Further thoughts on the Jemma Kidd Make Up School range

If I buy something I like from a brand I've not tried before I have a habit of suddenly wanting to try everything from the line. After buying the Jemma Kidd eyeshadows, I went and bought the Pro I-Rescue Bio Complex Cover (£28) and Pro Crease Brush 06 (£18) and also got a GWP full size Hi-Shine Silk Touch Lip Gloss (normal price £14). I bought these from http://www.lookfantastic.com/ and they still have the promo on.
The concealer promises a lot “Reduce fine lines, puffiness and bags around the eye area whilst covering blemishes and dark circles”
I got the shade light and although I consider myself very pale this is much too light for me and gives the dreaded white highlighter look. Colour aside, I probably didn’t use this long enough to be able to benefit from any of the potential treatment claims for lines, puffiness and bags but for me it was too dry and didn’t last well. I wouldn’t use this on blemishes because of the ingredients however it worked better on skin redness than it did as an under eye concealer.
I’ve been looking for a replacement for my MAC 226 as I find it a bit scratchy, the Pro Crease brush looked similar online but in real life you can its bigger, less tapered and fluffier. It deposits colour quite well and blends ok but not as good as the 226.
Although there is nothing ultimately wrong with it, its not made me want to rush out and try any more of the brushes.
The Hi-Shine Silk Touch Lip Gloss gives a subtle tint to the lips. The colour I got, Coral, looks really bright in the tube but once on I get an easy to wear touch of pinky peach coral. Whilst I’d agree its quite long lasting, I don’t agree with the non-sticky claims. It’s quite strongly scented of the fruity variety.
Swatches of concealer and gloss
After this last purchase I don’t think Jemma Kidd is a brand I will be buying from again as I just don’t think it’s for me. There are so many great makeup brands these days that I find I am expecting more from any given product, I guess that just means I’m getting harder to please :)

A mixed Wednesday: Liberty letdown, Armani pickup

I’ve been eyeing up the Le Metier de Beaute Dunes at Dusk Kaleidoscope Lip Kit for a while so finally decided enough was enough. I ordered it last weekend and just today received an email that it was sold out. I checked the site again this evening and it’s still showing for sale. I emailed Liberty to suggest that if something is sold out it might be best that they don’t show it as being available for purchase. Unfortunately, I’ve had this happen before with Liberty, surely keeping an up to date inventory is quite a straightforward procedure for a company of their size and means? At any rate I still do not have a Kaleidoscope kit, which I seem to be obsessing over; I’m hoping that Le Metier will expand its distribution so that another store will sell it online.

In other news, I bought a Rouge d’Armani lipstick. I went for a safe shade, beige 102 (£22 from Selfridges). It’s a perfect combination of pink, peach and beige and has a satin finish.
The texture feels very light on the lips but I do find it a little bit drying, it does last well however. I have to mention the packaging too; sleek as normal from Armani but this has a magnetic closure which I find strangely satisfying.

Great news for UK Trish McEvoy fans

I've just heard that Trish McEvoy will soon be available to buy online, Harvey Nichols will have some of the range very shortly then around June Selfridges will have the entire range. I can't wait, I had quite a lot of favourites from TM but after I used them up, due to the difficulty of getting to a counter I didn't re-buy, so now it means I can buy all my staples and try all the newer items I've been drooling after, of course my bank account weeps.....

Guest blogging at zuneta.com

I'm doing my second guest blogging post at Zuneta today, it's been a lot of fun doing these and reading everyone elses posts, hope you like my post today.

http://www.zuneta.com/blog/?p=750

Sarah Chapman Eye Recovery

I don’t tend to have much luck with eye creams and very rarely re-buy the same one. I was on the look out for one and Grace at http://www.londonmakeupgirl.com/ recommended the Sarah Chapman Eye Recovery (£38).
It comes in a pump dispenser and is a light serum that is meant to be “peptide-packed”. It has a long list of “High performance actives” to be honest I’ve not heard of a lot of them but I guess the more the better, here is the list:
Matrixyl™ Pentapeptide, Eyeliss™ Tetrapeptide, Haloxyl™ Oligopeptide & Tetrapeptide, Syn®-Ake Dipeptide, Syn®-Coll Tripeptide, Renovage™, DMAE, Hyaluronic Filling Spheres™, Unirepair T43, VCIP Vitamin C, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Pentavitin®, Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin E, Vitamin A Palmitate, L-Carnosine, Iris, Mushroom, Aloe Leaf Juice.
Its also paraben-free.

