Happy Halloween with China Glaze 'Haunting'

Halloween is my second favourite thing to celebrate (Christmas being the first, obviously) and I totally fall for everything Halloween related, every year. (See my Zombie/Undead Halloween make up here) this is the nail polish I chose to wear to mark the occasion this year.

This is part of China Glaze's Halloween 2011 collection - simply called 'Haunting' 

This shadowy black polish with shimmering silver glitter goes by the same name as the collection. 

This polish reminds me of a spooky, starlit night. Jet black sky littered with sparkling stars. This, despite being a fun polish for Halloween is actually very glamourous. The silver glitter particles are so delicate and twinkly. I can see me using this polish throughout Autumn/Winter, especially on an evening out.

Haunting has a slightly thick consistency but I personally prefer that. It is opaque in two coats and the wear is excellent. Two days on and not a sign of any wear or chips (with a coat of Seche Vite as a topcoat)


I forget how much I love China Glaze and I definitely need to expand my collection.

Halloween Zombie/Undead Make up

I debated whether to post this or not, as I know it's not to everybody's taste and I am also incredibly nervous about my lack of skills. I think it is possibly something that would be more suited to YouTube, but I'm no YouTuber and this is certainly not intended to be a tutorial. So you're stuck with viewing it on my blog. Please do skip along to something a little more pretty and pink if this isn't your kind of thing...there is plenty of that elsewhere on my blog.

It is no secret I aspire to be a make up artist, really though, I'm sure a vast majority of beauty bloggers do. I like to practice all kinds of make up and I think that if I did go down the MUA route, special FX make up would probably interest me the most.

Halloween is the perfect opportunity to practice this kind of look, so I dug out the kryolan stage blood and grimas stage make up and decided to have a go. Now this is by no means a professional look - it is fun, amateur halloween make up. I don't think my 'skills' will be called upon for the next series of the Walking Dead!

I apologise in advance for these photographs and would also like to reiterate that this is NOT a tutorial...I can barely do my own make up nevermind instruct others how to do theirs!

And here is the finished look...

Toddler plus sleepless nights leaves me looking less than fresh in the mornings...

All I used was a very pale foundation, stippled on using a duo fibre brush to really give the skin texture - the last thing you need as a zombie is smooth, flawless skin. I set the foundation with white powder, roughly applied again to give a dry, textured look. The eyes are a mix of black eyeshadow, red blush and purple eyeshadow, blended together. The key is to not be to perfect or particular - you don't need to look seamless.
I roughly contoured the hollows of my cheeks, down the sides of my nose and nostrils with a mixture of Grimas black pan stage make up, set with a black and purple eyeshadow.
The dripping blood is courtesy of Kryolan's artificial stage blood.
The beauty of this look is that for a Halloween fancy dress party it can be quick, easy and created using products most people will already have. The purple and black shadows I used were from the Sleek Bad Girl palette and the foundation was a too-pale Estee Lauder maximum coverage. The white powder is a MAC pro product I picked up in a CCO many moons ago (during my teen goth phase) The only 'specialist' products were the kryolan and Grimas products but these can easily be subsituted for the cheaper tubes that can be picked up almost everywhere at Halloween.

This was a very rushed look, and I think with a little more time and planning I could have come up with something better. I was at a bit of a loss what to do with my lips and wish I had made these up rather than just leaving them paled out.
I did go on to create a look for them, but it was awful so I will spare you of that!

Did you dress up for Halloween, did you incorporate a make up look? Please leave me a link if you did!

Tomorrow a promise an entirely more glamourous Halloween post!

Lipstick Du Jour - Revlon Cherries In The Snow

Today's lipstick of choice is the cult classic - Revlon's Cherries in The Snow. Originally launched in 1953 this shade is not only my lipstick du jour, but also fits nicely into my 'Timeless Classics' category.

In the tube, this lipstick appears to be your average bright red lipstick - but on the lips this is more of a deep, hot raspberry colour.

