Christopher Drummond Veludo Velvet Foundation and Finale Finishing Powder Review

I've been interested in Christopher Drummond mineral foundation for a while, so I was very pleased to discover that the UK beauty etailer, JustBeautyDirect.co.uk, stock this line. They offered to send me a sample of the Veludo foundation and kindly also included a sample of the Finale finishing powder. (Pictured above, please note these are sample sizes.)

So, here's the bare faced before. You'll notice that I thoughtfully have an extremely red nose from my cold, and I've cultivated a spot on my chin underneath my lip (always happens when I'm ill.)

After applying RMS un cover concealer around my nose and on my dark circles, I brushed on the Christopher Drummond foundation and then the finishing powder. I didn't apply concealer to the spot, because I wanted to see how the Christopher Drummond could handle it, and it did really quite well indeed. I patted the foundation on to the spot with a clean fingertip to cover it. I still look half asleep (I haven't been well, okay?) but my skin is considerably clearer and more even.

And with eyes, lips and cheeks done:

What I like about the Christopher Drummond Veludo and Finale:

The shade Creme is a good colour match for my pale, neutral skin. It's the pinkest/least yellow mineral foundation I've seen. The Finale finishing powder in Branca (white) is also a good match for me. 

It feels comfy and not at all itchy or dry on my skin. 

You can just brush it on - you don't need to buff it into the skin, which is where I think some of the irritation comes from with other mineral makeup lines. 

It doesn't make my skin look weirdly shiny or semi-metallic like Bare Escentuals did. The Bismuth in BE gives my skin a finish somewhat akin to Data from Star Trek. I know that many people love BE, but I personally didn't get on with it. 

I like that you can buy samples to try the range out before you commit to full sizes. Although that isn't unique to this line, it's still a very good feature of a brand sold online. 

What I don't like:

It's impossible to review Christopher Drummond thoroughly for me without talking about the price. For a mineral foundation line, it's bloody expensive. The foundation kit is £50 for an 8g glass jar of foundation, a kabuki brush and a smaller plastic container to decant into for travel. When you take into account the brush is included, the price is comparable with Inika, the only other mineral foundation line I've tried I'd recommend. I hope that JustBeautyDirect eventually stocks the option of buying refills, as offered on the Christopher Drummond US website, because it does seem a bit of a waste to pay for a new brush every time you need a new foundation. After I've finished the samples, I do think I'll buy full sizes of both of these products, and I'll report back to you if I do. 

Disclosure: products were sent to me for consideration for review. I am not affiliated, and receive no remuneration if you click on the link in this post or any other. 

Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer applied

Here's a picture showing the Edward Bess Daydream bronzer applied. I really whacked it on to see if it was possible to overcook it, and I'm happy to report that I didn't have to do the weekly shop looking tango-ed. This is a very forgiving bronzer for pale skins as it applies sheerly and gives a subtle, non-orange warmth to the skin.

I'm wearing Edward Bess Dusk eyeshadow on my eyes, and Tender Love lipstick on my lips.

Edward Bess Midnight Bloom lipstick applied

This is Midnight Bloom, one of the two reds in the Edward Bess lipstick line. The redesign of the Edward Bess website is completely bonkers, as it has no colour swatches on it at all that I can find. I don't know how you are meant to choose colours, particularly as the other retailer in the US, Bergdorf Goodman, does not carry the line on its website. Your best hope is to check out this post on the excellent www.thebeautylookbook.com.

www.thebeautylookbook.com/2009/10/edward-bess-product-swatches.html

Whoever redesigned the website should be made to write 100 lines of 'I must not make it harder to make sales' in HTML or something.

By Terry Crayon Blackstar review

The By Terry Crayon Blackstars are very much an unsung hero in the range. No-one gets excited about eye pencils when there are pretty rose scented shimmery things to look at, which is a shame because these are, in my opinion, some of the best eye pencils on the market.

These pencils have a very slight stickiness to them. They don't smudge, and don't feel odd or heavy when applied, but it does mean that they are a good base if you want to use a loose shimmer powder over them to line your eyes, and they last well on the waterline too, unless you wear contacts. If you wear contacts they still last well on the waterline, but unfortunately the pencil also gloms on to the surface of your contacts when you blink, and is a complete pain to get off them. (My optometrist would like me to add here that no-one should be wearing makeup on their waterline, least of all contact lens wearers. She's a bit of a killjoy though.) The texture is smooth, and easy to apply without tugging the skin. 

The reason why I think the Crayon Blackstars are worth £19 each is that they wear like iron. You've got about 30 seconds to smudge them a bit, and after that, they do not budge. Not even the hottest, most humid day can fade these or make them smear. I can rub the swatches on my hand and they're still perfect. That does mean you need to use a decent makeup remover to take them off though. I love the colours I own too; Noir Velours is a true black, with no shimmer, and Bronze Ebene is a very flattering deep cool bronze with subtle shimmer.

By Terry is available at SpaceNK. Swatches of Bronze Ebene (top) and Noir Velours (bottom.)

Kimiko Beauty eye shadow bento box in Imperial Nights

I was sent this palette by a friend who knows well my love of lesser known brands and a smoky eye. All of the cosmetics in the line include ingredients that can help to hydrate the skin, improving its appearance over time. I haven't used this for long enough to attest to the skincare component, but the shadows do feel comfortable on my dry skin, and the colours are lovely.