My eye area is dry, I have quite a few lines but they are not deep set, I have very dark circles and a lot of puffiness. After a week of use I noticed a difference, lines and puffiness were diminished and the area looked a bit smoother and less dark. My brother also bought this, he had really sore, slightly puffy under eyes, and also noticed an improvement, he has no irritability from the product, and the area looks more rested and less red than it used to. He is not one for praise but was impressed.
Overall, although I have not experienced a dramatic change, it’s had enough of an effect for me to notice and out of the vast amount of eye creams I have used this is the clear winner.

I bought this from SpaceNK.

Becca Bombora EOTD and collection review

Sorry for the slightly delayed post, the Internet decided to not work for me yesterday, the horror!
The first look I did is with the blue liner as a lid shade and the gold as a liner and a bit of the gold used dry above the blue. (I took this at the end of the day, over 10 hours of wear and its lasted well).

The second look is as per the one in the Zuneta video, highlighting crème on lid, gold liner on inner eyelid and blue to line (I took this after about 2 hours and the highlighter is starting to crease a bit) In both looks I used a black tight lined for a bit of definition.
Although I quite like the looks I don’t like not using a crease shade so I will use an additional shadow the next time I use this palette.

Overall thoughts:
Bombora palette: The Mai Tai lip-gloss is extremely sheer; I only get a hint of a nude peach. The texture is almost balm like but it does have some stickiness/tackiness to it. The Lip & Cheek Crème in Bougainvillea, although highly pigmented can be sheered out, it’s a coral peach and lasts really well, it’s a bit too warm for me on the lips though. The Highlighting Crème in Mazu does crease on the eye, however its no marketed as an eyeshade so I can’t really complain. It’s a great cheek highlighter as there is not over the top shimmer and it’s a neutral gold, rather than being overly warm. The Raffia Eyeliner makes a really nice shadow and liner (you do need to use it wet for a liner though) the Sunburst liner is too yellow for my cool toned complexion to be able to use it as a shadow but I do like it as a liner. Both of the liners last very well and are smooth to apply with good pigmentation.

Beach tint Pink grapefruit: This is quite sheer but you can build it, it lasts really well, and I think the pinky peach shade is suitable for both cool or warm toned.

Sheer lip tint Leticia: again I think you can wear this if you are warm or cool, I'd say its almost a salmon pink on me, with a slight coral tone. Its quite pigmented for something that has tint in the name, its not very long lasting, but these types of lipstick never are.

Here are some more swatches (L-R) please click to enlarge: Beach Tint, Lip Tint, Palette (this time I have swatch the liners dry and then wet). Please see my previous Becca post for pictures of the products.
I bought all of these from Zuneta.com and they have a promo on at the moment where you get a free Becca tote when you purchase from this collection.

I’m guest blogging at Zuneta today, hope you like it.

http://www.zuneta.com/blog/?p=674

There’s lots of great posts there by the more well know bloggers so well worth a read.

Becca Bombora Collection

I haven't bought Becca for the while but the Bombora collection caught my eye. They're not the type of colours I would normally gravitate towards as they are on the warm side with golds and peaches, but Zuneta did a really enticing video on the items being used so I succumbed (http://www.zuneta.com/shop-by-product/becca-bombora-collection-2010.html/).
I've not played with it much, so for now I'll post pictures and my descriptions and do an EOTD and more thorough review for you shortly, I'll also do some swatches of the liners used wet. So far, I am really liking everything I bought and I don't think I have any dupes in my collection.
Bombora palette £54.99
Lip Gloss: Mai Tai (VERY sheer peach nude)
Lip & Cheek Crème: Bougainvillea (vibrant peach)
Highlighting Crème: Mazu (natural gold)
Compact Eyeliner :Raffia (shimmery turquoise)
Compact Eyeliner : Sunburst (shimmery yellow gold)
Sheer lip tint Leticia £21.46 (slightly warm salmony pink) and Beach Tint: Pink grapefruit £19 (peachy pink). Swatch Leticia on the left, grapefruit on the right.