It is also one of the most diffcult lipsticks to photograph - I couldn't seem to capture the raspberry of this lipstick, except in a random iPhone photograph.

Daylight / Flash / iPhone

The formula of this lipstick is lovely - creamy (though not moisturising) opaque and highly pigmented. This didn't dry my lips out, nor did it leave the ghastly lipstick ring as it faded. It faded evenly over about 4-5 hours of eating/drinking and looked as though I had applied a stain to my lips, rather than the fact my lipstick had just started coming off.

 

after around 4-5 hours continous wear

These Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks retail for £7.49 in Boots - but Cherries in The Snow is a bit elusive and hard to come by. I picked mine up on eBay for the bargain price of £3.99!

Beauty Tag - Everyday Holy Grail Products

I spotted this tag recently when perusing some of my favourite blogs. Being a bit pushed for time lately I thought I would put this up as a quick and easy post.

I cannot for the life of me remember where I found this tag - so apologies for not crediting the author. If it may have been you, please let me know and I will credit.

MY CURRENT EVERYDAY HOLY GRAIL PRODUCTS:

Shampoo:  Tigi Catwalk - Your Highness

Condtioner:  Tigi BedHead Superstar and Joico K-Pak treatment

Styling products:  Tigi Catwalk Your Highness thickening creme, Schwarzkopf Powderful Volumising Dust & L'oreal Elnett

Shower Gel: Elemis Frangipani Monoi Shower Cream or Body Shop Shea

Body moisturiser: Body Shop Shea Body Butter - (see review here)

Deodrant: Nivea Pure Invisible

Fake Tan: St Moriz - ashamed to admit this but it is criminally cheap and works!

Cleanser: Cetaphil (AM) Elemis Melting Gel Cleanser (PM) (see Cetaphil review here)

Toner: Darphin Intral

Serum: Darphin Intral Serum

Facial Moisturisers:  Cetaphil/ La Roche Posay Effaclar / Liz Earle Superskin   (see cetaphil review here)

Exfoliator: Body shop Shea Butter scrub (see review here)

Primer: Need a new one, currently using up the remnants of MAC Prep & Prime Skin.

Foundation: Chanel Mat Lumiere or Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser for light coverage days.

Foundation brush: MAC 187 to stipple and MAC 190 for a traditional foundation brush

Concealer: DiorSkin Nude

Powder: Chanel Poudre Universelle

Blusher: Making me pick only one?! Have you SEEN my blush collection? I'm going with NARS Deep Throat (see more about this here) and NARS Sin

Bronzer: Chantecaille Compact Soleil - Capri (read more about this here)

Highlighter: MAC Shimpagne (LE). God help me when this baby runs out

Eyeshadow base: MAC Paints in Untitled and Sublime Nature

Eyeshadows: NARS Rajasthan Duo, MAC Satin Taupe,  MAC Shale, Chanel Safari

Eyebrows: MAC Coquette eyeshadow or Suqqu Eyebrow Pen - Brown

Eyeliner: Desperately need a new HG liquid liner - recommendations please? Currently using the last of MAC's blacktrack

Mascara: Three on rotation: Dior Diorshow, Lancome Hypnose and YSL Effet Faux Cils

Lipstick: Tom Ford Blush Nude or Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Chance (see review here)

Lipgloss: MAC Cremesheen - Boy Bait or Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss - Mirth

Nail Colour: My nails are in a terrible mess so currently naked, but always some variation of the greige theme. Chanel Particuliere being the daddy of them all.

Perfume: Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille, Dior Addict & Tom Ford Black Orchid

I tag ALL of my readers to do this beauty tag - because I'm nosey.

Lipstick Du Jour - MAC Snob & Baby Sparks

I realise lately it's all gone a bit pink when it comes to lipstick on my blog. It's not really been a conscious decision, but one that usually occurs around this time of year, every year. I spend spring-summer in coral and peach colours when my skin is a little more tanned and glowing but as Summer fades into Autumn out comes the pinks. Baby pinks, hot pinks, rose pinks- ANY pinks. I find they flatter my skintone and colouring more when my skin is a little paler. These pinks then segue nicely into reds, burgundies and plum colours for winter.

