Chanel Venise - the rematch

I finally managed to catch up with the Chanel Venise collection. I was generously gifted the Murano quad by a friend after being unable to purchase it at an unmanned Chanel counter in London, and today I had a proper look at the rest of the counter in John Lewis in Cambridge (where the sales assistant was charming and helpful.) I also picked up a paint pot (cream eyeshadow base) in Delft from MAC to wear underneath the Murano. Although this quad has much better pigmentation than older Chanel quads, the Delft really helps to intensify the cool blue greens.

From left to right MAC Delft paint pot, Chanel Murano eyeshadow quad, Gondola nail polish, Clandestine rouge allure lipstick. Gondola is gorgeous - a deep bright plum with red sparkly shimmer. It's redder and sparklier than NARS Tokaido Express nail polish, for those interested in both. As ever, Chanel nail polishes are a dream to apply - I'm wearing it on my toes right now. Clandestine lipstick looks quite brown in the tube but morphs into a browned plum/rose on my lips, and is very autumnal and flattering. The contrast of the (mostly) warmer lipstick shades in this collection with the very cool and crystalline eyeshadow look is very interesting, and I think it works well. The quad really does remind me of Murano glass.

A couple of blurry pictures of my eye and lips:

Excited about Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise

I know - I'm excited about a lot of things at the moment. Autumn is definitely my season - I love the colours and the clothes and the fact that it's not too hot or too cold. It's also a good season for a fragrance launch - heat ruins many perfumes, and it's in time for winter and the perfume-selling motherload that is Christmas.

I love Jo Malone (you may have already guessed) and I'm very excited about the upcoming (September) launch of the new Vanilla & Anise fragrance. I'll be buying this as soon as it is available; I like Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille but like many SL I do find it quite strong and a little cloying sometimes.

JM Vanilla & Anise is inspired by the blossoming of the rare Madagascan Vanilla Orchid. The component notes are bergamot, neroli and star anise, frangipani, vetiver, white amber, a hint of clover and of course, vanilla.

I think, from the notes, that JM Vanilla & Anise might work well with:

Grapefruit (but then, everything does. Grapefruit is a beautiful combiner.)

Vetyver (this is a clean and clear vetiver; a very wearable spice scent.)

Blue Agava & Cacao (this is a very comforting smell, like skin-but-better. I wore it last winter with Pomegranate Noir and adored it.)

I also think it would do quite well with Pomegranate Noir, but the Pomegranate Noir might be the dominant fragrance in that combination. I can't wait to have a play at the Jo Malone counter, and I'll be interested to see what combinations the brand itself recommends.

Ellis Faas lipsticks - pictures applied on my lips

My Ellis Faas order arrived this morning; I ordered one of each texture in different colours. The tubes are a fantastic design, sleek and innovative, and work with the more liquidy texture of the lipstick extremely well. The products do seem to meld into the lips and don't feel sticky or waxy, and have no scent.

Creamy Lips 101 (Ellis Red)

Glazed Lips 307 (glossy coral)

Milky Lips 205 (nude peachy pink)
I'll need to update on the longevity and wear (I'm wearing 101 today - for me a lipstick line lives or dies by how well its reds perform) but so far I'm incredibly impressed. I'm looking forward to the face/eye colours being launched.

The Zuneta/ELLE/Rouge Bunny Rouge modelling competition is now open

You can vote for the winner in each skin/hair type. I'm particularly interested in Category C (which is my type, although I am a little long in the tooth and short in the leg for the world of modelling.) I've voted for Sonia, who has beautiful eyes and good bone structure.

To vote, enter, or just have a peek, click here.

Excited about Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex

At 30*mumble* I have a kind of reverse Dorian Gray thing going on with my skin. It looks pretty good for my age, but we have pictures around the house from our wedding a decade ago and when Miss London was tiny that are constant reminders that my skin is not quite what it used to be. I am a religious user of serums to hold back the tide as much as I possibly can.

Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair (ANR) is the grande dame of night repair serums. Launched in 1982, it was one of the first specifically targeted night-time repair serums to repair and prevent UV induced damage while you sleep. It's consistently been a top seller for the company since then, and they're now making it even better with an advanced formulation that is patented until 2017.

It helps to support the skin in three ways:

1. Using Chronolux technology to help keep each skin cell's 'clock' ticking at the appropriate speed. As we get older, the skin's natural rejuvenating mechanisms slow down (and don't I know it - my skin used to look like Miss London's once upon a time.) This technology is meant to keep your skin cells working at the biological equivalent of GMT, instead of losing an hour every two days.

2. Providing a top up of the enzyme (AGT) that the skin uses to mop up damaging chemicals before they cause trouble, thus supporting the skin's ability to deal with damaging toxins, and repair existing damage.

3. Hydrates and protects the skin, with hyaluronic acid (a natural skin plumper) and anti-oxidants.

I have a sample that I've been using for a week, and my skin is looking in very good condition especially considering that I've had a lot of late nights, wine and early starts this week (well, I do like to test things out thoroughly.) There's no added fragrance, so it smells lightly of the active ingredients, slightly like ATP mixed with iron tablets for those who remember Biology A-Level. The texture is a light gel and sinks in well without a silicone-y texture. I have not needed to apply moisturiser over it in the hot and humid weather we've been having here recently, although you can if your skin is drier. A product like this is always going to be about long term results rather than instant gratification, but my skin looks clear, fresh and well-rested.

