A little bit of luxury with Burberry lipsticks

Finally finally finally finally, they have arrived. They turned up at work this lunchtime so I have been champing at the bit to get these beauties home and give them a try.

Please note: I have yet to try them on my actual lips, so these are just my initial thoughts before giving them a more thorough and rigorous testing.

I really wasn't sure which ones to get - on the Burberry website they all look so goddamn gorgeous, it was hard to choose....... but I had to limit myself to a measly four - so I took the plunge with two Lip Velvets and two Lip Mists, to test the water.

The Lip Velvets are a relatively new addition to the Burberry lipstick collection, and are billed as being "velvety matte radiance, inspired by the most opulent of English fabrics". My initial impressions are one of amazement - Burberry seem to have genuinely got their description right, as the finish is a lovely satiny-matte finish which felt gorgeously soft to apply on my arm, but it also felt thick. This one could go one of two ways - my immensely dry lips tend to suffer with matte finish lipsticks, but this one feels like it could be the one my lips fall in love with, as it seems pretty non-drying (maybe not actively moisturising but then again what mattes are?).

The Lip Mists on the other hand are slippy, unctuous, balmy wonderment.  But don't be fooled - although the Burberry website describes them as having a "sheer illuminating finish with a subtle hint of colour", these bad boys still pack a punch when it comes to pigmentation. Again, I have yet to test them for wear, but I couldn't resist seeing how the darker shade (Blueberry) looked on my lips - I felt as though this would be a step outside of my comfort zone but I'm glad I went for it, it looks amazeballs.

Pics:

Lip Mist - 206 Blueberry

Lip Velvet - 310 Military Red

Lip Mist - 212 Nude Peach

Lip Velvet - 302 Peony Rose

L-R: Lip Velvets in Peony Rose, Military Red; Lip Mists in Nude Peach, Blueberry

Burberry cosmetics are available directly through their UK website at £22.50 each, or over the counter at Selfridges/Harvey Nichols, if you're lucky enough to have one near you.

Has anyone tried the Burberry cosmetics ranges? Anything you recommend that I try? I essentially just want you to validate my incessant need to spend money on shiny, pretty things.

Jen
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Missing in action

Don't worry - I haven't been abducted by aliens and been forced to involuntarily participate in biological experiments, conducted in order to try to learn more about the human race in order to better ANNIHILATE US FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH. 

In fact, it's worse than that - we're in the process of moving house. Thankfully, hubby has been dealing with most of the grottier legal stuff, but even so I am reduced to thinking that actually, given the choice, I would probably say "bring on the aliens". 

Anyway, nothing to report just yet, other than the new house is hopefully going to inspire me to buy, use, review, photograph, and experiment with more make-up than ever before. The lighting is fantastic, and there will be plenty of space to arrange my stash in a much more logical way so that everything gets used, rather than languishing in drawers until it goes off......!

More posts to come, I promise - including a recent mini-haul of Burberry Lip Mists and Lip Velvets (once they arrive, that is!), some No7 eyeshadow trios (which I lurrrrrrrve) and some additions to the Clinique Chubby Stick collection. 

Watch this space, gentle reader.

Jen
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Make-Up Academy haul - finally!

Well, it's been a while! Such is the hectic and giddy life of someone that teaches other people how to be accountants. Anyway, I have finally managed to have a little play with the Make-Up Academy haul that arrived a couple of weeks ago....... thank you MUA, for allowing me to haul so many shiny, pretty things while only requesting the paltry sum of £18 from my bank account.

Anyway, let's have a look at what we've got.....

Firstly, the Glamour Days eyeshadow palette. Had my eye on this one for a while - after having had a brilliant experience with the buttery, shimmery goodness that was the Heaven and Earth palette, I was looking forward to trying some slightly more "outre" shades but not so much that I was stepping too far out of my comfort zone.....! The pretty purples and blues in this palette seemed ideal, and to top it off there are a couple of nice neutrals in there too. A good one for travelling, methinks.

Top row

Bottom row - there is a sixth shade on there, I promise...... it's just coincidentally the same colour as my arm!

Amongst the haul I also got some liners, a mixture both for lips and eyes. Again, wasn't expecting much from these, but the Intense Colour liners were creamy, pigmented and quite a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, the Intense Glitter ones were a bit hit and miss, but for 75p each (as it worked out after the discount) one cannot really complain, can one? I also got a liquid liner, which so far seems easy to apply and has a fabulous thin brush, but the pigmentation just feels a bit lacking and can apply a little patchy unless you do a couple of coats. Workable though, definitely.

