Lancôme Fall 2011 - 29, Saint Honoré Picture Heavy!

The Fall collection from Lancome this year, is a stunner. Inspired by the Femme Fatale trend of the 1930's and 40's, it really shows!

The collection, 29, Saint Honore, honours the spirit of Paris and the heritage of Lancome, the brand's home for over 75 years, the Lancome Institute, 29, Faubourg Saint Honore.

First up there's the French Touch Absolu Lipstick in Rouge 29, £23.50.

This is one classy lipstick! Heavy gold casing. Glorious red. Creamy consistency and the most beautiful finish. Equally lovely worn straight from the bullet, or dabbed on for a more stained effect. I love this, but then I do love my reds... please forgive me for not having applied with a lip brush...

And then next up is Les CEillades in Blondette Fatale. £33. Essentially a taupe and brown based eyeshadow palette. So sorry for showing you these already swatched, I got carried away and used before photographing which isn't like me!

Two matte shades and two shimmers, and the two matte shades are also suitable for filling in eyebrows. This palette can be used to create a lovely brown smoky eye, or a very subtle look, and includes three brushes which I cut out of my photo (unintentionally!). The dark brown is perfect for my brows, but the little brow brush in the kit is no good for me, it's too fat!

Then we have Hypnose Drama in Gris Fatal £20.50

 It's a grey mascara and I love it! It's not the best finish for my lashes (I prefer the Lancome Doll Eyes mascara) but I do love the grey and its decent and doesn't flake!

 Then there are two gorgeous Nail polish. Le Vernis in 022 Rouge Saint Honore and 029 Noir 29. £12.50 each.

Ok I love the red but that black looks really special, full of glitter/shimmer (gold based).  Shown below with and without flash. Thought the black was going to be my fave, and it is gorgeous, but it's the red that's won my heart. I just can't resist red. I do have a problem I know this. Can't really comment on the wear of these as I removed them straight after (as I have tonnes to swatch), but application was smooth and easy. Very nice for Christmas too I think.

Finally there's the highlight of the collection. Maison Lancome Blush £32.50. Two pictures, for different lighting. The first picture is the most accurate, colour wise and I strongly recommend you enlarge the pictures.

 It is the most stunning thing I think I've ever owned and actually I got myself in a tizz about swatching it. But in the end I forced myself for the greater good. This is not a powerful or pigmented blush, it's soft, subtle and pretty, probably best for those who are fair skinned. In swatches  it doesn't show up well, but hopefully you'll be able to see it on the cheeks.

 It's a lovely soft blusher, a bit powdery in the pan, but I do love the effect on my skin. Tis very pretty! But that said, even if this colour wasn't for you, it's pretty much the first thing I would buy a second one just to stare at from time to time. It's so gorgeous.

Oh here a couple of last photos that I had left over that just show a bit of all the products in use.

And that, my friends, is that. Is there anything that particularly stands out to you? The blusher is a stunner, even just to look at and I'm loving the lips and mascara, but also, the dark brown shadow in the quad is perfect for my brows which is fab. I love the whole lot. Honestly.  Well and truly worth a look and available from the 1st September from all Lancome counters.

PS: Sorry for the complete lack of accents in all the right places on this post... I don't know how to do them!
Disclosure: PR Samples

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint

Regular readers of beauty blogs may wish to skip this post if you're fed up of reading posts about this, but for everyone else, here's something a bit good.

We know by now that Liz Earle does great skincare. It was only a matter of time before they branched out into the cosmetics world and due to mounting customer pressure here is the first product as they foray in to the world  of colour cosmetics.

Sheer Skin Tint is rich and creamy like a foundation but it's lightweight. It is, I suppose, somewhere between a tinted moisturiser and a foundation. It's designed for all year round wear (and has SPF15), suitable for all skin types and claims to leave you looking dewy, even and radiant.

The coverage is light, covers small scars easily but for me doesn't cover any redness, so concealer is definitely needed with this product.

It comes in three shades, Bare, Beige and Beach and given it's sheer-ness that should cover a huge variety of skin tones. I was sent Bare, the lightest of the three to have a play with.

 The above pictures show a blob on my hand and then blended out. I think if you enlarge the second picture it gives you a really good idea of the finish. It is glowy without being shiny and my freckles can still be seen, but generally speaking the skin is looking even. This shade is really pale but I think I get away with it on my face, but it will be absolutely perfect in the winter for me.

