Scott Barnes Face of the Day

I picked up a few more Scott Barnes products when I spotted them on www.strawberrynet.com over Christmas, and here are a couple of them in a typical Scott Barnes face of the day. Products, clockwise from top left: Ivory Coast Illumineye eyeshadow (matte), Urban Legend Illumineye eyeshadow (subtle satin shimmer), Kelly Flossy Glossy lipgloss (cream), Moondance eye pencil, Native Cream Color. All of these products are still available on Strawberrynet at the moment. Sadly, the line was discontinued a couple of years ago (I'm still hoping for a revival), so Strawberrynet is probably your best best for getting hold of any at the moment.

Close up of eye: Ivory Coast applied from lashline to brow, Urban Legend in crease, using the Scott Barnes Crease brush to apply. Moondance to line upper lashline, and then Le Metier de Beaute black anamorphic mascara. 

The rest of the face: Native on cheeks, and Kelly on the lips.

Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus review

I already own Ormonde Jayne Osmanthus in the shower creme and body lotion, as I like to wear it layered underneath the darker Ormonde Jayne scents I own; it's particularly good underneath Ormonde Woman.

Osmanthus has an effervescence to it; it's a crisp sparkling citrus with herby notes. I don't find it overly floral, and it's a very work-appropriate fragrance in my opinion. Even though it is uncomplicated, it still has the Ormonde Jayne accord that I like, and it's definitely not a soapy/generic citrus scent. Linda Pilkington (the nose behind Ormonde Jayne) recommends it for hot countries and hot weather, and I totally agree with that recommendation.

To compare Osmanthus with Champaca; Champaca is sweeter and creamier, Osmanthus is more sparkling and herby. Both are lovely spring scents.

Summary - a glorious herbal-citrus scent. I tend to like these types of scents primarily as layering shower/body products underneath other fragrances, and Osmanthus is excellent for that purpose. I'd recommend both the bath and shower creme and the body lotion, which Mr London has given me as gifts in the past (these are paraben-free, which is useful to know if you're trying to avoid parabens). It's also a lovely fragrance in its own right, for citrus lovers.

Ormonde Jayne products can be bought at the Royal Arcade boutique in London, and online at www.ormondejayne.com.

Disclosure: fragrance sample reviewed is part of Discovery Set, sent without charge for consideration for review.

Trish McEvoy neutral eyeshadows and eye definer

Top row (left to right): Topaz glaze, Tawny glaze, Deep Amethyst definer.
Bottom row (left to right): Copper Rose Quartz glaze, Raisin glaze, White Peach glaze.

Swatches in same order, except Copper Rose Quartz and Raisin, which I managed to switch. All swatches are dry, and on unprimed skin.

Trish McEvoy makes some gorgeous neutrals. The only reason I don't own more of them is that I found the counter a little too determined to make me buy more than I was looking for (trying to upsell, pushing the skincare quite heavily). For the life of me I'll never understand this kind of approach; you might make someone buy more than they intended once, but they'll avoid your counter forever afterwards if they don't remember it as a pleasant experience. It's also a bit annoying that the eyeshadows don't come with a container; you have to buy a charger or a planner to store them in. 

Tawny is a little chalkier than the other shades; if I had to recommend one shade of sludge out of those I own from this line it would be Raisin. I do love the Deep Amethyst definer, which gives a smoky line, and can also be used wet for a more liquid liner effect. Pulling these out almost tempts me to brave the Trish McEvoy counter again; it has been quite a while since I last visited, and perhaps the sale technique has calmed down a little since then.

Addiction Spring 2010 FOTD

Please do not adjust your monitor. I am actually wearing colour on my eyes. I bought a lot of the Addiction Spring 2010 collection from www.Mihokoshop.com (you can see the pictures of the actual products in my previous post here), and I've finally gotten around to giving them all a go. 