The weather in South Wales is the epitome of Autumnal right now. Crunchy leaves on the ground, crisp, fresh sunny days and biting cold winds. So naturally (to me at least) my lipstick du jour is MAC's Snob.

Now, Snob is anything but easy to wear. It's a lilac tinged pastel pink that is incredibly cool-toned. It can be hard to work with so avoid heavy application. Snob is a satin finish that is very opaque with a slight sheen. I do find this one a little drying on my lips also.

I never apply this one straight from the tube. Instead, I lightly apply with a lipbrush to soften the colour and intensity.

This is the result:

MAC describe Snob as a 'ladylike mauve' which isn't really how I see it. The strong lilac undertones in the tube explain the mauve - but on the lips this is true pastel pink (and not in the slightest ladylike) Even applied lightly, I feel uncomfortable wearing Snob alone. Think 90's porn star rather than ladylike. (I'll spare you a full on face pic) In order to wear and enjoy this lipstick a gloss over the top is an absolute must.

For this look I chose MAC dazzleglass in Baby Sparks - a milky baby pink with an abundance of blue, white and lilac glitter. Here they are combined:

A much more flattering combination, in my opinion. Here is how it looks in the context of my face:

Snob is definitely not everybody's cup of tea and it does take a lot of effort to wear but it's a fun colour and a nice change. I also love the dazzleglass in Baby Sparks - one of my favourite MAC glosses. Can we get a close up of that glitter again?

Do you like MAC Snob? I'd love to see if you have blogged about it or used it in FOTD posts.

Isn't She(a) lovely...

Firstly I must apologise for the cringeworthy title, but I really couldn't resist.

These two products are in my 'cannot live without' category. I've been using the body shop body scrubs and butters for years now and have fleeting dalliances with different 'flavours' according to season, what's on offer etc but the Shea butter range is one I consistently return to and repurchase.
The seasons affect my skin greatly and I depend on a good body scrub and moisturiser to keep it looking and feeling healthy.

The Shea butter scrub is everything I want in a scrub- its a salt/sugar scrub and gorgeously scratchy. I'm not overly impressed with body exfoliators that don't give me good scratch! The gels, creams and lotions with exfoliating 'beads' leave me cold. I want to feel like I'm sloughing off the dead skin effectively and this is the perfect scrub for it.
This is a great pre-false tan exfoliator also. The shea scent is beautiful without smelling synthetic or overpowering. It's a hard one to describe, it's almost a sweet nutty smell? It is subtle but does linger on the skin, especially  if layered with....

 

The Shea body butter.
Beautifully creamy, thick and luxurious this moisturiser is targeted at 'extra dry' skins, thought strictly speaking I do not have extra dry skin and this suits me just fine. My skin just drinks this up and there is no horrible greasy film left afterwards. Just soft, nourished skin.
In the tub this looks almost solid, but with the heat of the skin it melts into a rich cream. Of all the body butters I have from the body shop, this is my favourite consistency- it feels like it is really doing it's job.
This bears the standard subtle, comforting Shea scent that has become a favourite of mine. The scent is distinctive but not overpowering. I can still apply perfume on top of this without it altering the scent, if anything it adds a creamy warmth- perfect for winter.
I apply Shea body butter straight after a bath or shower when my skin is still warm- this way less product goes a lot further and my skin is left feeling lusciously soft.
I carry the small 50ml  size(pictured) of this body butter in my bag during the winter. It doubles as an intensive hand cream in really cold weather. I've run out of the large 200ml tub and will be replacing ASAP.

I tend to rely on these heavily and use daily through the autumn and winter months and during spring/summer I turn to one of the lighter, fruitier body butters.
Body shop body butters & scrubs are £12.50 for the 200ml tub and £5 for the travel size 50ml tub.



What is your favourite Body Shop body butter?

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What's in My Make-Up Bag: Night Out

Here is a sneak peek into some the products I used in yesterday's post which you can read here.

