A New Beauty App for iphones :)

Greetings iphone owners!

I don't know if you are like me, but there seems to be a distinct lack of beauty related applications for our phone, in fact I've only found the Barry M one and Beauty Steals. Not good enough for an addict!

Now a new application enters the fray courtesy of L'Oreal Paris

 It's free, for starters so worth having a little nosey and there are some pretty nifty features.

There are product application video's, a store locator (linked to Google Maps), a "Get the Look" gallery which tells you which products were used and how, and a product scanner which when you scan a product in store it gives you extra info.

I've not had a chance to play with the scanner yet but otherwise I've had a good play with it and considering its a free app it's pretty good! The videos are informative and clear, and I really enjoyed looking to see which products had been used to create Cheryl's look (for example, I'm not a Cheryl fan). Definitely worth a download and a play.

Essie Playa Del Platinum NotD

Sooo! The first of my Essie haul! This is Playa Del Platinum from the Essie Resort Collection. I picked it to try first because I thought it was the most boring and it is, but it's very nice. It's a Greige which to my eyes leans more towards grey in the bottle but is a true beige on the nail.

This is three coats and it's still streaky in places, horrible application, but overall I think it looks very nice.

Blue Dahlia Collection for Estee Lauder Autumn 2010

I was recently invited to an Estee Lauder event in London revealing this range. Being in the depths of the South West and with a very attached baby I wasn't able to attend. It was really kind of the girls at Estee Lauder to send me a few bits to look at and play with. The collection is due out in August and is Tom Pecheux's first for Estee Lauder.

There are two looks, Blue Dahlia, a collection of blues, taupe's and pinks and Surreal Violet, a collection of purples, fuchsia's and greens. Both look amazing.  I have already shown you a few bits, Twilight Rose Eyeshadow and Rose Dusk Gloss Stick from Blue Dahlia and Surreal Violet Nail Varnish from Surreal Violet. I think each line has two glosses, two gloss sticks, two pure colour shadows and one nail varnish.

The centrepiece of each collection is an eyeshadow palette (£34). I was lucky enough to be sent the Blue Dahlia one. In actual fact I was actually sent two of the blighters and am now wondering if the Surreal Violet one was actually supposed to have been included instead... but anyway! Check this baby out!

 The packaging is beautiful too. Simple gold and clear acrylic. Nice. But. Blue eyeshadows. Could I wear blues? First, lets look at some swatches, I hope you can see the iridescence of the white, it's full of very fine blue sparkles. Ideal for layering.

 Beautiful! So of course I had to have a play with them and here are the surprisingly flattering results.

 This one isn't a great pic but it shows the sparkles of that white (which I layered on top) really well. (click it to see it full size!)

 Here are a couple of the obligatory bad pics of my face!

 Which leads me nicely onto what I have on my lips. Pure Colour Lipgloss in Twilight Petal. Very pretty almost sheer nudey pink with tonnes of very fine sparkle, pink and gold sparkle. Beautiful!

Love love love this collection. I'll be angling to get my mitts on a couple more of the pure colour gloss sticks (the pink from Blue Dahlia and the violet from Surreal Violet, the Surreal Violet palette and the pale green eyeshadow I've seen whilst googling. What about you, do you fancy any of these bits? Beautiful stuff!

Aromatherapy Associates Hair Oil Review

I've been wanting to try a hair oil for ages. I've got dry, processed hair that needs a lot of TLC, so I was delighted to get my hands on Aromatherapy Associates Hair Oil.

 Please excuse the stock photo. I wanted to take a photo of my bottle but I forgot to do so before I used it...it's now covered in oily finger prints so I thought you wouldn't especially want to see it!

So the oil contains Brazilian Murumuru butter (whatever that is!) which helps to retain moisture as it creatses a barrier that pervents moisture loss. This butter is blended with coconut oil for conditioning and ylang ylang, geramium, patchouli and rosemary essential oils. Each oil is especially chosen for it's properties. Rosemary for example is a scalp and hair tonic and helps maintain a healthy circulation.

So how was it to use? Well first observation, the smell is out of this world. Unbeleivably beautiful. My only sadness about the smell is that sadly my shampoo & conditioner are so strong smelling that I couldn't get a hint of the oil once I'd washed my hair. It's not a fault of the product though, it's just how it is, you are washng it off after all...

So you apply 2-3  pumps and work it through your hair. You then need to leave it for a minimum of 20 minutes, or as an overnight treatment (sleeping on a towel of course!).  I have very fine hair but LOADS of it. I didn't think the three pumps I used the first time was enough and I struggled to work it through my hair, so I added a couple more pumps. Rookie error, because actually it takes a few minutes to fully saturate your hair. It goes from looking not greasy to looking very greasy all by itself. When I used it first I managed to create something of an oil slick on my head!

Anyway, I've used this both overnight and 20 minutes before washing and it really is beautiful. After washing my hair it feels silky and smooth. You know how your hair feels immediately after you've put a colour on it? Super soft. Highly highly recommended product. 50ml is £22.50 and if you only use the prescribed amount of pumps that should last a really long time!

