Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer Fuchsia

The more you delve into D&G cosmetics, the more you realise that their collection contains some quite unique, vibrant colours. Their nail range seems to encapsulate many complex shades, one that caught my eye was the shade called Fuchsia (£17).
The shade is not as per the name, instead its a bright pinky coral with a high iridescence and shimmer to it.

I use 3 coats to get required coverage, dry down is average and it wears well with minimal chipping and no loss of colour vibrancy.
There is quite a lot more from the D&G cosmetic line I would like to try, I do think the brand loses potential sales in the UK having only one online distributor, further compounded by not having a lot of the shades available.

I bought this from Harrods online

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow in Mochachino & Gel Eyeliner in Coffee

Estee Lauder have recently added some new shades to their Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Creme range and introduced a Double Wear Stay-in-Place Gel Eyeliner.

At the 3 counters I went to there was no sign of the limited edition shades which is a shame as I really fancied the sound of Cafe au Lait. Not one to be perturbed from buying more makeup I choose Mochachino (£15.50) from the new but permanent shades.
Its a cool toned stone taupe with a slight bit of shimmer which in some lights almost looks blue. It really is rather pretty and great for a no fuss lid shade. I much prefer the formula over Bobbi Browns which I find drying but I can't say it compares to my favourite cream eye shadows by Rouge Bunny Rouge. The formula is creamy and applies smoothly, it dries down quite quickly and it really does last. I can use this without a base and get a good 9 hours wear, after this I do get a bit of colour fade but overall I’m very impressed with its longevity.

Shadow and liner shown applied below:

Shadow Ingredients:
I bought shade Stay Coffee (£15.50) in the DoubleWear Stay-in-Place Gel Eyeliner. The colour is a very dark cool toned matte brown. The liner comes with a little brush which wasn’t suitable for my needs.
I have to say at this point that I don’t really get on with gel liners, I have tried many brands and have still not found one I am completely happy with. This has an almost cream texture rather than a gel. Its dryer than the likes of Clinique, Bobbi Brown and MAC and as a result of this it sets very quickly without much time to blend. Its attribute is that it really does not move, even when I have hayfever induced sneezing fits and my eyes are watering all over the place, it has no impact on this. I do however find the formula difficult to work with and have trouble getting a smooth line.
Liner Ingredients:
Swatches:


I bought these from Boots

Guerlain Rouge Automatique

Rouge Automatique is Guerlain's newest lipstick formula, the brand has really been setting the bar for intricate and interesting packaging of late. This time we get a lipstick without a typical lid, but instead the top of the tube has a trap door, you push down a slider and out comes the lipstick.

The shades are available in four color families: Les Beiges, Les Roses, Les Rouges and Les Oranges.

I bought the following shades (£24.50 each). Picture above top to base: #100,#101#160.
#100 Apres L’Ondee (pinky-rose leaning cool)
#101 Voilette de Madame (subtle peachy rose)
#160 Bal de Mai (warm strawberry rose)

Swatches L-R: #100,#101, #160
As much as I like the Rouge G formula I can not get on board with their heavy and bulky packaging so the Rouge Automatique have provided a great alternative. I’d say they don’t quite offer the level of glide and almost gel feel of the Rouge G’s but the comfortable, long wearing formula coupled with elegant shades with a natural shine/moist finish, excellent coverage and good pigmentation, pretty much ticks all the boxes for me. I really do rate these and will be buying more.

I bought these from Debenhams.

Occo: Sipan Hair Wash & Conditioner

Occo is a relatively new luxury spa brand. The packaging is clean, simple and modern.
They take their inspiration from the natural resources of the unspoilt Dalmatian Coast and Adriatic Sea. They offer an extensive range of skincare, home, bath and body products. They have enticing scents such as Grace Blackberry & Fig and Rosemary & Fennel.
#Picture from www.occo-online.com#


I bought the Sipan Hair Wash and Sipan Hair conditioner, £15 for each 250ml bottle.

The Sipan Hair Wash comes in a plastic bottle with a disc top cap. It feels lightweight and distributes easily though the hair. It cleanses well without drying/irritating my scalp and it doesn't leave my hair looking greasy which I am very prone to near my roots. Its active ingredients are Lemon, Sage and Honey.

Ingredients: Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Glycerin, Dicapryl Ether, Decyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 20, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat, Protein, Panthenol, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey,Disodium EDTA Parfum, Sorbic Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool.
The Sipan Hair conditioner come in a plastic pump bottle. Its Active ingredients are Sunflower, Sage, Jojoba oil, Lemon and Lime oil. Its a light to medium consistency and I was surprised that it gave enough moisture to the dry lengths of my hair. Its also an excellent detangler.

Ingredients:Aqua, Brassica Alcohol,Glycerin, ,Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate,Dicapryl Ether, Decyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Stearate, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat, Protein, Panthenol, Glyceryl Oleate, Parfum, Cetrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool.