Limoncello (the chartreuse green) is quite sheer but buildable, and applies true to pan; it doesn't become more pastel when applied. Eggplant packs a pigment punch; I didn't have to use much at all to get a true colour, but it blends very nicely. The combination sounds odd, but I think it works quite well, and is very Spring-y. 

Here's a couple of pictures wearing the blush (Acid Pink, a natural pink with sparkles) and the lipstick and gloss (Poupee, a baby pink, and Purple Rain, a sheer purple, respectively). The lip combination is pretty much the exact colour of my natural lips. 

I continue to be very impressed with the Addiction by Ayako range, and I'd certainly buy more from the line in future.

rms Beauty Smile Lip2Cheek and Seduce Cream Eyeshadow

I was ordering an Un-Cover concealer from rms Beauty for a friend recently, and it seemed wrong not to add a couple of items to the order for myself. Following Amy's recent post here featuring Seduce Cream Eyeshadow on www.CafeMakeup.com, I knew I wanted Seduce. I really wanted Muse Lip2Cheek, but it was sold out on www.beingcontent.com, so I went for Smile instead, and I'm very pleased I did. 

Swatches below. Smile is one of the sheerer, glossy Lip2Cheek textures; the Illusive and Rapture I own already are the more semi-matte stain texture. 

Close up picture of Smile on the lips. My lips are quite dry at the moment due to my cold, and this is very soothing on them. 

Picture of Seduce on my eyes and Smile on my cheeks and lips. I think this is a nice look for Spring and Summer, and a very wearable way to go for the coral lip/cheek trend that seems to be popular at the moment.

I can see myself ending up with all the colour products that rms Beauty makes. I reach for this line all the time; when I'm super short on time in the morning, when I want a casual look or when I feel poorly. I have another cold at the moment (seriously, having a kid is like living with Typhoid Mary; they are always bringing bugs into the house), and not only does rms Beauty make me look vaguely human, the products feel soothing on my skin, lips and eyelids. 

In the UK, I buy rms Beauty from www.beingcontent.com. In the US, it's stocked at www.spiritbeautylounge.com. 

Miller Harris shop in Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, is lovely

I've sniffed Miller Harris perfumes in Liberty before, and meant to purchase but never actually got round to it. I'd read about the Miller Harris shop opening in Monmouth Street (last year, maybe?) and always intended to visit, but only finally did so for the first time earlier this week.

It's absolutely lovely; quite a tiny shop, but very serene and beautifully set out. The sales assistant was friendly and very helpful in my quest to find a shower wash for Mr London (he'd just run out of his Jo Malone shower gel, and I couldn't face the schlep to the Jo Malone counter in Selfridges.) We settled on Terre de Bois, which is a fresh woody fragrance. The shower wash is a very reasonable £18 for 250ml, and is paraben free. I was also given a couple of samples of fragrance to try, and will report back on those after wearing them.

For some reason I'd assumed that Miller Harris is much more expensive than Jo Malone, but it's not at all, with 100ml of eau de toilette costing £64 and 50ml costing £40. If you're in Covent Garden, the shop is well worth a visit., and I love the carrier bags too (pictured top.) For those not in London, there is a website at www.millerharris.com.

Affiliate links and sponsored posts on blogs - what do you think?

I've recently been receiving a few emails enquiring about paid links and posts for this blog. These I just delete; if a blog, website or shop is featured anywhere on this blog, it's because I like it, not because I've been paid to feature it. My absolute favourite pitch was a random tweet addressed to me on Twitter from someone who isn't even following me on there -

'Hey LondonMUgirl - we'll buy you a MAC eyeshadow if you link to this site: xyz'

I don't even much like MAC, but kudos to a body building site for knowing the lingo. I'm trying not to think about what they thought the crossover between their site and my blog might be.

That sort of thing is easy to ignore, but I have noticed more genuine approaches for affiliate linking recently (where, if a reader clicks on a link in this blog and buys something, I'd get paid for it), and although I haven't personally been approached I have noticed a couple of sponsored posts on a number of other blogs recently too (where the blogger is paid to write a post about a specific thing, in these cases both viral/ad campaigns).

