Holiday Beauty Buys

Even though I don't need any more opportunities to buy more beauty bits, I cannot go on holiday without getting something so when I was away for a couple of weeks recently in Canada and the US, there were a few things on my wishlist to get.

I had my eye on the MAC 286 brush for some time, it seemed like the perfect brush for blending undereye concealer and that's exactly what I've been using it for. It has a good firmness so it doesn't flop about but still is soft and workable. The duo fibres lend themselves well to getting diffused and naturally blended edges.

Walgreens was right across the street from the hotel we were staying at in Las Vegas so it turned into a midnight trip (as they are open 24hrs). Even though there is an incredible selection of drugstore lines, I only bought Maybelline's Color Tattoo Shimmering Seas (115) which is a limited edition shade in a beautiful golden beige with aqua shimmer to it. I already have a few of these eyeshadows and love the formula so I know this will get a lot of use. I now wish I'd picked up the other LE shade as well as this swatches much nicer than how it looks from outside.

Maybelline's Color Elixir gloss in Celestial Coral (010) is a beautiful medium coral pink semi-sheer gloss. As there are no testers I chose a 'safe' colour that I know I will use.

Even though Sephora now ship to the UK there is nothing like seeing the products in person and the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee in Honeymoon Honey has been on my list since testing it in Toronto on holiday last year. It is quite a unique formula that feels light, hydrating and cooling, with a natural flush of colour.

Another item I tested last year and have had on my mind since then is TokyoMilk's Tainted Love Shea Butter Handcreme. It's really the scent that took me in with his hand cream as it is fragranced with Dark Vanilla Bean, Orchid, White Tea and Sandalwood so it's a slightly more deeper and sensual scent that I love. The formula itself is quite light and silky and absorbs easily into the skin.

Makeup Forever Smoky Lash and Anastasia Brow Wiz are products I've wanted to try for ages and Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo Invisible Spray is a product Liana Beauty mentioned on her blog that had me curious as it's meant to be completely invisible. I haven't yet found a dry shampoo I've been completely happy with so have high hopes for this.

I was holding out on buying the new Hourglass Ambient Lighting blushes until my holiday as I had tested them previously and Diffused Heat was the one I was immediately drawn to as it's a lovely radiant brightening shade with good payoff.

I hadn't intended to get anything from Bath and Body Works but my sister was eager to get these Anti-Bacterial Hand Gels so naturally curiosity got the better of me and I also picked up several of these cute little bursts of scent for on the go use.

Some last minute duty-free buys were a cosmetic bag and and fragrance mist from Victoria's Secret. I really like the choice of toiletry bags they have and this one is such a lovely tropical print and has two handy clear zip compartments. Bombshells in Bloom Fragrance Mist is a nice, sweet floral fruity scent that's perfect for my bag.

L-R: Celestial Coral, Brow Wiz in Granite, Shimmering Seas, Honeymoon Honey, Diffused Heat

L-R: Celestial Coral, Brow Wiz in Granite, Shimmering Seas, Honeymoon Honey, Diffused Heat

I'll leave you with one of my favourite things in Las Vegas. Day or night, these fountains are stunning.

Peachy Glowy Goodness: Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss - Lush

Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss - Lush

Today felt like the perfect day to get out this lovely as it's a gorgeous summery, glow-giving gloss.

Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss in Lush is a pretty peach shade with a fine warm shimmer. These are some of my favourite glosses as the formula is smooth, non-sticky and they impart a wonderfully shiny finish that wears well and doesn't dry out the lip.

Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss - Lush

I think these are tied in my affections with the Rouge Bunny Rouge lipglosses, and as with RBR, it is easy to become slightly obsessed:)
 
Hourglass is available in Liberty London or online at Zuneta.

Hourglass Visionnaire Eyeshadow Duo - Prism

Packaging gorgeousness at its best

Hourglass have the perfect swivel down!

Hourglass is a brand that I have slowly been getting into (I think my attentions at Zuneta have mainly been towards Rouge Bunny Rouge); so far I only have a couple of products but I would like to try more as I have been impressed with what I have at present.