L-R: Intense Colour - Red Drama, Royal Blue; Intense Glitter - Gold Nugget, Silver Glitter, Pink Glitter

Liquid Liner - shade 5

In a slightly different order in this pic, not sure why!!! L-R: Red Drama, Royal Blue, Silver Glitter, Pink Glitter, Gold Nugget, Liquid Liner in Shade 5 (Black)

Next, some single eyeshadows. Unfortunately, buying sight-unseen has been a bit of a gamble in this case, but I seem to have ended up with some decent colours that will make for some fabulous smoke eye looks. The only one that seems to let them down slightly is the black one, as it is more matte than the others is has a slightly chalkier texture and a less potent finish than the others. It'll do nicely for setting the liquid liner, though!

L-R: Shades 3, 11, 12, 15, 30

Same order as above, this time!  :)

Lastly, a bit of a hodge-podge of other random bits and bobs that fell into the online basket - I have this fantastic ability to justify additional purchases if I know I will be getting a discount on the items; and in this case it really made little to no difference seeing as everything is so inexpensive anyway!!!

Top: Lovehearts lip tints; Bottom: Lipsticks in shades 5 and 6, blush in shade 4

L-R: Lipsticks - Shade 5, shade 6; Blush - Shade 4; Lip Tints - Great Lips, Sweet Kiss, Hot Lips

The surprise in this bunch was the blush. Shade 4 looked almost overwhelmingly dark in the pan (in fact, almost the same as Shade 3 which I have already dismissed as making me look too "David Dickinson"), however when swatched, as you can see, it is a lovely gentle shade of subtle coral. It reminds me enormously of NARS Gilda (if anything, the MUA shade lacks the orange intensity of the NARS which, for cack-hands such as myself, is a Very Good Thing), but for a fraction of the price.

I am ever more wowed with the MUA offerings. Although initially I may have been a bit dismissive of the whole "cheapo makeup" thing, thinking it would only appeal to (and benefit) the lowest common denominators of society (snob? Moi?), consider me suitably chastised - I am genuinely impressed with pretty much everything I have come across so far. For the prices, I don't think you can go far wrong and to be honest, even if you do, what's a pound between friends?

MUA is available in various Superdrug stores, and also on their wesbite.

Did anyone else avail themselves of the superb discount.....?

Jen
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Special offer - Make Up Academy

Just a quick whistle-stop post today - for those of you who don't follow MUA on Facebook or Twitter, I just thought I would let you know that they currently have a promotion on - as they have reached 25,000 likes on Facebook (yay!), they are offering 25% off all web orders, as well as free shipping!

Essentially, bargain makeup became that little bit more bargainous. Of course, yours truly could not resist the lure of the even cheaper goodies, and have stocked up on some single eyeshadows (which I have yet to try) as well as the Glamour Days palette that I've had my eye on for a while, a fistful of eyeliners both plain and glitter, a couple of additional lipsticks for the collection as well as some of their oh-so-sweet Loveheart Lipbalms!

Watch this space for more swatches/reviews as and when the parcel of fantabulousness arrives. 

You can take advantage of this brilliant offer by visiting their website, and using promo code MUA25 at checkout.

Time to get stocked up on loads of things - if you were ever tempted to try certain colours but have always held back for some reason, now's the time to try them and experiment! Eyeshadows and lipsticks for 75p? Don't mind if I do!

Jen

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No.7 Perfect Lips Liner

I am a huge Lisa Eldridge fan. Seriously, if you haven’t seen any of her “How To” videos, you are missing a treat. Make-up artist to the stars, she is also a very down-to-earth and honest lady who seems to be entirely humble about her amazing make-up skillz. I also love the fact that she looks like a normal human being without her face on - she has some blotches, spots, bags, dark circles (although she is still gorgeous despite that) - but then takes you through a tutorial which turns her into the epitome of natural (but glamourous) perfection.

As an avid reader of Lisa's blog (and having recreated a few of her “looks” for myself, to varying degrees of success), I do like to try out some of the products that she uses or recommends in her videos. My “want to buy” list currently averages about 100 items, and I would probably attribute at least a third of these to products that I have seen Lisa use to magnificent effect.