The colours are (from top left, clockwise) Lantern (matte beige), Ninja (black with silver sparkle), Sumi (true matte black) and Katana (silver sheen.) Swatches below are in the same order:

Kimiko Beauty products are currently only available at www.kimikobeauty.com (US based) and the bento boxes are $58 each. The sheer lip tint and plumper also looks like a very interesting product.

Wei Beauty launching at SpaceNK

I'm very interested in this new skincare line launching at SpaceNK in February, which I've just been sent a press release on. It is based around the ideas and principles of traditional chinese medicine, which (as I understand it, which is not very deeply) is that it is better to seek to achieve the correct balance in the body, rather than just treat a particular symptom. The theory is that there should be up to three herbal complexes in a treatment:

• the main treatment complex is the main herb or blend of herbs that treats the symptom,
• the assistant treatment complex boosts the efficacy of the main complex, and
• the balancing complex offsets any potential side effects of the treatment complex. 

The force behind the brand, Wei Young, is also the founder of the popular US home shopping skincare brand, Wei East. The press release very specifically states that Wei Beauty is a new, luxury collaboration with SpaceNK for the UK market. The prices over here reflect that, pitching the line at around the Sarah Chapman price point.

The products are sorted into 4 categories; purify (Chi), Energise (Yang), Replenish (Ying) and correct (Zen.)  I like the idea of the Goji Berry Serum (Yang) to brighten the skin, which is £58 for 30ml, the Tibetan Chrysanthemum Eye Treatment Pads (Zen) which are £44 for a set of 10 pairs and the Lychee Thirst Relief Mask (Zen) which is £55 for 75ml. I'm being sent a couple of products to try, so I'll be sure to report back on how I find them. I remember using and loving another chinese medicine based line about 10 years ago that was stocked in Liberty (I can't for the life of me remember the name of it; it had a pearl/marble based exfoliator and the pots were white; chocolate for anyone who can name the brand, because it's bothering me now!)

Wei will be making appearances and giving one-to-one consultations on:

Tuesday 2nd February  4pm-6pm  Duke of York Store (27 Duke of York Square, SW3 4LY t: 020 7730 98410), and

Wednesday 3rd February  3pm-5pm  Westbourne Grove Store (127-131 Westbourne Grove, W2 4UP t: 020 7727 8063.)

Entente Cordiale

I was very pleased to be asked by Chris, the editor at French beauty blog www.30ansenbeaute.com to contribute to a piece on London beauty bloggers, what products we'd recommend in London and what French products we like.

You can read the post here.

Round up of Ellis Faas thoughts so far

With the launch of Ellis Faas in Liberty getting closer (I might have mentioned the line once or twice before) I thought it might be a good time to do a round up of my thoughts, having used the colour products for a bit of time now.

The first thing to say is that this is one of the very few lines that we've actually got a good deal on - the UK is definitely the place to buy Ellis Faas.

A Milky Lips is:
£21 here
€25 in Europe
$35 in US
...and I'm not even going to say how much these cost in Australia. To you Aussies, I weep for you and the prices you get charged for cosmetics generally.

There is a learning curve with the products, and even when you've got the hang of it, it is easy to waste product, particularly if you haven't used an item for a while. Ideally, I think this line would be suited to someone who uses the same products very regularly. I do find particularly with the slanted flocked applicators (creamy lips, blush, milky eyes) that these tend to dispense from one or two of the holes rather than all of them, and can dispense too much at once if I haven't used them for a while. I'm willing to put up with this because I love the colours and the textures, and the eyeshadows and the blush wear incredibly well.

Creamy Lips - liquid lipstick.
Milky Lips - semi-matte, semi-transparent lipstain.
Glazed Lips - gloss.

All of the lip products I have bought have been non-shimmery, but I'd need to check again when the counter launches to absolutely confirm there are no shimmers in the lip ranges.

Creamy Eyes - opaque, matte (but not dry.) Can be blended out, but you need to work relatively quickly. Basic neutral spectrum of colours.
Milky Eyes - sheerer than Creamy Eyes, brighter colours, more of a sheen. Think of these as stained glass, and the Creamy Eyes as smoked glass.

Blush - water based tint which gives a polished sheen to the skin. Ellis Red lipstick is the item that catches the eye, but I suspect Blush S302 will be the item that's a constant sell-out. It's a perfect peachy pink, very flattering.

My previous posts on this line, including swatches and FOTDs, can be found here.

Image is from Ellis Faas website, of Look 3.

Edward Bess face of the day products

This is an effortless face for me that I reach for a lot when I want to look polished but don't want to think too hard about it; Daydream bronzer, Tender Love lipstick and Intimate eyeshadow. It's very simple and very flattering to my eye. I usually steer completely clear of bronzers, but this one suits even my winter pallid complexion - it doesn't make me look tangoed, it just gives a bit of a glow and lift to my skin. There's also a darker shade (Desert Sun) for those who require a deeper bronze.

No pictures of my actual face, as it is still looking ghoulish.

New candle range at Content - Juss

Browsing on the Content website (I'm feeling poorly, I need more rms Beauty in my life) I've just spotted these gorgeous looking new candles. The range has one for each season, and I'm just waiting for the Spring candle to be up before placing an order, because, quite frankly, I've had enough of Winter, thank you.