So I've worn this several times since I got it and it wears well on my skin, lasting a good long time. But I do have one little grumble, in that it feels tacky on my face. And it stays feeling tacky on my face all day. I can't feel it on my face as such, just when I touch my face with my fingers if that makes any sense? Essentially it means that I can live with it.  If it felt heavy and odd on my face I don't think I could put up with it, but as it is, it just reminds me I shouldn't be touching my face anyway!

So yes, I do like this, it's a great idea and I approve.

Here's something I really like too. If you order this online (available 15th September and £21 for a large 40ml tube), you will receive samples of all three shades in your order. That way you can try them all out before you open your full size product. Then if it's wrong, you can send it back unopened avoiding unnecessary landfill of good unused product. Nice touch!

The word on the street is that this is just the start and that soon there's be a capsule collection of Liz Earle colour products which I'm really looking forward to seeing. I'm expecting great neutrals but we shall see.

I'll use it in a FOTD really soon so you can all have a good look at it on my face. Lucky you!

Disclosure - PR Sample

Thinking of changing...

Hi all,

I've been thinking about how I review things and have been pondering making one or two little changes to the way I do things. I was first of all planning to start reviewing things on a one item per post basis (unless there are three eyeliners all the same but different colours for example) rather than in the case of a new season collection, reviewing the whole lot in one uber long post? What do people prefer? Short and snappy? Or long and picture heavy?

Also I am mulling over giving things scores like I dunno may be out of 5 or 10?

What do people think...?

Sleek Saturday - Oh So Special

So this week I'm taking part in the very lovely Liloo's Sleek Saturday. The idea being that every Saturday bloggers join her in using a Sleek palette languishing in their make up collections to creat a look. 

Tough call for me since I don't like Sleek. I thought I had the Original palette lurking somewhere... but then I remembered that they just crumbled so I binned it. So I went out to buy the Oh So Special palette, specially to take part in this. I thought the colours would appeal to me (and they do) and I thought it was high time to give Sleek a second chance.

So lets have a look at the palette first.

 Pretty colours no? It's fiar to say though that the only one I love here is Wrapped Up. It doesn't show in the swatch but this is a gorgous shade with a hint of purple.

My first go with this palette was not a success. That black down there, it's potent. Not only did a light touch pick up way too much, but I a) gave my self the worst black eyes ever and b) had to wash my brushes after because I couldn't shift the black. I'm not saying thats bad, but my personal preference is to build up colour as my touch just isn't light enough!

So anyway, here's what I came up with. I'm not proud of myself. It's not a great look. It also didn't show up so well in the photo's. It was much stronger in real life. I have this problem a lot with photo's being washed out. With flash, without flash, next to a window, near a window, away from windows altogether, outside. I never seem to capture the true colours on my eyes, even if swatches are accurate!

 Don't ask me what colours I used. I sort of just randomly stabbed at the palette and slapped it on. The only one I'm sure I used is Wrapped Up and for eyeliner I used Illamasqua Glister which I really love and use a lot. And thats about it

It was nice to have a play with the Palette and I do like the colours but you know... I just can't love Sleek. I don't know why. I don't love the consistencies much and I really struggle to make them work. What I really would love to do is create something like this. Which I think is so beautiful. But I failed. Never mind. I'll keep playing but I think me and Sleek just aren't meant to be!

Please head over here and find out who else is involved this week and what they've come up with, thank you for letting me take part Liloo.

Jennifer’s Beauty Bloggers Best Things

 

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has taken part in BBBT to date. It’s one of my favourite things about my blog and I love reading about everyone’s favourite products.

This week is the turn of  Jennifer at www.make-upjournal@blogspot.com. Please do go and check out her blog, this girl does some great things with eye shadow! So lets crack on!

So lets start with some easy questions!

Can you talk me through your daily skin care regimen, which products you use and why?

I  use Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish in the morning, I like how easy and quick it is to use. It really does what it says on the can, my skin is always left soft and clean and I just enjoy using it. I use Philosophy Hope In A Jar for normal skin moisturiser which sinks into my skin really well, it is definitely the best moisturiser I have ever tried for my skin. It sorts out both my dry areas and oilier areas. It works well under makeup too. I also use Liz Earle Daily Eye Repare but have recently been testing out Origins Ginzing. In the evening I use Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover, it is amazing at lifting all makeup off with one swipe. Finally I use Oilatum Natural Repare Face Cream as it is heavier than the Philosophy one so I like it before bed so it can sink in over night.

What shampoo and conditioner are you devoted to?