That brings me on nicely to my recent purchase – No.7 Perfect Lips lip-liner. Lisa uses the Nude shade frequently in her videos, but I have also recently seen her use Blush – seeing as Boots had a 3 for 2 offer on No. 7 products when I paid a visit, I thought this was the perfect time to try out both shades to no further financial detriment.

Shade 10 – Blush is a softened berry-pink shade. Lisa used it with a feather-light touch and managed to make it look like the most perfect “just-bitten” lip stain. This shade is particularly gorgeous under a light pink lip gloss such as NYX Sweetheart – the lip liner just gives it a bit of depth and oomph.

Shade 20 – Nude initially worried me – the arm swatch looked distinctly brown (which, as we know, suits me NEVER). However, undeterred and having faith in Lisa, I tried it on my lips and lo! Behold! My natural lip colour turns this into a fantastic neutral-toned base, which will literally go with every neutral lip shade I own.

L = 10 Blush, R = 20 Nude. The twist-up mechanical pencil design is one of the best I've found.

L = 10 Blush; R = 20 Nude

10 Blush - shoddy application (my bad)

20 Nude

 

Out of the two colours, Nude is the creamiest and the nicest to wear over longer periods. That’s not to say that Blush is terrible, but it does have a little more tug and pull when applying than Nude. Although I haven’t worn either of them for longer than four hours, I can envisage that I will need a decent dose of Lanolips when I remove the Blush shade, but Nude (although not actively moisturising) didn’t seem drying at all.

No.7 Perfect Lips liners are currently available from Boots for £7.50 each.

Jen

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Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm

Sometimes, I need to wear lipbalm to soothe my flaky, scabby lips. Those are usually the days when I have an urge to wear lipstick, and unfortunately the two are generally mutually exclusive requirements.

Enter: Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm.

The colour I own is shade 13 – Mighty Mimosa, which is one of the new shades recently added to the range. According to their website, it is “…….a lip treatment with sheer colour that relieves dry, cracked lips and provides immediate moisturisation. The unique pencil-style applicator provides easy to apply sheer soft lip colour and rolls up for ease of use”.

I have been using this fairly regularly for a good couple of months now, and I must say it is fabulous. Nice and moisturising, with a lovely sheer wash of colour to give the lips a more polished look than just using a plain balm. This shade was one I received as a present for my birthday, and to be honest was not a colour I perhaps would have chosen myself, but I’m glad I got the chance to try it. It is a soft, subtle baby pink with a lovely sheen, and translates to a healthy brightening effect on the lips.

I'll say this for Clinique - they do "classy yet modern" packaging very well

Left: bare lips for reference        Right: Chubby Stick in Mighty Mimosa

 

Clinique is a brand which I have neglected somewhat of late. I used to use their 3-step skincare religiously for a while, until I realised that it just wasn’t doing my skin any favours – and I adore their High Impact mascara. But lip products aren’t something I would ever immediately think to buy from Clinique.

These Chubby Sticks are a tad on the expensive side - £16 for what is essentially a tinted lip balm might seem a bit too rich for some people’s blood – but you get a fair amount of product for the money (3 grams, which is a little bit less than a “normal” twist-up lip balm, which are normally about 4g). A little of this goes a long way – and the colour can be built up into a pretty intense shade if you want, although that would kind of defeat the object.

I can see me getting a few more of these – there are some gorgeous shades available in the range (eight new ones have recently been added), and I currently have my eye on Chunky Cherry, which looks like a pretty, sassy, sheer red, and a great way to wear a little pop of colour without going too far outside my comfort zone. Bountiful Blush looks like it would be the perfect MLBB shade.

Chubby Sticks are available directly through the Clinique website (which currently has an offer on, whereby you buy two Chubby Sticks and get a free “chubby coloured pouch”, whatever that is!).

Have you tried these? What do you think?

Jen

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NARS sheer lipstick - Tzigane

I love all things NARS. I know, I know, I have expensive taste. I even love the products which perhaps aren’t worth the money……….. (Brightening Serum, I’m looking at you). But if there is one NARS product that is definitely worth a look, it’s their lipsticks.

There are four formulas available – satin, sheer, semi-matte and pure matte, and I love them all. Even the mattes (which I would normally back slowly away from without making eye contact, for fear of my lips flaking just by being in the same room as a matte lipstick).

This is one of my favourites – Tzigane.

One of the sheer formula lipsticks, Tzigane is one of the most moisturising lipsticks that I own, and despite it’s formula title is actually quite an opaque colour on my lips. Staying power is slightly above average for me – a couple of hours (which, considering I am such an inveterate tea drinker, is pretty damn good), but I can eke it out to three hours if I apply a lip-liner underneath (I like NYX Peekaboo Neutral with this one).