The larger size, 270g, costs £38, and comes with the lovely gift box and a box of matches.

Image is from www.beingcontent.com.

Beauty and the Cold

As I am suffering from a stinking cold at the moment (kindly donated by Mr London) I thought it might be timely to write a post on the stuff that I use to make me look halfway decent while I am lurgy-laden. I should disclose that 'beauty' is probably pushing it - I turn an attractive grey/green shade when I am ill, and my husband has taken to walking about with his arms outstretched moaning 'braaaains,' when he sees me in the morning. I settle for looking vaguely human at the moment.

For concealer, I am currently infatuated with rms Beauty un cover up. I have enough self-knowledge not to claim that I'll never try another concealer again, but at the moment it feels that way. This is creamy to apply, and blends to a skin-identical finish without the need for powder. It babies the dry skin around my nose and under eyes, and I feel that it has improved the texture of the skin in both those areas, even before the cold hit me.

I don't see a huge difference when I'm healthy, but when I look like an extra from a Romero film, Nubo Voile is worth putting on. It airbrushes and evens out my skin, giving it a bit of a glow, and when I'm poorly I do appreciate the extra moisture. It's also very easy to apply. If you need more coverage, Suqqu Foundation is a whipped creamy texture that doesn't look mask-like, gives medium to full coverage and feels soothing on raw skin.

For eyes, I'd recommend staying away from powders. I find that creamy products are more soothing, and my favourite eyeshadow at the moment is rms Beauty cream eyeshadow in Magnetic, a cool-toned beige taupe shimmer that makes my eyelids look less haggard. If you need something that will resist creasing, then By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock is a good alternative, or try Ellis Faas Creamy eyes or Milky eyes instead. The Creamy eyes is a particularly good choice as it contains caffeine, which helps to de-puff things, and it really doesn't budge even if your eyes are streaming. I tend to forgo mascara, as even sensitive-eye ones tend to run or irritate me with a cold, but I have quite dark lashes. I find if I fill in my brows, my eyes look more defined and finished in any case, and my weapon of choice here is Shu Uemura Hard Brow Pencil in Seal Brown.

For cheeks, again, I try to avoid powders. rms Beauty Lip2Cheek in Rapture gives me the illusion of a healthy flush, and I also like Ellis Faas Blush S302, a peachy pink that feels cooling when applied (lovely on feverish skin. I can never understand how I can run a fever and yet have absolutely no colour in my cheeks at all.)

For lips, I mostly just slather on balm. I've just picked up Dior Balm de Rose, which seems to be keeping chapped lips at bay. My all time top lip balm is Sisley Confort Extreme Nutritive lip balm, which, despite looking like a pretty basic mineral oil/vegetable oil blend seems to perform some kind of magic on my dry lips (and I don't generally like mineral oil at all.) For colour, I either dab on a bit of the rms beauty Lip2Cheek, or use Lipstick Queen Medieval Lip Balm, which adds rosy colour while it conditions.

rms Beauty can be found at www.beingcontent.com
Nubo is available at Harrods.
Suqqu is available at Selfridges London and Birmingham.
By Terry and Lipstick Queen are stocked at SpaceNK.
Ellis Faas is available online at ww.ellisfaas.com, and at Liberty from 01 February.
Shu Uemura is available at Liberty, Selfridges, and from the Shu U shop in Covent Garden.
Dior and Sisley are available at John Lewis and Selfridges, and Dior particularly is available in many department stores.

Cargo Plant Love purchases

From top left, clockwise: eyeshadow in Sparrow, illuminator in Fire, lipstick in Mariska.

Just before Christmas, I placed an order with Puresha using a 20% off code, and finally bought some Cargo Plant Love, an Ecocert approved organic makeup line. I ordered the illuminator in Wind, but as that turned out to be of stock and I'd have to wait anyway, I asked to swap it for the illuminator in Fire that I'd originally wanted.

The palest shade in the Fire illuminator has quite a lot of sparkle in it; if you click on the photo for a close up, you can see it, and this picture was taken without flash. It does give a pretty rosy glow to the skin, but it's useful to be aware of the sparkles when considering it, because I wasn't expecting them when I chose this one, and you can see them on the skin when applied. The texture is similar to the more sparkly MAC MSFs, like Glissade.

Sparrow is a neutral brown matte eyeshadow and is nicely pigmented. It isn't the most exciting eyeshadow in the pan, but it is a useful shade that doesn't look ashy or orange on me.

Mariska lipstick is my favourite of the products I bought; it's a gorgeous creamy toasted almond with slight rose undertones. It's non-scented and completely comfy even on my winter-dry lips. I'd buy more of these lipsticks.

Overall, I think these are lovely products at very accessible prices; the illuminator is £15, the eyeshadow is £11 and the lipstick is £12, which puts them on a par with MAC. I'm not crazy about the packaging; if I'm going retro I'd rather visit the 40s or the 50s than the 60s/70s. I'd recommend this line to someone looking for a paraben-free alternative to mainstream cosmetics that isn't too expensive.

Cargo Plant Love is available at www.Puresha.com. I'm not affiliated, and receive no remuneration if you click on the link in this post or any other.