This doesn't feel right for me at the moment. I'm happy to run paid ads, where it's clear that it is an ad, but this is really a consumer blog, and it's a hobby for me. I feel like I have a relationship with my regular readers here, and I'd hate for you to feel like I'm linking to something because I want you to buy it to earn me 50p, rather than I'm just being helpful. I can see the difference with larger blogs that have big hosting costs, and where the website is being developed as a potential business, but that's not my situation.

This stance might also be quite hypocritical of me, because I do accept products sent to me without charge for review, so where's the difference? That has a monetary value too. What I can say on that is that I do always disclose if something has been provided without charge, so you are able to read my posts on such products knowing that. I also do say no thank you if it's something I wouldn't buy for myself, and I wouldn't give anything a positive review it didn't deserve.

What's your opinion on this? Does it matter, so long as any potential source of remuneration is disclosed? Do you prefer reading blogs without sponsored posts or affiliate links?

Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain and Weightless Lip Creme ingredient lists

I know Replica at Visionary Beauty has to be very careful with ingredients before she purchases anything for use on her face, and I expect others have similar issues; she mentioned that she's cautious about purchasing the Beaute Liqui-Gel Stains because she can't find an ingredients list online. Here are pictures of the ingredients lists for Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain (top) and Weightless Lip Creme (bottom).

Pictures are clickable for a closer look.

Lancome Pop Petrol (14) nail polish

Top picture is in natural light, bottom is with flash.

Pop Petrol looks darker on my nails than it does in the bottle, and rather less petrol-y than I expected, but it's still a gorgeous colour; a blackened cool green with subtle shimmer. I got full coverage in two coats, the brush made application straightforward and it dried in an acceptable time frame; not as quick as Nubar, but not as long as OPI.

Pop Petrol was from the Spring O My Rose collection, and was limited edition (and not released in the US.)

Excited about Bakel skincare

I'd seen Bakel in SpaceNK and been intrigued by the line, so when I was invited to a presentation by the founder of the brand, Dr Raffaella Gregoris, I was keen to attend.

The idea behind Bakel seems so intrinsically right to me that I wonder how no-one has ever tried to do it before. Each formula contains only 100% active ingredients that are able to bring realistic, clinically proven, benefits to the skin. There are no silicones, parabens, mineral oil, fragrance, colourants or emulsifiers, and no outlandish ingredients (there are no space rocks, crushed gems, precious metals or unicorn horn in these products). My skin tends to react to a lot of the filler ingredients in skincare; mineral oil, some silicones, colourants, fragrances and waxes (plant or otherwise) can all rile it up, so it makes perfect sense to me to opt for formulas that don't contain those things.

I imagine that the reason it hasn't been done before is that although it sounds simple, in practice formulating a product with only active ingredients is complicated; it took 10 years from the initial conception of the idea in 1998 to it reaching the consumer market in 2008, due partially to Dr Gregoris' insistence on the most stringent independent testing of the safety and efficacy of each formulation.

There are 6 formulas in the main range, which each target a different facet of skin health:

Jaluronic - hydrating, for skin lacking water
Lactobionic - anti-oxidant
Collagen - firming
Q10 - B5 - desensitising
Vit E-A - nutritive, for skin lacking oil
Malic - lightening

Each formula can be used on its own, or in a routine in combination with other formulations. There's also a P-Lipic rebuilding formula, which repairs compromised skin, and can also be used after the application of the core formulas. They cost £85 - £90 for 30ml in the core range, and £90ml for 50ml of the P-Lipic. That's just about in my acceptable price range for high-performance skincare; my personal cut off point is £100. (If a product costs more than that, it'd better turn me into Vanessa Paradis' double and come with a free Johnny Depp as a bonus.) Dr Gregoris emphasised that she has insisted on the best quality raw ingredients to formulate the Bakel line. Compared to similarly priced ranges that don't contain 100% active ingredients, if this range delivers what it promises, I would purchase the products.