I bought all of these from Zuneta (http://www.zuneta.com/)

Dolce and Gabbana EOTD

Its probably the norm to do an EOTD of a look you like but I am showing you one with my D&G Rose smooth eye colour Duo which I'm not keen on. If you saw my post on my D&G shadows you'll remember I was struggling to make this work and I still don't really like it.
The lighter colour looks too frosty and the pink is too light and bright and well pink..ugh! That said I do like the texture of the shadows, I think I just need to be a bit more careful with my shade choice in the future.

The quest for THE Mascara

It use to be that I would always buy the same mascara, Armani Starlash never failed me until one time I received one that was really dry and then I hear its been discontinued anyhow, the search began….
I have lost count of how many I have tried since then, they have ranged from really cheap to high end and I have still not found the one. I’d thought I’d start posting about them, for reference I have short, sparse, light lashes so need everything basically (length, thickness and lift) .These are the three I currently have and my thoughts….

Lancome Virtuose: gives length and volume can be prone to clumping but gives great lift, the problem is every time I remove this it makes some lashes fall out, I’ve never had this happen with any other mascara, can’t be good!
Nars Larger than life lengthening mascara:For the first month this worked really well for me, it lengthened, gave a bit of volume, lifted the lashes and held all day with no smudging or flaking. Although the effect wasn’t as intense as I prefer it gave me more oomph that a natural looking mascara. You’ll notice I say the first month, unfortunately afterwards the formula seems to have change consistency, making the lashes look a bit dry and crinkly, such a shame as I was initially thinking this would be a re-buy.
MAC Studio Fix Lash: I’ve not been impressed by MAC’s other mascara's but this is a definite improvement. It lengthens well and gives a bit of thickness, doesn’t seem to clump, however I cannot get much lift with this and it does seem to droop a bit as the day goes on.
If your lashes sound similar to mine and you have found something that works for you please let me know. I have bought so many duds lately, must have lost my makeup mojo…..

Chanel firming and shaping Gel Anti-Cellulite

I’ve only bought a few Cellulite products over the years; I think we all know that we are not going to get a miracle cure. The Chanel firming and shaping Gel-Anti-cellulite (£42) from the Body excellence range is meant to “Smooth away cellulite and tighten the skin.The star product to help break down cellulite and even out dimpled skin so you can rediscover harmonious skin that feels smooth and toned” in actuality it’s a quick fix, the gel is very slighted tinted pink and has a vague floral scent to it, it feels really tingly when you rub it in and the feeling does last for about 10 minutes, it does make the skin appear slightly tighter, smoother and less dimpled.
However I don’t think of this as a treatment, once washed off the skin returns to its sad normal state. I think if you want something that going to make the skin appear a bit better then its worth seeing if you can get a sample of this. I’m on my second bottle but I won’t be buying another as its only my husband who sees my cellulite and to be honest we have been together so long I think any perceived mystique I had has most certainly been lost.

Dolce & Gabbana Classic lipstick

D&G offer two types of lipsticks, Classic and Shine. I bought a Classic in the shade "Soft" (£20). Obviously buying online you never quite know what colour you get and whilst I really like the shade its darker than I thought it would be. On me it applies as a medium rose with hints of a brown/berry tone and the finish is semi matte.
It initially feels creamy and light but seems to set and does feel drying, it doesn’t however make me lips look dry it just feels it. I did notice that due to its creaminess the colour seemed to migrate a bit on application, so I think with the darker shades you may need a lip liner. On the plus side I find it very long lasting, I don’t think I will get another one as I’m not keen on how it feels but I am tempted by the shine one in the shade Naked, although I hear the formula may have the same dry feel as the Classics so we will see.