It's priced surprisingly well at £36 for 30ml or £49 for 50ml. Reading about the technology before looking at the price, I expected this to be at the £75+ price point. Estee Lauder is generally very good about giving out samples if you're interested in taking it for a run before putting down the cash. ANR SRC launches in the UK in September.

Pictures from the Zuneta Rouge Bunny Rouge shoot

The model looks gorgeous, but the picture I'm really drooling over is this one of all the eyeshadows. I'm particularly interested in the pinkish shade in the middle of the bottom row.

I am still absolutely loving the RBR stuff I bought. It's been a long week with lots of late nights, and so today's makeup had to be simple but flattering. I'm wearing Delicate Hummingbird (plum/mauve shimmer) buffed on my lid and to line my lower lashes, Vermeer (soft rose pink) on my cheeks and Whim of Mine (creamy raspberry/rose) lipstick. Just 3 products, add concealer and mascara, and I'm done and vaguely human-looking again.

Details of the shoot and full link can be found at the Zuneta blog.

NARS Tokaido Express nailpolish

As promised, here is a slightly messy picture of the NARS Tokaido Express applied. This applied beautifully - the brush is easy to handle and the polish applies smoothly and evenly (picture is with two coats, which gave full coverage.) The colour is a deep purple with red (mostly) and gold (subtle) shimmer, very autumnal and flattering on the fishbelly hands.

Butter London event at the Content shop 05 September

There is a Butter London nailpolish event on at the Content shop (Bulstrode Street, London) on Saturday 05 September, to celebrate the spring/summer colours. If you book ahead and buy two Butter London products (not including Powder Room) you will receive a free nail polish and nail file.

Click here for more details of the event, or phone 020 3075 1006 to book. I've posted a few Butter London pictures, and my favourite is still the happy turquoise Artful Dodger. Miss London has been wearing it all summer. I'm quite tempted by milky lavender Muggins, pictured above.

NARS Autumn/Fall 09, and two other pretty things from Liberty

I was less than successful at purchasing the Chanel Fall collection. Although it is very beautiful, the counter at Boots on Oxford Street was unmanned in the middle of lunchtime and so I stomped off to Liberty to have at look at the new NARS collection instead.

Mekong single eyeshadow is similar to the dark side of Cordura duo, but it's much more pigmented and the shimmer is a more complex rose/gold. I didn't buy this, as I do already own Cordura, but I think it may call to me to go back for another look.

I picked up Brumes eyeshadow (matte charcoal and beautiful blackened blue shimmer) and the Tokaido Express nail polish. I love the name and the colour but honestly, I think Chanel Gondola was a bit prettier (and when I get to Selfridges I will buy it, but I was in a snit and the Liberty MAs were lovely.)

I do have to say that I think Francois has gotten his groove back with this collection - I haven't loved the last two collections, but this one is beautiful. I was even tempted by Fast Ride lipstick, a sheer purple.

I also bought a Lola Rose bracelet and a new makeup bag (you can't see, but the lining of the bag is bright pink satin.) I do love Liberty.

Edward Bess Ultra Luminous eyeshadows

Edward Bess is a young (23) ex-model with chutzpah. A couple of years ago he launched his own line, with a wardrobe of 10 lipsticks and 5 glosses, for a cool $400. Initially, you couldn't buy the lipsticks separately, you had to buy the whole lot.

The line did then start selling the items individually, and branched out with eye shadows and mascaras, then finally bronzers, highlighters and brushes. Today I'm posting about the eyeshadows. I also have a couple of the lipsticks (Midnight Bloom and Night Orchid) but I find them a bit too scented for my liking, although they are nice colours.

I have 4 of the 6 eyeshadows from the line. All are neutrals. Colours pictured from left to right above are:

Intimate - Beige/brown, with subtle gold/pink green shimmer.

Dusk - taupe, but with khaki undertones and gold shimmer.

Mystery - neutral mid/dark brown, good for a daytime smoky eye, subtle shimmer.

Night - pigmented black, no blue undertones, subtle shimmer.

Without exception, all of these are universally flattering and easy to wear. I am generally in a rush in the morning, and I apply one eyeshadow from lash to just above my crease and then add liner. These are perfect for that kind of look. They are nicely pigmented (along the lines of the good NARS shades, like Habanera or Cheyenne) and give a glowy but not shimmery/frosty look to the lid - the texture is quite similar to the semi-matte shades of Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadows. At the moment, the Edward Bess line is only available at Bergdorf in the US, and through the website (linked below.) I have friends in the US who will buy things for me and ship over here in exchange for a reciprocal arrangement, but I think Bergdorf does ship internationally (bet it'd cost you though.) Each eyeshadow is $29 for 2g.

Incidentally, the man himself is very very pretty; there's a picture on the website under 'About Edward Bess' - I don't know if it's the name, but he's much more what I imagined Edward Cullen to look like; Mr Bess has the kind of perfectly symmetrical, angelic face.

