Stonn. She is yours.

Stonn. She is yours. After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.

Spock, Amok Time.*

I find this often used to be true of cosmetic purchases: I enjoyed the browsing, planning and agonising over a new collection more than the having. I seem to get less caught up in new collections now, and enjoy (and use) the things I have more. I find if I make myself wait a little while and not buy something the minute it comes out, by the time a couple of weeks have passed I don't feel the same yearning. This also means I have less guilt over the purchases I do buy.

Do you find this to be true? Do you find that once you've bought something you tend to enjoy it less, or do you resist the impulse adrenalin rush to buy?

*Quote from Star Trek. Incidentally, Spock is another of my lovely childhood nicknames, as I have very pointy ears.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Catherine H(oward)

This is the last of the Tudor Queen collection from Rescue Beauty Lounge, and it is a very very pretty polish. It's a dusty, almost denim, blue with micro flakes of pink and brighter blue. Anne is still my favourite from the collection, but I think Catherine H is my next favourite (I do have a soft spot for those Howard girls).

To recap on the other shades:

Catherine (of Aragon)

Anne

Jane

I feel slightly sorry for Katherine Parr and Anne of Cleves who didn't get their own nail polishes in this collection. In my mind, Anne of Cleves would've been a pale grey/green, and Katherine Parr a soft rosy taupe shade.

Once again, huge thanks to Amy at www.cafemakeup.com who helped me to get hold of these.

Suqqu Frame Fix Cream Foundation - colour guide

New base products were released in the revamp of the Suqqu line, and I had a look at them in Selfridges when I went to buy the Creamy Glow lipstick earlier this month. The shade numbering/naming has changed, and can be a little confusing. 00- shades are yellow based, 10- are neutral base and 20- are red based.  The shades move from brightest to darkest vertically in the chart above, so 101 is lighter than 102, but darker than 001.

I was matched to 102 in the Cream foundation, which suggests the shades for darker skintones in this formula are extremely limited. I'm about an NC20 in MAC foundations, and Warm Ivory in Bobbi Brown. There are only three shades darker than my Suqqu match in the Frame Fix Cream (which does seem to run lighter than the other Frame Fix formulations).

The shades don't necessarily run true across the formulations. I was given sample of the Frame Fix Lasting Pact Foundation (compact cream foundation) in 102 and that is noticeably darker than the same shade in the Cream - I'd think I'd be 101 in the Lasting Pact.

I bought the 102 Frame Fix Cream Foundation (impulse purchase, which I am regretting a little as I rarely wear foundation) and will be posting a picture wearing it and a swatch later on in the week. It doesn't feel heavy on the skin, but it gives quite full coverage. There is also a definite knack to application (take a dot and apply it to freshly moisturised skin, blending quickly before it sets). On the plus side, you don't need any primer with it and the semi-matte finish means I don't need powder with it either, but at £65 for 25ml it is very expensive.

Chart from Suqqu website.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume Aurora review

Aurora Liquid (1ml) and Terrestre Solid (sample)

Aurora starts off on my skin as a a voluptuous, honeyed citrus-floral. It invokes the scent of a carnation without being heavily clove-y, and the spice notes are blended with an extremely deft hand so that they support the floral heart without overpowering it. The amber notes develop as the day goes on, while still retaining the amber/jasmine floral heart.

This is an intensely feminine fragrance to my nose that has very good longevity and decent sillage while still being subtle enough to wear for work, although quite frankly its allure is wasted on colleagues. This is a fragrance to entice, but in an elegant way; I imagine this is the fragrance Scheherazade would have worn, as she won the heart of her king over a thousand and one nights of softly spoken tales.

At the moment I'm wearing this with Terrestre solid. This is a combination that is recommended by Ms Villa herself as giving a lovely leather accord and it does that beautifully, giving a clean floral/leather (a good handbag, rather than biker trousers). Terrestre on its own is a warm, earthy, patchouli/vetiver scent with a hint of a chocolate note to it. I've also just ordered the new solid Aumbre, an amber/tobacco blend, which I think will work well with Aurora.

Roxana Illuminated Perfumes are available at the Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/IlluminatedPerfume?ref=seller_info

Rouge Bunny Rouge Atlas Swallowtail cream eyeshadow

When I bought the Butter London No More Waity Katie nail polish from Zuneta recently I also bought one of the new cream eyeshadows from Rouge Bunny Rouge. I was confident that I'd like the colour Atlas Swallowtail after this post on Visionary Beauty.