NARS describe the colour as a “pink brandy”, which is cute but not entirely correct. It’s a slightly rosy muted brown, leaning slightly warm as it has a hint of peachy undertone. If I recall correctly, this was originally part of the Spring 2011 collection.

The black, rubberised packaging picks up every single fingerprint and speck of dust. Robust, though.

 

Left: bare lips            Right: NARS Tzigane

 

It works fabulously with a simple neutral eye (I usually go for a wash of champagne shimmer on the lid and a mid-taupe blended crease, with lashings of black eyeliner), and the NARS Gilda blush as it suits the undertones of the lipstick perfectly.

My heart tells me I need to get a load more of these lippies, although at £17.50 a pop I may have to take out a third mortgage (I have already got a second mortgage on the go after having bought a couple of NARS blushers…..!).

Next on the list to try – Pago Pago, Dolce Vita, and Outsider.

NARS lipsticks can be purchased directly through their website, or at Space NK. 

Which NARS lipstick formula do you prefer? Or do you think they are overpriced nonsense….?

Jen

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MUA eyeshadow palette - Heaven and Earth

Is anyone superstitious out there?

In order to try to alleviate some of the Friday 13^th blues, I thought I would introduce you to my new favourite eyeshadow palette (for now, at least!).

I love neutral eyeshadows. They’re just so easy to wear – either just as a wash of colour over the lids for the daytime, or built up into a smoky eye for the evening.

This 12-shade palette has got a great mix of work-appropriate as well as more dramatic shades. I feel as though this leans slightly warmer than other palettes I’ve got, but cool-toned ladies will be able to work with this too (unlike the Naked palette…!). The finishes are all satin-shimmer, so if you’re after some matte shades this isn’t the one for you. However, none of them venture into disco-glitterball territory so ladies of all ages and dispositions can wear this with pride (although I personally don’t subscribe to the whole “older-ladies-can’t-wear-shimmer” mindset – who made that one up?!).

I have taken to wearing one of the lighter shades all over the lid during the daytime, as it takes about five seconds to apply (more time in bed!) but the subtle shimmer really gives your eyes a boost, and makes them look more awake and twinkly.

Some of the darker shades would benefit from being applied over a primer as they do crease a little, but to be honest I tend not to bother on a day-to-day basis.

There are loads of these in the MUA store. I’ve currently got my eye on the Undressed palette (‘cos a girl can never have too many neutrals, yano?). Apparently it’s a fabulous dupe for the Naked palette; although I already own Naked I would be interested to see what the differences are. I also quite like the look of the Glamour Days palette, it seems to have some interesting purply-colour shades I’d love to try. And for a mere £4.00 each, I think this is an addiction I can afford to fuel….!

Anyway, let’s have a look at Heaven and Earth:

Top row

Bottom row

Are there any others you think I should try?

Jen

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Make Up Academy - mini haul 2

Having got over the initial shock of the cheapness of the goodies I ordered last week, I thought it now time to have a more in-depth look at some of the items. Blushers first.

I tried to go for those which looked as though they might suit my skin tone….. but that’s the problem with buying online I suppose; it’s a bit “sight unseen”. Unfortunately it’s the only way I could get them – although MUA products are sold in my local Superdrug, whenever I have been in there it’s as though people are expecting some sort of Apocalypse and the shelves have been picked bare of anything useable, with only the odd forlorn lipstick left like a lone survivor amidst the chaos.

Aaaaaaanyway.

I still haven’t had chance to roadtest all of the lippies yet, so that will be a review to come in the next week or so. I have had chance to test out these fabulous blushers though – and yes, they are fabulous.

In the end, I went for three shades, which are numbered rather than named. I found all three of them to be relatively finely milled, and nice and “buttery” feeling.

Shade 1 is the lightest of the bunch and (in my opinion) the prettiest. This is a fantastic everyday shade, in a cool-toned light pink which suits my skintone perfectly. This one had the lowest pigmentation of the three, which is no bad thing – I get the feeling that this one will be my go-to daily shade (once my NARS Sex Appeal finally runs out). Application is easy peasy, and you can be as heavy handed as you like due to the low pigmentation.

Shade 2 is a warmer shade of pink, a tiny bit darker than Shade 1 and with rosier undertones. This one still suits my cool skin, weirdly – it is still quite sheer in terms of pigmentation so I suppose that helps. This is still day-time appropriate, too.