Picture below is of Dusk, worn with Guerlain kohl in black.

Excited about Ellis Faas lip colours

My makeup ladies (as Mr London calls them) on Emakemeup never let me down when it comes to discovering interesting niche brands. A lovely 'viner (the Emakemeup beauty chat forum is called the grapevine) has just posted about a gorgeous new lipcolour line by Ellis Faas, who is a Dutch makeup artist. The line is paraben free, and designed to meld into the lips. The colours are all based on colours that naturally occur in humans, and there are plans for other items for eyes and face eventually.

I'm going to be buying the Creamy Lips in 101 Ellis Red (pictured) - who doesn't want Snow White lips? This colour is based on the colour of blood, and I'm hoping it will give me a look similar to that on the redesigned covers of the Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood novels (for those who aren't familiar - it's Twilight with rutting.)

Picture is from the Ellis Faas website, and is of Ellis Red. They ship to the UK at a very reasonable rate.

Suqqu Blend Cheeks duos

The Suqqu Blend Cheeks duos were first introduced in A/W07, with the Moss Monochrome collection. Three duos were released with this collection, then one with Kirari (S/S 08) and one with Kokoroiro-Himeaka (A/W08.) Each duo is £36 for 4.5g.

The only one I don't own is 01, Oshagecha, which is a tan and neutral brown duo. This has been used on me in Suqqu makeovers to contour, but I feel it is a little dark for my pale and neutral skin (Suqqu 10, and see here for my other foundation matches.)

From left to right in the picture above:

02 Fuwaridaidai - neutral highlight, apricot blush.

03 Shanarimomo - very pale pink highlight, baby pink blush. The pink blush has very subtle shimmer in it - it gives my skin a beautiful glow, and is very fresh and flattering on pale skin. I also use this duo with the items I bought from the S/S09 Sakurakage collection.

04 Yanwaricha - pale gold highlight with subtle shimmer, light brown blush. This works really well on my skin for a subtle healthy glow, mostly because it is quite sheer like the rest of the Kirari collection.

05 Kasanebeni - neutral highlight, very sheer neutral blush. The blush in this duo is a balance of pink/peach with a very slight touch of beige. This gives barely any discernable colour, even on my skin, but it works well with the stronger eyes and lips from the A/W08 collection. It is less noticeably peachy than 02 Fuwaridaidai, and gives a much more subtle colour.

These blushes are very flattering and easy to apply, working well with the Blend Lipsticks from the various collections. 04 and 05 are sheerer than 02 and 03, but all are quite easy to work with. I do like that Suqqu decided that it was not necessary to release a different Blend Cheeks with Sakurakage, as, according to the sales assistant, existing duos 03 and 05 work well with the Blend Lipsticks from this collection.

I'm considering writing a similar post on the various Blend Lipsticks I own - would this be useful/interesting to anyone? These vary in sheerness, but are almost universally flattering, and very comfortable to wear.

40% off Ila at Content online

Just enter the coupon code LOVEILA at checkout to get 40% off any Ila products at Content until 31 August 2009.

ILA is a UK organic bath/body range, designed to rebalance, energise and calm your body and mind.

I've just ordered the Bath Salts for cleansing (Himalayan salt crystal based) and Candle for higher energy - I love my Diptyque and Jo Malone candles, and this orange blossom scented candle sounds lovely. I'm now wishing I'd added the Body Balm (first two ingredients argan oil and shea butter.) I mean, think of what I saved!

Suqqu Blend Eyeshadow Quads

The top picture is without flash, bottom is with flash. The top picture is a better colour representation (at least on my computer) but the bottom picture does show the shimmer/sparkle in some of the colours. Both pictures are clickable for larger/clearer view.

I know Suqqu is a brand that is quite difficult to get hold of (it's currently available in Japan, Thailand and Selfridges in the UK.) The colour swatches on the Suqqu website can be quite small and difficult to judge, so I thought it might be helpful to post some product pictures and my descriptions.

If my mother ever comes across this blog; a lot of these were birthday and christmas presents from Mr London. I did not buy them all myself, honest. They were also acquired over a two or so year period. Each quad is £38 for 8g.

From left to right, top row

Souryoku (01): bone, blackened emerald, emerald green with gold sparkle, iridescent pale green.

Gokushi (02): pale pink, deep smoky purple, plum brown with purple sparkle, semi-matte greyed lavender.

Shunboku (04): peach, dark shimmering charcoal, shimmering silver, pale sparkling pink

(All from Moss Monochrome (A/W 07.) The theme/mood of this collection was smokier colourful eyes with soft neutral lips and cheeks in brown/beige/peach/rose shades.)

Touryoku (06): light greyish green, bright grass green with gold sparkle, bamboo green, white sheer sparkle.

Koucha (08): pale beige, deep brown with gold sparkle, shimmery peach, white sheer sparkle

(Both from Kirari (S/S 08.) The theme of this collection was about the sparkle of water over colours - all the colours were designed as if they were being viewed through a layer of clear crystalline water. These are sheerer than the A/W 07 quads, and the cheeks for this collection were a soft bronze with gold iridescent highlighter, and the lips were sheer corals/orange/pink/beige.)