The eyeshadow comes packaged in a tube with the typical beautiful Rouge Bunny Rouge livery, and a doe foot applicator. I don't use the applicator directly to apply; instead I use it to dispense a dab on the back of my hand and then pick it up from there and apply with either fingertips or a cream eyeshadow brush.

Atlas Swallowtail gives a soft polished eye look on its own, but also acts as a good base for powder eyeshadow. It reminds me a lot of the finish of the Kevyn Aucoin cream eyeshadows, which I also liked as bases as well as for a very quick and simple eye.

Comparison picture with other taupe cream eyeshadows I own.

E107 is slightly more grey/mauve, and has less shimmer/sheen to it. It comes in the problematical Ellis Faas twist up bullet pen, and I wouldn't recommend this unless you know you're going to use it very regularly - I posted a video which shows my issues with the applicators here. On the plus side, this does wear extremely well. £23 for 2.5ml.

Atlas Swallowtail has a little more shimmer/sheen than E107 and a more golden/beige tone to it. I also found this wore incredibly well, with no creasing by the end of the day on me. £26 for 4g.

Magnetic has a sheerer, more glossy finish than the other two shades, and I find it very comfortable even on dry and tetchy lids. It also has the added skin benefits of the rms Beauty line; raw, organic ingredients. It does tend to crease, but it's easy to fix. I always reach for the rms Beauty line if I'm feeling under the weather but need to fake reasonable health, or if I want a very casual and not too done look. £19 for 4.25g.

I'm very happy to have bought the Atlas Swallowtail, which is a good substitute for the Ellis Faas Creamy Eyes without the applicator annoyance. There are four other neutral shades in the range and I'm particularly interested in Brocade Skipper, a champagne cream shade.

Artisan glass charm beads

I love Trollbeads, but the glass beads are expensive at £26 each for the standard beads (they were £23 each when I first bought them last summer). I started looking at artisan beads, which are less expensive and lovely. I also like buying from an individual who makes the beads themselves.

Tips for buying artisan:

• Check that the beads are kiln annealed - this means that the glass has been cooled in a temperature controlled kiln after the bead is made, which strengthens the glass.
• I prefer silver tube cores - some bead makers use rivets instead, which leave a ridge in the middle of the bead. It's probably irrational, but I worry that these might damage a bracelet over time by rubbing against it.
• There are some mass produced beads sold extremely cheaply (less than £5 each) on sites like Etsy, which generally tend to come from China. I personally prefer to avoid these, and buy from an individual who makes each bead themselves.  

These beads are from Meesmerel on Etsy. They cost about £12 each, and she makes lovely versions of some discontinued Troll styles. Do check the cores if this is also an issue for you; some of her beads are silver tube lined but some are riveted. The shop is at http://www.etsy.com/shop/meesmerel?ref=pr_shop

These are from Summersday on Dawanda (Dawanda is a european version of Etsy). Her beads are generally about €12 each, and sell out extremely quickly, so I'd recommend checking it daily if you're looking for a particular type of bead. The shop is at http://en.dawanda.com/shop/summersday

Ayala Moriel Finjan Perfume review

Ayala Moriel's Finjan is inspired by the scent of dark, sweet and fragrantly spiced Turkish coffee.

It's more delicate on my skin than I expected it to be; the coffee and clove are there, but lightened by the orange and floral notes. I get an initial hit of clove when applied to my skin, followed closely by fresh orange and then within ten minutes the coffee/floral notes bloom. This is categorised as an oriental spicy fragrance, and although it is warm and spicy it isn't overpowering on my skin and is wearable for daytime/the office. It's more akin to a layer of coffee voile than a heavy dark velvet on the skin. Finjan is relatively fleeting on my skin; in the parfum on its own I have to sniff my wrists to smell it and it fades quite quickly to just a whisper after two or three hours. Layering it over Roxana Villa's Terrestre solid fragrance gives it a bit more oomph and throw, and the earthy, slightly chocolatey notes of Terrestre compliment the sweet coffee Finjan very well.

