Chanel Spring 2011 Collection: Les Perles De Chanel

The Ombres Perleés de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette (£39) contains 5 metallic eye shadows with multi coloured shimmer. The colours are a sheer golden toned white, warm pink champagne, charcoal violet, greyed green, and smoky grey. Overall I’d say they lean cool. The colours are complex and beautiful however this palette is disappointing.
The formula is in between a powder and cream finish. To me its like they tried to get the texture of the Armani eyes to kill shadows but it went a bit wrong. I find application difficult as they adhered to the skin straight away rather than being easy to spread. As the texture is so soft they do not layer at all well and ball up. This is workable as long as I don't layer or blend the shades into each other. My biggest stumbling block is the wear of the product. I have three eye primers all by different brands and not one can get these to last past four hours on me without creasing and colour fade and I don’t even have oily eyelids.
Here's a close up of how the shadows look after they have been used which will hopefully show you what I mean about the soft texture.

Regard Perlé Quadra Eye Shadow Palette (£35.74) contains a warm pink, sheer white with a golden tone, peachy beige and dark forest green.
The finish of the lighter shades is more of a subtle shimmery sheen, whereas the green has slight micro glitter and a dryer texture. I bought this for the green but on application it almost doesn't register as green which is a shame.
I have bought quite a lot of Chanel varnish over the years but I always buy them for the colour rather than the formula, which I find requires 3/4 coats and is prone to chipping. Black Pearl (£17.20) is a graphite with a heavy green/teal tone. The colour is stunning and this is easily my stand out from the collection and something I would recommend.

In Hindsight I should have just got the nail polish but I had put my name down for these items so that I could buy them a few days before the official launch (for fear of them selling out) not something I would normally do and it did make me feel like I was duty bound to buy them.

Le Métier de Beauté : Artistes Lip Kaleidoscope

Perseverance pays off, after going on about my “need” for another Kaleidoscope my mother bought me one for Christmas.
Its from the Le Cirque Fall 2010 collection and is called Les Artistes. Bought from Selfridges, I think it cost £66, Le Metier has momentarily disappeared from the Selfridges website so I can’t give you the exact price (initially I was horrified but my makeup buddy has told me they will be back there soon).

The silver, mirrored palette contains three glosses and one lipstick. You can wear alone or layer the shades to create your own custom look. I find all the shades are neutral and extremely flattering.

Although I am not a fan of glosses, Le Metiers are one of my favourites due to the colours and a lightweight texture that is barely sticky/tacky. Their lipsticks have great pigmentation and last extremely well.
The shades are top to bottom: beige nude gloss, peach nude gloss
Shimmery peach with a touch of pink lipstick, and sheer golden shimmered red gloss.
What ever pictures I could show you will ultimately be a disservice because I cannot capture the effect that the layering brings. You would think that layering 4 shades would give a heavy look but they seem to meld with one another and still manage to feel lightweight.
Swatches L-R are the colours from top to base, I did one swipe for each colour.
The colours layered, started from top to base
Ingredients:
This is so much more than I thought it would be, the colours have a beautiful luminosity, the look is delicate and fresh and I feel that bit better about my look when I wear this.

Guerlain Sur Mes Levres Spring 2011

Part of the Spring collection, the Rue de Rivoli palette (£52.50) includes six eye shadows with varying finishes (Satin, Matte, iridescent and frost).

The colours are: Slightly frosty highlighting white, matte neutral toned subtle brown, sheer greyed mauve, iridescent golden pink/peach, iridescent charcoal/grey with a violet tone and bright fuchsia pink.
All the colours feel smooth and blend nicely. The first few times I used this I wasn’t entirely pleased with the looks I came up with using all 6 colours, indeed I feel the palette works better when you don’t use all the colours together.
I think that the colour placement is not straight forward, however its a lot of fun playing around with different combos and laying the shades to create different looks.
Here is a simple, subtle look:
The packaging is sturdy and heavy, it has a very good sized mirror and a little two sided brush. I still find the eyeshadow protector lid incredibly difficult to open, in the store when the SA was checking if it was the right palette, she couldn’t open it either.