Dr Gregoris explained that the formulas are designed to be used instead of face, neck and eye creams, not underneath them, which makes the prices a bit easier to accept. Although the formulations are fluid, these aren't serums that need to be supplemented with an emulsion or cream. The same formula can also be used on the eye area as the rest of the face, as the formulas already exclude ingredients that traditional skincare brands have to avoid in eye care. The only formula that can't be used in the eye area is the Malic formulation, due to the AHA content.

On the Bakel website, there is a simple oil followed by cleansing water cleansing regime in the line, although these products aren't in my local Space NK (I'd presume they're coming soon.) There isn't a sunscreen in the line yet, although Dr Gregoris is working on it. I was given a full size of the Q10-B5 formula to use (Dr Gregoris identified that my skin is prone to flushing, and thought this would be the most appropriate single formula for me) and samples of the rest of the range. I'm going to use only these with my usual double cleansing routine (balm followed by wash off cleanser) and a sunscreen, and will report back in a few weeks time with a full review of how my skin does with the regime.

Bakel is currently sold at Harvey Nichols and SpaceNKs in the UK and US. If you're interested in finding out more about the line and the specific formulations, the website at www.bakel.it is excellent, and lists other stockists worldwide.

Disclosure: product mentioned was provided without charge for consideration for review, as part of presentation.

Le Metier de Beaute Creme Fresh Tint in Poppy

The Creme Fresh Tints are creamy colours designed to be worn on the cheeks and lips, with a somewhat similar texture to MAC blushcremes (the Le Metier tints feel lighter than the MAC blushcremes to me, but they have a similar, slightly tacky feel when you touch them). The Le Metier give a pretty, glowy look to the cheek and are also comfortable to wear on the lips. I've stuck my finger in the pot before photographing this one because it actually gives a better representation of the colour of the product than the undisturbed surface, which was somewhat darker and redder. Poppy is a lightish pink/coral shade.

Swatched on my wrist:

Poppy is a little pale for me to feel comfortable in on my lips, but I like it a lot on my cheeks, where it gives a glowy pink flush. Le Metier de Beaute products are available at Liberty in the UK.

Disclosure: product was provided without charge for consideration for review.

Jo Malone Fragrance Combining for Spring and Summer

With the weather turning a bit warmer, I thought it might be a good time to write a post on my current favourite Jo Malone combinations for Spring and Summer.

Shower Gel 
White Jasmine & Mint
Orange Blossom
Lime Basil & Mandarin
Grapefruit

Body Lotion
Red Roses
Orange Blossom
Grapefruit
Lime, Basil & Mandarin

Body Creme
White Jasmine & Mint
Orange Blossom

Cologne 
Blue Agave & Cacao
Honeysuckle & Jasmine
Verbenas of Provence
Red Roses

White Jasmine & Mint layered with Verbenas of Provence is one of my favourite summertime combinations. The White Jasmine is fresh and clean, and the Verbenas of Provence is a sparkly, zesty fragrance that combines beautifully with it.

I also like Blue Agave & Cacao combined with Red Roses and/or Orange Blossom. The Blue Agave & Cacao is one of those scents that smells like skin-but-better to me; and it softens and naturalises the floral notes of Red Roses and Orange Blossom.

Grapefruit works well with just about any other scent, especially in summer. I particularly like it to cut the potential sweetness and freshen up Red Roses.

Le Metier de Beaute Baltic Blue nail polish

I don't completely hate this polish, but at £10 for 4ml I should bloody love it. Baltic Blue is a pale, cool, slightly greyed blue, and is part of the Le Metier de Beaute Spring 2010 collection. I bought it on a whim while I was purchasing the Hypnotique Kaleidoscope kit. 

The application was difficult; the polish is quite thick and the brush is tiny, making for blotchiness in my clumsy hands. The pictures is of three coats applied, and you can still see the patchiness. It's a pretty colour, and it's wearing well (four days so far and minimal tip shrinkage), but I'll be passing on the Le Metier nail polishes in future and sticking to their facial cosmetics instead. 