I was very drawn to this particular palette when seeing swatches as I don't often come across interesting blue shades that are not bright, often blues done badly can look rather whishy-washy. This is not the case with Prism as the texture and pay-off is excellent, with a soft, buttery feel and great pigmentation that deposits a perfectly opaque level of colour with a sophisticated sheen.

L-R: Accessorize Platinum, Hourglass Prism duo

L-R: Accessorize Platinum, Hourglass Prism duo

Out of interest I swatched this next to Accessorize Platinum even though they are different just to see how the tones compare.


The blue side in Prism is a beautiful, soft gray blue that has a fine sheen-shimmer rather then frosty glitz. The black side is a well pigmented matt black shade with fine flecks of shimmer. This side is prone to a little fall-out so I usually apply my foundation after doing my eyes for this duo. The smooth texture on both sides allows the shadows to blend very well together.

The packaging is obviously gorgeous and unique with a fun rotating lid (that I don't really make much use of) that snaps shut in a satisfying way. The little brush provided inside is actually quite nice and soft so I have used it to apply the shadow.

Overall I am really loving this duo - the blue in particular is a shade that speaks to me (this is something I say a lot more with shoes!) and am going to experiment with more to see what colour combos look interesting.

*Purchased by me*

2010 Makeup Favourites

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.


It's been a great year for beauty (when is it not?) and I am excited for 2011. Yet another favourites post, but it's good to acknowledge the products that have served me well the past year. It was kind of hard to not list a quazillion products but here is a selection of the items I found myself loving over 2010 (I am sure that I will have missed some out):

Urban Decay Naked Palette

One of the best things Urban Decay has ever made. Enough said.

2010 was the year I put MAC on the backseat a bit and got much more into NARS. The Sheer Glow Foundation is great when I don't want to faff about too much as it gives good coverage, feels light and natural like I am almost not wearing foundation. I use the shade Barcelona and think it's pretty spot-on in colour. There have been some really good drugstore foundations (Revlon Photoready, Maxfactor Second Skin & Bourjois Healthy Mix deserve a mention), but the colour matching in NARS pips it for me.

NARS Douceur Blush - great go-to natural shade that adds a hint of colour that suits lots of looks.
NARS Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara - this is bordering on HG territory as it gives me lovely separated and defined lashes to help achieve an even 'fanned' look. Adds some volume too.

MUFE HD Powder

This really softens the look of pores which is something many primers fail to do while looking invisible on the skin. I really wish MUFE ups the availability of their products this year as I would love to check out more of the line.

2010 reignited my love of lipgloss and think I ended up adding a few more glosses rather then lipsticks to my collection. Rouge Bunny Rouge Gleaming Temptations Lipglosses, Hourglass Extreme Sheen Lipgloss in Ignite, and Becca Glossy Lip Tint in Amaretto were regular non-sticky favourites.

My love of MAC continues, but last year I was not tempted as much by new collections, however the Ripe Peach Blush, Accentuate/Sculpt Highlight/Contour Powder and the Penultimate liner were things I reached for often.

Korres Eyebrow Pencil

I need to look at Korres more as they have some absolute gems with this pencil being a staple product as it's a dark, ashy brown that blends well with my natural brows.

The ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer along with Bloom Eye Paint in Chocolate has been helping to keep my eyeshadows crease free and the Rouge Bunny Rouge Quartz Eyeliner in Anthracite Essence has helped me get perfectly lined eyes.

17 are rivalling some of the high-end mascaras with some excellent offerings. The Va Va Voom Volume (not pictured) is a better dupe of Diorshow and the Wild Curls Mascara is great for getting lift and definition. I don't need to curl my lashes with this and I can emphasise my outer lashes well to get a more elongated look.


There were a lot more exciting offerings from the drugstore and the Accessorize Illusion Eyeshadows and myface Blingtones were some of the standouts for me.

I cannot believe I didn't make my first Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadow Abyssinian Catbird, as the shade is so beautiful, definitely a must have shade from them.


Roll on 2011!