I also bought two of the Rouge G lipsticks (£28.50 each). Both lipsticks have a lush glossy sheen. Rose Desir is a light shimmery pink with a hint of warmth and Fuchsia Delice is a very cool tone pink with a touch of brightness and very faint shimmer.
They feel creamy and very comfortable on. The casing is black this time rather than the normal silver. Although a lot of people like the design of the Rouge G’s I actually find them too bulky and a bit awkward, and although I highly rate the formula I do not buy as many as I would were they in a more slim lined packaging.

Swatched below L-R: Fuchsia Delice, Rose Desir

I did swatch the Blush G but as I was not able to check out the ingredients I wasn’t prepared to take a chance incase it contained corn/rice starch which usually make me itch. It was however a very pretty coral pink, perhaps a bit too intense/bright for me, it also was very sparkly but this may well have been an overlay.

Edward Bess Ultra Slick Lipsticks: Blush Allure, Rose Demure and Demi Buff

With their great pigment, coverage and long lasting formula, the Ultra Slick lipsticks are one of my favourites.
I was delighted when 3 new shades were released as the majority of the existing shades seemed more warm toned and the new ones are more neutral/cool.
Picture L-R:Rose Demure, Blush Allure, Demi Buff
Although now in an updated square packaging the lipstick formula/texture/scent seems to be the same, although I feel they set a bit more quickly than before.
Rose Demure is a pink with a slight mauve tone (you can see my picture has really picked up the mauve in it). Blush Allure is a light nude pink and Demi Buff is a pinky brown.
The finish is more of a satin, rather than matte or shimmer. I find Rose Demure and Blush Allure are cool toned whereas Demi Buff is neutral. On swatching the lipsticks on my wrist I would say the colours come out lighter when applied on lips.
Swatches L-R:Rose Demure, Blush Allure, Demi Buff
From what I have tried of Edward Bess so far I think its a elegant brand with a well thought out range, offering classic easy to wear everyday colours.
I bought these from Zuneta (they cost £24 each) .

Chanel: New Vitalumière Aqua Foundation

Although I’ve not had much luck with Chanel foundations in the past, the glowing reviews I read for their new Vitalumiere Aqua one intrigued me. At the counter I was surprised to see they only had the B shades as I had wanted to look at the BR ones which were meant to be more pink toned with a dewy finish. The SA informed me that the UK only got the B shades as everyone here is yellow toned, well thats news to me, as I was pushed for time I said nothing....
Somehow my just going for a look turned into a purchase. I was slightly concerned about the alcohol listed but have not experienced any dryness or irritation as yet but would be hesitant to recommend this to those with sensitivities as the alcohol is listed quite high up.
Due to the silicone content this goes on feeling very smooth and blends nicely. Coverage is sheer, possibly buildable to a medium at best. It does not highlight dry areas and the finish is natural, rather than matte or illuminating.
Lasting power is average, I need to powder over this to get it to last so I don’t know how well this would fare on oily skin (my skin is dry).
I should mention its quite a watery texture so you do need to give the container a good shake before your dispense any product.
I bought the lightest colour, B10 (£31.66). Although a shade too dark and very yellow toned I thought I could get away with it, this thought was shattered when in natural light my husband turned towards me and asked what was wrong with my face.

Swatches below L-R: Burberry Trench 01, Chanel B10,MAC Pro longwear NC15 (I was very cold at the time so I think that is why the foundation texture looks a bit strange)
If a foundation is too dark I find extreme blending and balancing of other colours can make it workable but if the tone is wrong as well then its not happening.
In terms of formula/performance this is a nice lightweight natural looking foundation and I find it applies extremely well. However, its just too yellow/warm toned for me and I think if you are very pale or very dark you will struggle to find a match in the B shades.

Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad Fabulous

If I was given the choice of picking what ever eye quads I wanted from the entire D&G range I’d be hard pushed to suggest more than 2. The colours often seem too warm or feature combinations which I cannot work out how I would wear. As I have quite a lot of grey tones I decided against the Champagne quad and went for the more spring looking Fabulous.
It contains a fresh shimmery mint green, a slightly frosty pink, a shimmery smoky blue grey and a brown with very slight micro glitter which does not really translate on the skin on application.
Although initially hesitant I do think all the colours work together, the two lighter ones are a tad too frosty for me but overall I do like the whole look.
The shadows feel very creamy and blend nicely although I have to wear an eye primer to get them to last the day.

Here is a picture of the D&G mystery duo I reviewed a few weeks back, just to show you how the colours look when applied.
The quad cost £36.50 and I bought it from Harrods which I think is the only place you can get the brand from the UK.
From what I have bought so far I would say the photos on the Harrods site are realistic for the eye shadows.

Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Complexion Corrector

This is essentially a review of unparalleled performance against 2 fundamental disadvantages which prevent me from using the product to its full potential.
The product cost me £65 and comes in a compact silver twist up stick (2.3 grams). The product claims to “stimulate collagen production, increases blood flow, lessens dark circles, smooth fine lines, blurs blemishes and tightens pores within a week of once–daily use”. It contains Retinol, to “smooth and plump wrinkles from deep below the skin's surface, stimulating collagen cell rejuvenation and bringing elasticity back to skin”. The Syntoc Actif delivery technology is meant to deliver actives more efficiently and effectively, so the Retinol penetrates the deepest layer of the skin.
I bought this to use an an under eye concealer rather than face concealer as it contains sodium chloride (which is my number one ingredient for causing me acne). I have been using this at least 5 days a week for nearly a month and although I would not say my dark circles are lighter I would say the area looks a bit smoother. This product has a beautiful creamy but not slippery texture, it does not apply dry, does not highlight lines and lasts well.
There is one major problem for me, and that is the colour.The corrector comes in two shades, I choose the lighter one and it is about two shades too dark for my under eye area. It makes it difficult to access its coverage but I would say its medium but buildable. To make it wearable I have to blend in my By Terry to lighten it and this may well have reduced the effects I would see if using the product alone.
Here are swatches, my wrist is a bit lighter than my face but I think you can see that it would be too dark, I've put it against two of my other concealers to compare. L-R: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer NW15, Le Metier Peau Vierge complexion corrector Frais, Edward Bess Platinum Concealer Ivory Nude.
As I was so impressed with the texture I did the one thing an acne sufferer should never do and that's use a product containing one of your trigger ingredients on an area you are prone to breaking out (this for me is everywhere but my under eye area unfortunately). I started using it on the area between my eyebrows, and then ventured onto my forehead, with careful application and blending the colour was just about wearable as long as I balanced out the rest of my face.
This is the best concealer I have used on my face, pores are a major issue for me but this concealer cancels them out, the coverage is almost flawless, yet natural. Furthermore it improved the texture, the area looked smoother and the pores less noticeable. I think I could have cried when I started breaking out, it was inevitable but I really didn’t want to give this up as the effects were so good. If it wasn’t for the salt and colour I would be putting this over my entire face!
Here are the ingredients:
It seems somewhat conflicting to be recommending a product that has these two drawbacks, but I think the majority of people do not have the same reaction to salt as I do and are not as pale as me. I am starting to see more reviews where people are impressed by the Peau Vierge range so I really hope they expand on the colour selection as I would definitely re-buy this for my eye area if it came in a lighter shade.
I bought this from Selfridges.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Eye Khol Vera

The newest addition to RBR eye khol's, Vera is a real gem. I had initially thought this would just be blue but it has a beautiful smoky indigo edge to it on application.
Priced at £17, the khol's have a creamy texture so there is no tugging, they have great pigmentation and last very well.
I’ve been using it as a liner and on the outer lid, with Spun from Sunny Seawater on the main lid and a bit of Sleeping Under a Mandarin Tree on the inner lid to highlight, to finish I tightline with Black Pepper Jay to add some more depth.
I think the paring of Vera and Spun from Sunny Seawater gives an almost peacock feathered shade.
I’ve swatched it with my other RBR khol's: L-R Vera, Calypso, Selene
There are very few brands I like for pencil liners but RBR it one of the best I have come across.

RBR is exclusive to Zuneta.com

Disclaimer: Vera was sent to me for free.

Dior Spring 2011 Gris Gris Palette and Rouge Dior Mitzah Lilac

Predominately a collection of cool toned greys, silvers and soft pinks, Dior spring has an overall delicate look to it, with softly smoked accents.
I bought the quad in Gris-Gris 034 (£39). It contains a sheer frosty white with a very subtle blue tone, cool satin finish medium grey, frosty sheer white, shimmery pewter grey and charcoal with micro glitter.
I’m not a fan of a frost finish so I do have to apply those ones with a light hand. The colour graduation is quite close which I like, as the shades appear to blend with one another on application.
Swatches below: On left is Rouge Dior shade Mitzah Lilac.
I’ve used all the shades below to give you an idea but normally I would go lighter on the frosty white shades.
The pigmentation and wear of the shadows is very good and you barely need to blend them.