Julie Hewett Coco Noir applied

You need a lipbrush with this lipstick; it's extremely pigmented, and absolutely not a slap it on from the tube kind of red (if you're looking for one of those, Chanel's new Rouge Cocos are a good bet.) Although it is very pigmented, I don't find it drying on my lips, and the colour stays where I put it.

Coco Noir is a deep brick red. My lips are pale and mauve, so it reads as a dark blood red on me; if your lips are less anaemic and have more flesh/warm tones you'll most likely see more of the brick tones. Coco Noir is a striking red, but the brick tones make it quite wearable in my opinion. You can see my post picturing all the Noir lipsticks I own and swatches on my arm here.

Julie Hewett products are available at www.misebeauty.com and www.juliehewett.net, and are £18 each at Mise.

CB I Hate Perfume now at Liberty

Christopher Brosius' I Hate Perfume fragrances are now available at Liberty London. Each fragrance is inspired by Mr Brosius' own scent memories, and is available as a 15ml oil (£45) or a 100ml water (£50.)

I don't think Mr Brosius really hate perfumes, he hates lazy perfumes that make everyone smell generic or strangle you from across the room. You can read his manifesto on his website www.cbihateperfume.com, here.

I'm not sure that I want to smell like a library, but Mr Hulot's Holiday and At The Beach 1966 sound like they might be nice scents for summer, and I'll certainly be having a sniff when I'm next at Liberty. I'd be interested to know if anyone reading this has tried any CB I Hate Perfume, and what your thoughts on the line are.

Image is from Liberty website.

Le Metier de Beaute Hypnotique Kaleidoscope eye kit

I was at the Le Metier de Beaute counter again yesterday (the counter girl recognises me now.) They still don't have the Spring Kaleidoscope eye kits in yet, but as I'd had a heck of a week at work I decided to buy the Hypnotique kit I've been eyeing since before Christmas instead. 

Pictures of each of the pans, from bottom of kit to top: chocolate taupe, rich gold, plum and copper rose. 

Pictures applied. The Couches de Couleurs technique is essentially layering the colours over each other, and the counter assistant explained you can either work from the top to the bottom or bottom to the top of the palette, but that they are really designed to be layered in order to create contrast between the shades. I worked from bottom to top; I used the chocolate taupe shade from lash to just above my crease and under my lower lashes, and then applied the gold over the top of it. I concentrated the plum shade on my upper lashline, then applied the copper rose shade in the centre of my mobile lid. You can't really pick out the individual colours, but it gives a rich smoky eye look that I like very much, and it's easy to do, because it doesn't require skillful blending. I'm definitely going back for the Spring 2010 kit when it arrives in stock.

Le Metier de Beaute is currently stocked exclusively in Liberty, London. The Kaleidoscope kits are £55 each, but you do get 15g of eyeshadow for that price (the pans are the same size as the single eyeshadows.)

Chanel Rouge Coco in Vendome applied

When I read that one of Chanel's new Rouge Coco lipsticks was used on Sandra Bullock at the recent Academy Awards ceremony, I was interested to go and see if the colour stated as being used, Paris (22), swatched the same as the colour appeared on Ms Bullock (a glorious, almost fuchsia pink/red.) I'm happy to report that the swatch of Paris on my hand looked pretty much identical to the colour that Ms Bullock was wearing, to my eye.

I was tempted by Paris, but I'm not sure I can pull off such a bright pink-red. So, I had a swatch of the reds in my usual comfort zone, and selected Vendome (25) to buy. Vendome is a slightly faded and browned rose red; very soft and easy for me to wear. It reminds me quite a lot of Kevyn Aucoin's Dantique, for those familiar with that shade. I was also tempted by Gabrielle (19), a more vivid orange red.

