Butter London: Hen Party and Jaffa

The first thing that draw me to Butter London was the formula, which omits formaldehyde, toluene and DBP. The second was their varied shade range.

Jaffa is a screaming non shimmered orange, nice for a change, and it certainly got me comments!
Hen Party is a pale opal shade with a slight blue sheen. Pretty used alone or over another colour.
Now I know I have not applied these neatly but I was speed painting!
I do find that you can get a bit of chipping after the second day so probably best worn with a top coat but the colours apply well and have no fade.

I’d like to get Yummy Mummy next as that is a beige shade everyone seems to rave about; I’d also like to get their base and topcoat. I’m just want, want, want….

These cost £10 each and I bought these from Zuneta.com, they currently have a buy 2 get one free promo on (enter the code NAILS), so you have no excuse :)

Shu Uemura Egerie Eye Shimmer Duo

I’m a bit late to the game here as this is part of the spring 2010 collection.
I bought the duo in Glint Blue (£29), which consists of a sparkling metallic brown/taupe liquid shadow, and a sparkling pastel blue loose powder.
The liquid shadow comes packaged in a squeezable tube; you get a lot of product here especially considering you only need a tiny amount each time. The powder shadows is packaged in a tube with a sponge applicator .
Swatch L-R:Liquid,powder and liquid with powder on top.
The liquid shadow dries amazingly fast and goes on smooth, the colour applies very even. I got no creasing and it didn’t budge or fade all day. I do however find it feels a bit drying, not so much to be uncomfortable but you can feel its there if you get what I mean.
In terms of the powder, I didn’t get fall out during the day but the colour is quite sheer so I feel it’s better used on top of the liquid rather than alone.
Picture below of liquid Shadow and a touch of powder dusted on top
I really like the colours and, slight dryness aside, I am really impressed by the texture and wear of the liquid shadow, however I do feel that the finish is just too shiny/metallic for me. Perhaps its because I’m the wrong side of 30 but I am finding that more shimmery/frosty, metallic shades don’t quite look right on me anymore, somewhat out of place and a bit harsh, shame really as I really like this, just not on me!

I bought this from beautyexpert.co.uk

Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight

Sunlight (£29) is a light cream colour with a gentle gold shimmer in the compact. Applied it doesn’t add much colour, but there is a subtle champagne tint. What it does give me is a subtle luminous natural glow.
The texture is perfect, its not greasy or sticky yet its creamy so its blends with ease and it feels really lightweight.
I have been using this nearly everyday since I bought it and have had no issue with clogged pores or breakouts (I have to be careful with blush/highlight type products). I use it on top of the cheekbones and under the eyebrow and at the side of the eye. This is so easy to use and really gives a luminous look that doesn’t look like you have loaded yourself with product but rather that you just have a natural healthy glow.
Here are the ingredients:
I've fared really well with EB so far, it does seem a very foolproof brand, more reviews to come.

I buy my Edward Bess from Zuneta.com

Laura Mercier Musings: Part 2

Upon opening the Secret Brightening Powder (£18) I was slightly sceptical about the white shimmer. Luckily it doesn’t seem to notice once applied. Used under the eyes, it goes on very smooth so doesn’t emphasis those pesky little lines, however for me it applies too light in colour and highlights the area which makes my circles stand out more. In terms of setting my under eye concealer this does not last on me, by mid day I can see it has worn off. I do however really like this product as an under the eyebrow brightening/highlight and on the outer corners of the eye, it gives a natural illuminating brightening effect.
Swatches:Powder on left, you can see its quite light, Tinted moisturiser on right dabbed on then blended in far right:
My final item was the tinted moisturiser (£32). As I bought this around the same time as my RBR one I just put in a drawer for a while and forgot about it. When I did finally get it out I had a sudden break out after using this, weary that this might be the cause I waited for my skin to heal and then tried again.
I did find that when I used it again it did seem to exacerbate 2 cystic spots which I have had for years (they just won’t die) but didn’t break me out in any new areas, so I really would try and get a sample first if you have acne.
Texture wise it doesn’t spread as well as my RBR and is less forgiving on my dry skin, Jane from http://modestybrown.blogspot.com/ describes it as “Icky” and in hot weather it does feel extremely “Icky” on the skin. I do find the coverage, albeit sheer, is buildable although I need to set it with powder to get it to last. Ultimately the best thing about it was the colour, as porcelain matched me well.
So all in all my dabbling in LM has been mostly misses, I will try the eye perfector again but overall it was quite a disappointing haul.

Edward Bess Soft Smoke Eyeshadow Trio

I can’t think of a better name for this trio as a soft smoky eye is exactly what you get.
It contains a pale off white base/highlight shade, a medium grey and a deep charcoal. The white and charcoal look almost matte however there is a faint shimmer to the grey.
I have read a few reviews that don’t think the quality of the trios matches that of the single shades, however whilst I would say its perhaps not as pigmented in one stroke as the two singles I have there are no negatives I can report.
The colours although basic are effortless. I find a lot of sets geared towards a smoky eye are usually too harsh and the colours too conflicting, however these colours just meld into each over, allowing for a simple but effective graduation.
This trio costs £44 and I bought it from Zuneta.com who stock the brand exclusively for us in the UK (they also ship worldwide)

Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow

Although these are called sheer eye shadows I found them pigmented. In my swatch I have done two strokes of each colour.
They come in a weighty compact with mirror and throw away sponge applicator. The compact has the signature Burberry check on the cover and the powder is embossed with the pattern as well. The texture of all the shadows is really smooth, and they don’t feel dry or overly powdery. Although I personally find them pigmented they are easy to build up if desired.

I feel slightly traumatised over the amount of photos I took to try and capture the exact colour of these (that's why you have two photos) but I have had to concede that my camera (and camera skills) are lacking, so you’ll have to believe me when I say they look better in real life!
Swatches L-R: Trench, Almond, Taupe Brown, Rosewood.
Trench #02 is a semi matte light beige, I thought I could use this as a base shadow but its slightly too deep to match my very pale skin so I use it as a lid shade.
Almond #06 is a warmed light brown that has a soft glow.
Taupe Brown #07 is a medium to dark matte grey taupe.
Rosewood #09 is a slightly shimmery soft taupe with a bit of a mauve/rose tone.

From what I have tried so far I think the packaging feels and looks like a high-end brand and the products perform as such. Whilst they do not necessarily exceed my other similar priced brands, the quality is definitely there and I will be buying more. In terms of the colours, they fit with what I would expect from Burberry (classic, natural tones). Overall I do like all 6 products but am more impressed with the eye shadows than the lipsticks.

The shadows cost £22 each and I bought them from Harrods who are currently the only UK stockist for Burberry Beauty.

Burberry Lip Cover

Although the packaging of Burberry lipsticks is a bit bulky and slightly heavy, they have quite a luxurious look and feel about them.
Burberry Lip cover in Cameo pink shows up on me as a peach with a touch of pink, with subtle golden micro glitter.
Lip cover in Rosewood applies as a medium neutral toned, mix of rose, brown and a slight bit of mauve, hard to describe but I really like this shade and can see it being extremely popular. I would say it has a satin finish (not matte but not shimmery).
Both lipsticks have good pigmentation, apply smoothly and have average lasting power. My only downside is whilst they are not drying I don’t find them as moisturising as some of my other brands. Please note that these lipsticks are scented, its not as strong as Chanel for example but its definitely there.

Overall the Lip Cover’s look like they have a great selection of neutral easy to wear shades with some more classic reds thrown in.

I bought these from Harrods who stock the brand exclusively for us in the UK. They cost £22 each.