I also bought the Rouge Dior in shade Mitzah Lilac 264 (£22). Although the Rouge Dior formula is not one of my favourite (as I find it a bit drying), I couldn’t resist this cool toned delicate pink with a touch of lilac.
Part of the Spring display it wasn’t until I got home that I realised this was an existing shade rather than a new one. However its very suited to the collection and pairs really well with the Gris Gris quad.
You may well have similar colours, but for those who like their cool tones the collection is worth checking out, I did notice on swatching that out of the 4 eye palettes on offer the 2 Cannage ones did not have as good colour payoff and the feel was less smooth.

GIVEAWAY WINNER FOR RBR

My giveaway for the RBR Long-lasting Eye Shadow in Periwinkle Cardinal closed at 5:00 PM today, I used the custom random number generator and got 4, which is WelshBeautyBlog. Congratulations! If you could email me your address please at replica.visionarybeauty@googlemail.com I'll get it sent out to you asap.
Thanks to everyone who entered x

Burberry Lip Cover Antique Rose

Antique Rose (£23) is a non-shimmery neutral medium pink with a hint of warmth.
Burberry lipsticks have good pigmentation and give a medium coverage. They apply smoothly with a lightweight feel, staying powder is average. However, these are not the most moisturising lipsticks I have.

I’d say the majority of my Burberry are natural classic colours and extremely wearable. I don’t think of the range as having "wow factor", unique shades, but they do offer shades that you find yourself getting a lot of use out of and the eyeshadow texture is delightfully smooth.
I would like to try some more products from the line, although I have been trying to find out the ingredients of the blushers for nearly five months now with no luck so I think I’ll give up on that one!
I bought this from Harrods.

Guerlain Holiday: Rouge G Le Brillant Lipstick in Bee

When I initially saw the Holiday collection I considered the Rouge G Le Brillant Lipstick in shade Bee too bright. However it went on sale for half price so I thought I’d give it a try.
Its a vibrant shade of berry with a touch of fuchsia and golden shimmer. Whilst a pretty shade I should have known to trust my initial instinct, as this is too bright for me and I do have to blot it down to make it wearable.
I also find that as my skin is recovering from a bad break out, wearing anything that has a lot of colour emphasises my redness/spots.
I am however pleased that I bought this as I think its good to have a few lipsticks in your collection that are a bit out of your normal comfort zone.
I really like the Rouge G Brilliant formula; its smooth and quite moisturising with a lightweight and comfortable feel.

Elemental Herbology Skincare

Instead of having the products divided into categories of skin type, EH have the range divided by season, I found this interesting and when I thought about how my own skin changes over the year, an extremely good idea. The concept seems to be very much about protecting against the elements.

I emailed the brands website to ask for some ingredient lists and was suitably impressed when I got an almost instant friendly response with the requested ingredients and an offer to send out samples. I decided to buy the Cleansing balm and Flower Harmonising Mist but asked for a sample of the Cell Plumping Facial hydrator.

The Purify & Soothe Cleansing balm 75ml (£28), is very thick and has a smooth texture.
It gently dissolves makeup (including mascara without making you eyes go blurry).
Amongst the ingredients it contains Marshmallow to hydrate and soften; Strawberry Cells rich in fresh fruit enzymes to help shed dead skin cells; Sacha Inchi Oil which is a rich source of omega 3, 6 and 9 and Vitamin E rich Argan Oil.
I have found this a joy for my dry, reactive skin. I can attest to its soothing abilities as I have been using it over a nasty breakout I had (after using Oilatum Natural Face Cream) and also when my little boy came home with orange pen all over his face, which we couldn’t get off. I reached for this balm as I couldn’t think of what else to use. His cheeks were really red, extremely dry and irritated and this balm took off all the orange and caused him no discomfort. His skin was left soft and the redness eased. I’m not going to start my little boy on a skincare regime before you get worried but I was rather impressed and would use this again on him if the nursery decided to give him non washable pens again!