Both product have a subtle refreshing scent, they don’t feel heavy or cause me any irritation/breakouts and they give my hair a nice shine and healthy look.
Heres a somewhat unhelpful picture of the side of my head but it was an attempt to show you the shine the products give.
I don’t think these are heavy duty products, so if you have very dry/damaged hair these might not be best suited for you, but for me this is a great duo to use for the warmer months and I am currently on my second lot of these.

I bought these from www.occo-online.com, they are also available from a wide range of places such as John Lewis, Harrods and escentual.com. One of the great things about their own site though is that the product descriptions contains the full ingredient listing.

Soleil Tan de Chanel: Bronze Rose

The success of the summer release of Soleil Tan de Chanel seems unanimous. Touted as a wearable bronzer for those with pale skin I bought Bronze Rose (£32.50).


The texture feels quite smooth and its extremely long wearing. However, it does not blend seamlessly for me so I really have to buff it in to smooth away the edges. I can just about get away with this, it veers towards looking orange/muddy on me if I apply more than one application. I think because the combined colours are a rosy coral bronze it doesn’t quite sit right on my cool complexion, especially as I have quite a bit of redness to my skin. Admittedly bronzers are predominately not great on me but as I had seen this look stunning on fellow pale ladies I was hoping for the same result. The bronzer does contain micro glitter which translates as a glow, unless you get close up and then the glitter is visible.
Swatches below of single colours and then blended together,
Swatches below, all Chanel colours blended together on the left with Rouge Bunny Rouge Bronzing Glow Powder on the right to show how it differs from a more typical bronze colour.
There is one major issue for me which is why I held off reviewing this for a while so I could test it. I get blemishes appear on my temples, jawline and top of the cheeks after application. I guess we can never say with a 100% certainty what causes us to break out as there are so many different factors involved, but the fact it happens every time makes me not comfortable to recommend this to someone who has highly acne prone skin like myself.
Ingredients:
I still feel this is a really pretty bronzer/blusher hybrid but like many things I buy it just wasn’t right for me.

I bought this from John Lewis

Dior 5 Couleurs Lift: Lifting ivory

Dior have recently released a new style quint called 5-Couleurs Lift. Essentially its a palette to create an eye lifting/brightening effect. The shadows are meant to be a “new generation of luminous pigments and eye-care serum powders, revitalizing, radiance-boosting, treatment-based shadows”.

Available in 4 harmonies I bought Lifting ivory (£41).

It contains a sheer iridescence peachy pink. A sheer white, with a bit of sparkle. A dark brown cream liner/brow colour. A brown/taupe with a slight rose/mauve tone, the finish is more of a gleam than shimmer. It really is beautiful.
The powder shades are buttery soft, blend seamlessly and last well. The liner/brow colour has a rather dry texture so as a liner I mix some water with it to get it to apply smooth. The pigment is very adjustable and with a slight touch I was able to use this on my brows as well. This wears supremely well

Lastly we have the centre cream eye base. This is probably the fundamentally part of the palette as its meant to be lifting and smoothing due to being “infused with skin-care ingredients" and its also meant to correct and even the eyelid.
It has a lot of slip to it and goes on a very sheer ivory with tiny sparkles. The texture is smooth however I do not find it evens my lids as I can still see discolouration showing through. It subtly highlights, however as an eye base its creases and has a negative effect on my shadows wear and pigment.
Here are the swatches (two swipes each).
L-R (as per the numbers of the overlay shown in the picture above) 2, 4, 3, 1, 5
I've used all the colours together shown below, including the centre shade as the eye base. Although I feel the shadows have more pigment and blend better without the base, I wanted to show you the full effect.

Ingredients:
This palette does give a subtle lift effect and does brighten without giving a harsh/stark look often associated with highlighter type shadows. However, I do not feel it smooths the area more so than other brands.
I guess my opinion is somewhat mixed, as whilst I really like the colours, quality and overall effect of 4 of the shades, not being able to get the centre shade to work for me makes me feel like I'm not getting the full results I should be.

I bought this from Boots.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Metamorphoses Mattifying Primer

Although I have dry skin I am extremely prone to getting shine breakthrough. Every time I try a mattifying product they either break me out, are too drying, apply cakey/patchy and just generally look awful. When I was sent the mattifying primer (£44) I approached it with not much hope.
It comes in a beautifully designed pump bottle.
Its a medium to thick textured white cream,yet feels extremely lightweight and smooth on the skin. Although this does not feel moisturising, nor does it feel drying. It applies really well, just like a second skin creating a smooth makeup base. Its described as giving the skin a velvet matte suede finish and that is spot on.
It works extremely well, it create a great base, giving my foundation more coverage and it also cuts down shine incredibly well.
Apologies for the scary forehead picture but I wanted to show you the difference this makes. Both pictures I took in the same light and wearing the same moisturiser and same foundation, only difference is the one on the right is wearing the primer underneath the foundation.
Its also nice used lightly as a lip base it you want to create a matte/suede like effect.

I've not had any breakouts or irritation from this product, here are the Ingredients.
I'm extremely pleased with this, its a product that gives me immediate and visible results, well done RBR you have brought out yet another fabulous product.

RBR are available from zuneta.com

Disclosure: I was sent this for free.