Sakuragi (10) : sheer flesh, dark plum/brown, shimmering heather taupe, iridescent lavender.

(This was from the Sakurakage (S/S 09.) The theme of this collection was the contrast of the sakura blossom against the leaves/bark of the tree, and it introduced the pink contour shadow singles. There was no specific blush released with this collection, but I wear this with the pink toned blend cheeks Shanrimomo (03). The blend lipsticks with this collection were pink toned, echoing the sakura theme.)

Bottom Quad is Hoshikage EX01 - (limited edition from Christmas 08): shimering beige, dark cool brown with lots of iridescent sparkle, mid cool shimmering brown, sparkling sheer gold.

Blogs I like to read

I was tagged for this by the gorgeous Michelle, of Lipstick Rules. If you haven't visited her blog, I would suggest giving it a go; her friendly, funny and kind personality and fabulous taste in lipsticks (and other cosmetics) make it a must-read on my bloglist.

The point of this tag is to list 12 blogs that I read and would recommend to others: my list is as follows:

Visionary Beauty - Replica posts fantastic pictures of the kind of brands I love; her Illamasqua and Rouge Bunny Rouge pictures are a great reference (but a terrible influence, on me at least!)

Maquillage Obscura - as the name suggests, Olivia takes you off the beaten track into the realm of lesser known cosmetics, and particularly the professional lines. She has written some excellent technical (but understandable) posts on brushes and contouring.

British Beauty Blogger - what this beauty professional doesn't know about upcoming releases and fabulous new products and brands isn't worth knowing.

Helen and Sheenie's Nice Things - my first blogging 'buddy' - and still one of my favourite reads. Check this blog out for amazing nail pictures, and irrational fear of cake and mash.

Mizzworthy - nurse by day (and sometimes night, poor thing) but an alter-ego of beauty lover extraordinare. Read her blog for the latest news on Illamasqua (including fun and crazy competitions) and a plethora of other brands scanning the whole range from drugstore to department store.

Product Placement, The Blog - beautifully written, very funny, and I identify with the struggle to try to retain a modicum of glamour (or at least, not total haggardness) while dealing with a newish baby.

Beauty and The Dirt - not technically a blog, more of a total lifestyle website. As well as beauty, fashion and celeb gossip, I particularly enjoy the occasional articles by the guest dominatrix, a career I always thought I might be rather good at, if accountancy hadn't called instead.

Autumn Masquerade - I simply love many of the same brands and items as Autumn Masquerade does, and I really enjoy reading her views and opinions of them. Also, as she is in the US, she tends to get the Western releases before we do in the UK, so I can see what's worth looking at before it is released.

The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself - for great swatches

Makeup Stash for the latest news from Singapore - have a look at the post on the MAC Masterclass for good Style Black swatches.

Too Much Blush for great eye and FOTD looks from Australia.

and last, but by no means least, Cosmetic Candy. This is a blog that quite often makes me laugh out loud, as well as featuring a great mixture of all different kinds of beauty products from all over. There are also cute cat pictures.

Besame lipsticks and glosses at Cult Beauty from September (updated)

Besame make one of my favourite ever red lipsticks - Red Hot Red, which is a bright classic red with just a hint of orange that makes it flattering and wearable on my pale skin.

This is a US line that is aimed squarely at the retro beauty market. There are lots of fabulous red lipsticks and the products all come in vintage looking mini compacts. The lipsticks are tiny - the metallic bullet shaped container is the size of my little finger - but they are intensely pigmented, and the special blend of clay, pigment and moisturising factors mean that you don't need to constantly reapply. They don't bother my dry lips either.

Update: these aren't available here quite yet - I've emailed Cult and Besame lipsticks will be available at Cult Beauty in the UK from September, and I believe they will cost £11 each. In the meantime, you can see the colours at Besamecosmetics.com - look at the Enchanting lipsticks, not the Voluptuous sets.

I'm going to finally buy Carmine, a hot reddish coral that's ever so Grace Kelly. Picture is courtesy of Cult Beauty, and is of Red Hot Red.

My foundation shades

I thought it might be helpful to post what foundation shades I wear in various lines, for reference of my skintone and for people who can't get to a particular counter.

In MAC, I am about a 20 depth, but NC is too yellow and NW is too pink. I'd be an N something - probably N3 or N4, but MAC foundations have never agreed with my skin so I've not hunted down a proper match. I've referenced MAC here only because it tends to be the brand that most people are familiar with their foundation match in.

In Illamasqua I'm 135.

In Suqqu I'm 10. I've also had 15 applied at the counter, and although it looked okay in pictures I felt it was a little dark in real life.

In Bobbi Brown I have been matched to Porcelain and Warm Ivory. Porcelain is a bit Twilight-esque, so I prefer Warm Ivory.

In Chantecaille, I am Ivory.

In SKII Airtouch, I am OP3.

Green People Sun Lotion spf 22

We were really lucky on holiday and got the one week of glorious weather in South East England. Unfortunately, Mr London forgot to pack the Kiehl's sunscreen, and Invisible Zinc is too hard to rub into hairy arms and legs (his, not mine.)