If I buy this in the full size, I'll go for the parfum oil version to give better stickability on my dry skin. Having dipped my toe into artisan coffee fragrances and been pleasantly surprised by Finjan, I'm now tempted to try Ava Luxe's Cafe Noir, which is reputed to give a very intense coffee hit. I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried the Ava Luxe.

The Ayala Moriel website is one of the better fragrance retail websites in my opinion. You can search for fragrances by family and by individual notes, and the descriptions are evocative and lyrical but also describe the scent of the fragrance well. 1ml samples are available of all non-custom scents. The website is at www.ayalamoriel.com.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Butter

Six months ago I'd have scoffed at the idea, but by this summer Chanel will most likely have fashionistas and beauty fans the world over wearing yellow nail polish. This post on britishbeautyblogger.com shows the Chanel summer 2011 collection, featuring Mimosa, a sunshine yellow polish.

I've never worn yellow on my nails, so I decided to see if I could like a slightly more subdued, buttery yellow with the appropriately named Butter from American Apparel. This picture is with two coats applied and is still a bit streaky on some nails although tolerably so for me; for absolute smooth coverage three coats would be needed.

I like the colour, which is somewhere between Lurpak and Anchor. Moving away from the dairy products, I'd call it a creamy pale primrose. I'm not sure I like it on my nails though - it looks a bit tippex-like.

So, will you be wearing yellow nail polish this summer?

SKII Air Touch foundation application video

I promised Eva who commented on my last post featuring this foundation that I'd try to post a picture wearing it. I thought it might also be fun to do a quick video of the application process too. I use the shade OP3. 

Picture of the Air Touch applied on my skin. It adds a perfecting glow to the skin and luminosity without shimmer. I'd only really recommend this for someone who wants a very light finish, and subtle evening out of the skin. On the plus side, it lasts all day, and seems to help make-up applied over it last longer too.

Negatives - this is now very hard to impossible to get hold of in the UK. Harrods still stock SKII, but no longer stock this foundation. It apparently comes up on Amazon sometimes from a Japanese source. 

Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick 05 Suzumecha

I finally made it to the Suqqu counter to buy one of the new Creamy Glow lipsticks. These were launched in Japan last Autumn, and in the UK earlier this month. 

A closer look at the colour. It's a natural brown pink, not too light, but definitely a natural, understated lip. 

I was specifically looking for a similar colour to Good To Go lipstick by Benefit. I like the colour of the Benefit, but find the formula can make my lips feel a little dry. In the tubes, Suqqu 05 Suzmecha looks warmer/peachier than the Benefit, but it's the closest match in the Creamy Glow lipstick range when swatched. 08 Keshiaka was also quite close, but a little pinker than the Benefit.

Applied on my lips. The Creamy Glow are somewhere in texture between the old Suqqu Creamy (full coverage) and Blend (sheer) lipsticks, and have no shimmer. It looks quite glossy/creamy when first applied but lasts reasonably well; the glossiness fades to a more stained texture that lasts for a good two or three hours. It's a little hard to fairly judge longevity with this colour because it is extremely close to my natural lip shade. 

Most of the colours in the formula are natural variations on peach/beige/pink/rose, with only a couple of brighter shades. The colours and textures are very wearable and flattering. 

Tata Harper skincare: first impressions

I was sent some samples from the Tata Harper range with a recent Mise Beauty order. I'd seen a few mentions of the Tata Harper range, but wasn't overly excited by it; there are a fair few natural skincare lines, although the fact that the skincare is handmade by the company itself in Vermont, rather than outsourced to a factory as is more usual, is laudable.

I was sent samples of the Regenerating Cleanser, Hydrating Floral Essence, Rejuvenating Serum and Restorative Eye Cream.

Regenerating Cleanser - creamy cleanser with white willow bark and apricot seed powder to gently exfoliate the skin. Smells of neroli, leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped. I would not use around the eyes due to the particles in it.

Hydrating Floral Essence - contains sodium hyaluronate, witch hazel and white willow. Smells beautiful, and leaves the skin feeling fresh and quenched, I like to leave my skin slightly damp with this before applying the serum.

Rejuvenating Serum - a light cream texture, containing various herbal essences that help to support and balance the skin, including menyanthes flower, extracts of narcissus bulb, alfalfa and meadowsweet, and immortelle, jasmine, chamomile and lavender essential oils. Smells lightly of the essential oils used. I do not need to use another moisturiser over this at night but it isn't heavy, although I wouldn't recommend for a very oily skin.