I always take a make up bag on a night out with me, containing some of the products I've used just in case I need to reapply or touch up as the evening goes on. I hope i'm not the only one who finds the amount of make up remaining on their face is relative to the amount of alcohol imbibed...

So here we have a delightfully tacky leopard print make up bag. This was around £3 in Primark. I have an unhealthy obsession with leopard print and I loved this little make up bag so much I bought the bigger toiletry bag to match. It's a decent size and can fit a fair bit in, as you can see. Love the little plaque detail on the front too.

Now on to the contents...

Face

(swatches from L-R compact soleil pan / compact soleil swatch / Dior skinflash, LM Tinted Moisturiser, Chanel Mat Lumiere)

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser (oil free) Nude
Not sure how this ended up in here, but I truly love this lately. Beautiful, flawless yet light coverage - didn't think it was possible but this proves it is.

Chanel Mat Lumiere - 30 Cendre 
Usually my summer colour, but I had applied a very light false tan so opted for the darker foundation. Autumn/Winter my Chanel colour is 20 - Clair.

Dior Skinflash radiance booster pen -002 Candlelight
This is everything that YSL Touche Eclat should have been. Hides my dark circles perfectly and makes my eyes look fresh and awake. HG material.

Chantecaille Compact Soleil - Capri
Also potential HG material. I have never, ever experienced such finely milled, beautifully textured powder products in my life. This feels weightless and provides the lightest, most subtle colour to the skin. In the pan there is a hint of shimmer/super fine glitter particles but they don't appear obvious on the face. I use this for a light contour and to give the appearance of a healthy glow to my skin. LOVE IT.

Cheeks

 (Swatches L-R: Cherub unblended & blended / Deep Throat)

Daniel Sandler Waterblush - Cherub 
A delicate baby pink with a hint of fine silver shimmer running through. Once blended, gives a glow rather than obvious glitter. Adore this and highly recommend.

NARS blush - Deep Throat
I have an unabashed love of NARS products, especially their blushes. Of all the 11 I own, Deep Throat is one of my all time favourites. Soft baby pink with a gentle touch of peachy gold shimmer. A much more forgiving alternative to NARS Orgasm. In my FOTN post I wore this layered over the watercolour blush - a beautiful combination.

Eyes

 (Swatches in last photograph Far Left: Shu Uemura Brow Pencil. Top L-R: Fire in her eyes, Wide eyed wonder, Black Magique. Bottow L-R: Spell No9, Deception, Smoke & Mirrors. Far Right: Laura Mercier Mercury)

MAC Smoke & Mirrors Palette (LE from Christmas 2009)
Lovely little smoky neutral palette, thought easily replicated with permanent MAC colours

Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour - Mercury
Usually use this as base with this palette, the shimmering lilac goes perfect with wide eyed wonder all over the lid.

Lancome Hypnose Mascara - Black
I've been using this for as long as I can remember, a really good staple of any collection. Not HG, but I still use it often.

Shu Uemura H9 Hard Brown Pencil - Seal Brown
I've had this forever and it just never appears to get any smaller. I do prefer my suqqu brow pen, but I'm trying to use this up!

Lips

Guerlain Le Rouge 'G' Serie Noir - Fuschia Delice (LE Spring 2011)
This is the lipstick I took out 'just in case' I fancied a pop of colour. I was actually disappointed when I bought this back in the spring- this formula is not quite the same as the regular Rouge G lipsticks. This contains lots of shimmer that translates to an almost wet-look shine on the lips. I expected opaque fuschia but as seen in the swatches below, this gives more of a sheer glossy wash of colour. I have grown to really love it, shame it was LE.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture - 06 Rose Bergamasque
I love YSL lippies. I prefer the Rouge Pur Couture to the rouge volutpes as I find these much longer lasting yet just as creamy and comfortable on the lips. This is a creamy peach nude with a slight hint of pink. Perfect nude lip without looking corpse like.

