A Few August Favourites

August Favourites

R&R Diffused & Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet Mascara

Rock and Republic Eye Shadow in Diffused - I was lucky enough to win this recently in a lovely giveaway over at Makeup merriment, and I've been using it a lot over the last few weeks. It's a gorgeous, shimmery, pigmented taupe which applies and blends beautifully. I really wish I'd discovered the brand when the products were still available, it looks like there were some lovely eye shadow shades on offer.

Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet Mascara - This was one of the items I received in August's GlossyBox. It thickens and lengthens well, looks pretty natural and doesn't smudge, flake or irritate my eyes.

Chanel Coral Reef Glossimer & La Pausa Lipstick

Chanel La Pausa Rouge Coco Lipstick - Is a pretty, peachy coral with golden/coppery shimmer. It's the first shade I've purchased from the Rouge Coco range and I'm in love with the long lasting, light weight, creamy formula. Swatches here.

Chanel Coral Reef Glossimer -  Complements La Pausa perfectly.

Chanel Splendeur & Miami peach

Chanel Miami Peach & Splendeur Nail Colours - Both are gorgeous, bright, summery shades which I've been reaching for a lot over the last few weeks. Swatched here.

Myface Mymix Foundation, Becca Flamenco & Becca Terracotta

Myface Mymix Foundation - A great medium coverage base which lasts well and doesn't emphasize blemishes or pores. Review and swatches here.

Becca Bronzing powder in Flamenco - This was on July's favourites list too. It's one of the nicest bronzing powders I've used. Finely milled, applies beautifully and the colour is incredibly natural looking. Because Flamenco is quite light, I'll probably be able to use it through the winter too, to brighten up my pale, pasty skin. Swatches and review here.

Becca Creme Blush in Terracotta - I often have problems with Cream blushes because they tend not to last long on my oily skin, but Becca's seem to hold up really well. They apply and blend with very little effort and leave cheeks with a hint of really natural looking colour. Terracotta is a perfect mix of apricot and brown and is one of my 'go with everything' blushes. Swatches here.

What's on your August favourites list?

Myface Gigabite Lipstick & Lip Pencil: Strawberry Fields & Nude

I was recently sent a few things to try from the myface cosmetics range. I've already shared my thoughts on the brands foundation (mymix) and today I thought I'd do a little post on the lip products I was sent.

The first is one of the brands Gigabite lipsticks in the shade Strawberry Fields, which is from the "red hot mama" collection in their fair skin range. The colour looks like a very bright, slightly scary red in the tube, but it actually applies sheer and becomes more of a juicy, pinky, strawberry shade on lips.

Myface Gigabite Lipstick: Strawberry Fields

If you look really closely, you can just about see the very delicate gold shimmers which are barely visible when it's on.

Myface Strawberry Fields

The scent free formula feels lovely. It's soft, applies well without dragging or pulling and feels quite hydrating. The finish is sheer and glossy, but doesn't feel tacky or sticky at all and I've found the shade to be fairly long lasting. I'd say I get a good couple of hours wear before the colour starts to fade, which I find to be the case with most sheer/glossy lipsticks. As Strawberry Fields fades, it leaves behind a delicate, pretty stain.

Strawberry Fields applied

All in all, it's a really lovely shade which I've actually found myself reaching for a lot since I got it. The formula is comfortable, non drying and leaves lips feeling quite soft and hydrated. Myface lipsticks are slightly more expensive than other drugstores brands, such as Revlon and L'oreal, but in my opinion they're worth paying a few extra pounds for.

Available from myface.co.uk/.com & Boots where they cost £9.99. Boots don't seem to offer many of the shades, though and Strawberry Fields is currently out of stock.

Myface Lip Pencil: Nude

Next up is the brands lip pencil in Nude, which is again from the fair skin range. Now, I've bought quite a few Nude lip pencils from quite a lot of different brands over the last couple of years and almost all of them have been the wrong colour for me and have ended up being either too dark or too brown. Myface Nude is the shade I've been searching for and the pinky beige colour works perfectly as both a natural liner and also as a base for lighter lip colours. It blurs out my fairly pigmented, natural lip colour perfectly and allows me to wear some of the paler lipsticks in my stash.