Restorative Eye Cream - rich, buttery, cream texture, contains plant waxes, arnica and eyebright extracts. Very soothing, particularly for dry or sore, tired eyes.

I've been using all four products for my night time routine since 08 March, so for just over a week, and the only other product I've added into the night time routine is an eye make-up remover (rms Beauty raw coconut cream).  I've been using my usual Sarah Chapman spf 15 day cream during the day.

My skin lets me know very quickly if it doesn't like new skincare, but I don't think I've ever had such a quick positive reaction. I'm always a bit sceptical of anyone who claims they can see a difference in their skin after one or two uses of something, but with this my skin definitely feels smoother and calmer and looks brighter to my eye after just a few uses. I'm aware that this can only be on a superficial level as it takes at least four-six weeks for the skin to renew itself, but being this happy with how my skin is looking and feeling on a superficial level works for me.

I intend to buy the £53 deluxe starter kit to use the range for a bit longer before purchasing full sizes, but at the moment I eventually intend to buy the full size of the Rejuvenating Serum, Regenerating Cleanser and Floral Essence.

Tata Harper products are available from Misebeauty.com (they ship to the UK from Ireland, P&P is free if you spend over £60).

Disclosure: samples were provided without charge.

Boadicea The Victorious Luxury Perfumes sample reviews

Boadicea the Victorious is a fragrance line I've been intrigued by for a while. I like the idea of another British fragrance house, and the celtic-inspired bottle design is gorgeous to look at. However there are thirty five fragrances in the line and that's just too many to narrow down at once in person for me. I pass by the fragrance counter in Selfridges, look at the bottles, sniff one or two and then get overwhelmed. Although I still curse Tom Ford a little bit for discontinuing Moss Breches, I can appreciate the discipline of having a very tightly edited line in his Private Blend collection.

This is why I think having sample sizes available for a reasonable fee at the new online boutique is a good idea. The online boutique is at www.btvboutique.com, and samples are £1.10 each. This gives an opportunity to browse the different fragrances at leisure and sample a few that appeal, rather than risk being confused at a counter. At this price (these start at £90 for 50ml) you'd want to make a well-considered choice rather than an impulse buy.

I was sent a handful of sample vials to try by the online PR officer for the brand, and here are my thoughts on the scents I've tried so far:

Energizer is a green citrus. As well as the grapefruit and bergamot, there's tomato leaf in the opening to my nose, and the heart and base have a good dose of vetiver as well as a clean musk note. This is a good Sunday morning fragrance for me - it's perky without being obnoxious. This would work just as well on a man.

Seductive - opens with herby camphor and eucalyptus notes on my skin (the top note is listed as rosemary). I then get a sweeter fresh pine and the pepper note becomes apparent after about 10 minutes on the skin, slowly morphing into a clean musk. After half an hour the warm amber and patchouli notes develop with the resins, although it's still not heavy on my skin. I don't get a lot of sandalwood, which I'm quite pleased about, as sandalwood isn't something I enjoy dominating a perfume (I can't wear Jo Malone Amber & Ginger Lily due to the heavy sandalwood usage). Overall, I find the effect of freshening an amber/resin blend with a pine/camphor top note very pleasing. Another good unisex fragrance.

Regal - very fleeting green leafy notes at first, then lots of warm floral jasmine and rose with amber. As it warms on my skin I get more rose than jasmine, and the agarwood becomes more apparent with a slight tobacco-y note to the warm woody base.  This is definitely an evening fragrance for me, and not an office one; it has serious throw and lasts all day. This is a more feminine fragrance to my nose.

Immortal - well I get bubbles, but unfortunately on my skin they are very soapy. This one doesn't agree with my body chemistry at all, but stayed very soapy-smelling for at least half an hour until I finally had to wash it off. This is a bit odd, because the notes from the description sound very similar to those in Regal: a green opening, rose heart and agarwood base. I suspect it is the aldehyde in the opening that disagrees with me.