At the moment I’m using John Frieda Radiant Red Colour Magnifying Shampoo and Conditioner to try to keep my colour bright. I also mix my conditioner with Crazy Colour Fire Red to do a conditioning treatment whilst topping up my colour.

What about your top three make up brands generally speaking?

MAC, Bobbi Brown, Chanel. All three have products which I love and use daily.

Ok some specifics now!

What is your favourite foundation and why?

I am in love with Chanel Vitalumier, I’m lucky enough to have generally good skin with a little redness in areas. This gives me perfect light coverage and a healthy glow. I only need one pump for my whole face so a little goes a long way and it lasts well on my skin. It smells nice too.

What is your favourite mascara and why?

Chanel Inimitable Intense. Amazing lashes with so much volume, length and that hold their curl. It is dark black and the brush makes it easy to get down to the roots and each lash. It’s only let down is that the tube doesn’t last as long as other mascaras do which is a shame.

What one product do you think every cosmetic aficionado should have in their collection?

Bobbi Brown Longwear Gel Liners. Especially the black. My favourite liner, great consistency to apply with and it comes is a good range of colours. I used to be a liquid liner girl and since getting this I am totally converted.

I love finding new blogs so please before you go, please recommend three of your favourite bloggers.

Vivianna Does Makeup - http://www.viviannadoesmakeup.com/ Vivianna writes really well and has such great taste. Her blog is a bit of a danger to me because she always makes me lust after new products! She is gorgeous too and her makeup always looks flawless.

Rebecca Likes Nails - http://rebeccalikesnails.blogspot.com/ Great inspiration for nail art for me. There are lots of simple designs to try and stamping ideas as well as more intricate designs. I like how she gets her inspiration for them and they always look perfect.

Killer Colours - http://solomag.se/killercolours/ A Swedish blog by a girl called Viola. She is stunningly gorgeous. I really enjoy reading her posts, and she is so creative. I find her really inspirational and often want to copy the looks she creates or use them as inspiration. She writes in both Swedish and English.

Thanks so much for taking part Jennifer! Some new blogs for me to discover which is fab. Thank you!

Final word as always, if you fancy taking part in BBBT, please just drop me an email to charlie@ladyofthelane.com. ALL welcome! xx

Introducing L'Occitane En Provence

New to the L'Occitane range this month is the Lavande De Haute-Provence range. A gorgeous range with Lavender Essential Oil from Haute-Provence.

I've been a huge fan of Lavender for years when I learned of it's sleep inducing and headache curing qualities so I was especially pleased to hear about this range. Well known for it's relaxing qualities the essential oil used in the range is Lavandula Anguifolia, also known as True Lavender or Fine Lavender.

There are some beautiful sounding products in the range including a Foaming Bath, Eau de Cologne (citrus, lavender and a woody musky base - sounds gorgeous!), a roll on oil for your pulse points, hand gel, hand cream, shower gel and body lotion and more.

I was sent a couple of items to try out. The 10ml bottle of essential oil (£12) and the  Body and Massage Gel 200ml (£20)

Both items, to me, are wonderful. I've been using them daily. The essential oil is recommend that you either mix a couple of drops in a neutral bath oil and add to your bath, or add a few drops to an oil burner. I don't like baths much and I dont' have an oil burner so what I've been doing is adding a couple of drops to my pillow. Now you're not suppose to get this on your skin so it's worth noting that I don't actually sleep on my pillow, I rest on it to read my book and then sleep face down flat on my bed, so there's no risk of it coming into contact with my skin (although I must say I'm not sure I understand this advice as Lavender Oil is one of the few essential oils that can be used directly on the skin and is great for preventing scarring).  Anyway, once I've added my drops to my pillow I then grab a blob of the massage gel and rub it into my chest and upper arms. As far as massage goes, this manages to be both quickly absorbed, but not too quick for massage purposes... very nice and I'm in Lavender heaven! I find sleep comes pretty easily.

Obviously this isn't a range for lavender haters, but for anyone who likes lavender it's fabulous and well worth checking out!

Dislcosure: PR Samples

BSQ Natural Couture New Addition Fragrance.

I've previously blogged about the BSQ Natural Couture range and their ethos here. I really enjoyed the White Amber fragrance I was sent to review and I was delighted when Bergamot Noir arrived at my door.

 This time round Berkeley Square have collaborated with the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) to create a perfume inspired by the Golden Age of Couture. Bergamot & Neroli on a base of amber and wood. Another gorgeous bottle, this time black glass. It's really lovely and well priced at £25 for 30ml of Eau de Parfum.

