RMK Ingenious Natural Eyes N - 07 Purple

With its fresh pastel colours, the RMK Ingenious Natural Eyes palette in Purple (£26.50), really says Spring to me.

 
As I get older my colour collection is moving very much away from brights or pastel shades so I was surprised by just how wearable this is. The palette contains a purple, baby pink, grey, and sky blue. Apart from the purple which is more of a satin finish, the other shades have a shimmered/iridescent finish.

They have a smooth texture and feel very lightweight with no fallout. The palette is quite versatile and you can either go for a brighter look or layer them to give a more dusky look.



Swatched below with the grey as a base and the purple then blue layered over the top,

I'm surprised by the lack of coverage on RMK, the brand always has an interesting array of colours, the products are of a good quality and its more accessible than some Japanese brands (such as its sister brand Suqqu).

I bought this from lookfantastic.com (the site ships internationally)

Harrods Exclusive: Dior Windsor & Duchesse

Carrying on from my first post on the limited edition Dior range being sold at Harrods this Spring (as part of the "take over") of the two nail polishes from the collection, I skipped the subtle pink and went for the more dramatic Windsor (£18).

Its a deep, slightly metallic, smoky grey. The depth of colour changes depending on the lighting, shown below in subdued indoor lighting and it looks a lot darker.

It has very good coverage and goes on smooth. Dry down time is average. Its a beautifully glossy colour which unfortunately chips on me within a day's wear so I'll need to get a good top coat to accompany this. I do have this issue with Dior polishes since they reformulated them a while back so if you are normally a fan of the formula don't let this put you off.
Ingredients:

There is only one lipstick in the collection, Dior Addict Lipstick Duchesse (£24). Its described as a "refined satin pink shade. As elegant and distinguished as the 1949 Couture dress bearing the same name".

This is a lot cooler in tone than I was expecting and though the first layer is sheer it can be easily built up and on my skin tone, it can veer into Barbie territory.

Its a pretty, youthful colour, but not the best for me.

In terms of formula, the Addict lipsticks are smooth and have a hydrating, balm like feel and glossy finish.
Ingredients:

I bought these from Harrods.com

Harrods Exclusive: Dior My Lady Healthy Glow Complexion Enhancing Palette

Christian Dior is collaborating with Harrods this Spring, the iconic London store is paying tribute to Dior by hosting a Dior take over in the form of pop up shops, exhibitions and exclusive displays. It started on March 16th and runs until 14th April.

What caught my attention was the limited edition make-up range; there is an eye-shadow/lip gloss palette, highlighter,lipstick and two nail varnishes. Today I will show you the My Lady Palette (£48).

The My Lady palette is engraved with the Lady Dior bag's canework motif. The bag was designed for, and named after, Lady Diana.

The compact is very heavy and contains a mirror and is accompanied by a mini kabuki brush.


The powder feels smooth and silky. Though it does not feel as lightweight as the Chanel Healthy Glow Sheer Powder, it does not go on cakey or looking dry. It gives a subtle creamy peach toned glow to the skin (though there is no shimmer, it does contain some very fine silver micro glitter).

Pigment is sheer, so even on my pale skin I am not able to use this as a blush. The effect might well be too subtle for some and had I tried this before buying I am not sure in hindsight, I would have laid down the money, but nevertheless this is a beautiful limited edition piece and it does create a natural illumination/glow to the skin.
Ingredients:

I bought this from Harrods.com

Kevyn Aucoin: The Eye Shadow Duo

The Kevyn Aucoin brand released new eyeshadows duos near the end of last year. Though I thought they looked interesting, I have only have one palette from the brand, which whilst nice, did not wow me and as I saw very little coverage of the new duos I quickly forgot about them.

The packaging is very streamlined/minimal, and has the signature gold edged push-latch compact. The lid contains a mirror and I am pleased it does not come with the normal throw away applicators that most brands love to include, as I find them a waste of space.

This duo, which is numbered #201(£34), contains a very smoky silver/grey and burgundy/plum, both have a subtle shimmer. These are not normally the colours I go for as this was a present from my husband who choose this himself, but they do create a quick and foolproof smoky eye.

The shadows feel very soft and are highly pigmented, they go on very smoothly and blend nicely together. With an eye base I get no creasing nor colour fade.

Overall thumbs up and I will be perusing the other shades on offer.

My husband bought me this from Space NK

CHANEL Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder

The CHANEL Les Beiges collection showcases a new product called a Healthy Glow Sheer Powder. Available in 7 shades (£38 each), the product is essentially a setting powder that is meant to add a healthy glow and enhance the complexion.