Changes I'd like to see on the website: clearer, more consistent fragrance descriptions/note breakdowns. Some of the scents have essays written on them (Immortal), others are so abstract as to be unhelpful; e.g. Pure: 'An innocent fragrance with a twist. The initial simplicity is deceptive as it grows into a perfume for all seasons'. That doesn't tell me what it actually might smell like. It's not until you click onto one of the bottles to buy it that you get a breakdown of the main top, heart and base notes in a particular scent.

Disclosure: sample vials were provided without charge.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Mouse

I often walk past the American Apparel shop in Covent Garden, but I've resisted going in because everyone in there looks like they've just stepped out of the 'Being a Dickhead's Cool' video - if you don't know what I'm talking about it's here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVmmYMwFj1I (warning, they say 'dickhead' quite a lot). 

I finally went in last week and bought this nail polish. Mouse is a straight taupe cream, perfectly balanced between brown and grey. It's more flattering on my pale olive hands than Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge was; Grunge has a bit too much pink/mauve in it for me - you can see Grunge on Helen of Just-Nice-Things.co.uk here. 

I got on well with the formula; two coats gave me good coverage and I found the brush quite easy to control. I think the price is good too at £7 each, or you can choose three colours for £17, particularly considering it's a 3-Free formulation.

Mercurios double banner ring

I've wanted one of these two finger banner rings from Mercurios on Etsy for a while. I love the design and the fact that you can have it stamped with any phrase that'll fit (although I wouldn't go for 'die, boss, die' for the office*).

I went for 'and this too shall pass' in Latin, because everything seems a bit cooler in Latin and it's one of my favourite sayings - it reminds me not to be too self-satisfied when things are good, and also that tougher times don't last forever.

I bought the aluminium version - it's tough but lightweight, and I'm wearing it to type now without it restricting my movements more than slightly (and tolerably).

The Mercurios shop is on Etsy here and they have some lovely stuff, all very reasonably priced.

*I wouldn't go for that anyway, I like my boss. We talk football. 

Event with Nicky Kinnard at SpaceNK 16-31 March

Nicky Kinnard, the founder of SpaceNK, will be visiting various SpaceNK stores this month. The events have a booking fee of £60 which is redeemable against anything purchased during the event. The fee includes a 15 minute consultation with Ms Kinnard on skincare/general wellbeing (I'd ask her what lipstick/gloss she's wearing in this photo; it's lovely) and a 30 minute makeup lesson (with someone who isn't Ms Kinnard).

I know the booking fee is redeemable and Nicky Kinnard is a phenomenal businesswoman (who picks out excellent brands; I buy most of my skincare from SpaceNK and I'd love to talk skincare with her), but I'd like to see SpaceNK offering something a little extra at events like this if customers are putting up the cash upfront - like bonus N.Dulge points on anything bought at the event, perhaps.

The dates and locations are:

16th March - London Marylebone
17th March - Loughton
18th March - Kingston
23rd March - Glasgow
24th March - Edinburgh George Street
25th March - Cobham
31st March - London Northcote Road

The events run from 10am to 2pm each day. Store locations and telephone numbers can be found here http://www.spacenk.co.uk/category/nstorelocator.do.

Josie Maran Birthday Suit lipstick and Optimism lipgloss applied

I have to admit when I opened the lipstick in this Josie Maran kit (sent to me by the lovely JV at makeupmerriment.com) my first thought was that I'd never wear it. This is exactly the sort of beige nude that I generally can't wear at all. I had a little more hope for the gloss (another Natural Volume lipgloss) as it looked pretty sheer in the tube. 

Swatched on my hand: The gloss is a very sheer slightly beige with subtle shimmer, the lipstick is a creamy, weightless beige with more peach tones than I expected from the tube. The texture of the lipstick is very similar in my opinion to the Suqqu Creamy lipsticks; if you are in the US, the Josie Maran lipsticks are a good substitute for the Suqqu. 

Both applied. Together they give me a really pretty caramel lip, and although I need to go quite smoky on the eye to balance the lip, this is the nicest nude lip I've tried. 

These came in a set with an eyeshadow quad (also pictured below), a black eyeliner and mascara, and a vial of the excellent argan oil. I can no longer see the set available on Sephora, but I would recommend looking out for similar kits as they represent very good value for money. 

Once again, I wish this line was available in the UK. I could see it doing very well on QVC or at an online retailer of hard to find brands, like Zuneta. 