I'm Guesting Over at Zuneta today...twice!

Hi all, well finally, my turn has arrived and I've got two blog posts over at Zuneta  today, you can find my post about red lippies here and my post about anti-aging concealer here. It'd mean a lot to me if you'd all go read and leave me some comment-love!

Thank you!

Misa Decadent Drifter NotD

This is the last of my recent Misa duochromes. I got through them quickly. Anyway, this is Decadent Drifter. Again, another one I failed miserably to capture the beauty of with my camera. A lovely pale blue with a strong golden/baby pink flash through it. It's quite sheer and needed three coats. I really really like this one and I wish I'd managed to do it some justice in the pics.

So thats that! All done. Generally speaking, all the Misa duochromes have been quite sheer, needing three coats, but they are thin and quick drying so for me, that wasn't an issue. I've really loved all the ones I bought so I guess one day I'll be looking to add to the collection as there are loads more I've not tried yet.

Fear not though nail polish lovers, I have some Essie's winging their way to me as I type and I look forward to sharing them with you soon.

Cheeky Little Essie Haul...

I just wanted to show you what came in the post this morning for me from beautybay.com. I had to get more polish now I've finished swatching my Misa's. Ooops!

They very kindly chucked in a load of samples too. I forgot to take a pic of the gold which is called Shifting Power I think. The others are mini's of The Resort Collection and The Summer Collection.

All being well I hope to do my nails tonight, but I have no idea which one I'll start with!

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eyeshadows & Gloss Stick Review & FotD

Further to my post about the Pure Color Lipglosses earlier this week I can now share with some of the newly launched Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadows.

 As with the lipgliosses there are 24 shades available but this time thyere are four finishes, Matte, Satin, Luminous and Metallic. Love the packagaing, it's very classy, each comes with a sponge applicator and a mirror in the lid, I also love the imprint of the logo on the actual shadow, it's classy.

Here are some swatches of the shades I have:

L-R:Twilight Rose (unsure of the finish), Sugar Biscuit (satin), Sizzling Copper (metallic), Wild Sable (matte) and Ivy Envy (satin).

I'll start by just explaining that I'm not certain but I don't think Twilight Rose is released until August as I suspect it is part of the Surreal Violet/Blue Dahlia Collection. Anyway, these eyeshadows are beautiful. Butter soft. Not in the slightest bit powdery and the colour is buildable. really buildable. You can wear these as sheer or as opaque as you like it seems. They are also extremely long wearing. Mine looks as good as it did at 9am and its now 6pm. Fab. They are £15.50 each, which is a lot of money but theres 2.1g of colour there...

I was also sent a Pure Color Gloss Stick in Rose Dusk for review. I love these so much (you can see Cherry ice HERE). I love the finish, the look, the wear of them. These are £16.50 and I want them all. This colour isn't on the website at the moment which leads me to suspect that this isn't out until August either.

 So I had to put it all together and do you a Face of the day! Although for some reason my eyes look bizarre.

I used Sugar Cookie, Sizzling Copper and Ivy Envy on my eyes and here's the Gloss Stick.

 I love that lipstick. Love it.

Anyway, I've gone on far too much, the kids are desperate for dinner so I'd best wind it up now. Love all these Pure Color items, they really are fab basics to have. Go and buy now!

Summer Skin by Clinique

Summer make up is always a little tricky. I just don't like going without because my skin isn't good enough, but heavy foundation is a no no. I find mineral powder foundation is about the best option for me generally but it doesn't always impart a healthy glow. Step forward Clinque Almost Make up in Light (with SPF 15) and Clinique Up Lighting Liquid Illuminator in 01 natural. So do they work for me? I've only ever used liquid highlighter products on my cheekbones, but this time I was going for all over, and well, I've never used a tinted moisturiser or sheer foundation before...

Lets have a quick look at the products.

 Left is the Almost Make Up and Right is the Iluminator and also I have pictured them spread out but not blended.

So the Illuminator can be used however you like really, dotted onto placed you want to highlight, or under your foundation, or even mixed in with your foundation. It comes in four shades, there's the nude, which I have, a pink, a peach and a bronze if I recall correctly. I have several highlighters, what I wanted was a product that I could use all over to add a general brightness to my face.

It's £18.95 btw and it's a large amount given how little you use and will probably last me a long time.

The Almost Make Up is incredibly sheer, but that's what I wanted, I just want to even out skintone. I would absolutely expect to be using the concealer generously with my face! As I say, I've never tried a sheer face product before, I've never been brave enough. This comes in six shades ranging from Fair to Deep and I have 02 which is Light. It's £20 so time will tell if it's value for money!

Anyway, here's my face with no concealer, but all other make up, including the illuminator and foundation, no powder either.

Radiant! I think both products work really well. The illuminator does what it says on the tin and the sheer foundation is just enough to even out my skin tone and give me a tiny bit of coverage. All my freckles still show through and it looks extremely light.

