Picture Post: Dior Lipstick Swatches

384, 482, 680, 382 & 660

Dior Addict 384, Dior High Shine 420, Ultra shines; 382, 420, 482, 660, 680 & Dior Addicts 527 & 649

•  Dior Addict 384 Rose Scenario
• Dior High Shine 420 Bronze Bombshell
• Ultra Shine 382 Shiniest Rose
• Ultra Shine 420 Shiniest Style
• Ultra Shine 482 Shiniest petal
• Ultra Shine 660 Shiniest Cassis
• Ultra Shine 680 Shiniest Mauve
• Dior Addict 527 Polychrome Brown
• Dior Addict 649 Red Interference

The Dior Addict lipsticks have now been revamped and have new packaging. The shade range has also changed, but I've noticed quite a few sites still stock them. Ultra-Shine lipsticks were replaced with High Shine lipsticks but they can also still be found online (Strawberry net, Fragrance X and e-bay).

Do you have any favourite lip products from Dior?

The Makeup Mavens Weekly Round-up

The Makeup Mavens stop by every week to show you makeup and beauty you might have missed.  This week, they found some holy grail items, discovered secrets to flawless skin and introduced some bright summer colors.  Kick back, enjoy some lemonade (or whatever your beverage of choice) and enjoy some fabulous reads. 

Summer is the time for new nail polish and Christina of Lovesong for my Lipgloss shares some of her picks for the season. 

Jenn of Hopelessly Devoted to Makeup happened to stumble upon her holy grail base makeup routine.  Check out her products, tools and tips for a flawless complexion. 

For those with sensitive, redness prone skin, The Black Panties has the secret to perfect skin, Nia24 skincare!

Searching for the perfect neutral eye wardrobe?  Lipstick Luvvies has found the only eyeshadows she would replace, Edward Bess Private Eyes.

Klara of Mookie on the Bench shares one of her all time favorites for the perfect cheeks, Stila Convertible Colors in Lilium and Gerbera.

Its often good to switch up cleansers for summer and Nat of Raspberry Rouge has the perfect solution for combination and oily skins, Ren Mayblossom Balancing Cleansing Gel. 

Have trouble applying your concealer flawlessly?  Product Doctor has found a new staple in Le Metier de Beaute's large concealer brush.

Benefit Posietint Swatches & Review

Posie tint is one of the three mini Benefit products which can be picked up for free with this months copy of Glamour magazine. Mini 4ml bottles of Benetint and Highbeam are also available with the issue which costs £2.00. I had actually planned to pick up all three of the products, but could only find Posie tint in my local shop and didn't feel like hunting around for the other two since I've already tried both, and didn't really love either.

What Benefit say about Posietint

A see-through poppy-pink tint which can be used on cheeks and lips. The liqui-gel formula blends to just-picked perfection on all complexions and lasts for hours.

My thoughts

I was a little bit disappointed with Posietint when I first swatched it on my hand because the pretty pink liquid seemed to disappear completely after I'd rubbed it in. Thinking it would also be too subtle on my cheeks and lips, I stashed it away in the make up drawer and only actually pulled it out again a couple of days ago. After experimenting with the liquid over the last few days, I can say that I'm actually really pleased with the product and the results I get from it.

Benefit Posietint

Posietint

Benefit's liqui-gel description is a pretty accurate one. I'd say the formula is slightly thicker than Benetint and I personally find it easier to work with. A couple of small swipes of the brush on each cheek is all that's needed to apply enough product. The formula blends with ease on bare skin and over foundation, but you do need to be quite speedy with blending because it dries quickly. The bright gel leaves cheeks with a translucent hint of petal pink colour which actually looks really natural and delicate. If you want a little bit more colour, the tint can also be reapplied to create a slightly deeper pinky hue.

As with all other stains and tints I've tried, Posietint is quite drying on lips. The colour does look pretty though and a little bit of gloss or balm applied on top makes wearing it a lot more comfortable. I've found the formula to be fairly long lasting on lips and when it does start to wear, it fades evenly. On cheeks it doesn't budge. My oily skin normally doesn't do well with cream or gel blushes but Posietint lasts all day which is pretty impressive.

L - Just applied, R - Dried

So, will I be repurchasing a full size? Hmm, I'm not sure. The colour is pretty and the formula is nice to work with but at £24.50 for 12.5mls of product, it's expensive stuff. I think given the choice, I would probably opt for a Becca Beach Tint instead. They're slightly cheaper (although you do get less product) , the packaging is more hygienic and I think I prefer the slightly thicker formula.