Laissez les bons temps rouler

On Pancake Day, it seems appropriate to break out the Haus of Gloi Maple Creme Pumpkin Butter. This is a sweet, creamy maple syrup scent that is stopped from being too foody for me by a basenote of copaiba balsam (a woody, spicy note). Unfortunately, it was a Haus of Gloi Reverie scent in the Autumn, which means it was a very limited run and once it's gone, it's gone. This post is the body cream equivalent of the fiendish Taupes You Can't Have eyeshadow series on pinksith.com.

I'm wearing it today with Ayala Moriel's Fete D'Hiver, a warm amber/rose/incense. It's a spicy floriental, and it's intimate and cuddly rather than cloying or overpowering. It's a grown-up, quite sexy, womanly rose, but not quite as grrr as Ormonde Jayne Ta'if - more Monica Bellucci than Angelina Jolie.

Today the new fragrance, New Orleans, launches on the Ayala Moriel website here, and it sounds like a scent I'd very much enjoy - a floral/amber/marine blend. I'm planning to order a sample to try - I still wish I hadn't missed the Cancer perfume oil, part of an Astrological series that Ms Moriel sold on Etsy. The notes of New Orleans sound somewhat similar to those in the Cancer blend.

I broke out my SKII Air Touch foundation again today and this is another product I wish hadn't been discontinued. The shade OP3 is a perfect match for my skin, and it gives a flawless look to the skin without feeling heavy. For those seeking more coverage it's not going to be a good choice, but it suits my preference for a very light base perfectly. It's just a shame it's no longer available. ERA spray on foundation from Classified Cosmetics is a good substitute, although it is a bit heavier, even in the Everyday formula. This is available in the UK from beautybay.com here. I wear Y3, which isn't quite as good a match as the SKII OP3, but I'm thinking of trying R2 to see if that's a better match.

Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm and Night Cream ingredients lists

Emma Hardie launched her range on QVCUK last night, and I thought it might be useful to post the full ingredients list of the two products I use from the line; the balm cleanser and the night cream.

Ingredients of Natural Lift Moringa Cleansing Balm:

Ingredients of Rejuvenating Night Cream:

I love the Cleansing Balm and would universally recommend it; even if you have an oily skin I think it would work well and not be too occlusive.

I like the Night Cream for my normal to dry skin and love the smell of it (a beautifully relaxing jasmine) but I wouldn't recommend it for oily skin (if you have an oilier skin that is suffering from signs of ageing, I'd recommend Nude Advanced Cellular Renewal Serum for a night time treatment instead). The jar is a generous 100ml size to encourage users to take the cream onto the neck and decollete.

Quick Poppy King/No 7 heads up

The Poppy King for No 7 lipsticks and lipglosses launch at Boots on 23 March. Boots is currently doing the £5 vouchers for No 7 or Ruby & Millie (you spend £5, on anything, you get a £5 off voucher for these two brands) and this batch of vouchers is valid until 27 March. That means 4 days to get £5 off the Poppy King lipsticks, so save those vouchers!

You can read more about the Poppy King/No 7 collaboration here at beaut.ie.

Illamasqua Toxic Nature - Cream pigments in Delirium and Emerge

Illamasqua are launching new Cream Pigments as part of the Toxic Nature collection in six colours:

Delirium - rose taupe
Emerge - peach
Dab - lilac
Hollow - toffee
Bedaub - mint
Mould - grape

Cream pigments can be used anywhere on the face and body, and some members of the Illamasqua team were also using them to give pastel streaks in their hair. These give good colour payoff and are easily blendable and buildable. They are water resistant, although they don't set in the same way that waterproof cream colour products do (like the MUFE Aqua Creams do) and so if you are using on the eyes they do tend to crease, particularly if not set with a powder product. I personally prefer the texture of these to waterproof cream colours, which I find hard to blend and quite drying on my lids.

I received two of the cream pigments in my event bag, Delirium and Emerge.

Left: cream eyeshadow in Command. Right: cream pigment in Delirium

Swatched in same order. The cream pigment is noticeably smoother and applies more evenly.

I don't find the original Illamasqua cream eyeshadows too oily personally, my experience of them is that they can be a bit dry and draggy on the lid. I much prefer the smoother texture of the new cream pigments, and find it melds better into the skin. It's not crease-proof on the eye, but it does hold up for me better than the old cream eyeshadows did and it's a very good base for a powder eyeshadow. It's also worth mentioning that although the cream pigment is £17, it's 8g compared to the 2g in cream eyeshadow (for £15.50).

