Nars lipgloss

At one point I had a rather large NARS collection, present day and I very rarely buy NARS. I can't get past the smell of the lipsticks and lip lacquers, the blushers break me out and texture wise only the newer eyeshadows seem good ( I may have to pick up Mekong as that has been getting a lot of raves). Part of the Liberty GWP was a NARS lipgloss duo. I'd only tried their pot glosses before. The duo consists of Greek Holiday ( sheer wash of gold with multi coloured glitter) and Chihuahua (slightly warm pink with no shimmer). Texture wise these are reasonable thick and sticky but not overly so, this one also doesn't seem to posses a smell. Greek Holiday really only shows up on me as glitter ( and I don't have pigmented lips) and whilst Chihuahua is an easy to wear everyday shade I'm not overly impressed and wouldn't buy a NARS lipgloss after trying this one out.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Long-lasting Matte Eye Shadow

Naturally I had to order some of RBR new Long-lasting Matte Eye Shadows. Of the four I got three (picture above L-R), Blackpepper Jay,Chestnut-napped Apali, Grey Go-away Lourie . The light is bad here at the moment so I'll do a close up on colours, swatches and thorough review shortly but for now I will say I am seriously impressed. True to colour, great pigmentation and they blend like a dream, once again RBR doesn't disappoint.
RBR can be bought via Zuneta.com

Illamasqua Dystopia review part 2

The other items I got from the Dystopia collection were the two pigments and Velocity nail varnish. Android is a smokey charcoal full of multi coloured glitter. To get the most out of this its best used wet or over a cream base. Used dry, whilst it goes on as per my swatch as soon as you make any move to blend it you are left with far less colour intensity and the glitter seems to mostly disappear.

Static is a very sheer opal with pink glitter, applied dry I pretty much only get the glitter, so I just apply a bit over the middle of the lid over other shadows to give a bit of sparkle.

Velocity is a dusty grape, I've not seen a colour like this before so its a great addition.

Le Métier de Beauté

I got two Le Métier de Beauté eyeshadows recently (£21 each) as I noticed that Liberty had started stocking the brand. I got eyeshadows in Clay (neutral beige with a slight sheen) and Naked (cream base shade). Clay is great for a natural nude look, I tried this type of colour several times (from brands such as Bobbi brown) and everytime they either end up muddy or too warm, this is perfect for me, it has no strange undertones and applies exactly as it looks in the pan. Naked is your typical off white base shade, neutral rather than cool or warm, there is no chalkiness here.
Texture wise they are quite soft, blend really well, have very good pigmentation ( I didn't need to layer to get the colour to apply the same as in the pan) and they well wear throughout the day. Whilst I don't have anything negative to say about these, the shade range ( that is available on Liberty) whilst it offers good basics is nothing exciting so I don't think I will be rushing out to get any particular shade anything soon.

I also got the Tinted moisturiser as part of the Liberty GWP. This retails for £50 and is not meant for someone with skin like me but I had to try it ! As you can see shade #1 is too dark for me, the swatch shows it before and after being blended in. I would say it has a warm tone to it.

Texture wise its quite creamy but not heavy at all, it provides VERY minimal coverage as expected for this type of product but it does give a nice healthiness to the skin without an obvious sheen. It works quite well as a makeup base as well if you skin is a bit lacklustre and dry. As this is not something that I would get much use out of ( I need coverage) I gave this to my Mum who has clear skin, she will be able to get away with this shade ( she is about a MAC NW20/25).

Illamasqua foundation and concealer review

Until now I don’t think I have ever bought a foundation I have been completely happy with, actually I think I have never re-bought the same foundation. As such I am pleased to say that Illamasqua light liquid foundation delivers on every level for me. I have dry skin that can still get shiny, this foundation is just moisturising enough, without being heavy or overly creamy. Its texture is quite runny so you do need to make sure to shake it before dispensing. Application wise it does not highlight my dry area and gives a sheer to medium coverage if required. It sets quite quickly but you can add more on without it going patchy. It matches my pale cool toned skin (shade #120), no overly yellow or strange orange tones here, a true pale cool toned shade, this is the best colour match I have ever had. Lastly it does not break me out, which is no mean feat for my intolerant skin.
Swatch below, you can see how good a colour match it is (I've not blended it in)