NARS lipgloss - Orgasm
Much like it's blusher counterpart, this lipgloss is predominantly pink with strong peach and gold undertones. The lipgloss is much more wearable and beautiful than the blush, in my humble opinion. I wore this layered over the YSL lipstick for my FOTN.

L-R: Guerlain Rouge G - Fuschia Delice / YSL Rouge Pur Couture - Rose Bergamasque / Nars Lipgloss - Orgasm

If you'd like to see more in depth posts about any of these items, please let me know and I'll be more than willing.

Smoke & Mirrors...

I had an evening out on Saturday and I went for a fairly neutral toned FOTN. I wasn't feeling brave enough to wear something bright or to make a statement, I just wanted to feel polished and pretty. I did slip a bright lipstick into my bag 'just in case' but it never made an appearance.

 Chanel Mat Lumiere Foundation - 30 Cendre

Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster Pen - 002 Candlelight

Chanel Poudre Universelle

Chantecaille Compact Soleil - Capri

Shu Uemura Hard Formula Brow Pencil - Seal Brown

MAC Spell No9 & Deception all over lid

MAC Black Magique & Smoke and Mirrors blended into crease and lashlines

MAC Fluidline Blacktrack

Lancome Hypnose Mascara - Black
Ardell Demi Wispies

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush - Cherub

NARS Blush - Orgasm

YSL Rouge Pur Couture - 06 Rose Bergamasque

NARS Lipgloss - Orgasm

For the eyes I used my MAC Smoke & Mirrors palette from the Holiday/Christmas 2009 collection. It's a lovely little palette and one I don't reach for nearly enough. It's a gorgeous (yet easily dupable from the perm MAC collection) smokey neutral eye palette - just what I wanted. I love the size of this palette too - it's just small enough to be transportable and still contain all the right shades. If you ever see this online/in a CCO - get it!

Smoke and Mirrors is quite a fitting name really, given the outfit I went for also. I picked this off-white sheer blouse up in Primark for the bargain price of £12. I love the lace inserts on the shoulders and the fact that whilst being sheer, it covers a multitude of problems for the particularly body conscious amongst us.

 It is a very floaty batwing sleeve blouse that skims over problematic arms and tummies. If you are not keen on showing too much skin - a nude camisole would be needed underneath. I, however, just went for one of my favourite silk bras (brave) because then it detracts from the major problem areas - bum/hips/legs!

I have to hand it to you fashion-y types. HOW do you get good quality photos of your outfits?! Impossible.

To make me feel super glamorous, perfume was Tom Ford's Black Orchid. Still in love with this.

Tomorrow I will give you a look into the products in my make-up bag, that I took with me on this night out.

Lipstick Du Jour - MAC Chatterbox

Today was a surprisingly bright and sunny day - quite a change to the recent weather we've had. To suit the weather, I fancied a nice bright lip. 

This lipstick always makes me feel happy. I can't really explain it. The colour, the formulation, the name. It's happiness in lipstick form. The name reminds me of being younger and almost every teacher referring to me as a chatterbox throughout school...not much change there then!

Chatterbox is the perfect shade of pink for me. It's a neutral pink that perhaps leans a little to the warm side. These kind of pinks suit my skintone perfectly. I find the majority of pinks are very blue based and most of them are impossible for me to wear - but this is just perfect. It's bright without being over the top or obnoxious. It's also surprisingly easy to wear.

The formulation is MAC's Amplified which is creamy, opaque and comfortable to wear. Whilst not particularly moisturising, it doesn't dry out my lips either.

This is my second chatterbox lipstick, the first one I used so much it went the same way as most amplified/cremesheen lipsticks...completely smushed.

There are not many lipstick I can say I've actually repurchased, which is proof that Chatterbox is a winner.

I'll let the lip swatches do the rest of the talking...

Do you have a 'happy' lipstick? (or am I just insane?!)