In terms of wear, it's actually fairly long wearing, I got about 6 hours out of it, and with a light dusting of powder I'd guess it'd go a lot longer.

So that's my summer face sorted! What do you think? What do you go for in the hot weather? Could you cope with sheer coverage?

*These products were sent to me for review purposes*

My Most Used and Loved Basics

I've seen these posts or similar posts on lots of people's blogs since I've been blogging but I've not yet managed to get round to doing mine yet.

The following are some of my favourite, most used, but basic, products. So I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Ok so here we go:

1. Elf Eyebrow Kit - Medium. I've been using the wax to groom my brows into shape for a long time. For £3.50 I don't think you can go wrong. I've recently started using the coloured powder to set my brows too and fill in gaps although it took some getting used to, as you'll know if you're a regular reader of my blog!
2. Mac Feeling Dreamy Lipglass. £12. Sadly you can't get this easily now as it was part of Mac's Ltd Edition Warm & Cozy collection. A beautiful nude with a hint of pink shimmer. I can't carry nudes as a rule but this one just works. If I'd have known I'd have bought a back up!
3. Guerlain Kohl in Oriental Metal £20. Another discon I'm afraid although I think if you google you can still find it in a few places. I actually got mine on ebay I think. I adore the Guerlain Kohls and this one is my favourite... so far!
4. Mac Pearlmatte Face Powder. I use this every single day almost as a bronzer. It's perfect to me, the faintest hint of shimmer, but mostly a matte finish, hences the Pearlmatte name. I adore it. Sadly, another one you can't get now as it was part of the Mac in Lillyland collection. Another one I wish I'd got a back up of!
5. Chanel Inimitable Noir Mascara £21.50. I was actually given this recently but it's a product I've used a lot in the past. A lovely mascara. Does just what I want it to!
6. Mac MSF Natural in Light Medium £18. I love this. Use it every day. I've heard reports of it being cakey but I've not had problems with that at all. I use a HUGE fluffy brush and just add a very light dusting to my face after finishing my make up and it seems to set it well. Sometimes I finish off with a spritz of Mac+ to add a more dewy effect, but mostly I don't have to. 
7. Superdrug MUA Eyeshadow in #2 £1. I use this pretty much every day as my brow highlight. It's just perfect and at £1 you can't complain at all. Ideal product. I also use it on the inner corners of my eyes sometimes. 
8. Sheer Cover Concealer in Light/Medium £19. Well I have mixed feelings about this product. I was sent it to review and I love it. It's fabulous for blemish covering and as I have lots of blemishes I use it daily. However, the price is ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. Love the product but won't be replacing.

So there you have it! My top basic items. Do you have any of these or want any of these? I might do another one of these about my favourites that aren't basics as I have some idtems I love so much I just want to blog about them!

Misa Luminous NotD

I think after this one I've only got one more Misa to show you! This is Luminous. And I may as well tell you from the off that the pictures look nothing like it! It's much pinker, although a baby pink and there's a very strong gold flash. Sorry!

 And just for fun I had another Konad practice. It wasn't a successful effort. Most of the two small stars are missing :S

 Anyway, this is a lovely colour. Really lovely, it's a shame the pics don't do it any justice at all.

Origins All-Purpose High-Elevation Cream Review

I have ok skin as a rule, but I do have several extremely dry bits. Elbows, ankles, sides of feet and upper arms being the main culprits. Over the years I've tried many things on them  and mostly to no avail. I find a very good scrub works the best and it doesn't really matter what I apply after that. Having said that I always try to find something really moisturising. I ususally end up using my normal body lotion and going over the dry bits once or twice a day with something like Lush Lemony Flutter. This helps but it doesn't cure it.

Anyway, step forward Origins All-Purpose High Elevation Dry Skin Relief. 

This cream was created for residents of Denver, Colorado where the altitude and weather played havoc with their skins. So this cream is designed for anywhere thats dry, cheeks, arms, legs, tummies, anywhere! It's allegedly non greasy but rich and has some lovely ingredients, Shea Butter combined with Sunflower, Safflower, Sesame & Jojoba Oils and Wheat Bran Extracts.

As soon as it arrived I started rubbing it like a woman possessed. Feet, arms, elbows all  received heavy applications and yes, it does feel rich but yes, it is quickly absorbed. My elbows have shown an instant improvement, in fact they are no longer dry at all, my feet are softer but are going to need some more work, I have very little doubt, based on performance so far, that they will soon be lovely and soft too! It's £20 for 75mls which isn't cheap but a little really does go a long way and for me personally, I'll only be using it on very small areas so I would expect this tube to last me a very long time indeed. It might be a different story altogether if my expansive derierre needed uber-moisturising... I'm not even sure one tube would be enough. It is a quite large bottom ;) I'm exaggerating of course, but in all seriousness if you suffer very dry skin all over your body, this won't last long at all if you used it daily, but for dabbing at small areas of dryness, not a problem and probably fairly econimical.

Very nice and I will definitely keep using this as its done a good job on my dry bits.