Have you tried Posietint? What are your thoughts on it?

Picture post: A Few Favourite MAC Shadows

Cork: A muted golden brown (matte)

Sumptous olive: Khaki with pearl (Veluxe pearl)

Yogurt: Soft pale pink (matte)

Woodwinked: A warm antique gold (Veluxe pearl)

Satin Taupe: Taupe with silver shimmer (Frost) 

Twinks: A deep plum (Veluxe pearl)

Satin Taupe, Woodwinked, Twinks, Sumptuous Olive, Cork, Yogurt

As above but with flash

Do you have any favourite MAC shadows?

FOTD with Chante's Ecstasy blush

A couple of weeks ago I posted some swatches of Chantecaille's Ecstasy blush and promised to post a photo to show what the shade looks like on. It's taken me a while to post a picture because as I've mentioned before, my camera's old and doesn't seem to cooperate when it comes to taking face photos. If I'm honest, I also feel a little bit awkward/self conscious about posting face pictures for some reason too.

 Anyway, here's what the colour looks like in the pan 

And this is what it looks like applied

It looks quite bright and scary in the pan, but the shade is quite delicate and subtle when it's applied with a light hand. As I mentioned in the original post, the formula is beautiful. It's soft and silky, incredibly easy to blend and creates a natural, non powdery finish. I already have a couple of other shades on my wish list but a Lip Chic is definitely the next thing I'll be trying from the brand. Do you have any recommendations/favourite shades?

The Makeup Mavens Weekly Round-up

Makeup Mavens present makeup you may have missed. With posts this week on Edward Bess, Tom Ford, Chantecaille, Burberry, Lipstick Queen, Chanel and not one but two posts on the latest offering from Le Metier de Beaute (because it is that special!), you are sure to find something luxurious to tempt you.

Understated elegance is the order of the day at Hopelessly Devoted To Makeup as Burberry Eyeshadows in Rosewood and Trench take the spotlight. Definite must haves. 

Lipstick Luvvies continues her love affair with all things Tom Ford, focusing on the perfect lipstick shade for summer, True Coral.  

The trend for sheer lipsticks shows now signs of slowing down, but Mookie On The Bench shows that it has been around for longer than you might think, with a look at some of her favourites for all budgets. 

Product Doctor gives you the ideal makeup remedy by tracking down the only taupe you ever need, from Edward Bess, who is possibly as beautiful as the products he creates.

Is Raspberry Rouge in 'Ectasy' this week courtesy of Chantecaille's blush? Read her excellent review to find out.

So good it deserves to be mentioned twice, The Black Panties showcases the latest Lip Kaleidoscope from Le Metier de Beaute alongside makeup artist supremo Dustin.

NARS Copacabana & Riviera Multiples

 Over the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to use some of the products from my stash that don't seem to get a lot of love. I tend to be quite boring with my make up and stick to the same products everyday, so I've been trying to mix it up a bit by using some of the things that have been pushed to the back of my make up drawer. Last week, I pulled out two NARS Multiples which I purchased last summer when I was slightly obsessed with multi purpose products.

NARS Multiples

What NARS say about Multiples

The original multi-purpose stick for eyes, cheeks, lips and body. Its unique, creamy formula blends effortlessly to provide sheer color for creating shimmering accents, contours or dynamic highlights on all skin tones. Creates perfect, glowing complexions and is conveniently designed for failproof application. 

NARS Riviera

My thoughts

I'll start with Copacabana because it's the shade I find myself reaching for the most. It's described on the NARS site as a glistening pearl colour, I'd describe it as a shimmery beige shade. I originally bought it to use as a cheek and brow bone highlighter and I have to say, it does work quite well. The formula is soft and creamy and is extremely easy to blend. The shade leaves cheeks and eyes with a subtle hint of colour which is pretty, but not particularly natural looking in my opinion. I like highlighters to leave my skin looking glowy, Copacabana leaves it looking quite shimmery and almost frosty, especially in outdoor light. Lasting power isn't too bad on cheeks but the product doesn't seem to hold up well on eyes and I find it creases fairly quickly.

NARS Copacabana & Riviera

Riviera & Copacabana

 

Riviera is a bright, cool toned pink and contains delicate shimmer. I purchased it to use as both a cheek and lip colour but it doesn't seem to work well as either. The texture/formula feels completely different to Copacabana. It's dry, feels almost gritty and is really difficult to apply. The stick really needs to be rubbed over skin to get the colour to show up, so it has to be warmed up on the back of my hand before I apply to cheeks. The shade is really pretty but it's a complete nightmare to blend and I always seem to take half of my foundation off when I'm applying it. I've had similar issues when using it as a lip colour too. It's just far too drying and looks awful if I don't use a lip balm underneath it. I'd say lasting power is slightly better than Copacabana which I suppose is due to the dry formula.

