, I thought their new make up collection was worth a look but before I got a chance to go and have a look I was sent a bag of goodies in the post!! I was absolutely wowed by what was sent and have to say a big Thank You to The Body Shop for their generosity! They are well known for being a fantastic, ethical brand and I really feel the girls at the Body Shop are a real credit to the company, it's a lovely personal touch to still be thought of even when you have missed an event.

So on to the goods!
First up is 11, yes 11 lipsticks!! I find it hard to pick lipsticks for myself so when i tried all 11 and they all suited or just the very fact I liked them all was a real surprise! Some of the girls are absolutely lush. So far I am loving numbers 59, 60, 69 and 71. Sorry I do not have the correlating names, I should have done my research before starting this post!
I was also sent this blush in 'Warm Sunset'. It is a mix of bronzey, terracotta shades. You can use the 3 shades seperately but I have applied by just swirling them all together. I absolutely love the warm glow it gives me and it has been a staple in my make up bag this week. It did crack a little on transit but still ok to use.
Then there are these 2 eyeshadow trio's in (from left to right) sundown glow and moonlight lustre. I am yet to try them out to be honest but I love the colours so will hopefully to a little fotd with them at some point soon. Finally, we have these gorgeouse eye pencils. The colours are so bright and vibrant and just quite simply, something a little bit different than your usual browns, blacks and greys. I do love a coloured liner, I usually wear on my waterline to add a little bit of colour to an otherwise neutral eye. From left to right we have; Shimmering Steel, Brilliant Blue, Glowing Amethyst, Vibrant Emerald and Burnished Amber. They are so smooth and velvet-like to apply, I will really enjoying playing with these :)

I was also sent some bodycare items which I have been using since I received and really love so I will blog about them seperately in a future post.

I would definitely recommend the new autumn make up range from The Body Shop, the previous collection wasn't so good for me but this definitely makes me want to go back and repurchase :)

What do you guys think of it? Have you checked it out yet?

MAC Haulage!!

This post must carry a warning!! The pics are of insanely bad quality, the result of having no camera this week and having to make do with my phone camera!

Over the past couple of weeks I have picked up a few things at Mac, both while I was in London and at home.

First up are my Mac blushes. I picked up Dollymix and Ambering Rose. Dollymix on the right is a bright candy pink and Ambering Rose is pretty much what it says on the tin, its a lovely warm Amber Rose.I even got some (crap) swatches
So far the ambering rose has become a bit of a staple for me but I think it suits an autumnul look so it might be pushed to the side to make way for more summery hues.

Next up is eyeshadows. I picked up Graphology, Beauty Marked, Mulch and Soba. Graphology is a matt dark purplish grey shadow and has great pigment. Beauty Marked is a velvet shadow and is a gorgeous colour in the palette, dark purplish red with a glitter effect throughout, I don't rate the pigmentation too much though. Another velvet shadow Mulch is a golden browny bronzy colour and Soba which is a satin is a pale golden brown. So far I have gotten good use of soba and used Mulch for the first time yesterday with All That Glitters, this is a great combo and also recommended by Hele.
Next up is another Hele recommendation. I had decided to bodyswerve the Sugarsweet MSF's until Hele mentioned that she thought I would like refined and should buy it. I did try and resist but being the weak spendaholic I am, I caved in and bought it. And the verdict ..... I love it!! I have been wearing it most days and on nights out I have been really plastering it on for that Barbie sheen effect! Thanks Hele!!Now onto my fave purchases, the lippies!! woo! (from left to right; Lollipop Loving, Impassioned, Lady Danger, Red Russian)

So from the sugarsweet collection I picked up Lollipop Loving. There is a lot of hype around this lipstick and I thought I would love it as it is a light coral colour with gold and green reflex but alas I just don't think this colour is for me. I feel like my mum when I wear it yet it looks so gorgeous on other girls.
Impassioned is from the Colour Ready collection and is described as an amped- fuschia! It certainly is amped-up, its an amazing colour and a real statement lippy. Its not for the faint hearted at all. I imagine it would look great with a tan.
This next lipstick I had wanted for an absolute age! Lady Danger - a bright coral red. I love red lips and usually wear with a clean winged liquid liner. I would wear this look dressed up or casual with leggings and a cool t-shirt, in fact I did last week and it looked great! I seem to suit orangey reds better than bluey reds. (I look like i'm doing an Elvis impersonation with my lip here, lol!!) Last lipstick is Russian Red. Originally i couldn't choose between Lady Danger and Russian Red. Having decided on the Lady Danger, a week later I had to go and pick up RR! This is more of a blue-red and is a lot deeper than the above. This would be suited to a much more formal look in my opinion. I have also been mixing it up with Lady Danger which gives a great effect too.
So there is the bulk of my mac haul. Hope you liked it!

xx

Illamasqua ..... my new obsession!

At long last I have managed to get my hands on some Illamasqua products! I have got myself 2 blushes, 2 eyeshadows, a medium liner pencil and an intense lipgloss. Now I must apologies in advance, I tried my hardest to get good swatch photos but I failed ... again! I just can never get the lighting right!