Dior Spring 2010 nail polish - 604 Silver Pearl

This is the Silver Pearl nail polish from the Christian Dior spring collection.  Coverage is excellent; I could have gotten away with just one coat, the picture is with two.

It's a neutral metallic silver shade; not too blue or yellow. It looks okay on my pale hands; I think it'd be stunning on warmer skintones.

The rest of the Dior Spring collection is very pretty, but didn't grab me particularly hard and I managed to resist it. I find with the Dior quints that two or three of the shades are very similar when applied to my eye, and they have quite a lot of shimmer in them. The spring collection, while beautifully presented with the lace designs on the shadows, was passable to me for this reason.

I did also buy the Creme De Rose lip balm, which I'll use for a while before reviewing properly. First thoughts are good though; it's quite similar to the texture of By Terry, but it doesn't whiten the lips like the By Terry can.

"You're a Doll" tag

I was tagged for this by the very beautiful Helen at www.BeautyScribbler.com. I really enjoy her FOTD posts, and she has similar issues with avoiding mineral oil as I do, so I find her reviews on skincare very useful. She has just posted a lovely FOTD after an Illamasqua makeover that shows brilliantly that some very natural, classic looks can be achieved with that brand.

I have to pick a character from a book or film that I consider I'm most like, and I pick Granny Weatherwax from the Terry Pratchett Discworld series. I'm the exact same height and weight, and I have the same sunny disposition ;)

My favourite Granny Weatherwax quote is this one, from Witches Abroad:

'She didn't say that,' said Nanny. 'She said she wanted to relate to herself.'

'That's what I said,' said Granny Weatherwax. 'I told her: Simplicity Garlick was your mother, Araminta Garlick was your granny. Yolande Garlick is your aunt and you're your... you're your me.'

She sat back with the satisfied look of someone who has solved everything anyone could ever want to know about a person identity crisis.

I tag:

Old Cow from worshipblues.blogspot.com
The Great She Elephant from reallyquiteuseful.blogspot.com
Amy at www.cafemakeup.com
Luce at www.getlippie.com
and
Replica at visionarybeauty.blogspot.com

Edward Bess Tender Love lipstick

My only gripe about the original Edward Bess Ultra Slick lipstick line up was that all the neutrals were extremely warm, and there were no more neutral, rose shades in it. I was delighted when he released three shades in the rose/plum spectrum last autumn. This is Tender Love, a slightly plummy rose.

Wen Cleansing Conditioner

I was sent an 8oz bottle of this in the Fig variant by a US friend. I really don't know whether to thank her or to kick her (I won't kick you when I see you in the summer Mary, honest) because I love the stuff, but it's potentially an absolute pain to get hold of in the UK.

The idea of a cleansing conditioner is that it doesn't dry out the hair or strip out dyed colour as much as shampoo does - it's like using a cleansing cream for your face rather than a foaming cleanser. You can condition-wash with a normal conditioner (something quite simple and low or no silicones tends to work best) but I found the texture of Wen works particularly well; it's a thick gel cream that coats every strand to clean it. You do need to use a lot of it to work; the man behind Wen, Chaz Dean, recommends about 40 pumps for one wash (seriously) and I don't think I used quite that much, but I did use the bottle up in 10 washes (I wash my hair every other day.) I found it does work best if I wet my hair thoroughly and then apply the Wen, give it a bit of a massage, and then leave it on in the shower for a few minutes while I wash etc, then massage again and rinse out thoroughly. This is vital; you do have to rinse out very well. I then put a little bit (20p piece size) through the length and ends of my hair as a leave-in conditioner/styling cream.

So, what do I like about it? 
It leaves my hair feeling very soft and smooth, but not lank (used in the way I describe.) When I ran out and went back to my current shampoo and conditioner (Oribe, which is very good) I did feel that my scalp was drier and the lengths of my hair were less soft.
It's handy only having to use one product to clean, condition and style. (Of course, I use the term 'style' loosely - all I mean by that is some sort of creamy product I can bung in my hair to stop it looking frizzy; I don't blow dry or anything.)

What I don't like about it?
I'd say that my hair definitely feels like it needs a wash at the end of day two (with the Oribe, it still has good volume and doesn't look noticeably like a wash is needed at this point.)  I think that I'd personally find it necessary to do a wash with normal shampoo occasionally with this system.

Here's the kicker:
In the UK, you can only buy this from Guthy-Renker. I have never bought anything from Guthy-Renker, but from the website it appears that they only sell products through 'memberships' where you are automatically sent new kits every 30-90 days, depending on the brand. If you google Guthy-Renker, you find posts of consumers complaining of finding it difficult to cancel their membership, or cancelling and still being charged. This makes me wary of ordering.
It's also £50 for 3 months' supply (2 16oz bottles of the product, which should last just about 3 months on my longer-than-shoulderlength hair.) The kit also includes a styling cream, an intensive hair mask, a texture balm and a comb, and I don't want any of those things, I just want the cleansing conditioner. I can't buy that on its own though.

Conclusion:
I'm torn. I like the product a lot, but I hate (even potential) hassle of any kind. I've emailed QVCUK asking them if they plan to stock it, as it is also sold through QVC in the US. They have no immediate plans to, but have passed my email on to their buying department.