After using both of the sticks again over the past week, I can't say I'm really impressed with either of them. Copacabana is definitely the best out of the two but is let down slightly by lasting power. I think this is mainly to do with my oily skin type though so I can't really complain too much. I imagine it would last a lot longer on normal/drier skin types. I'll continue to use it as a cheek highlighter and will probably try it as a body highlighter too when the weather warms up. Riviera is pretty, but horrible to work with and is going straight back to the make up drawer.

Have you tried Multiples? Have you had more luck with them than I have?

The Makeup Mavens Weekly Round-up

Welcome! Makeup Mavens present makeup you may have missed. We will recap the weeks past highlighted posts, always keeping you in-the-loop and feature the finest beauty finds to help you stay looking gorgeous!

This week, Hopelessly Devoted to Makeup had you beholding the regal-ness that is Giorgio Armani's Eyes To Kill in Purpura #03 

Lipstick Luvvies experimented with BECCA's Halcyon Days Palette. Pop on over and see what beautiful results she achieved! 

Love Song for My Lipgloss introduced us to the sheer loveliness that is Giorgio Armani's gloss d'armani. How many will you be picking up?

Mookie On The Bench focused her attention on  Sarah Chapman Skinesis Eye Recovery, an illuminating eye cream perfect for those dark circles!

Product Doctor is head over heels in love with Edward Bess' Luxury Eye Brush. Another beauty blogger falls for his charms!

Raspberry Rouge had us blushing over BECCA's Flowerchild Mineral Blush, and after reading her review, I'm lusting after that shade.

The Black Panties had us all experience some serious infatuation with her insane lashes thanks inpart to Geisha Ink Mascara+ ! 

Chantecaille Ecstasy Blush Swatches

Chantecaille is a brand I've wanted to try for a while now. I've heard so many good things about their products and I've come across some gorgeous swatches recently so I finally decided to take the plunge last week and ordered something from Space NK. I had trouble deciding on what to buy first from the brand (there are so many lovely things!), but after searching through what was available, I finally decided on a blush. 

I normally stick to really natural blush shades which add just a tiny hint of colour, so I was quite surprised at how much Ecstasy appealed to me. I'd describe the shade as quite a bright, dark raspberry colour with very subtle gold shimmer.

Chantecaille Ecstasy

Chantecaille Cheek colour: Ecstasy

The shade is a bit scary in the pan but looks very delicate and pretty on skin when it's a applied with a light hand. The formula is pigmented, silky smooth and blends with absolute ease. The gold shimmer is hardly visible on cheeks and like the Becca Flowerchild blush I swatched recently, it has a subtle, almost glowy finish.

Swatched really heavily on the left and Lightly on the right

I found the shade quite difficult to photograph, it still looks very bright and loud even in my lighter swatch. On cheeks, it's much more subtle and leaves a very pretty, sheer pink colour. I didn't have time to photograph what it looks like on yesterday, I will take a picture and update the post when I have time though.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this is the first product I've tried from Chantecaille and I'm completely in love with it. The shade is beautiful, the formula feels soft, silky and light weight, and the finish looks incredibly natural and non powdery. Lasting power seems to be excellent on my oily skin too! I really can't wait to try some of the other lovely shades from the range.

Do you have any favourite products from Chantecaille?

Look Fantastic Sale!

I spotted this yesterday and thought I'd post it. Almost everything seems to be reduced, including the entire Becca range and Butter London polishes which both have between 20% and 25% off. Some of the Elemis, Gatineau and Murad sets have up to 50% off!

 

www.lookfantastic.com

 

Becca Lost Weekend Collection

I've barely finished picking out what else to get from the Halcyon Days collection but I'm already excited about Becca's Fall collection which consists of gorgeous earthy shades of tan, caramel and chocolate for eyes, subtle, dusty pink and peach for cheeks, and subdued nude on the lips.

 Here's what's included in the collection:

Lost Weekend Palette

Escape from the ordinary with the Lost Weekend Palette. This limited edition 3-hole eye colour palette washes eyes in earthy tones of nude, fawn and tan, in a combination of velvet matte and soft shimmer formulas. 