I bought this from the Selfridges website http://www.selfridges.com/

Sisley Phytocernes Eye Concealer

I seem to have an obsession with under eye concealers, I love my By Terry Touche Veloutee for the outer under eye area (great lightweight/ highlighting concealer) but I am constantly searching for a more heavy coverage concealer for the inner under eye area, that is non drying. I’d seen a lot of raves for the Sisley concealer and it seemed exactly what I was looking for with its claims that it will “Diminishes the intensity of dark circles and reduces puffiness while restoring radiance to the eye contour area. Smooth away lines with soft-focus pigments “
Its really pigmented and I was surprised how quickly it set, I couldn’t blend it quick enough before it dried, it lasted all day but I found it very drying (I do have dry skin under my eyes) and it appeared patchy, unsmooth and really highlighted my lines. I bought different eye creams in an attempt to get this to work but it wasn’t happening.
I got the lightest shade (shade 1) and it was a really good match, a pink toned colour rather than yellow though. Swatch below, on the right I’ve blended it in a bit.
My mother who doesn’t have a dry eye area or dark circles is having better luck with this but if your eye area sounds like mine you may what to skip this one…I’m really annoyed that I wasted £43.50 on this, sometimes I wish we could return used cosmetics in the UK! Think I’ll just stick with Sisley eye shadows and lip products from now on.

I only went in for a Mascara.....

Back track to the Thursday before last and I thought it would be a good idea to pop into MAC on my lunch break to pick up a new mascara. This date coincided with the release of the new collections, so naturally I had to take a look. Now before I go any further I will mention that I did have a slight fever at the time so wasn’t quite with it…
This is my excuse as to why I bought a lipglass when they are probably my must hated lip gloss, when the SA tried the tester on me it didn’t feel sticky, I thought wow maybe they have changed the formula, well no they haven’t and whilst Perennial High Style is a pretty very sheer non shimmered pinky coral it is indeed very sticky/tacky. I also suddenly decided I needed a new makeup bag for the weekend and how lucky that they had some with the new collection, I didn’t ask the price and they didn’t have them out on display so I could only see it in the wrapper, in hindsight had I realised it was £24 and had no inside pattern (not sure why this bothers me but it does) I don’t think I would have got this.
I also got the lipstick in Ever Hip which is a nice sheer coral with a touch of pink and the beauty powder in shell Pearl which is a very luminous peachy pink with a gold sheen, on my pale skin it does have rather an intense glow so can look a bit over done. I also picked up a greasepaint stick in Dirty which is a very dark taupe with shimmer, unless I am doing something very wrong I find this flakes and goes on a bit patchy, I think I’ll have to keep trying with this one!
So although an unexpected haul, it wasn’t too disastrous considering it’s probably the first time I have gone makeup shopping when I felt slightly delirious.

Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Duo

When Selfridges starting selling online I was thrilled to see that they had D&G makeup on the site, having never tried the raved about range before I hastily tried to work out what I wanted, however it took me ages to decide what shadows to buy. The colours seemed too warm, too bright or not very unique. I was all set on duos in Stromboli and Fortune but at the last minute decided the lighter colour in Fortune looked a bit yellow so went with Rose….
I must confess that I really dislike gold packaging however this is the nicest gold I have seen, it a lighter hue and has no overly bright/shiny tackiness to it, I was surprised that the packaging was quite bulky though, I expected it to be a bit more sleek/compact.
On to the colours, the Stromboli is a warm champagne shimmer and medium to deep charcoal with silver sparkle. With the rose duo I was expecting a matte pinked white and golden shimmered rose, what I got is a shimmery, almost frosty white with a slight pink cast and a medium dusty pink with golden shimmer.
Unfortunately applied on my pale skin the pink goes on a lot lighter and brighter, for whatever reason there is no depth to the colour when I put it on. I don’t want to use the word hate so lets just say I strongly dislike the colour on me, I’ve tried using in on the lid, to line and in the crease and none seem to work, I think I’ll see if I can mix it with another colour or use it wet but for now I think I’ll just glare at it.
The eyeshadows are nicely pigmented, smooth, blend well and last, I do like the look of some of the spring and summer colours so may get some of those if they become available online.
A great resource for D&G makeup is http://www.thebeautylookbook.com/
The duos cost £22 each and I bought mine from Selfridges (http://www.selfridges.com/ ) I received my items the day after I placed the order even though I selected the normal shipping option so I was impressed with that.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Devotion Ink & Gorgeous Double Duty Beauty Mirror