The (Guthy-Renker) website for the product in the UK is www.wenhaircare.co.uk. They don't stock all the variants that the US have (including the Fig) - they stock the Almond Mint and Cucumber Aloe versions only.

For Klara - Ellis Red and Beaute Masochist swatches

Here is a swatch of Ellis Red next to Beaute Masochist, as requested by a regular reader, lovely Klara. Top is Beaute Masochist, bottom is Ellis Red Creamy Lips L101. As you can see, they are extremely similar in both colour and texture; if you are in the UK and you are hankering after the Beaute, Ellis Red would be a very close alternative when the brand launches in Liberty on 01 February.

The Ellis Red is a touch darker and more sanguine to my eye; the Beaute has a touch more orange to it, but they are extremely close, and both very nice reds.

Suqqu Spring 2010 Kisui - promotional picture

The promotional pictures for the Suqqu Spring 2010 collection are now up on the Suqqu Japan website, and the collection looks absolutely beautiful. I can hardly wait for March. (images are from www.suqqu.com)

Nubo Set De Voyage skincare review

Nubo has been a skincare itch of mine since I first read about it when it was launched just before Christmas 2008. It's available exclusively from Harrods, London. The hook of the line is that it is a high-tech, high performance line that is also paraben, SLS and petrochemical free. The Nubo Cell-Dynamic Technology claims to optimise the skin cells' repair mechanisms, so the skin doesn't get 'used' to the products and stop responding to them over time.

If expensive skincare makes you feel queasy, look away now, because this trio of 10ml products costs £100. No, that wasn't a typo, and it's actually a reasonably economical way of trying the line out; the full size Essence costs a staggering £200, and the day cream and night cream are £100 each (the full sizes are 30ml each.) I bought this myself, because I was intrigued by all the very positive write-ups in magazines for it. I sacrificed making some colour purchases in November/December in order to budget for this set, so, the question is, was it worth it?

The Essence is probably my favourite product out of the three; it's a very light fluid texture that's quite similar to Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel. It sinks in well, doesn't feel silicone-y and smells pleasant. (Yes, I like the most expensive product in the line, how typical is that? )

The Day Performance spf 20 cream is a very nice product. It feels rich but light; my skin feels protected but not smothered and it's a good base for makeup.

If you like the texture of Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream, you'd probably like the Nubo Overnight Recharge. It's very rich, and has a lot of lanolin in it, which gives a bit of a greasy after-feel until it absorbs into the skin. I don't particularly enjoy this type of texture, but it does leave my skin feeling nourished and very soft in the morning. I apply this using the rub, pat and press method; rub between fingertips to emulsify, pat onto skin and then press in with fingertips until absorbed. If you dot it onto the skin and then try to massage it in you will tug at your skin.

I've stuck to this routine (with my usual cleanser and Sarah Chapman eye cream) for about 6 weeks now. There's still a fair bit of Overnight Recharge and Essence left (I only use the Essence at night) and I'm nearly out of the Day Performance. My skin is clear and looks bright and well-rested, but I can't honestly say I've noticed a massive difference than with my usual (still expensive, but) less costly skincare routine.  Perhaps if I were to use it for longer I'd be more convinced, but I am not personally prepared to give such a big chunk of my fripperies fund up to skincare in the long term.

If you already use very high end skincare (like Creme De La Mer, La Prairie or Sisley) and you are looking for an alternative that is paraben and petrochemical free without compromising on performance and luxury, Nubo is a good choice for you. Personally, I don't feel like my skin (or life!) will be ruined when I return to my usual Dr Alkaitis/Sarah Chapman Skinesis routine. If it was more along the price lines of those lines, or if money was absolutely no object (darn that lottery for never picking our stupid numbers) I'd repurchase the Essence and the Day Performance spf 20.

I can no longer see the Set De Voyage on the Harrods website, so it may have sold out. I hope that this set will be available again, because it is a good way to try the line, as well as being useful for travel.

Naked Body Care 50% discount offer coming up for Facebook Fans

I've been emailed with details about an offer for Naked Bodycare that I thought some of you might be interested in. Naked is a range that is free of parabens, petrochemicals and SLS, and it's very affordably priced (the body products are around the £5 mark.) I've tried a couple of bits from my local Boots, and I do like the Starflower Body Wash and the Cocoa Butter Body Cream.

Naked will be giving Facebook Fans a 50% off code for their website from 28 January to 14 February. The Facebook page can be found here, and the Naked website is  at www.nakedbodycare.co.uk.

The next 100 people to register as a Facebook Fan and then email nakedcompetition@yahoo.co.uk will also be entered into a draw to win a £50 hamper of Naked products, but, for goodness sake, don't send that email from your work email address if your email is monitored - that address could result in some explaining to do!

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with this company, I receive no payment if you click on the link in this post or any other, and I have not been offered any products or any other incentive for posting this offer. Image is from the company website.

Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color in SV817 andGR712

These are the new Luminizing Satin Eye Color singles from Shiseido, launched in Autumn 2009.
On the left: SV817 Pyrite Crystal (LE, from the Holiday 2009 RichRocks collection), on the right: GR712 Kombu. Both of these shades have shimmer in them, and they're a beautiful soft but rich texture.