These are £21 each, and they do have a very similar rose scent to the Hydrabase formula they are replacing. The texture is moisturising and supple without being greasy or slippery; I didn't have to apply with a brush or use lipliner to keep the colour in check. The colour lasted quite well through the Cottage Pie we had for dinner and faded slightly into an even stain without just leaving an unattractive red ring around the edges of my lips.

Elemental Herbology launching new Eye Elixir

Elemental Herbology is launching a new eye serum in April that claims to target the whole trifecta of eye problems; wrinkles, puffiness and eye circles. It's £38 for 15ml, so it's in the 'not wholly unreasonable' price range for me, and Elemental Herbology is a line that I've bought from in the past and liked; Mr London liked their Oil-free Facial Hydrator SPF 12 very much.

Elemental Herbology as a range is free of parabens, mineral oil, sulphates and artificial fragrances (although they do contain natural fragrances, so have a sniff first if you are sensitive to scents.) The idea behind the line is that it restores balance to the skin when weather or hormones throws the skin's own mechanisms out of kilter.

I'm not convinced this could swing me away from the Sarah Chapman Eye Recovery I'm still using and liking (which is also paraben and mineral oil free, and works very well for me), but I'll be interested to have a look at the texture of it in my local Space NK when it launches. Elemental Herbology is only stocked at SpaceNK, as far as I am aware. It's been there for a good couple of years now, so it must be doing pretty well (SpaceNK are quite ruthless when it comes to weeding out brands that don't do well with consumers.)

Another reason to love Etsy - Hauttotes

I bought this bag from Hauttotes on www.Etsy.com. Each item is made to order, and my head very nearly exploded at the each-possible-choice-is-even-cooler-than-the-last-choice variety of materials you can chose from.  Who doesn't need an El Dia de los Muertos bag in their life?

Hauttotes is closed for March and due to re-open in early April. I'm already planning the next bag I need.

Michael Van Clarke 3 More Inches Haircare

I nearly titled this post, 'Interested in 3 More Inches,' which may have lead to very some disappointed google searches.

This is a new line of haircare, launching in SpaceNK soon. Michael Van Clarke is a London hairdresser with 30 years experience in the business, who specialises in dry cutting hair. The idea behind this range is that it helps to prolong the 'life' of the hair shaft (of course, the hair that you see is already dead, but you can preserve the condition of it) by protecting it from damage, thereby allowing you to achieve greater lengths. The line is compact; comprising of a pre-wash treatment, shampoo, conditioner, finishing product and a comb. I can't find full ingredients yet, but the range is silicone and paraben free, and the press release gives Mr Van Clarke's belief that overuse of silicones is one of the factors in hair becoming brittle and splitting/snapping (I certainly find this to be true of my hair if I use products with too much of certain silicones in them.)

 I'm most interested in the pre-wash treatment, and I'll be buying one of those when the line launches, which should be in the next few weeks or so. It'll be interesting to see how it compares with Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer, the benchmark in pre-wash treatments.

Tightlining with Laura Mercier Bleu Marine

Laura Mercier is a make-up artist line that has well-deserved praise heaped on it. There are lots of  excellent products from the line (the foundations, the concealers, and the eyeshadows all get very good reviews) but for me, the stand-outs from this range are the eyeliner cake and the flat eyeliner brush, which together are used to do the signature Laura Mercier tight line technique. Pictured above are my eyeliner cake in Bleu Marine, and my flat eyeliner brush (apologies for the state of the eyeliner - I've had it for a while, and it's been well used.)

Tightlining is a method of applying eyeliner to the base of the lashes, in order to give very natural definition and the illusion of a fuller lashline. You add a couple of drops of water to the cake, then mix with the brush to give a slightly thicker than ink paste. This is then applied to the lashline by wiggling the brush into the lashline from underneath - it's not applied to the waterline but to the very base of the lashes.

Here's my bare eye (with concealer and brow pencil.)

Here's the same eye with the Bleu Marine liner applied by tightlining. I love the Bleu Marine - it's slightly softer than black, and very brightening and flattering, but it doesn't look blue when it's applied.  