I found this Green People sunscreen in an independent health store in Lewes, and I've also seen it in Waitrose. It costs £16-£17 for 200ml. It is easy to rub in and leaves a matte finish. It protects well; we had some quite intensely sunny days with no burning and only very light tanning (I prefer not to tan.) I didn't use this on my face as I'm currently using the Chantecaille spf 30, but Mr London did and said it felt light and non-bothersome. I didn't notice the prickle that I sometimes get when applying a purely chemical screen, but it didn't have then whitening effect of many purely physical screens, so this is a nice balance of chemical and physical screens, with no scent, no parabens and a high quality plant-derived base formula. In short, it's an excellent sunscreen for sensitive skins that find a purely physical sunscreen hard to apply or too whitening.

Ingredients are:

Aloe, herbal infusions of green tea, olive leaf and echinacea, isoamyl p-methoxycinnamate (chemical sunscreen), sunflower oil, olive oil, titanium dioxide (physical sunscreen) palm oil, cetearyl glucoside (from coconut), beeswax, glycerol stearate (plant derived), green tea extract, carrot seed oil, edelweiss, avocado oil, myrrh resin, rosemary extract, phenoxyethanol, ethyhexylglycerin, citric acid.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Mysterious Tinamou eyeshadow applied

This is a picture of the Mysterious Tinamou applied - click here for a picture of it in the pot.

This is simply patted onto the lid with the MAC 239 brush, and then taken under the eye with a Bobbi Brown flat liner brush. I've applied a little Solstice Halcyon in the crease.

Chanel beauty event at Selfridges with Instyle

Chanel are opening a new make-up studio in Selfridges, London. There is an event on 29 September in partnership with Instyle magazine; call 020 7318 2372 to book - limited spaces.

I'm tempted (the words "national makeup artist" are on a par with "gift with purchase" for sucking me into this kind of event) but I don't think I can wait until the end of September to buy my Venise collection goodies. The magazine does not state whether there is a booking fee, so I would assume there isn't. They're also giving away a lipstick and nail polish as part of the event (no mention of sizes or colours.)

There has always been a Chanel counter in Selfridges, but it has been quite cramped and in the thoroughfare at the front of the beauty hall (near the perfumerie). I hope the new studio has a bit more room in a calmer part of the hall.

Not beauty related, but very good cake at Alfriston

We had a week of glorious weather in Sussex, and even managed a couple of dips in the sea without tears or pneumonia. Among all the castles, priories and yomps across the downs, we also managed to fit in a couple of marvellous cake and tea visits at the very fabulous Badgers Tea House in Alfriston.

All the cakes are freshly made, and very delicious. I loved the gooseberry and elderflower jam and fresh cream filled victoria sponge, Miss London had the Green & Black's chocolate cake (twice) and Mr London enjoyed the lemon drizzle cake. The building, which is 500 years old, was once the village bakery, and there is a beautiful walled garden if the weather is fine. I also liked that the tea is served in proper pots (that don't leak when you pour) with extra hot water in a jar to dilute the second cup. I'd thoroughly recommend it if you are visiting the area - it is well worth a detour, and there's a pleasant walk along the Cuckmere river to walk off the calories (although, if a cake is really very good and freshly made, I believe that the calories do not count.)

(Just for Helen, who does not like cake - they also do really good sausage sandwiches.)

No, no, no Sienna, BYBO!*

There's an article in September's Instyle on Sienna Miller's beauty secrets. I don't know if she has a publicist, or if she's just really rude to journalists, but it does not reflect well on her.

It's one of those, "oh, I never bother with beauty products, don't even take a brush on holiday, I just take toothpaste, deodorant and perfume" articles. (She at least does have the sense to mention the fragrance she's currently promoting.) What's infuriating about this, is this is a woman's magazine, and this type of "Don't you wish your girlfriend was low maintenance like me?" statement is designed purely to appeal to men.

The statement I object most to though, is "I'm not someone who takes hair masks and things, but if a friend had one, I'd be, 'Ooh, can I borrow some?'" No, not with me you couldn't. Pack your own bloody Philip B.

As well as being selfish (I am not your packhorse) this type of 'can't be bothered to get my own, but I'll borrow yours' attitude could really get a girl into trouble if you applied it to other areas of life. Say, relationships....oh.

*bring your bloody own

London Make Up Girl is on holiday

The Londons are going to Sussex for a week and hoping for sunny weather. I'll miss you all, and will be sneaking peeks at your blogs on Mr London's iphone, signal permitting.

Grace

x

I am Content - RMS Beauty

From left to right:

Magnetic cream eyeshadow, Myth cream eyeshadow, Illusive lip2cheek.

I was waiting for Magnetic to come back in stock at Content before placing an order for this and a couple of Dr Alkaitis bits. It came back in on Wednesday, and I was prepared to wait until after my holiday to order, but Content mailed my order out for me first thing on Thursday and I got it this morning (signed for.)

The cream eyeshadows do fade and crease. I don't mind this personally, as they are really easy to reapply with a fingertip. They don't look ugly when they do fade, because the overall effect is quite natural and glowy in any case. I like these for days when it is really hot and sticky, because anything will crease on me on that type of day, and at least these are easy to fix. They are also completely comfy on my dry and tetchy eyelids. You could use a powder eyeshadow over the top to set the cream, but I like the glossy look worn alone.