Swatches (in the opposite order):

I could have bought more from the eye part of the RichRocks collection; there are also a smoky blue and a rich bronze eyeshadow, a deep metallic green mascara and a green/bronze eyeliner. I wasn't so tempted by the Perfect Rouge in the collection (pale pink.)

The single eyeshadows are quite expensive at £20 each, but you do get 2g in each. I'm looking forward to seeing the new shades in the Spring 2010 collection, and particularly looking forward to the new blushes launching with that collection.

Here's a picture wearing Pyrite Crystal (with Perfect Rouge 514 Dragon on my lips.) It's a great colour to wear with a red lip because it's not too overpowering.

Suqqu Kokoroiro-Himeaka FOTD products

This is a look that I like a lot from the Autumn 2008 Suqqu collection. The theme was 'hidden heart' - based around the red colour of the heart.

From top left, clockwise dual eyeshadow in 01 Koushi, eyeliner creamy in 03 Jet Bordeaux, blend cheeks in 05 Kasabeni and blend lipstick in 14 Kaki.

This is what these products look like applied on me. The eyeshadow is nowhere near as reddish as it looks in the promotional picture; it's more of a slightly burgundy/plum toned neutral shadow. These Blend Lipstick and Blend Cheeks both give a very natural look; the blush particularly is more suited for paler skins in my opinion, and anyone with skin deeper than about a MAC 30 depth probably would find it doesn't show up much, if at all, on them.

The creamy eyeliner is excellent; it stays put all day long, and the retractable brush that comes with it is actually decent (I do use it to apply the eyeliner.) Jet Bordeaux is a blackened plum with very subtle shimmer.

RMS Beauty Rapture Lip2Cheek and Solar Cream Eyeshadow applied

The deep reddish brown Rapture may look a little frightening in the pot, but it's beautifully wearable on the skin. I'm wearing it on my cheeks and lips here, and I love the creamy, but not overly glossy, non-shimmer finish, for a modern take on an 18th century flushed lips and cheek look.

Solar is quite a warm gold, and works well with Rapture for this look; it gives a subtle glossy gold eye. I'm not wearing any mascara, just some eyebrow pencil and RMS Beauty Un-Cover concealer in 11 under my eyes and around my nose.

Win Beaute Masochist weightless lip creme at LipstickRules.com

The gorgeous Michelle at Lipstick Rules is running a competition to give away a Beaute weightless lip creme in Masochist. You can check out the details here.

If you love red lips, it's well worth an entry. I'm not entering, because I already own this gorgeous lip colour; here's my picture wearing it:

Shiseido Spring 2010 Glowing Matte and Tender Sheer lipsticks applied

I was given a lipstick sample card with some of the new Spring colours when I visited the Shiseido counter earlier this week, and I thought it might be useful to post some pictures of the colours applied.

Glowing Matte PK 224, a pale coral pink.

Glowing Matte RD 722 - it's odd to me that this is labelled as a RD, it's more of a PK to me. It's a nude slightly greyed pink to my eye.

Tender Sheer RS 326, a glossy cool rose.

You can definitely see the difference between the two textures. I do love the slightly glossier texture of the Tender Sheer (I will be looking out for the red and the plum in this formulation when it launches over here.) I admire the formulation of the Glowing Matte - it's a semi-transparent matte formula, but it doesn't feel drying, even on my winter dry lips; it has a waxy-silicone feeling, much like a primer for the skin. I don't love the colour of RD722 on me personally, but it'd be brilliant for anyone looking for that matte nude lip look without causing cat-bottom puckered lip dryness.

Green People launch a makeup range

As at launch the line is quite compact - an eyeshadow quad, three lipsticks, concealer, pressed mineral powder and a mascara. I seriously doubt that a single concealer shade is going to work for my skintone, but I'd like to try the eyeshadow and a lipstick.  Their sunscreen was a big hit with the whole London family in the summer.

Image is from the Green People website.

Shiseido Lipstick Red 514 Dragon applied

And on that fateful day
When she was crucified
She wore Shiseido Red

I love this red. The Perfect Rouge formulation is excellent - creamy but not too glossy, so it doesn't feather.  The colour is a clear neutral red, but it isn't too loud (Kevyn Aucoin Poppia is almost too bright for me, for example) This jumps straight into my top 5 red lipsticks.

Extra gingerbread biscuits for you if you can name the singer/songwriter without looking it up. I love her.

Best of 2009 - I forgot Evolve!

Best New Skincare/Bodycare Brand
Evolve.

I tend to like the more expensive stuff, but I was massively impressed by this line, launched in the latter half of 2009. It's paraben/mineral oil/sulphate/artificial colouring/fragrance free. All the products are very reasonably priced from £8.50 for a body wash to £18 for facial moisturisers, which is particularly impressive when you consider the quality of the ingredients used in them (pracaxi oil in a conditioner, argan oil in moisturisers for face and body, acerola extract in a body cream.)

Well worth a look:
Radiance Boost Smoothing Cream for the body, which I recommend to anyone who will listen to me.
Gentle Cleansing Melt, a somewhat strange and intriguing slightly oily-feeling gel cleanser, which I now wish I'd bought instead of the Elemis Rose Cleanser (which smells a little bit artificial to my nose. It's a while since I used any Elemis, and I think I've been spoilt by my Saaf cleanser.)