Timeless Classic: OPI Dulce De Leche

Lately i'm finding that I'm overlooking 95% of the churned out new collections from cosmetic companies in favour of the timeless, elegant and classic beauty items. I am so much more likely to invest in a make up staple than a limited edition, fancy shmancy colour that will be worn once or twice then forgotten about (hello, Chanel Mimosa nail polish. I'll probably see you again next year if I go abroad) There are exceptions, of course (a fool and her money are soon parted) but generally I'm more interested in neutrals, staple items and those amaranthine classics that can be wheeled out any season, day or night and still look amazing.

So first up in my Timeless Classic's series is OPI's Dulce De Leche nail polish.

This polish falls into the nude nail polish category. A soft rose-beige on my skintone, it does pull slightly more pink on me than beige. When I first purchased this polish, I expected a more caramel nude colour, given that it is named after a caramel/milk based sauce.

Dulce De Leche has the ability to transform tired, tatty hands and nails into sleek, polished digits. 

My nails are weak and peel very easily. For this reason, they never seem to grow past a certain length and if they do reach an admirable length, guaranteed one of them will break.

Dulce De Leche is one of those polishes that can make even short, damaged nails look instantly more chic and polished.

I reach for this polish a lot - any time, any season. It's a great polish for when you just can't decide on a colour. It's also great if you just want to look polished and well groomed without making too much of a statement with your nails. Understated, glossy and chic.

The consistency and formula of this polish is great. Thick but easily applied and opaque in two coats. I like to use OPI RapiDry over the top to prolong the wear - typically I get around 2-3 days before chips appear (though this is due to the nature of my nails rather than the polish itself)

What is your failsafe, timeless-classic nail polish? 

xxx

NARS Night Series Palette

Glitter haters, look away now. This latest offering from NARS is a veritable glitter-fest. There isn't one shadow that doesn't contain glitter or shimmer in one way or another. 

This little disco ball caught my eye recently as it sat there twinkling on the NARS counter in John Lewis, Cardiff. I'm not sure whether it was because Christmas is looming or because I was shopped out and desperately in need of a cocktail or three - but everything that glittered and sparkled called my name. I wanted it ALL.

I very nearly came away with New Order, Super Orgasm and Angelika (the latter two I ironically owned previously and then sold in a blog sale after they languished, unloved in the bottom of a drawer because they were too glittery. Capricious, moi?!) I even seriously contemplated the single eyeshadow 'Tropic' - yes I think I was on the verge of a make-up breakdown.

My sanity (and husband) took over however and I ended up purchasing this little beauty instead. I've always fancied a few of the night series single shadows so it made sense to have of them them all in one handy palette.

 I have to say, it wasn't love at first swatch. I got this home and set about swiping and swatching and I was actually dissapointed. It's so rare that anything from NARS dissapoints, I was genuinely gutted and felt I had wasted the £39.50 I'd just handed over in return for this.

Top row:
Night Star: Sheer peach with gold pearls
Night Clubbing: Black with gold pearls
Night Porter:Black with green pearls

Bottom Row:
Night Rider: Soft plum with silver glitter
Night Flight: Black with cobalt blue pearls
Night Breed: Black with silver glitter

Do not be deceived by the word 'pearls'. In this instance pearls = glitter and glitter = great big massive CHUNKS of glitter. Just to clear that up.

All looks well in the pan - the shadows all look divine. But I first swatched them all dry and this is how they looked...

L: daylight R: flash

Totally unexceptional and bordering on poor quality.

Night Rider was the biggest let down of them all. Very dusty, not very pigmented and those enormous chunks of glitter felt scratchy. The fallout was unbelievable. This is NARS' lilac equivalent of Urban Decay's Midnight Cowboy.
The colours just don't appear as pigmented, vibrant or in fact anything like they are in the pan. 