Firstly, as awkward as they can be in the make up bag, I actually really like the shape of the packaging simply because its a little bit different to other make up brands. Admittedly though it is not the most practical and found I had to use a bigger make up bag to fit the ergonomically challenged blushes in!

These are the 2 blushes. One is a cream blusher the other a powder blusher. The powder blusher on the left is called 'Excite'. Online this looks like a perfect bright coral colour but in real life it is more of a dramatic matte peachy orange colour ... it is almost electric it is so bright and this photo really does not do it justice. It is quite a scary thought to think about wearing this on the cheeks but with a light hand it gives just enough of the colour to give a lovely glow to the skin. This is now out of stock on the online store.

The cream blusher is called 'Lies'. Online it looks like a baby pink, in real life it is pretty similar but warmer than i expected. The consistency is very creamy and almost a little too wet but this actually makes it really easy to apply. I did find I had to layer this to get any kind of colour pay off. It is lovely though and gives a lovely glowy sheen to the face. Rather than use this as a blush I think I will be using this as a highlight or combined with another more pigmented pink blush, using this to help illuminate the face.
On to the eyeshadows. On the left we have 'Trollop' .... love the name! Online this looks like a very pale peach and looks like it would be a nice base colour but in real life I would have described it as a light orange. Not as neutral as I expected it to be. At first, i did wonder how I would use it but have actually found myself reaching for it more often than I thought. I wear this with a neutral eye, I sometimes layer a beige or browny colour over it or combine it with bronzey colours. Either way, it really helps the colour of my eyes to really pop! Orange is opposite blue on the colourwheel so I guess by using it alongside it will intensify the blue. Yay for me!

On the right we have 'Immortal' which looks like a grey-ish white online but is more of a true white in reality. I only have one white eyeshadow which is a rimmel colour... and it is no good so I was on the lookout for another. The Illamasqua one is great, pigmentation is fab and great for highlight or the inner corners of the eye to help illuminate. Both these colours are matte shadows.
Next, we have the intense lipgloss in 'Follow'. Online this looks like a bright electric fuschia but in real life it looks ruby red. However, when on the lips its more a bright pinky red. Either way i love it. I love a dramatic look for night time and this gloss certainly helps achieve this. This gloss is perfect over a lippie or on its own as the colour is so intense and pigmented ... and it lasts ages! It feels lovely and creamy on the lips almost as if it moisturises at the same time. It is glossy without being sticky which is great on a windy day ... can't stand it when my hair sticks to my gloss ..eurgh!
Lastly, we have the medium pencil eyeliner in 'Erratic' ... basically black. This has now replaced Urban Decay 24/7 liner in zero for me. Where UD is soft and creamy, the medium pencil has the same attributes and colour pay off but with more control when using the pencil. I sometimes find things get a little messy with UD 24/7, not so with the medium pencil.

So there you have my Illamasqua haul ... I am hoping there will be many more to come as it will be at a store near me very soon! Whoop Whoop!! Next on my list will be the Rich foundation, more of the blushes and glosses - the colours just look amazing .... and also some of the nail colours, after seeing how gorgeous Mizzworthys nails looked at the Body Shop event ... i'm sold!

So back to work tomorrow, need to go get organised ... Hope you have all had a lovely Easter weekend with lots of chocolate eggs and goodies! xx

Sugarsweet and more shimmer cubes

I had lots of blog posts planned for last night and tonight but I have been busy, busy, busy so thought I would quickly show you my look for yesterday.

First of all ... Sugarsweet ... my plan was to buy lollipop loving and refined MSF. I only bought lollipop loving. The MSF just seemed a little too pale so i left it behind. In the tube lollipop loving looks so gorgeous with little reflects of gold and green but to be honest, I think i kind of look like someone's gran with it on! Maybe, i will get used to it or find other colours that go better with it.

For yesterdays look, I decided to go a little girly and used another of my Body Shop gifts ... Shimmer Cube Palette 18. These are all pastel like colours which i usually steer clear from as I really don't think they suit me. I usually go for neutrals, greys, blacks or bold jewel like tones.

(terrible ... no, awful picture I know but it was a cam phone effort ..sorry)
FACE
Prescriptives mineral foundation
Nars Laguna
Mac Dollymix
Body Shop Shimmer wave to highlight
EYES
Body Shop Shimmer cube in palette 18
2. Precious pink all over lid
4. Silver sparkle in the crease
1. Pearly white on the brow bone
3. Green shimmer underneath the eye
Illamasqua Medium pencil in black
YSL Faux Cils mascara
LIPS
Zara lip pencil in Rose
Mac Lollipop Loving

I think it is safe to say these colours aren't very me and don't really compliment my colouring in anyway but it was good to change it up for the day.

I also wore this cute little butterfly clip from H&M... so springlike!
You might notice my hair looking a bit better too - at last! Its all thanks to The Body Shops Olive shampoo and conditioner. It seems to have breathed a bit of life and gloss back into my hair. It did make it a little fluffy however, but I was happy to deal with that as long as it wasn't looking dead like it has done. I have a visit booked for the hair fairy on Saturday though so that should solve my hair crisis for good!!