Magnetic is a light/medium Taupe with neutral shimmer - I'm wearing it today. Myth is a reddish copper with gold shimmer - it's probably the most high fashion of the cream eyeshadows, and it borders on a red. I find it brings out the green in my sludge coloured eyes.

Illusive is gorgeous. It's a natural plum/rose/brown, very similar to Benefit Good to Go lipstick in colour, but the RMS does not make my lips peel off. There is no shimmer and it gives a non-glossy stain to the lips, but does not dry them out. I could upload a (probably out of focus) picture wearing Magnetic and Illusive if anyone would find it useful or interesting.

At £28 each, these products are not inexpensive. They do condition and treat the skin as well as add colour, and I like the ethos of the brand very much - the ingredients are extremely high quality, and none are heated above body temperature in order to preserve the nutrients in them. This would be a good range to try if you react badly to traditional cosmetics. You can read more about the brand at Content.

I can't praise Content highly enough - I've ordered from them four times now, and each time has been a positive experience. They ship quickly and pack intelligently (the stuff is always safe, but not overpackaged and there is no waste) and they include relevant samples in each order. I'm going to try to visit the shop off Marylebone High Street, although I do worry at the damage I'd do to the fripperies fund inside it!

and yet more Rouge Bunny Rouge purchases

Yes, I am somewhat obsessive when I discover a new brand that I love. Late summer is also something of a cosmetic release wasteland, unless you are into MAC, and hence another order with Zuneta. I promise once the Autumn collections hit I will talk about other brands, and I am hoping (if the Post Office obliges) that I will have a Content order tomorrow with a rather lovely RMS cream eyeshadow I can show you.

Pictured are:

Angelic Cockatiels (left) Delicate Hummingbird (right) eyeshadows.

Lola eye khol

Roald lip pencil

Coy gleaming temptations lip gloss

The lip pencil is soft and very pigmented - the same kind of texture as the Armani lip pencils. This stuff does not budge - I had to scrub at my arm after swatching it to get it to remove. This is a pale cool pink, very good for unpigmented lips like mine.

The kohl pencil is beautifully soft and a gorgeous deep brown with shimmer. Very versatile, and a bit softer than a black pencil. The texture does mean it doesn't wear brilliantly on its own and would be best set with a powder eyeshadow over the top. I have only worn it today though, and the weather is dreadfully muggy and close; not many pencils would have stood up to today's humidity.

I'm not usually a lipgloss kind of girl, but this colour intrigued me. It's a sheer warm strawberry with shimmer, and it's the kind of colour that makes lips look plump and healthy. The colour is quite similar to the limited edition Strawberry Blonde lipstick from the MAC Catherine Deneuve collection, which sold out quickly and then changed hands for jaw-dropping amounts on ebay. It's moderately sticky - MAC Lustreglass texture, rather than Lipglass (which are very very sticky.)

I haven't worn Delicate Hummingbird yet, but in the pot it is a very pretty, shimmery plum. I wore Angelic Cockatiels today as a wash over my lid and crease, and this is very flattering - it's a glossy slightly-deeper-than-flesh-toned nude, along the same lines as Stila Kitten or MAC Naked Lunch, but not as frosty as either of those, with more of a metallic gleam than frosty shimmer.

The picture below is of Roald and Coy on my lips. The picture probably reads a bit lighter than real life, but it shows the texture quite well.

Rouge Bunny Rouge is available exclusively at Zuneta in the UK.

Summer Villainesses

The summer Villainess collection is up now at Poshbrats. It's under Villainess, Temporary Insanity (where the seasonal items go.)

I'm particularly interested in the Possets collaboration 'Scent of Angels' in a Smooch! scrub and a Whipped! cream (both are £7 each, for 7oz and 6oz respectively.) This is a vanilla/floral/musk blend, and the notes sound very similar to the excellent Elixir of Heartlessness perfume oil that Possets designed exclusively for the Dreams of Avalon website. At $10 for a 7ml vial this is an absolute bargain, even if the oil application (rub it into your pulse points; I like elbows, wrists and solar plexus) is a little more hassle than a perfume spritzer. (They do ship internationally.) Elixir of Heartlessness is one of those scents that makes you smell nice, without smelling perfume-y. It seems to be particularly attractive to very young men and teenage boys, which is either slightly unnerving (30-something me) or quite fabulous (teenage girls) for the wearer. Mr London liked the smokier Morgan Le Fay better.

I'd also recommend the Killer Treez soap, especially for hands that get very grimy but are easily dried out. I bought some in my last order from Villainess, and it smells amazing, of pine tar loaded with maple syrup.

Post update: Since I posted this, Poshbrats has sold completely out of the Scent of Angels. There is some stock of the Whipped! left at Villainess itself, but that will probably go quickly too.

A few of my favourite things - Chantecaille

Chantecaille is a line that was created and is still owned by a French mother and daughter, Sylvie and Olivia Chantecaille.

This is a very good line with some beautiful textures and colours, but it is expensive (as far as I can remember, this line was the first to push the £20 barrier for eyeshadows and lipsticks, several years ago.) Chantecaille are currently changing their formulas to be paraben-free, which is something else I like about the brand.