Honestly, it does take some time to get the hang of the technique; it's well worth getting a lesson at the counter if you're considering buying this, and make sure you have plenty of cotton buds around when you try it at home. I apply mine before I apply eyeshadow, so I can correct any smudges with a damp cotton bud before applying eyeshadow. I love the look of it though, and for me it was worth the effort of learning the technique. You can also use the Laura Mercier eyeliner to do a traditional line on the top of the lashes too, for a more dramatic look.  

Shiseido Spring 2010 FOTD

This was my Mother's Day face today. I'm wearing Luminizing Satin Eye Colour GR712 Kombu (from Autumn 2009), Luminizing Satin Face Colour RD103 Petal and Perfect Rouge Tender Sheer RD629 Natural Red.

I love this blush. I had huge sticker shock when I bought it (it was £30) but I've been reaching for it a lot, and it gives a perfect glowy natural flush on me. I can't say I'm running out to buy more of them at this price, but if you're in the US (they're $30 there) these are well worth a look.

The Perfect Rouge Tender Sheer RD629 gives naturally flushed lips on me (I have pale mauveish lips, if yours are more pigmented then it'll give a redder look,) and is also moisturising and conditioning on my dry lips. With no scent and no shimmer, it's pretty much my perfect sheer lipstick. The colour is somewhere between Julie Hewett Gem Noir and Oona Noir, for those of you familiar with those colours; a neutral sheer red. I'm very tempted by PK327 Tender too, a natural pink.

The eyeshadow in GR712 Kombu is definitely my sort of colour; a sludgy khaki green with gold shimmer that I find very flattering on my sludgy brown eyes.

I love what Dick Page is doing with Shiseido; his eye for textures and colours is impeccable, and I'm looking forward to future collections very much.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there.

Julie Hewett Rouge Noir applied

This is one of my favourite red lipsticks; the colour is a true clear red, and the texture is comfortable and creamy, but stays where I apply it and doesn't wander or feather. It doesn't dry out my lips either.

Julie Hewett products are available at www.misebeauty.com and at www.juliehewett.net.

Christopher Drummond colour products

After liking the sample of the Christopher Drummond foundation I tried, and with a Paypal balance burning a hole in my psyche (why doesn't that ever seem like real money?) I decided to buy a few colour products from the Christopher Drummond line. These are: Blush in Plush Pink, eyeshadow in Marrom and liquid lipstick in Pink Kiss. 

Swatches: top Pink Kiss lipstick, bottom left Plush Pink blush, bottom right Marrom eyeshadow. The eyeshadow and blush are both well pigmented, and the swatches and picture of these applied is without any primer underneath them. I actually find the blush a little too pigmented - I have to pick up colour on my brush from the amount deposited on the puff from being in the pot - if I pick up colour directly from the pot I get overcooked cheeks, and I find the colour goes a bit orangey. The eyeshadow is lovely quality, but a little too close to the actual colour of my eyes, and I feel it can make me look a bit tired if I'm not careful with it. I think it'd be gorgeous on blue or green eyes though, and I'm planning on buying the Amethyst eyeshadow which I think will work better on me. The lipstick is lightly scented with orange blossom, and gives a pretty and natural pink sheen to the lips. 

Products applied. I'm also wearing the veludo foundation in Creme, Finishing powder in Bianca, and rms Beauty uncover up concealer in 11, Shu Uemura hard brow pencil in Seal Brown and Le Metier De Beaute black mascara. 

I like the products, and I plan to buy more from this line, but I don't feel that the packaging reflects the price point being charged. There's little commonality in the packaging; the lipstick has a Christopher Drummond label on the top, the blush lid has pink lettering, the eyeshadow is labelled on the side of the jar, not the top. It all feels a bit thrown together to me, and at a luxury price point I expect the packaging to be very well-presented and all items to be recognisable as the same brand (for a good example of this done well, rms Beauty.) 

