Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Foundation

Hey All

Another product from my Space NK splurge. I do love having new make up and it's even better when it's even better than you thought.

Lately I've not been wearing as much foundation. Mainly I'm too lazy in the mornings and have been giving my skin a break. I still get oily though so like to use a powder.

After watching Estee from EssieButton's foundation routine I new I had to order this. Her make up always looks amazing. I took a gamble on shade and hoped for the best. Luckily it paid off. Tender Rose is perfect for my pale skin. I remembered watching a video before where Estee had mentioned the lightest shade was too pale for her.

Mineral powders aren't something I've dabbled in before so I wasn't sure what coverage to expect or how easily it would be to apply.

The packaging spins round the cover the wholes so you don't waste product. Loose powders can get so messy so I was glad to see this feature! I've been using a buffing brush to apply it and it seems to give a great finish.

Bare skin with concealer. I have quite a red tone to my skin and it looks a bit patchy.

After the mineral powder. It blends flawlessly into my skin and looks so natural. I love that my freckles still show through (after spending ages trying to cover them for 'flawless' skin the other half has persuaded me I shouldn't cover them!) but my skin tone looks even.

Blushes apply easily over it and I find my skin looks natural and not cakey. I stopped wearing foundation for ages as it kept coming off and looking awful in work. This doesn't last all day but seems to come off naturally. I do get shiny by about 4pm but it's nothing major!

I've also used this over holy grail foundation illamasqua skin base (Review here) and it sets my make up and helps it last better!

I'm so impressed and I've used it everyday since I got it! It even works for bus make up! 

Love M

xxx

Nars Mata Hari

Hey All

Another one from my Space NK haul! That store could literally suck up all my wages. I got my first Nars item around Christmas last year and it was truly love at first use! The creamy concealer is only just running out and I have my back up purchased. It is THE best concealer ever and worth every penny. You can see the review on that here. It's holy grail now for me!

I knew I wanted to try a Nars blush. They are always mentioned and you never seem to see a bad review on them. I had really wanted Sin but it wasn't on the Space NK website. Everybody raves about orgasm but for me it didn't appeal. As my beloved dandelion (and I hadn't bought the Benefit blush palette at this point!) is running out I decided to go for a pink shade ready to replace that.

I didn't do my research and just gambled on Mata Hari. It isn't one I had seen before or one I'd read about but it looked like a nice pink so ended up in my basket.

As with all Nars products it does have the rubberised black packaging that will get grubby. I love that in their blushes there are full size mirrors. I'm a on the go make up girls lately and mirror's in products are always appreciated. 

Nars blushes are 4.8g and cost £22.50. For reference Benefit Dandelion is £23.50 for 7g. Nars Mati Hari is a lot more pigmented though. I've been so impressed with it. It's a really pretty slightly cool toned pink. I find I need the smallest amount of this to give a soft pink glow to my cheeks. I love the natural blush effect it gives!

In these photos it has been on for 7+ hours. It still gives a natural finish to my skin. I'm in love. I think this has knocked Dandelion of it's top spot which is a massive statement for me. I love that it can be built up for more colour if desired!

Now I just need more Nars blushes in my life! Any colour recommendations?

Love M

xxx

Colour Trend Lip Stix Foxy Fuchsia

Hey All

Happy Monday! I finally dragged my ass back to the gym after only running and kickboxing for the past two months. My first pump class was a struggle but it was great to be back in the gym!

A few months back I couldn't resist some new lipsticks from Avon. I've had the Colour Trend Lip Stix before so when I saw need shades I had to order. I've shared Reddy to Go before on the blog which is an amazing red you can see here.

One of the shades I picked up was Foxy Fuchsia! The packaging is the same as before in a twist up pencil style. I do love that the makes it easy to apply. It's a smallish tip meaning you can get good definition in your cupids bow.

Colour trend is a brand aimed more at teens and a younger market so the packaging suits that. I love the lip products. They are £4.50 each or a bargain 2 for £4. I love that Avon usually have offers.

This didn't disappoint with pigmentation, it also easily applies and doesn't drag. It goes on easily and application with the stick type pencil makes it really easy to apply. It leaves a slightly glossy finish to the lips and doesn't dry out.

Foxy fuchsia is a soft pink colour. I think it's true to colour to the photo above but can look different in different lights. It's a warm pink and seems to still flatter my winter skin. When I first bought it I thought it was more of a summer colour but I am loving it with pale skin and blue hair!

There are an impressive ten shades in the colour. I only have 3 but I can see more being ordered. They are a great one to throw in the handbag to reapply as they don't bleed. Now to choose which shades to order next!