Myface Lip Pencil: Nude

 

I've used Nude to fill in my lips in the photo below to give a good idea of the colour.

 

Myface Nude Lip Pencil Applied

 

The lip pencil isn't the creamiest I've tried but it's not drying either and draws nicely. It also stays put and increases wear time of any lip products I apply over the top. I don't normally get excited over lip or eye pencils, but I really am pleased with this one and will definitely be re-purchasing in the future.

Available from myface.co.uk/.com & Boots where they cost £6.49.

I'm really happy with both lip products I was sent from myface and I'm also impressed with the foundation. I'd actually go as far as to say, the products are some of the best quality I've tried from any drugstore brand and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase more products from the lip range in the future. I'm also really tempted to try some of the blush shades, which I've read some really positive reviews on recently. 

Have you tried anything from the myface range? What do you think of the products?

Chanel Nail Colour: 529 Graphite

Chanel Nail Colour: 529 Graphite

When I first saw pictures of Chanel's Fall nail colours, I almost immediately made up my mind that I didn't want any of them, because I'm not really a huge fan of shimmery/metallic polish. All the beautiful photos and swatches I've seen over the last few weeks managed to change my mind, though and I decided I needed at least one of the shades. I'd actually intended to pick up Peridot, but the sales assistant at the Chanel counter happened to be wearing Graphite and after seeing it, I couldn't resist.

Chanel Graphite

Graphite is a fairly dark grey shade infused with a lot of pretty silver and gold glitter. In certain light, the colour looks like a cool toned silver, and in other lighting the gold flecks of shimmer are more prominent and really warm the shade up.

Chanel Graphite 529

The first coat of Graphite applied quite sheer and a little bit uneven, but the colour smoothed out beautifully with a second coat and became almost opaque. I've only had the shade on since yesterday so I can't really comment on how it wears, I've not had any chips so far, though. The photo below was taken outside and it was a little bit chilly, so please excuse the pink/red hands.

Chanel Graphite: 2 coats

Chanel Graphite with flash

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase. Graphite is a pretty shade that I'll probably be reaching for quite a lot during during the cooler, autumn and winter months.

Graphite is available online and at Chanel counters now and costs £17.50 for a 13ml bottle

Have you picked up Graphite or either of the other two shades from the collection?

The Make Up Mavens Weekly Round-up

The Makeup Mavens present makeup you may have missed.  This week we got a closer look at some of the fall collections by Chanel, Armani, and Le Metier de Beaute!  Other Maven's continue to show their love for designer cosmetics with Rouge Bunny Rouge, Chanel and By Terry!  

Lipstick Luvvies shows us the Chanel Fall Nail Colors along with some great dupes.

Interested in Armani's new Fall Collection? Lovesong for my Lipgloss has swatches of the entire lineup! 

Mookie on the Bench has expanded her brush collection with some new eyeliner brushes from Rouge Bunny Rouge. 

Product Doctor is loving her lips dressed in Le Metier de Beaute's Lip Kaleidoscope in Empress.

Raspberry Rouge looks gorgeous in the strawberry red that is Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo. 

The Black Panties' review of the By Terry Seve de Rose Ultra Glow Double Serum was so tempting you'll be running out for your own liquid crack with gelato on top!  

Would you like to try Myface Mymix foundation?

If you read my last post on myface mymix foundation, you may have seen me mention that I was sent three different colours to try. Two of the shades are far too dark for me, so I thought I'd give them away to someone who'd like to try the base.

If you'd like to try mymix, please leave a comment below telling me which shade would be the best match for you. There are two to choose from, 02 Medium and 03 Med/Dark (swatches below). Please make sure you leave your e-mail address too, so I can contact you for a postal address. 

Two winners will be chosen a week from now (one for each shade) using random.org

Myface Mymix Foundation

I was recently sent some myface product samples to try and some tubes of the brand's foundation were included, so I've been testing it out over the last couple of days and thought I'd share my initial thoughts on it. 