Purify & Soothe Ingredients:
Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride*, Hydrogenated Vegetable (Soya Bean) Oil*, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax*, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Peel Powder*, Plukenetia Volubilis (Sacha Inchi) Oil*, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate*, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract*, Canola Oil*, Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit Extract*, Narcissus Poeticus Flower Wax*, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Althaea Officinalis Root Extract*, Angelica Archangelica Root Oil*, Boswellia Carterii Oil*, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil*, Maltodextrin*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*, Limonene*, Linalool*. *Ingredients derived from 100% natural source

The Cell Plumping Facial hydrator SPF 8 50ml (£40) is meant to Plump, hydrate and repair parched,overexposed winter skin. I initially didn’t buy this as I thought it would be very heavy and was concerned about the Maris Sal, as although quite far down the ingredients list, I always break out if a product has sodium chloride in it, I'd be interested to know if sea salt and sodium chloride are exactly the same?
However, I got no break outs and after using my samples I bought the full size one. The texture is quite thick, however it sinks in extremely quickly with no greasiness. It provides just enough moisture for my dry skin, however I don’t think it would be enough for those with very dry skin. It contains anti-oxidants, marine actives and soothing botanicals. I think this is a good cream to soothe winter skin.

Cell Plumping Ingredients:
Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Aqua*, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (SPF 12), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil*, Cetearyl Alcohol*, Ceteareth-6 Olivate*, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Glyceryl Stearate*, Glycerin*, Plukenetia Volubilis (Sacha Inchi) Oil*, Rosa Canina Seed Oil*, Panthenol (Vitamin B3), Soluble Collagen*, Pearl Powder*, Ubiquinone, Royal Jelly*, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil*, Avena Strigosa Seed Extract*, Paniceum Milliaceum (Millet) Seed Extract*, Malpighia Glabra (Acerola) Fruit Extract*, Lecithin*, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), PEG-100 Stearate*, Cetearyl Glucoside*, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil*, Oryzanol*, Arginine*, Maris Sal*, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Disodium EDTA, Maltodextrin*, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tannic Acid*, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Citral*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*, Limonene*, Linalool*. *Ingredients derived from 100% natural source

I was initially using the Flower Harmonising Mist Facial tonic 50ml (£20) as a toner but then decided it might be more beneficial if I just left it on my skin after I sprayed it. Its made from Pure Rose Damask Water and Rose Damask Essential Oil. It feels comforting and makes my skin feel soft.
Flower Harmonising Mist ingredients:
Rosa Damascena Flower Water*, Glycerin*, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil*, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil*, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Citral (source essential oil), Eugenol(source essential oil), Geraniol (source essential oil), Citronellol (source essential oil), Linalool (source essential oil)
* Ingredients derived from 100% natural source

None of these items have broken me out nor caused my sensitive skin any reactions. Note that all the products seems to have a natural fragrance, probably the flower oils. I think all of them are particularly suited to my dry, easily irritated and sensitive skin. I am on my second Mist and Cleanser now so its a definite thumbs up from me.
I bought these from SpaceNK and I think that is the only site that stocks the brand.

Here is the website for more information http://www.elementalherbology.com/

BY TERRY Blush Terrybly

Although the majority of my makeup is high-end, £50 for a blush seemed too much. Cue a £10 Spacenk N.dulge incentive and I convinced myself in a greedy makeup induced haze that £40 was ok.
The box the product comes in seems somewhat ostentatious given the size of the product. The compact is surprisingly heavy and feels robust and comes with a purple silk bag and brush.

The blush is embossed with the words “by Terry”.
The blush feels extremely silky, the finish gives a natural radiance to the skin. The colour I bought Cheek to Cheek Rose, is a delicate beige pink with a touch of peachy warmth.
I think the price is meant to be justified by the claims that the blush “models volumes, reveals youth, and replumps the natural glow”. These seem more like skincare claims rather than a colour product and I would presume you would need to wear this every day to see if these claims are true. It does seem marketed as an anti-aging product but I would think the majority of people would not seek out a blusher for its skincare qualities, rather they would be an added bonus.

I would rather have 1 of these than 3 MAC blushers, however if I compare it to my high end blushers, which don’t tend to go past £36, I do not find the texture and wear of the By Terry exceeds them. However, although its sheer, I really like the colour of this and its special enough for it to be a worthwhile indulgence for me at £40. I don’t think I would pay the full £50 though so I guess I do have a limit.
Here are the ingredients. This is meant to have a rose fragrance but I don't notice it.
Grace has really helpful descriptions of the blushers and lipsticks in the Terrybly range here http://www.londonmakeupgirl.com/2010/12/rouge-terrybly-and-blush-terrybly.html