The lost weekend palette contains:

• Eye Colour Powder - Chino
• Eye Colour Powder - Moleskin
• Eye Colour Powder - Moire

Nail Colour

  

There are three new nail colours:

• Saddle Up - Caramel Nude
• Toasted Marshmallow - Soft Brown Pink
• Billy Tea - Dark Mushroom Taupe

Mineral Blush

BECCA Mineral Blush is a luxury powder for cheeks, imparting natural, luminous colour that is ultra-kind to skin.This longwearing mineral contains a hint of highlight to lift the complexion, with a delicate formula that never appears cakey or chalky.

There are two new shades:

• Tawny Rose -  Rosy plum Nude

• Tawny Peach - Peachy Nude

  Mineral Bronzing/highlighting duo

Dress skin with a bronzy, candle lit glow with BECCA’s Mineral Bronzer/ Illuminator, in Serrana (matte light bronze on one side; soft flesh-toned shimmer on the other side). This lightweight bronzing and illuminating duo adds luminous polish and radiance to the complexion, minimizes flaws by deflecting unflattering light and sculpts and defines features with sunkissed warmth.

Eye Tint

• Baroque - Mushroom Beige

The bronzing/highlight duo and eye tint aren't new products so they're available now, the rest of the collection will be available later on this year. I have my eye on the Lost Weekend Palette, peach blush and all of the gorgeous nail colours. 

Will you be getting anything from the collection?

 

Review: Diorshow Black Out Mascara

I've mentioned in previous reviews that I'm not really a huge fan of mascara. I've tried lots of different formulas from lots of different brands, but I always seem to find something wrong with them. My lashes are quite dark but they're not particularly long or full so I tend to look for products which promise to thicken and add length but still look quite natural. I've tried quite a few of Dior's mascaras and I've really liked a couple of them (Iconic and Diorshow) so I decided to give Black out a go too.

What Dior say about Blackout

Dior reinvents mascara by incorporating pro techniques into one ingenious product. Courtesy of Black Fix Complex - a unique blend of deeply saturated pigments - this creamy formula is the first to reproduce the intensity of kohl. Thickening powder adds staying power, while an Arabic gum extract provides a perfect charcoal-like finish and adds to its incredible resistance. Spectacularly intense!

Diorshow Black Out

My thoughts

Well my first gripe with the mascara is the brush which feels quite large. In actual fact, it's no bigger than other brushes which I seem to do fine with (Benefit Bad gal) but for some reason, Dior's feels big and bulky and makes application messy. I find it very difficult to apply without smudging and I also find the actual bristles to be too soft which makes it hard to coat and define lashes without making them clumpy. The consistency of the mascara is quite 'wet' too which doesn't really help matters either.

Diorshow Blackout brush

When the formula dries, it feels stiff on my lashes and feels uncomfortable and heavy. My eye's also feel irritated when I'm wearing it, which is something I've not really experienced with other products.The mascara does darken and lengthen well but also looks thick and clumpy as you can see in the after picture (sorry about the poor quality pics).

Before

After

Black out doesn't seem to wear well on me either. Whenever I use it, I always seem to end up with smudges on my brow bone or underneath my eyes which are really difficult to remove. Getting it off at the end of the day is hard work too. Even when I use Clinique's Take the day off and cleanse after, I still have traces of the mascara on my lashes and always wake up with smudges the next day.

Overall I'm really not impressed with Black out at all. It's difficult to apply, smudges and smears and it's a pain to remove. It's a product I don't reach for often and one I definitely wont be repurchasing. I seem to be having better luck with lower priced mascara's at the moment so I think I'll be sticking with them for now.

Have you tried Black out? What are your thoughts on it?

Jemma Kidd Silk Touch Gloss

Red magazine are offering a fantastic freebie with their July issue, a full size Jemma Kidd Silk Touch lip gloss in a choice of three lovely shades; a pretty pink, a summery coral and a red which was created especially for the magazine. I actually picked up a Jemma Kidd gloss as part of a similar deal last year and really loved the shade and formula (I repurchased the Fuchsia colour recently) so I thought I'd grab one of the colours on offer. Can you guess which one I went for?

Red July 2011 issue

Jemma Kidd Coral

Yep, I ended up getting the Coral (I just can't get enough of the colour lately)

It's a gorgeous juicy, orange coral shade which leaves lips with a transparent hint of non sticky colour. The formula has a delicate grapefruit scent and feels really comfortable and light weight. Lasting power's not bad either.

Jemma Kidd Coral

Coral & Fuchsia

I haven't decided if I'll be picking up the pink or red shades yet, the pink does look really pretty! 

Will you be grabbing any of the shades?

(The magazine's out now and costs £3.80. The free gloss is worth £14.00!)