I actually gave up on this palette and tossed it to the back of the very same drawer that Super Orgasm and Angelika ended up in. It was only this weekend I decided to try it out again - this time armed with a good adhesive primer (too faced shadow insurance)

I usually let my eye primer 'dry' fully before applying anything on top, but in this instance I left it slightly tacky which seemed to instantly make a huge difference and the shadows came to life (NARS does recommend using these shadows wet)

Here they are swatched over the primer

L: daylight R: flash

You can see how different the shadows appear. Much more intense and vibrant and true to how they appear in the pan. I tried my best to capture just how sparkly these are but the photographs do them no justice. The primer holds the glitter particles better which means less fallout (except with Night Rider - there is still considerable fallout with this colour)

Now I know that these shadows work best either over a primer or wet, I feel this is a great little smoky eye palette and I'm glad I purchased it. I love the classy look of the shiny black writing on the usual matte black rubber compact. I actually prefer this to the standard white text.
The palette is a nice size to slip into a bag for a night out and I think this will get used a lot over the coming months. It's also a more economical way of trying 6 eyeshadows that if sold separately, would cost £16.50 each.

I am going to try and use these in a couple of different looks over the next few days, if you have any requests for colour combinations or looks then do let me know! 

The NARS night series palette costs £39.50 and can be bought from NARS counters & NARSCosmetics.co.uk

Lipstick Du Jour - Chanel Rouge Coco Shine 'Chance'

I'm falling back in love with lipstick, which is a good thing really considering I have a bit of a compulsive-buying problem with them. Not quite in the same league as my blush obsession, but it's getting there.

I currently have over 50 lipsticks and I haven't even attempted counting various other glosses, tints and balms. However, I can estimate I probably only ever wear 5 of these on rotation. Shameful, isn't it.

So I am aiming to start using up and trying out some of my collection (I can't promise I won't be buying new ones either...)

The very first lipstick making it's debut into my 'Lipstick Du Jour' category is a girly pink beauty. A recent acquisition, so not technically going through my existing collection, but I just couldn't resist.

Meet Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine in 'Chance'.

Chance is a girly, bubblegum pink in the tube. It leans more towards a blue-pink which, as a rule, I often overlook as unsuitable for my skintone. Due to the finish of these lipsticks however, it is actually a very easy colour to wear and looks beautiful on.

The formula is sheer but buildable. One layer will give you a sheer wash of candy pink and a second layer gives you more pigmentation but never a feeling of being too heavy or greasy.

The lipstick glides on to the lips and feels soft, balmy and moisturising. Staying power isn't great, but I wouldn't expect it to be with this sort of formula - I certainly have no issue whipping this out to reapply!
There is the usual soft, floral scent to this as with most Chanel lipsticks - but it's is not so strong that you can taste it.

This is not my first, nor will it be my last rouge coco shine. I absolutely love them. The texture and finish of these lipsticks have me returning to buy more time and time again.  They are great for anybody 'afraid' of wearing bright, powerful and pigmented colours - they are almost a lipstick-gloss hybrid with a touch of a balm feeling about them. They have certainly been easing me slowly back into colourful lips.

I've always been about heavy, statement eye make up looks. I like to play my eyes up with dark, smoky shadows, powerful colours and lots of mascara and with such strong eye looks I fall to a simple, understated nude lip. I felt a bit out of my depth turning things around and playing my lips up rather than my eyes. Sometimes I get it wrong and it all looks a bit too Las Vegas showgirl, it's definitely a learning curve. So with this particular lipstick I find simple winged black liner and a baby pink blush works perfectly.

The Chanel Rouge Coco Shines are £23 and I bought mine in Debenhams.

Cheap and effective skincare

My skin is problematic, to say the least. It is sensitive, I often suffer with redness (rosacea now mostly under control) I am oily and prone to blackheads and the occasional breakout. I have to be incredibly careful what I use on my face and tend not to experiment much these days. A lesson learnt the hard way!

I have used everything from high street brands - Boots & Superdrug's own brands, right up to high end - La Mer, La Prairie - you name it, I've willingly handed over ridiculous sums of money in the hope that the lotions and potions will magically transform my lacklustre, problematic skin in to airbrushed loveliness.