The website is www.evolvebeauty.co.uk, and the line is also available in John Lewis and at www.beingcontent.com

Spend £40 on Becca, get a free Sheer Lip Tint at BeautyExpert.co.uk while stocks last

The free lip tint is in the shade Laelia, a pretty peachy nude shade. I have a couple of these in other shades, and I love the creamy, hydrating feeling. I find the vanilla fudge scent a little odd (I want to lick them, they smell like Burnt Sugar fudge) but it isn't lingering or bothersome.

I did a post on my favourite things from Becca here. My top picks would be the Pressed Shimmer Powders (they don't clog my pores and the colours and subtle glow are beautiful), the Eye Tints and the Creme Blushes.

You can shop Becca at Beauty Expert here.

Disclaimer - as ever, I am not affiliated, and receive no remuneration if you click on the links in this post or any other on this blog.

Addiction by Ayako Stardust applied

This is a FOTD with Addiction Stardust eyeshadow. Stardust is absolutely beautiful, but like many sparkly shades (e.g. the NARS Night series) you do have to work a bit with it to get the sparkles to stick/show up. Without a base, you'll just get a basic black shadow.  In this shot, I'm wearing it patted over By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Black Pearl, which is a deep charcoal cream eyeshadow with some sparkle in it. This is expensive (£26) but it's my favourite base for a smoky eye; eyeshadows blend over it like butter. I'm very tempted by the Rock shade for my taupes and browns. With a sparkly eyeshadow it does help to make the sparkles stick if you apply it by patting it onto the lid, rather than using a wiping motion.

My lips are naked apart from lipbalm in this shot - this is how anaemic my lips are. I slapped on some Nubo Voile on my skin (to use it up, more than anything) and I think it does make a bit of a difference. I'm also wearing Crush blush from Addiction.

Here's a shot applied over a basic black cream base (Supracolor by Kryolan) so that you can see the sparkles that come from the Stardust alone. It works quite well, but I do prefer it over the By Terry.

New Refined Flow Stretch Mask from Suqqu and counter event

I love Japanese sheet masks - back when I had a social life and used to fly places, I used the SKII facial masks to discourage the person next to me on the plane from talking to me. (Mr London calls them my 'Lecter masks'.)

Suqqu has just launched a new mask as part of their refined flow skincare line, featuring the Active Hyaluronic Acid Complex. As well as covering the face, it has strips that cover the jawline to help enhance the lifting effect. The next time I'm able to visit the counter, I will be buying some of these.

There are special events at the Suqqu counters in London and Birmingham from Thursday 14th January to Sat 23 January where you can experience a Gankin massage and the new mask. There's a booking fee of £30 redeemable against purchase on the day.

One of my resolutions for this year is to give the Gankin massage a proper go at home, as I can feel that I'm holding a lot of tension in my jaw at the moment, and I'm hurtling towards 40 (can I still call myself a girl then?) So I might book myself in for an appointment and actually pay attention instead of snoozing off like I usually do.

Telephone numbers for:
Suqqu, Selfridges London 0207 318 3538
Suqqu, Selfridges Birmingham 0121 600 6816

Image is courtesy of www.Suqqu.com.

Best of 2009

I know I'm late, but life sort of got in the way at the very end of 2009, so I'm doing it now. These are my personal 'best ofs' from the products, brands and websites I've used in 2009.

Best etailers
www.Beingcontent.com
www.Zuneta.com
www.beautyexpert.co.uk

Honourable mentions in this category
www.HJManicure.com , www.BeautyBay.com , www.Beautyshed.co.uk for Nubar

Best Skincare
Dr Alkaitis (organic, raw skincare)
Sarah Chapman

Best New Cosmetic Brands
Rouge Bunny Rouge
Ellis Faas
RMS Beauty

Best Collections
Chanel Venise (Autumn 2009)
Suqqu Marotsuya (Autumn/Winter 2009)
Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball

Best Haircare
Oribe

Best Perfume
Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir
Jo Malone Vanilla Anise

Best nail polishes
Nubar Peacock Feathers
Nubar Chocolate Coffee Bean
HJ Manicure Twinkle

The picture at the top of this post is of a Butterfly that visited our garden this Summer. It's not terribly relevant to the post (Butterfly Ball, perhaps?) but it is pretty.

Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball in Sigh

A very kind US friend sent me the QVC US exclusive Lipstick Queen set, containing Medieval Liptint, Saint Pink lipstick and this Butterfly Ball in Sigh, which is exclusive to the set. Isn't Sigh lovely? It's a beautiful rose shade, a bit deeper than Trance, but not as dark as the plum Goodbye. It's more muted/rose and not as bright as Fly (which I don't own, but I have swatched.)

Of the three that I own, of course, the most difficult one to get hold of (Sigh) is my favourite :) The closest shade to it in the regular line up is probably Trance. I am enjoying the Butterfly Ball formulation very much; it's more moisturising than the Saints, and is lovely for the horribly cold weather we are having.

Swatches of (left to right) Trance, Sigh, Goodbye

Tagged - Getting to Know You

I was tagged for this by Amy at www.CafeMakeup.com - this is a great blog with clear pictures and interesting stories/posts. I loved reading about her trip to the Guerlain Headquarters in Paris in the summer of 2006 to hunt down the fabled Divinora 480 (the nude lipstick that Angelina Jolie was reputed to wear.)