Shade 3 is the darkest of the bunch, and is definitely not one I would have bought had I seen it in the flesh – a much browner shade (almost mahogany) with distinctly warm undertones, this one is also the most pigmented so you have to have a light hand. This would probably better suit ladies with darker skin tones (I might like it a bit better if I had any sort of tan!).

For the princely sum of a pound each (yep, you read that correctly - £1), you can’t go far wrong with these. I see a few more on the horizon…….

Apologies for the big gouge mark on Shade 1 – I mistakenly dug my thumbnail into it as I was lining them up for their picture. 

L-R: Shade 1, 2 and 3

See any you fancy?

Jen

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Make Up Academy - mini haul

A very, very quick one -  I was very excited to place an order on Superdrug’s website last week for 13 items, and for it to cost me the princely sum of £17.

Yes, you read that correctly – seventeen pounds.

I think I am a bit late to join the Make Up Academy (MUA) bandwagon. Lots of other beauty bloggers have got there before me and probably evaluated them a lot more clearly, succinctly, humourously and sexily.

I couldn’t wait for this package to turn up – I was desperate to see how the £1 lipsticks could be anything more than coloured blobs of wax. As well as seven lippies, I invested (ha!) in a few blushers, a mascara, a nail polish and an eyeshadow palette (the highly acclaimed set of neutrals, “Heaven and Earth”).

So far I haven’t thoroughly road-tested anything, but was so excited by the whole prospect that I ripped the package open and swatched the first things I could get my hands on – the lippies.

Detailed reviews of everything, along with slightly better swatches, will be coming over the next couple of weeks – watch this space! In the meantime, cast your eyes over this pile of cheap and cheerful gorgeousness.

L-R: Shades 7, 8, 10, 11, 14 (Bare), 15 (Juicy), 16 (Nectar) - yes, some of them are just numbered but the newer shades have names, too

MUA cosmetics are available directly through their website, or some branches of Superdrug. I for one will probably buy one of everything – I’ve definitely got my eye on the new Undressed eyeshadow palette, which is hailed to be one of the better dupes for Urban Decay’s famous Naked.

Jen

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NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF30/PA+++ - Finland

Phew, bit of a mouthful.

I’ve been wanting to try this for ages – what with the summer potentially happening this year (although no sign of it yet, bah), but was initially a bit dubious. I’m so attached to my Estee Lauder Double Wear Light (reviewed here), I thought “Surely there’s no point even trying it? It’ll never be as good.” Well here it is in my possession, so my resistance is once again proven to be futile.

Before we hear what I think, let’s see what NARS say:

“Your skin – almost bare, but better. This advanced, oil-free formula provides a translucent veil of colour and sun protection while helping to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots in just four weeks. Infused with lush, naturally derived botanicals and ingredients to immediately help thirsty skin feel hydrated. Kopara from French Polynesia and mineral rich seawater revive and re-mineralize skin for a softer, smoother, and brighter natural glow. Skin is transported.

·       Advanced sun protection

·       Hydrates and helps reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots for a brighter natural glow

·       Oil-free. Dermatologist tested. Non-comedogenic. Synthetic fragrance free.”

I umm’ed and ahh’ed about which colour to get, but in my traditional foundation-buying fashion I just plumped for the lightest shade in the range – Finland. It’s usually a fairly safe strategy. In actual fact, when it arrived, I thought it might be slightly too light but it seems to blend in seamlessly with my skintone – I suppose with such sheer coverage the shades are a little more forgiving.

Finland is described on the NARS website as having “a neutral balance of pink and yellow”, and that’s fairly spot on. Although I thought the hand swatch looks a little on the yellow side, again it seems to blend in nicely on the face.

Coverage is fairly typical of a tinted moisturiser, i.e. there’s not very much of it. It feels divine though; soothing to my dry skin, and the moisturised feeling lasts all day. Despite its sheerness, I do feel as though it evens out my skin tone a little. With a touch of concealer on my under-eye bags (suitcases?) I feel as though I could leave the house without scaring small children.

A bit of powder over the top and it lasts around six or seven hours.

Just a quick review today – unfortunately exam marking waits for no man (or in this case, woman). So here are a few pics to whet your appetite.

Not great lighting, but a relatively real-life portrayal of the colour

Buy directly from the NARS website here for £27.00, or from Space NK.

Jen

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