It is only recently that I have happened upon a cleanser and co-ordinating moisturiser that has really sorted my skin out. Redness is minimal, pores and blackheads much less apparent, skin feels hydrated, plump and oiliness stays away much of the day.

Introducing Cetaphil. 

No fancy packaging (in fact it verges on clinical) no airbrushed ad campaigns with over inflated claims of wonder, no hefty price tag. Just affordable and effective skincare.

This was once recommended to me by BeautyMouth.com but at the time I was suffering with a hideous bout of rosacea and reluctant to try the cleanser, which contains SLS.

I avoided SLS for a long time in my skincare - but honestly found no difference. In fact, I find a lot of SLS free products to be ineffective on my face. I am sorry I hesitated with this cleanser - I really wish I'd started using it sooner.

The cleanser itself has a viscous almost gel-like texture. I smooth over my face and massage in to loosen up the dirt then remove with a muslin cloth. 

One thing I like about this cleanser is the fact it doesn't foam - I cannot stand foaming cleansers, they tend to leave my skin feeling tight and uncomfortable.

Another bonus is the fact that there is no perfume - in fact, there is no detectable smell at all.

 I cannot comment on this cleanser's ability to remove make up as I am a triple cleanse girl - one initial cleanse with a dedicated make up remover (usually a micellar water or oil based make up remover, currently Lancome Bi-Facil) then two further cleanses with Cetaphil. I like my eye make up heavy, hence the need for this.

Even after using twice with a muslin cloth, my face feels smooth and hydrated.

Following my cleansing regime, I use a toner (currently long term favourite Darphin Intral) then on to Cetaphil moisturiser.

This is a fantastic basic moisturiser. Again there is nothing fancy about this product but as with the cleanser it does the job it is supposed to do without causing harm or discomfort to my face.

Like the cleanser there is no detectable scent. The moisturiser itself feels fairly lightweight but offers excellent hydration. My skin feels smooth, soft and doesn't seem to get as oily as it used to.

This may be the most basic of cleanser/moisturiser combinations but for me it is really working, alongside my other skincare favourites.

I do still look to other products in my regime to offer extra if/where needed. I use serums to offer a boost of moisture, my Darphin Intral serum for redness or Clinique's Turnaround concentrate for problem pores and skin renewal benefits - but the core of my routine is cetaphil and it's fantastic!

The proof for me was recently purchasing Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturiser and actually being able to wear it. Tinted moisturiser would never previously have offered enough coverage for my skin. It was heavy, full coverage all the way.

I really wish I had a 'before' photograph of my skin to share with you, hopefully readers of my old blog will remember how bad my skin was at one point. 

 Naked skin photo. Yuck.

I intially purchased a sample tester duo of the Cetaphil Cleanser and Moisturiser, as pictured- each bottle is 29ml (purchased from eBay - not technically for resale) The cleanser lasted around 10 days of use morning and night - twice each time and the moisturiser lasted over two weeks. I have since purchased full sizes of both from here. The cleanser is 236ml and the moisturiser is 250ml. I estimate these to last me for ages - again, great value for money.

Each 250ml of Cetaphil Cleanser & Moisturiser cost £6.99 from expresschemist.co.uk - coming to under £14 for both - postage is around £2.95.

A simple & easy NARS EOTD

Yesterday, my eyes were complimented quite a lot - even though in my opinion I was wearing nothing new or groundbreaking. In fact, the shadows of choice are longstanding favourites and fall into the 'most repurchased staples' category.

Primer: MAC Paint Pot Rubenesque

Eyeshadow: NARS Nepal & Mekong

Liner: Stila Liquid Eyeliner Black

Mascara: Lancome Hypnose & Clinique Bottom Lash (which I am not getting on with at all - separate rant coming soon!)

Brows: MAC Coquette eyeshadow

and just out of view..

Blush: NARS Deep Throat

Lipstick: Tom Ford Pink Dusk

Foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear

Et voila, a look I can master even with my shoddy blending skills

It has almost become my signature 'look' if you can even call it that. Soft smoky eyes using any combination of 2 or 3 shadows. Simples.