Myface mymix Foundation

 For those of you who aren't familiar with the range, here's a little bit about the brand:

myface is comprised of three complete colour ranges delineated by skin tone - one for fair skin, one for medium skin and a third for med/dark skin. Within each range are the ideal colours of foundations, concealers, powder, blushers, lipsticks and lip glosses for that skin tone. The range also features an eye collection designed for all skin tones which includes mascara, eye pencils, eyetouch trios and the revolutionary crushed pearl blingtone singles - which create show-stopping icy, iconic eyes. In October of 2008, myface.cosmetics debuted exclusively at Boots stores in the UK and Ireland.

The brand only offer one type of foundation (mymix) which is a liquid base and is available in nine different shades (three in each skin category). I fall into the fair skin category, and Fair 01 (the lightest of all shades) is a pretty good match for my nc15/nc20 skin tone.

myface mymix foundation: 01 Fair

The product is packaged in a simple, clean looking tube, which is hygienic, handbag friendly and makes dispensing the right amount of product an easy task. The liquid is fairly runny in consistency, especially compared to my usual Clarins Everlasting foundation and has a subtle, fresh scent which disappears fairly quickly after it's been applied. It's incredibly easy to apply (I use fingers) and blends in really well with absolutely no streaking.

There's no indication of the level of coverage mymix offers on the brand site, and for some reason I was expecting the base to be sheer, but it's actually more medium coverage. I have quite a lot of break out issues going on at the moment and mymix actually does a really good job at covering them. I still need a dab of concealer on real problem areas, but the base evens out skin tone nicely and conceals minor redness and blemishes without looking or feeling heavy.

myface mymix foundation: 01 Fair

myface mymix swatch: 01 Fair. Left: Blended

I'd describe the finish as semi matte and I'd also describe mymix as a fairly long lasting foundation too. The base lasts a good 4-5 hours on my oily skin (topped with Nars loose powder) before my face needs blotting, and when I've touched up, my foundation looks as good as new again. I've had no issues with the base settling into pores or fine lines, and no nasty surprises with oxidation either.

Here are some swatches of 01 Fair and the other two shades I was sent, on my nc20 (ish) arm.  Each of the shades are from different skin tone ranges. Fair 01 is the lightest shade from the fair range, medium 02 is the second lightest shade from the medium range, and the darkest of the three is the darkest shade from the medium/dark range. Myface offer a fairly good range of colours, which cater for a quite a wide range of skin tones, but those with very fair, or very dark skin may have trouble finding a shade match.

myface mymix foundations: Fair 01, Medium 02 & Medium/Dark 03

mymix swatches: Fair 01, Medium 02 & Medium/Dark 03

Overall, first impressions of mymix are good. It's easy to apply, blends nicely and best of all, it covers well without looking heavy or caked on. My current bottle of Everlasting is coming to an end at the moment, so I think I'll continue to use this for now and see how it goes before re-purchasing the Clarins.

£12.99 from Boots & myfacecosmetics.co.uk where you can currently get 20% off of you order and free shipping.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine: 62 Monte Carlo

I've wanted a red lipstick for a while now and quite a few different colours from various different brands have caught my eye. The thing is, I've never actually owned or worn a red lip colour before, so I wanted something sheer and easy to wear. After searching around online and browsing through swatches, Chanel's Monte Carlo caught my eye.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine: Monte Carlo

Rouge Coco Shine: 62 Monte Carlo

I'd describe Monte Carlo as a sheer, strawberry red with really subtle shimmer. The shade's actually more pigmented than I was expecting, but is still delicate, understated and perfect for those, who like me, normally shy away from red lip colours.

Chanel Monte Carlo

Chanel Coco Shine: Monte Carlo

I only recently started discovering Chanel's products again, so I'd not actually tried any of the shades from their Coco Shine range. The lipsticks are described as hydrating lipshines with a water-light texture and I have to say, they feel absolutely beautiful. The colour glides effortlessly over lips and feels incredibly light weight. The texture is balm-like, feels almost cooling as it's applied and has a kind of soft, cushiony feel, which makes the formula really comfortable to wear.

Chanel Monte Carlo Swatch

 The tiny microshimmers which look quite obvious in the above photos aren't really prominent on lips apart from in direct sunlight, and they're still quite subtle.