Favourite things:

Total concealer in Ivory (palest slightly pink toned shade, about a MAC NW20 equivalent.) You will see from the picture I'm a good way to using this up. It's not as heavy-duty as Bobbi Brown or Becca concealers, but I don't need to set it with powder and it doesn't settle into fine lines around my eyes. I can use it on dark circles and redness around my nose, and to even out minor chin redness. It wouldn't work on real blemishes in my opinion; it's too light and creamy for that.

Blush in Emotion (left) and Mood (right). I prefer Emotion to Mood - it gives me a softer and warmer pink blush. Both of these blushes are very subtle and sheer, and you would find it quite hard to even see them on a skin deeper than BB Sand or a MAC 25 level. There are some brighter shades in the range, which are still quite sheer. The benefit of these blushes is that they are impossible to overcook, if you have a tendency to be heavy-handed with blush.

Super lip sheer in Pegasus (left) and lipstick in Narcissa (right). Pegasus has slightly more plum and brown undertones, Narcissa is a clearer pink. Pegasus is not particularly sheer at all. Unfortunately, Chantecaille lip products are quite scented, but they are very comfy and get along fine with my dry and picky lips. The Narcissa is my new one (yes, I have actually used up a lipstick, admittedly it was bought several years ago); they've recently changed to the sleeker packaging (like the lip chics) from the old packaging (like the Pegasus shown.)

Top row, left to right, all shimmer:

Malachite, Titanium, Granite, Crystal, Rose Gold (new formula), Perle

Bottom row, left to right, all matte:

Agate, Shale, Opal

These are not all in my favourites - I find Titanium very hard to blend and an unflattering shade of grey. Agate barely shows up on my skin at all, and Shale is very subtle too, although I like the effect of Shale for a natural look. The new formulas do seem to be more pigmented and give better colour deposit.

Not so favourite things:

The eyeshadows can be very sheer, as noted above. The blushes are also sheer, and you are not likely to be a fan if you prefer more pigmented blushes like those by Illamasqua or NARS.

The range of colours in the foundations and concealers is narrow. The palest shades are not what I would class as very pale (I'd say I'm fair but not porcelain) and the deepest shades would not work much beyond a Mediterranean skintone. They are releasing a lighter shade, but I am not aware of any plans to cater for darker skintones.

The limited edition palettes - while these are beautiful and I can appreciate the artistry and the technical expertise that must go into them, I personally do not consider it worth spending £90 on an eyeshadow palette because the colours in it have been laser cut into a picture. This is a shame, because I liked the grey and the green colours in the Protected Paradise palette, and would have bought those as singles.

I find the brush on the liquid liner I have fiddly and it does not give an even line. I do like the bronze/gold colour of the actual liner (Crescendo) but I hardly ever use it.

Looking forward to Autumn

The weather in London has been distinctly non-summery recently (I think our summer happened in two weeks in June this year.) I'm consequently looking forward to the Autumn makeup collections. I'm particularly interested in:

Suqqu

The visuals for this don't excite me as much as the previous few collections have - it all looks very brown with no other notes to the colours. However, it is Suqqu, so I will go along and have a look. The contouring shadow duos do look interesting.

NARS

The last couple of collections have disappointed me - Francois needs to step away from the glitter if he wants to woo me back. I am somewhat interested in the Brumes eyeshadow duo (matte dark grey and shimmering charcoal blue, although I'll have to see if this is different enough from the Underworld duo I already own) and the Mekong single (chocolate with rose and gold iridescence, although again, I'll need to compare this to the dark side of the Cordura duo I own.) I'm not looking at the lipstick, Fast Ride (sheer mulberry); although it is a pretty shade, NARS lipsticks suck all the moisture from my lips. The nailpolish in Tokaido Express looks gorgeous, but NARS nailpolishes have been an utter pain to apply in my experience, so I'll be buying the Chanel Gondola instead.

Chanel

The Venise collection is definitely speaking to me. I'll be buying the Gondola nailpolish instead of the NARS Tokaido express. The Murano eyeshadow quad is a definite possibility too, because I love Murano glass, and I like the translation of the idea of it in the quad. As ever, Chanel does some gorgeous red lipsticks, and I will definitely be looking at Clandestine and Captive. These both look like warmer reds from the pictures I've seen, which will be interesting against the cool eyeshadow tones.

Illamasqua

I have no idea what the Autumn collection is going to bring, but I am sure the visuals will be stunning! I am eager to see whether there are any new products coming out, or if the collection will be existing products in new shades. I'd like more shades of the liquid metal (like a verdigris green, and a pewter.)

MAC

I'm not usually a MAC collection person, but I'm quite interested in Style Black - the mineralise eyeshadow with purple streaks, and possibly the Black CCB. I love the look of the sheer black lipgloss with gold shimmer, but I have to remind myself that I hate MAC glosses. I have no idea when this collection is coming out, either here or in the US though (we've only just gotten the new Starflashes, and who can keep up with all the MAC collections?) Makeupstash.com and Toomuchblush both have some good pictures of this collection.

The links are to the Japanese and US websites, respectively (where these collections have already been released.)