Without further ado, my seven facts:

1. My real name is Lydia. My nickname, which I write under on this blog, comes from my awkwardness as a child. 
2. I have had stitches twice, but have never had to have a bone set (I've cracked my nose a few times, but never badly enough to have it reset.) 
3. I love red lipsticks. Orange reds or blood red for preference, but I love the whole spectrum from brick to scarlet. I think Ellis Red by Ellis Faas is one of the best things to happen to red lipsticks since Julie Hewett and Besame. 
4. I have an embarrassing fondness for David Essex (I blame my mother for playing his music too much when I was at an impressionable age.) 
5. I particularly love Japanese makeup lines; the lipsticks don't dry out my lips, and the eyeshadows and blushes are more finely milled in my opinion with beautiful finishes.
6. I would love to visit Japan one day, but I think I'd need to go with a completely empty suitcase to hold all the shopping :) 
7. I  prefer smaller perfume/scent houses. I do still have a great fondness for the Jo Malone line, but I feel that it has suffered a bit for losing Jo herself. I love Serge Lutens, Ormonde Jayne and I have just sampled some Strange Invisible Perfumes that I absolutely love. 

I tag:

Olivia at The Land of Makeup Obscurity
Amina at Amina's Beauty Bazaar
Anna at Italian Beauty Blog
Rebecca at Le Salon de Beaute
DINKY London (fabulous finds of just a whole bunch of pretty stuff here)
Su-pah at her Treasure Trove of Makeup
and Witoxicity

Thanks Amy :)

Addiction FOTD and swatches

As promised, a quick picture of my Addiction FOTD. Cheeks are Crush blush, lips are Confiture sheer lipstick.

On my eyes I have Beige all over as a base, Crow on the lid and Baghdad Cafe in the crease (quite lightly applied and blended out.) I lined with Stardust, but you can't see a lot of the sparkle; I'll have to do a look with this on the lid applied over an eyeshadow base to bring out the sparkly loveliness (I used no base for this particular look.)

Swatches
Left to right - Confiture lipstick, Crush blush, eyeshadows in Crow, Stardust, Baghdad Cafe and Beige (you can't really see the Beige on my skin at all.)

I wish they'd bring back.... Inoui ID cosmetics

Pictured top: blush duo in BR2.
Bottom left: eyeshadow quad 14, right: eyeshadow quad 4.

Inoui ID was a Japan-exclusive line, under the Shiseido corporation. The last artistic director was the incredibly talented Dick Page. The eyeshadow quads were particularly coveted; as fine as icing sugar, but nicely pigmented, in beautiful combinations.

It was sadly discontinued in 2007. I only have three items from the line; it was much harder to obtain Japan-exclusive lines even just a couple of years ago.

Swatches:

Sometimes, Inoui ID items do come up on Ebay and they are well worth keeping an eye out for. I hope that one day Shiseido reconsiders the decision and resurrects this lovely line.

Rococo Blu Skywalker nail apparel

This is a lovely very deep blue/purple glossy cream/jelly. I admit, I bought it for the name (I love Star Wars, original trilogy FTW) but the colour is also fabulous. This is two coats, no top coat, and it was very easy to apply; smooth, no dragging, and it dried reasonably quickly (not as quick as Nubar, not as long as Suqqu.)

Price is £11.50, from SpaceNK.

Addiction by Ayako purchases

My order from Mihoko Shop arrived today, and on first impressions I am very pleased I made the Addiction order (and I can see more in my future.) (Pictures are clickable for a closer look.)

The texture of the eyeshadows is a cross between NARS and Inoui ID eyeshadows - finer than NARS in texture, but with good pigmentation (although they aren't as pigmented with one swipe as the really pigmented NARS, like the Habanera duo or Mekong single.)  The colours of the Addiction shadows I picked are gorgeous; even better than I hoped (and I hoped for quite a lot; I've been wanting some of these since I first read about the line in the summer.)

Eyeshadows from top left, clockwise:
Beige - matte flesh-toned beige. Not the most eye-grabbing shade, but beautifully smooth and disappears into my skintone.
Crow - metallic charcoal grey with green/blue sheen. This is the eyeshadow that first had me drooling over this line, and it doesn't disappoint in person.
Baghdad Cafe - pearl mid-dark cool brown with multi-coloured shimmer.
Stardust - pearl black with multi-coloured micro-sparkles. This is the surprise 'Ooooh, pretty' of the bunch for me - it looked nice online, but I thought the shimmers were just silver, whereas they are actually silver, green and purple.

Blush - Crush. Pale neutral beige/pink, with shimmer/sparkle. It's quite NARS-ish, you could probably find something very similar in the NARS line-up (Madly, perhaps) but I am glad I bought it.

Lipstick - Confiture. Sheer orange/coral, more orange than coral. This is a lovely non-drying texture (Japanese lines seem to be able to make lipsticks that don't dry out my lips in a way that most Western lines can't manage.)

I bought these from www.mihokoshop.com, and my experience was very positive; I received shipping confirmation, and the order arrived quickly and safely.

I will try to do some swatches and perhaps a FOTD when I have some decent natural light.