Monte Carlo applied

  
The finish is pretty glossy and because of this, I don't find the formula to be particularly long lasting. I get around two to three hours wear before the colour starts to fade and the glossiness disappears. I am left with a very delicate stain, though and my lips do feel soft, smooth and hydrated, which is a bonus.

Overall, I'm really impressed with Monte Carlo and with the Rouge Coco Shine formula. The pretty, juicy strawberry colour is a beautiful shade and I'm in love with the balmy texture and glossy finish. 

I purchased Monte Carlo from Garden Pharmacy (£23.00) who are currently offering free postage and double points on all purchases.

Blemish Busting Face Washes & Exfoliators

Last week I wrote a little post about the problems I'm having with my skin at the moment and shared some the face masks I'm currently using to combat blemishes. I thought I'd write a similar post this week on a few of the washes I'm currently using, which are helping in my fight against spots, too.

First up is Avene's Cleanance gel. I discovered this fairly recently through another beauty blogger who has similar skin to my own and I really do love the stuff. It's a soapless gel cleanser which is aimed at oily skin types and it promises to purify, reduce excess oil and leave skin soothed and refreshed. A lot of washes which are aimed at oily and acne prone skins seem to be quite harsh and drying. but Cleanance feels incredibly gentle. My face feels really clean after washing with the cleanser, but doesn't feel dry, tight or uncomfortable. I've definitely noticed an improvement in the amount of oil my skin produces since I started using it, which in turn has helped with blocked pores and spots. It's reasonably priced too at £8.75 for a 200ml bottle (Boots).

Dermalogica Special Cleansing gel is another soapless cleanser. I received quite a generous sample size of it with a recent order and my skin really seems to like it. Like Cleanace, it's aimed at oily/acne prone skin and it promises to thoroughly clean without upsetting the skin's natural moisture balance. This one doesn't feel quite as gentle as the Avene, but it's certainly not harsh or drying and it does a fantastic job at cleaning and removing any last traces of make up. I've only been using it for the past week or so, so I can't really comment on it's spot fighting abilities yet, but I have noticed that my skin looks calmer, less red and feels smooth and clean. It costs around £18.00 for 250ml bottle.

REN Mayblossom Balancing cleansing gel is described as a balancing, antibacterial facial cleansing gel for skin that is prone to oiliness and breakouts, particularly in the T-zone. It's definitely the most gentle out of the three cleansers I'm using and the most pleasant to use, as it smells lovely. I've been using it on and off for the past couple of months and I really have noticed an improvement, particularly in problem areas where I have issues with blocked pores. It does a great job at cleaning and my skin feels really hydrated and fresh after washing with it. It's also helping to reduce the redness in a few really angry looking spots I'm battling with at the moment. It costs £19.00 for a 150ml bottle (Beauty Expert).

Peter Thomas Roth Botanical Buffing Beads. I first tried these a couple of years ago after purchasing the acne clearing gel from the range, and I've used them ever since.  The scrub contains ultra-fine jojoba beads, which do a fantastic job at exfoliating without irritating. The jojoba beads partially dissolve as they come in contact with wet skin, so they don't scratch or damage as you're scrubbing. I use them twice a week at the moment and my skin feels really smooth and soft after, but doesn't look red or angry. Any treatments I use after the Buffing Beads seem to sink in more quickly and my skin generally seems to be in much better condition when I'm using them. The product is quite expensive at £27.00 a bottle, but providing it's used sparingly, it lasts forever.

Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub. I received a generous sample size of this recently too and have really been enjoying it. It's described as a skin-polishing scrub exfoliant with natural grains that leaves the skin with a smooth, healthy finish. It contains Corn Cob Meal, Botanical extracts of Mallow, Ivy and Aloe Vera and extracts of Arnica and Cucumber. It's not as gentle as the Botanical Buffing Beads, but the smaller grains/scrubby bits allow me to get in to all the nooks and crannys and really give my face a good clean. It is a tiny bit drying, but does an excellent job at getting rid of impurities and oil and I really feel as though it's helping with clogged pores. It costs around £18.00 for 75ml tube and I'll definitely be buying a full size bottle when my samples run out.