Which collections are you most looking forward to for autumn?

I wish they'd bring back....Scott Barnes cosmetics

Scott Barnes is the makeup artist who is most often credited for working with Jennifer Lopez to devise her famous glowy look. In about 2004, he launched his own makeup line, which made its way to the UK via QVCUK.com and then finally into Selfridges in London. He appeared on the QVC shows here himself, and his hours with Alison Young were brilliant and often hilarious - he seemed to be quite scared of her.

In 2008 it was withdrawn from sale in department stores and was just available online. Earlier this year, the line was withdrawn altogether after Scott Barnes' relationship with his investors broke down.

This is a real shame, because there were some great products in the line. Although I couldn't use his foundations (none were a match for my skin) I loved many of his colour products.

Scott is currently writing a beauty book, and if this is successful he may re-launch the line. I really hope he can. Here are a few pictures of my favourite products to whet your appetite, just in case he does re-launch.

Eye Ice pigments in Lame (white gold), Mediterranean Lights (grey/turquoise duochrome), Imperial Gold (old gold), Serpentine (Bronze. This is almost identical in colour to the Chocolate eyeshadow below.) These pigments are beautifully pigmented, but the packaging is impractical because of the very narrow opening - I decant into sample jars and use from there.

Swatch of Mediterranean Lights - my favourite of the pigments:

Eyeshadows from left (Ivory) clockwise: Ivory Coast (matte, yellowish ivory), Cashmere (matte, beige with pink undertones), Bamboo (shimmer, pale yellow green, does not show up easily because it is very pale), Sable (shimmer, medium taupe), Chocolate (shimmer, reddish brown - I find this quite difficult to wear), Urban Legend (shimmer, charcoal with subtle brown undertones). The eyeshadows are soft and easy to apply, and quite well-pigmented.

Samba Chic palette - this gives a gorgeous coral glowy cheek. Provocative lip slick - highly pigmented, creamy, non-shimmer hybrid of gloss and lipstick - I don't find this easy to wear as it is too "nude" a lip for me. If you like very opaque nude lips you would love this. Whisper flossy glossy - v sheer and slightly shimmery coral/tangerine gloss - I find this much easier and more flattering than the lip slick. Sheer lip pencil in See Through pink.

There is still a limited selection of the brand available at the beauty closet, a US site, and there is now quite a good selection (at a discount) on strawberrynet.com.

Because I'm worth it?

I am an avid blog reader, and I see a lot of comments about whether a particular treatment or product is "worth" the money it costs. This isn't new to the global economic downturn - I've been an active member on a couple of beauty message boards since 2004, and this kind of question/comment has often been made when high end cosmetics/treatments are mentioned.

Chanel charges £20+ for a lipstick and £19 for a solo eyeshadow. There's no question that they sell a lot of cosmetics at this price, and can get away with charging that much for them. If they dropped the price, would they sell more lipsticks, while still making a profit on the direct cost of producing that lipstick? Yes, but they might well make less profit overall, because the reduced margin on each product means that they would have to sell many, many more units to meet their fixed overhead costs (advertising, staff, fixed asset costs etc.) (PS Sorry for the boring accountancy talk. It's what I do for the day job.)

I like luxury cosmetics. My love affair began at 16 when my Mum took me to the local Dior counter for my birthday to buy a red lipstick (Etna) and an eyeshadow quint. I started buying them for myself more when I gave up smoking in my early twenties; the money I did not spend on cigarettes got put into a jar and at the end of the month I blew it on pretties, and so my fripperies fund was born.

I benchmark luxury brands I buy against Chanel. I am someone who likes Chanel, and considers it "worth" the money to me - I like the smell and the packaging, and I'll admit it, I like the fussing and the experience at a counter of being able to chat to someone who is (generally speaking) as into makeup as I am. I don't compare them to the price of MAC, because that's comparing apples and pears - if I think that the price of a MAC lipstick is the maximum reasonable cost of a lipstick, I'm never going to think a £20 lipstick is warranted. That's okay, because we all have different value sets, and I am aware that I'm in a lucky position to be able to have a fripperies allowance. Of course, if the experience, the product and the packaging are all worse than MAC, and they are still charging £20, those are some big negative points against the product.

The question inside my head when I'm reviewing a £20 lipstick/gloss is "Should I have just bought a Hydrabase instead?" (Dolce & Gabbana = yes, Rouge Bunny Rouge = no.)

I hope this helps to understand generally where I am coming from when I review products. I do also buy and love some less expensive products - Louise Galvin Natural Locks hair stuff is fab, and the Hei Poa I reviewed recently is pretty reasonable too. On the flip side, there are ranges where I think the cost is just prohibitive for me personally - the Serge Lutens cosmetics line is too rich for my blood at £47 for a lipstick, and I would not buy the Chantecaille special palettes at £90ish (La Baleine, Protected Paradise.) I also baulk at going over £100 for a skincare product, and those are becoming much more prevalent since Creme De La Mer tested the waters of that particular market.

Oh, and about those Hydrabases? - Escapade is a fantastic warm rose. I also love Rouge Noir, the vampy black/red. Don't even get me started on the nail polishes.....