For the Launch of Bergamot Noir the RNIB and BSQ have created the Scents and Sensibility to celebrate the work of blind and partially sighted artists. The fragrance was bought to life by six artists working across the mediums of painting, sculpture, installation art and photography to form a one off exhibition and artworks for auction. The virtual version of this auction goes live this month on www.bsquare.co.uk and www.rnib.co.uk as well as the online auction of the artwork at www.givinglots.co.uk to raise funds for the RNIB.

This is a beautiful fragrance, very womanly and a little bit daring. Well worth checking out and stocked in www.houseoffraser.co.uk.

Disclosure - PR Sample

Nails Inc Little Miss Naughty feat. my Little Miss Naughty.

Last week saw the official 40th Anniversary of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters created by Roger Hargreaves. In 1981 along came the Little Misses with Little Miss Bossy being the first. Left Right Left Right!

To celebrate Nails Inc have collaborated with the Little Misses to bring out a range of Ltd Edition polishes, Little Miss Splendid (who can forget her wonderful hat!), Little Miss Sunshine (cutest plaits ever!), Little Miss Chatterbox (my sometime nickname for my daughter) and of course the inimitable Little Miss Naughty and it's  the famous Little Miss Naughty I have to show you today.

Although I've worn this, it didn't seem right to model it myself for some reason and so I roped in some assistance :)

 Yes, that's right, modelled by my very own Little Miss Naughty.  This picture says it all really...

 Just look at that face! The wild hair! The filthy t-shirt! Anyway, Chloe loved it, but it's not a polish for kids so what did I think? Well I'm not a fan of Nails Inc, I never have been. I do however love this! I love the colour. The application was excellent and wear was about 4 days before I got my first chip and I removed it the following day as I cannot bear chipped nails! So all in all pretty good!

The four Little Miss nail polishes are all out now and available for £12 instore and online.

Disclaimer - PR Sample

Summer’s Beauty Blogger's Best Things

This week I am joined by the very beautiful Summer from http://slhxbeauty.blogspot.com/. The blog is a lovely mix of high end and High Street product reviews with some fab swatches so please head over and take a look!  As always, if you’d like to take part in Beauty Blogger’s Best Things please just drop me a line to charlie@ladyofthelane.com. All are welcome!

So as always, lets start with some easy questions!

Can you talk me through your daily skin care regimen, which products you use and why?

Everyday I cleanse, tone and moisturise and if possible exfoliate (though sometimes I skip that step when I'm feeling lazy). I use Simple's purifying cleansing lotion and soothing facial toner daily however sometimes if I'm rushing or feeling too sleepy I'll just use Simple's pore minimising toning cleanser. I like using simple products because they're cheap and they also don't irritate my skin, which is super sensitive! The moisturiser I use is a recent find and has achieved Holy Grail status already, It's Mac's complete comfort cream moisturiser which is AMAZING(!!!) before using this my skin was always dry and I have tried many a brand ranging for Aldi's Lacura skincare range to Eve Lom, none of which made a difference so I am a big, big lover of this moisturiser (though I've heard that Mac's skincare line is pretty rubbish). Finally I use Soap and Glory's Scrub your nose in it exfoliator, mostly on my nose, in order to combat those pesky black heads!

What shampoo and conditioner are you devoted to?

In all honesty, I don't have much loyalty when it comes to hair care and I never get particularly excited about new hair care products. In terms of shampoo as long as it smells nice and does the job I'm happy but finding a good conditioner is particularly tricky. I was recently sent a conditioner which I've almost used up by the brand Biorganic and I'm loving it because I have very long, very damaged hair which will get uncontrollably knotty (basically I just need a haircut) and this really, really helps!

What about your top three make up brands generally speaking?

Jill Stuart (for the princessy-gorgeous value), Mac - it's just a great all rounder and Nars which isn't really an all time favourite but has impressed me so much recently!

Ok some specifics now!

What is your favourite foundation and why?

My favourite foundation is Diorskin Nude, I love this because I tend not to get blemishes as such but just get red patches and Dior Nude just ticks every box for me! It gives a decent amount of coverage (though not enough for those with major blemishes) and just really evens out my skin tone. It's also hydrating and doesn't make my skin look flaky and horrible. I really love this foundation it's just a shame that it's not exactly on the cheap side!

What is your favourite mascara and why?