I have the under eye concealer in shade #115. This is a very creamy product that offers medium to full coverage. Due to the texture you do need to set this with powder so that it doesn’t migrate into those pesky lines. This shade is a bit too light for my undereye area but looking on the site I noticed that shade#130 had disappeared. I emailed Illamasqua who confirmed it had been discontinued but the lovely Jo sent me their normal concealer in shade #130 instead (for free) as she thought this would work on the under eye area. Once again great customer service, I think Illamasqua encourages brand loyalty, not just because of their products but the whole ethos of the company and the way they deal with their customers is hands down the best.
So, does it work as an eye concealer? Whilst not as emollient as the eye concealer it applies with enough slip so as to not look dry and the maximum coverage is just want I need for my super dark circles. I apply this on the inner part of my under eye and then RBR luminous wand on the outer part or YSL radiant touch if I look less tired (i.e my little boy hasn’t fed during the night), set with powder and I’ve got the most natural, yet best coverage I have found thus far.
The under eye concealer is on the left (#115), the normal concealer (#130) on the right

Apologies for the state of the concealers, I do on the whole try to post picture before I decimate products :)

Liberty beauty GWP and Le Métier de Beauté

I wanted to get a shampoo and conditioner from Ojon and noticed Liberty had a great beauty GWP online consisting of the following:
Le Métier de Beauté Tinted Moisturiser, SPF15, 1.0 fl oz.
NARS Duo Lip Gloss, 0.07 fl oz.
Essie Fill the Gap Nail Varnish, 0.16 fl oz.
Malin+Goetz Lip Moisturiser, 0.35 fl oz.
ESPA soothing Eye Lotion 60 ml
Korres Showergel, 1.69 fl oz.
Bamford Botanic Shampoo, 1.7 fl oz.
Bamford Botanic Conditioner, 1.7 fl oz.
Green & Spring Relaxing Body Lotion, 1.7 fl oz.
REN Neroli and Grapefruit Zest Body Wash, 1.7 fl oz.
Such a great offer that I've not seen in the UK before (these things are usually on US sites like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus). To make up to the required qualifier I also ordered some Le Métier de Beauté eyeshadows. I played safe and got Clay (neutral beige with a slight sheen) and Naked (cream base shade).I'll review these and the tinted moisturiser when I have had more of a play but so far the eyeshadows are quite soft, good blendability, apply exactly as they appear in the pan and hold up well. I'm slightly hesitant about trying the Tinted moisturiser as it doesn't say what the ingredients are so am trying to find a list at the moment !
Unfortunately although I order a Ojon conditioner I was emailed to be told it was out of stock with a 2-3 week wait, I either had to find a replacement of the same value or miss out on the GWP. As the other conditioners were out of stock as well the only thing I could see that was £18 and would be something I would use was a Green & Spring shower gel. I will be reviewing all these products at various points, however I have now smelt this showergel and think it may have not been the best idea as its got that herbal remedy scent ( like Liz Earle products) so I'm hoping it won't smell the same when applied.
I've just looked and it seems the GWP has sold out, I'm not surprised as for me this definitely encourage me to buy as it was such a great offer, that said I think its still available in stores if you are near to London maybe worth popping in!

Givenchy Poudre Libre

I decided to do a full review on Givenchy Poudre Libre in Poetique Orchid. I was hesitant this would not work for me as the majority of Givenchy's face products are fragranced so irritation was a concern. Poudre Libre is a loose powder quartet. Poetique Orchid is part of the fall collection and contains shades of apricot, beige, soft yellow and white (the white contains fine glitter, which I feel is an unnecessary addition).

Due to the packaging I find it very difficult to get just one shade out so use them all mixed together. I am however surprised that I like really like this. It gives very good coverage (which sometimes can threaten to look cakey so a good brush is a must) and gives a nice soft glow and really evens out the complexion, ruddiness gone and dare I say that it gives me a more youthful look. My only problem with this is after about 4 hours wear my skin can feel a bit itchy, so its not the best for me to wear for work which is a shame as I really like the overall effect. If you haven't got sensitive skin this is worth a try.