Love M

xxx

Benefit's Christmas Gift Sets: Cheeky Sweet Spot

Good morning!

Hope you're having a fabulous weekend, we are currently suffering with hangovers and craving a greasy breakfast after spending the weekend at our friends house for a Harry Potter themed party, tour around the studios included! No doubt the themed cocktails and games will be explained in an upcoming post!

A few weeks ago we snapped up the Cheeky Sweet Spot blush set from Benefit after seeing it in Boots, and what a beauty it is:

How can you argue with a range of blush like this?!

I can't get my head around what an amazing set it is, especially for the £29.50 price tag. Not only is there 6 blushes in a range of colours and finishes there's also a brush and a little pot of Watt's Up.

I love the packaging style, it's like a gingerbread house and I love the Christmassy trees and colours on it too.

The box opens up to show the palette inside and also contains a booklet with tips and tricks on the best ways to use the blushes and bronzer.

The image above shows the Box o' Powder products laid out in a palette and the names of each one.

I've had Dandelion for years and Coralista is a firm fave with me; I've been raving about it for ages! You can see it's own review here.

The others are ones I've been desperate to try but never actually managed to get round to it (I've been saving my points for ages!)



Bella Bamba is a pink toned blush with a shimmer to it that I've often been recommended but I've never tried it myself having been obsessed with Coralista. Bella Bamba is absolutely beautiful and I can't believe I haven't listened to those who have recommended it to me, even Lisa Benefit herself told me I should be wearing it and now it's my new obsession. I can see me buying this in future!

Sugarbomb looks amazing in the palette and I was excited to try this after the success of BB, however I was really disappointed with this one. It's a quadrant of different colours but all have the same finish. For REALLY pale girls this might be great as a blush but as a fairly pale girl myself I didn't find this had much pigmentation, so I've been using it with the other blushes as a highlighter and it works great for that, though not for every day use!



Hoola is a gorgeous bronzer that doesn't have any shimmer in it and can be great for contouring. I tend to save this for weekends as I use my Bourjois one for work but the Hoola one is a perfect bronzer for contouring the cheekbones and adding a more defined look to the face.

Rockateur is another gorgeous shimmer blush, but it tends to be another highlighter for me as it's such a light rose gold colour.



This has been a perfect buy for me and I've loved trying out the new colours (new to me). Not to mention it's a bargain considering the weights of the products where Rockateur is actually the same size as the product to buy on its own.

Watt's Up is also a beautiful highlighter that can be blended into the cheekbones and eye bone for a soft and dewy glow.

Would fully recommend this as a Christmas present for a loved one or make up addict...........or maybe even yourself??

BUY IT!

L xxx





Hey All

As L said we've had a great weekend catching up with friends in lots of Harry Potter themed goodness!

After a stroll through boots and seeing this beauty I took L to go and see it too! We were both totally persuaded! Who could leave such a beauty behind. It's a great way to try other blushes!

I own Dandelion and Rockateur. Dandelion is one of my all time favourite blushes. It's such a beautiful soft pink. You can see a full review on it here.

Rockateur is a warm rose gold colour and there is a full review of that here.

Cheeky Sweet Spot costs £29.50! It's such a bargain considering one powder is £23.50. The products are all different sizes. The rockateur in the box is actually the same size as the full size box! The others are less.

Hoola is a colour I've been wanting to try for ages. It's not got glitter or shimmer so is a perfect contour colour and doesn't have an orange undertone. So far it's not disappointed and is so pigmented.

Coralista is one of L's favourites but it's not a colour I'd picked up for myself. I'm not an orange girl. I never thought it really suited my skin tone. I was wrong this looks gorgeous on the cheeks!

Bellabamba is a colour I've never even considered. A shimmery pink is just a colour I didn't think I needed. It's great to shave shades in you wouldn't normally try. It looks gorgeous on pale skin and gives a nice flush.

Sugarbomb is a colour I've been a little disappointed in. It doesn't seem to be as pigmented as the others but it does have it's uses and does add a gorgeous shimmer over colours like Dandelion. It would also look good over hoola if you were going for a bronzed look.

Watt's up is another product I've wanted to try for ages. I'm a massive fan of highlighters but a cream one isn't that always appeals to me as I wasn't sure how it would be over powder. It gives a gorgeous subtle glow without looking like a glitter ball. It's perfect for day and night!

I absolutely love this!! I love the metal tin and it's such a great mix of all the colours you need so would be perfect for travelling! This is a must have set in my opinion!

Thanks benefit for such an awesome set. I can see a lot more of my money going on the gift sets! Are any taking your fancy?

Love M

xxx