Delirium is a creamy rose taupe which works well on eyes and cheeks and it is wearable as a lip colour, although a bit too muted for my taste.

I've been wearing this in a slightly smoky rosy taupe eye look. I applied Delirium from lash to just above my crease, then a line of Sophie pencil, and then smudged Truth powder eyeshadow over the top of it all, blending the pencil onto the lid to avoid an obvious line.

Emerge is a clean peach shade. I haven't put it to a lot of use yet, as I don't typically wear peachy shades, but it looked lovely as a blush on a slightly warmer/more golden skintone at the Illamasqua Toxic Nature event. 

You may also like it for the lips if you like a very nude lip: it knocks out the mauve tones and neutralises my lips completely. 

A full face picture. I'm wearing the eye make-up described above, Delirium on my cheeks and Emerge on my lips. I did not enjoy looking at my face with such pale lips. 

As above, but with Lanolips Rhubarb on my lips instead, which I feel much more comfortable in. 

I like these a lot, and will definitely be buying Hollow, a neutral beige with no orange tones, as I think it will be excellent for contouring. I'm also quite interested in Mould for a base for a darker smoky eye - I think it'd be gorgeous with a shimmer pigment like Illamasqua Fervent over the top of it. These might not be the first choice for an oilier skin, but my normal to dry skin is loving them. 

Disclosure: cream pigments were provided without charge as part of the Toxic Nature pre-launch event. 

Butter London No More Waity Katie applied

I received my pre-ordered No More Waity Katie nail polish today, and promptly removed the Illamasqua Bacterium nail polish in order to apply the Butter London.

No More Waity Katie is a sheer mauve/grey base with lilac glitter. The base shade is very sheer (and not beige at all to my eye, it's definitely mauve); the picture above is with three coats, and this is what it looked like after I'd applied one coat:

To be completely fair, it probably doesn't help that I'm comparing it to the Illasmaqua manicure applied by someone who knows what they are doing when this polish had the ignominy of being applied by me.

Still, it is a fun shade and I'm glad I bought it, even if I do suspect it will be a pain to remove. When Butter London describes it as being packed with glitter, they aren't kidding.

What do you think? I like the cheekiness of it, and the fact that it's so un-royally blingy. I bought mine from zuneta, but I think it might be sold out already.

Illamasqua Toxic Nature - Bacterium nail polish applied

I attended the introductory event for the Illamasqua Spring/Summer 2011 collection, Toxic Nature, last night. There was the opportunity to have a manicure with one of the five new nail polishes from the collection and I opted for Bacterium.

Bacterium is actually quite a warm beige base, but with an ashy/silver shimmer. It's one of my favourite items from the collection, and I plan to buy it when the collection launches (on 10 March online and 17 March in Selfridges).

The theme of the collection is one of nature fighting back against human intervention, and producing strange hybrid shades of pastel and mutated neutrals. What that means in practice is there are some interesting pastel-with-a-kick shades, but also some very good neutrals in the collection. I'll be writing a post with my thoughts on the full collection over the weekend, but in the meantime I'd recommend this post on www.lipglossiping.com for some very good pictures of the other items in the collection.

If you join the Illamasqua web shop waiting list for any items from the Toxic Nature collection, you will be entered into a draw to win the Toxic Nature items on your wait list.

Disclosure: there was an event swag bag with three bits from the new collection in it, which I will post pictures of. Bacterium wasn't one of the things in mine, so I'll be buying it.

StrangeBeautiful Nail Polish - Schiaparelli Pink and Pigeon Belly

This is the other StrangeBeautiful nail polish duo I bought from Cult Beauty, and it's another interesting combination. The pink is so deep it's almost red in photographs and in most lights. The pigeon belly is a deep grey with slightly mauve undertones.

Again, these polishes are very pigmented and gave absolute coverage in two coats. I did a reverse accent nail with the grey, and Mr London was very unsure about it; he said it looked like I'd banged a nail in a door. I shall have to try the combination the other way round, or with a full pigeon belly manicure.

The two polish bottles are removable from the perspex joiner, making application considerably easier than it would be if they could not be removed.