What are your favourite Blemish Busting Face Washes & Exfoliators?

August GlossyBox - Wash & Glow!

I received my first GlossyBox last month and was really pleased with the lovely products I got. There were a couple of duds which I wasn't particularly keen on (Powdered metal & the blue polish), but the rest of the items were great and I've really enjoyed using them over the last few weeks. After getting such nice goodies in last months box, I wasn't expecting much from August's, so I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it and found another selection of great products.

GlossyBox

Here's the contents of August's box....

August GlossyBox contents

A full size KMS hairstay style boost

A 30ml tube of Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser

 

A 40ml tube of AHAVA Deadsea Water Mineral Body Lotion

A full size Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet Mascara

Rebel Nails Nail Sensations

I received my box yesterday, so I haven't had chance to try everything yet. I have tested the mascara which I'm pretty impressed with and I've also sampled the body lotion which smells lovely. The Murad cleanser came at the right time because my skin's decided to erupt recently, so I'm looking forward to trying that, and I'm also looking forward to giving the Hairstay a go. The only item I don't think I'll be using from this month's box, is the Rebel Nails nail wraps, but everything else seems to be great.

The price of GlossyBox is due to increase to £12.95 next month, and I'm happy to pay the extra as long as the company are consistent with the contents each month.

Have you had your GlossyBox yet? What did you get? 

The Make Up Mavens Weekly Round-up

Makeup Mavens present makeup you may have missed. This week we've got you covered - from your base, eyes, lips to your nails and with a little bit of luck you may even win a giftcard to spend on beauty products in a well-known online boutique.

The highly anticipated complete Tom Ford makeup line will be coming to the counters this Fall and Jennifer teases us with photos of last year's limited edition nail polish in Black Orchid. Will you be able to resist?

 

Christina of Lovesong For My Lipgloss is hosting her first ever giveaway. And the prize? A Giftcard to Apothica.com so you better run and make sure you enter before 15 September.

Mookie On The Bench falls in love with a gorgeous plum-green duchrome cream eyeshadow by Shiseido. Fans of MAC Club, rights this way.

Product Doctor shares with us a beautiful lipstick from Burberry's new collection. Moisturizing formula? Check! Beautiful packaging? Check! A great choice for all you nude lipstick lovers.

Liz Earle is bringing out a new range of colour cosmetics and Nat tested the Sheer Skin Tint, a lovely tinted moisturizer that will be perfect for those great-skin days.

Ciate Nail Colour: Skinny Jeans 022

I actually received this in my July GlossyBox and stashed it away in my polish drawer because I'm not really a fan of blue nail colours. I am quite fond of mint, turquoise, aqua and even teal shades, but tend to shy away from deeper, darker blues.The colour seems to be a popular choice for nails this Fall with Dior and Chanel both releasing blues in their collections, so I decided to fish out the shade yesterday and give it a go.

Ciate Paint Pot Skinny Jeans 022

I'd describe Skinny Jeans as a really pigmented, cobalt or denim blue shade. It's the first polish I've tried from Ciate and I'm really impressed with the formula, which is fairly thick and applied beautifully. The elongated lid and short, fairly wide brush allowed for really precise application, and the quick drying, rich, non streaking colour made painting my nails an absolute pleasure.

Ciate Skinny Jeans with flash (2 coats)

The photos show two coats of colour without a top coat. Ciate describe their nail colours as being long lasting so I thought I'd test it without Seche Vite to see how long the colour lasts.

Skinny Jeans Direct Sunlight (2 coats)

 So has Skinny jeans changed my opinion of blue polish? No, I don't think so. The colour is lovely, but I'm just not ready to embrace smurf nails yet. Blues look lovely on others, but the colour just isn't for me. I'm glad I've given it a go because I've discovered a new brand of great polish, but I doubt I'll be reaching for the shade again anytime soon. 

Ciate nail colours are available here and cost £9.00 for a 13.5ml bottle 

Are you a fan of blue polish?

Do any of the blues from this years fall collections take your fancy?