I was very impressed with my ‘Tiger Eye Essence’ so bought the ´Anthracite Essence´ (£27), which is a deep black, infused with silver sparkle. Unlike my other liner this has a long, thin brush head instead of the fibre tip one (Anthracite shown below, Tiger Essence above)
Initially I thought I would have problems with this, as the majority of liquid liners are difficult for me to apply, however I can get either a fine or thick line, and get it close to the lash line. You can reapply over it later (if you want a different look) and it applies smoothly (no bumps, flaking). Once on the colour lasts all day and still maintains its vibrancy .The colours really deliver, I find with a lot of sparkly blacks, they always apply mostly black but the sparkles in this really show up.
Swatched below: Tiger Eye Essence, Anthracite Essence
I really hope they release some more colours (only 4 at the moment)I'd love a deep sparkly emerald.
I had to get one of the new Gorgeous Double Duty Beauty Mirrors (£13.99), as I really like the RBR imagery. I got it in white and was surprised that they are quite big (still handbag,pocket sized though), it contains a normal mirror and magnifying one. A very nice little indulgence and a very study one as my little boy has got hold of this quite a few times and flung it around and its stayed intact!
I buy all my RBR from http://www.zuneta.com/ who stock it exclusively.

By Terry: Intensive Hydra-Plump Lipstick

This lipsticks comes housed in a shiny purple tube, the formula does feel quite hydrating but its not the most moisturising lipstick brand I have, I didn’t notice any plumping qualities with this. The texture is quite light and does have a bit of slip to it. It has quite a strong sweet scent.
Although I would never advise buying a colour on line you have read no reviews nor seen any swatches/pictures of, it is something I do sometimes, on this occasion I lucked out. I choose the shade Praline Cristalline (£25) and it turns out to be a slightly purples pink with silver micro glitter. I’m not a fan of glitter in lipsticks but this seems to work and has no gritty feel to it at all.
It lasts quite well and leaves an even stain of colour behind. I think if I could find swatches/pictures somewhere I might buy another one but for now I think I’d best not push my luck!
I bought this from Space NK.

Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight and Brushes

I have read a lot of rave reviews for the Celestial Powder in Candlelight (£30) and I’m pleased to say it lives up to the claims. It’s a champagne highlighter, I find it quite pigmented so apply it sparingly. Where it differs from the majority of highlighters is the finish is one of a glow/illuminator rather than full on glitter/shimmer. The powder feels very smooth and this lasts till the end of the day.

I also bought the Super Soft Buff Powder Brush (£34) and the Small Eyeshadow Flat Tipped Brush (£20).
The Super Soft Buff Powder Brush is a very densely packed flat end brush. I tried using this for blush but it picks up way too much colour, instead I have found this great for applying liquid foundation when you want a full coverage look, it blends it in perfectly without any streakiness and due to its size its super quick. Heres a close up of the head,
The Small Eyeshadow Flat Tipped Brush has a slightly tapered head and again is quite densely packed. I think its best used when you want to apply a more pigmented layer to the crease. I find its better for applying colour rather than blending. Overall both brushes are not the softest I have but nor are they scratchy, the buff one does feel quite firm on the skin though. The brushes also do not shed at all. Of the two I prefer the Super Soft Buff Powder as I don’t have another brush like it and it gives an almost flawless finish.

I buy all my Kevyn Aucoin from misebeauty (they do ship international) and I have always been pleased with the service I have received from them.

http://www.misebeauty.com/