The blush cost £23.50 for 2g , the eyeshadow cost £14.50 for 1.3g (Anastasia, if you're reading this I already know you're going to tell me off!) and the liquid lipstick costs £11. I bought these from www.justbeautydirect.co.uk.  

Ormonde Jayne Tolu review

After teasing us with a promise of Spring, the weather seems to have gone for one last arctic-cold winter hurrah. Luckily, this is the perfect temperature to test out Tolu.

Tolu smells a bit like Christmas pudding to me; spicy, rich and a little bit boozy. This is an excellent example of an oriental scent done well and elegantly; I don't get strangled by oily sandalwood, and it manages to be sultry but not dirty-smelling. If you've liked fragrances like Obsession and Opium, Tolu is well worth a sniff.

The base of this perfume is the focus of it; tolu (a peruvian tree resin) is blended with frankincense, amber and tonka bean. I don't smell a lot of the floral heart (orchid, rose and muguet) but I can certainly appreciate the juniper, orange blossom and clary sage top notes that give a velvety clarity to the overall composition and prevent it from being overpowering. While it isn't my sort of perfume (I generally prefer less heady/woody scents), I can appreciate the deftness of the blending, and if I had to wear an oriental, I'd pick this one. ;)

I can't imagine myself wearing this if the temperature was anywhere near double digits in celsius - it works in icy cold weather, and is the olfactory equivalent of wearing a layer of cashmere head to toe, but I would find it too heavy on me in warmer weather. If you live somewhere cold, or have a body chemistry that works well with orientals, this is a lovely one to try.

Summary - a beautiful oriental, but definitely an oriental, which rules it out for regular use for me. I was curious about it from the many excellent reviews, which is the beauty of the Discovery Set; I was able to try it out, admire the craftswork in it, but rule it out as full-bottle material for me.

Disclosure: sample is part of a Discovery Set sent to me for consideration for review.

Liberty London for Target

Liberty has teamed up with American retailer Target to produce a range of Liberty Print homeware items, and they're up for preview on the Liberty website now here.

Sadly, these aren't available until 29 March, which is a crying shame because these gardening gloves would be a perfect Mothers Day gift for Ma (she loves her garden) at a very affordable £10. I'll be buying them as part of her birthday present.

Image is from Liberty.co.uk.

Shu Uemura Spring/Summer 2010 Egerie Glint Blue Eye Shimmer Duo

Yesterday I bought the brown/blue Eye Shimmer Duo from Shu Uemura's Spring/Summer Egerie collection. These are £29 for the duo, and consist of a liquid eyeshadow base and a loose shimmer colour powder to layer over it. I bought Glint Blue, the brown/blue combination, shown above. I'm wearing it with the Drawing Pencil in Metallic Brown, Glow On Blush in P Pink 30 and Supreme Shine Rouge Unlimited in BG 957 (all also pictured above.)

The taupe/brown liquid eyeshadow base applied on its own. This is quite liquid and sheer, I do prefer the look of two thin layers to avoid it looking anaemic.

With the blue loose colour powder applied over the top (and a dab on its own on the left.) On my eyes, I wear with the liquid base applied on my lid and just past my crease, and then dab the loose colour powder in the centre of my mobile lid and blended out. Today I tried dabbing the loose powder directly on with the doe foot applicator in the tube and got a lot of fall out; I think it'd work better dabbing onto the back of my hand first as a palette, and then picking up colour from there with a firm brush or a sponge applicator before applying to my lid. 

The combination is pretty, but quite pale. I do feel I need to add the brown pencil to give a little definition to the look.

Also in the Egerie Collection:
Eye Shimmer Duo in Shiny Mint (chartreuse base, cool beige mint powder. Edit: from other pictures online, it appears that the powder may be a beige pink, not a beige mint. It was my least favourite of the combinations, so I didn't look closely enough!)
Eye Shimmer Duo in Starry Violet (grey taupe base, violet powder.)
Blush stick.
Highlighter stick.
Black and pink nail polishes.

Shu Uemura is available online at www.beautyexpert.co.uk, and they have the Egerie collection up already.