The powder has an SPF 15 and includes an "Open Air Complex containing cotton flower and white rose plant cells, to diffuse protein molecules and vitamins into the skin and protect against dehydration and pollution".

I was expecting a satin finish from the name of the product so was surprised that there was not a trace of shimmer in sight and that it swatches as matte.

I bought the lightest shade, No.10, its a tad darker than my normal skintone and is warm toned.
Swatched below with the Lumière Sculptée de Chanel Highlighting Powder.

The formula feels wonderfully lightweight and has a smooth feel. It sets make up very well, though given the finish I wouldn't think this the best for oil control. Though I have dry skin and don't fare well with face powders, I can just get away with this but would not recommend for very dry skin.

In terms of the finish I don't find it imparts much colour on the skin and provides an extremely subtle glow/shine to the complexion. I hope my picture below doesn't freak you out but I just wanted to convey that the difference is negligible (though is more noticeable in real life), on the left without powder on the right with.

There is a lot of buzz surrounding this product, so I wanted to be sure my lack of results wasn't due to my bad complexion which has acne, pores, scarring and heavy discolouration. However when I tried this on a smooth, clear complexion, again the effect was minimal. Personally I am just not seeing the magic here, and can't attest to it being a revolutionary product as I keep reading about. Its a very good finishing powder which does give a very slight glow/sheen to the skin, nothing more nothing less.

Ingredients below, the powder is strongly scented.


I bought this from Boots.

Tom Ford Indian Rose lip colour

There is something amiss about a Tom Ford product sitting unloved in the back of ones makeup drawer, but that is the fate that has bestowed Indian Rose.

The pigmentation is saturated, being pretty much opaque. Indian Rose (£36) is a medium rosy pink with a bit of warmth, it has a satin finish.

The lipstick feels creamy but not so much that it migrates, furthermore it has a long wear time.



Where this falls down for me is the feel; its heavy and I find it drying and somewhat uncomfortable, it also brings to attention every lip line I possess.
This is only my second in the regular lip colour line up but I think of the two Tom Ford lip formula's, the lip colour shine are much more pleasurable to wear.
So for me if I want a pigmented lipstick I'll stick with my By Terry Rouge Terrybly.

Ingredients below, this lipstick is scented.


I bought this from harveynichols.com

Dior Diorshow Mono Eyeshadow Ribbon

My expectations of the newly reformulated Dior single shadows were quite high as I find that the majority of Dior shadows have great pigment and feel very soft, almost creamy and blend beautifully.

They are advertised as having a "unique wet/dry formula for a custom and professional finish". I swatched five of the shades and was surprised by the low pigment, however as the two counters I went to had only just got the displays out I wondered if it was because I had swatched the top layer. Nevertheless I decided to be prudent and buy just one.


I have been looking for a softly shimmered beige that was not peachy nor yellow in tone for quite a while and Ribbon (£22.50) fits the bill.
Swatched below, dry then wet

Swatched below L-R: Burberry Porcelain, Dior Ribbon, Burberry Gold Pearl.

Whilst the shade was exactly what I was after I am not overly impressed with the formula; pigment is lacking, and used wet makes the formula prone to balling up. Whilst this feels smooth, it does not have the the same softness or creaminess I'd expect from a typical Dior shade. Its not to say that formula is bad but it seems that the key attributes of Dior shadows have been lost and though the other shades in the mono range may perform differently, this has certainly not made me want to buy anymore.

Ingredients:



I bought this from harrods.com

Burberry Field Rose Lip Mist & Nude Rose Lip Glow

Field Rose (£23) was part of the 2012 summer Iconic Nude collection and now forms part of the permanent line.

Though this is only my second Lip Mist, it has become a favourite. It has a sheerer coverage and lighter feel compared to the Burberry lip covers.

It has an extremely smooth coverage and feels very moisturising and does not highlight any dryness. The wear time is average for a sheer formula (though better than the likes of a Chanel Coco Shine).

Field Rose is a warmed pink nude. It has a dewy glossy finish and goes with anything.

Swatched below L-R, Field Rose, Nude Rose


Ingredients:
 

The Lip glow (£19) in Nude Rose is a lot more sheer than I was expecting and really only adds a hint of pink to the lips.

It goes on very smooth with an average wear and does have a slight tacky/sticky feel.

I think if you are going to spend the money on a Burberry gloss then its probably better to get a more pigmented shade as the finished look is easy to dupe.
Ingredients:

I bought these from harveynichols.com