I don't have an all time favourite mascara, however I am really loving Kiss Me Heroine Make Volume and Curl mascara, which I bought in a L/E set which included a mascara remover (something which is an absolute must with Asian Mascaras), most of my mascaras are fibre mascaras and therefore cause lots of pain when the fibres fall into my eyes. This mascara gives a similar effect as it thickens and darkens my eye lashes (and lengthens lets not forget) but is easy to apply and comes in cute packaging which is always important!

What one product do you think every cosmetic aficionado should have in their collection?

I think everyone should own the Dollywink liquid eyeliner in Deep Black, as unlike most liquid liners doesn't disappoint it's a felt tip style eyeliner with a brush on the end so it's nice and easy to work with! It's also the colour it claims to be, Deep black (it also comes in brown) and doesn't fade. Oh and it's really cute!

I love finding new blogs so please before you go, please recommend three of your favourite bloggers.

Rowena - http://cosmetic-candy.com/

Vivianna - http://www.viviannadoesmakeup.com/

http://www.25flondon.com/

So that’s all from Summer! Another recommendation for Diorskin Nude… I am going to have to give in and try it soon aren’t I? Also several brands I’ve not heard of there so I will have to check them out! Thanks for taking part Summer.

Clinique's The New Black Fall Trend 2011 Swatches & FoTD

I was so excited about this launch I can't tell you. The New Black collection for Autumn this year from Clinique is centred around the iconic lip gloss shade, Black Honey. Black Honey was released in 1971 as a pot of lip gloss and launched in 1989 as an Almost Lipstick. It's now a cult favourite. And do you know what? I've never tried it! No one told me it was a sheer shade! I just thought it was far too dark for me so I've never given it a second look but then I heard about this collection and thought it sounded fabulous and I looked with a new interest... and unexpectedly some of the products plopped through my letter box a couple of weeks ago and I was very excited! I particularly liked the little pot of Honey!

So what do we have?
First up the Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad £23.00

This is a limited edition quad and at first glance this is too warm for my tastes...but actually, I've come to love Clinique Ltd Edition palettes as they ALWAYS suit me. I don't know how they do it but I always love how they look on me. More on that later.

Next up the High Impact Mascara in Black £15.00

Ok, so I'm not going to go on about this much as I've reviewed the High Impact Mascara elsewhere on my blog, more than once I think! It's a good all rounder and the only new thing about this one is it's Silver limited edition packaging, which is nice!

Then we have the bit I was most looking forward to trying, the Dual Ended Almost Lipstick and Long Last Glosswear SPF15 in Black Honey. £17.00.

I've never tried the Almost Lipstick formula before but it's a lovely sheer formula which feels an awful lot like a balm. Very nice. And the colour? Not scary at all! The Long Last Glosswear, also lovely. I've tried the formula before and wasn't overwhelmed, this time round I'm loving it!

The final item I was sent to try is the Brush-On Cream Liner £13.50

Well.. I wouldn't have thought I could wear this colour...but I can.. or at least I think I can. The formula is incredible, it does not smudge at all, not one bit. It stays in place all day long and it's gorgeous. The brush... well it's kind of useless to me, it works well but it just gets lost in my make up storage and is too small to go in my brush storage. No matter, I have my own brushes. My only problem with this is my shoddy application, I just can't do it justice.

So here's some watches...they are not great... please don't let it put you off... scroll down for the pictures of the products in use for a better look.

The eye shadows are on the top row, and the first one is virtually invisible I think but it's great on the eye, it's subtle because it's not rammed with shimmer like many highlight shades. The row beneath is the Cream Liner, and the bottom row is the Black Honey Gloss and Almost Lipstick.

In addition to the above items there's a Gradient Powder Blusher (£24.00) and I'm going to buy this without a shadow of a doubt. I've seen pictures online and it looks gorgeous and when I was doing my FOTD I was unsure what blusher to wear, so I have to get the matching blush! Then there's also a Blush Brush (£15.00) and the Almost Lipstick on it's own (in Black Honey of course!) which is £15.

And so, all that remains is to show you how the products look in use! I'll put a few pics up, there's a couple taken in different lights, but otherwise, I'll just let you have a look without babbling on about it. In use is the gloss/lipstick, mascara, eye shadow quad and liner.

And that's that! What do you think? I'm really pleasantly surprised and I love it! I think the colours are suitable for most people, the products are great quality and work well and I'll be very happy when I've bought the gradient blusher to go with it all! Gorgeous stuff. Love it!

Out now from all Clinique counters.

Disclosure - PR Samples