REVIEW - Nars multiple bronzer ('Malaysia')

Chic black packaging

Shade for medium skin with yellow undertones

Roll-up stick (like foundation stick)

This is a very versatile cream product. 

Like the other Nars multiples it can be swiped on the face and blended with great ease. 

- wonderful for contouring (making the face slimmer) - dabbed under the cheekbones, down the sides of the nose and on the temples. 

- creamy texture along with the fact it is matte

(no shimmer) - so it looks extremely natural.  

- 4 shades so can be matched according to

skin colour and tone

-can be applied with fingers or a dense cheek brush.

I like to apply it by dabbing it straight from the tube under my cheekbones and then blending it into my skin with the Mac 109 brush. 

For me, it is a staple - natural, bronzey, perfectly sculpted face.

- x -

STUNNING EDITORIAL LOOK

absolutely stunning - ethereal skin, strong bronzed cheekbone, metallic eye, muted lip





Thank you to my lovely friend/amazing model of this look

- x - 

Classic Look - Twiggy meets Bardot



With her big blue eyes and her glowy fair complexion -

 I wanted to draw inspiration from stars from the past. 

Brigit Bardot - with her warm dusky, nude lip, warm blond hair  

Twiggy - with those famous wide blue eyes and milky honey complexion. 

Combined they make the perfect classic blonde look -

good for both day and night.

- x -



EMMA WATSON inspired makeup

She started off as Hermione in Harry Potter -

now, a very pretty English actress, a Chanel girl and

the Burberry ad girl. 

Emma Watson's day to day look is very fresh English rose -

- fresh, rosy skin, groomed natural brows, subtle black flick and english-rose lips



Emma Watson (before hair-cut)




My take on the look - on my lovely and long-suffering sister x

With hair down x



 - x -





REVIEW : By Terry Baume de Rose

This stuff is a bit like pure lip balm gold. 

Very expensive though, is it worth the price?

Very luxe packaging



Product photo



Size - 10g, quite a lot of products (deep pot)

Price - £32

Packaging - Luxurious glass pot with silver lid

Scent - Soft roses, sweet (but not sickly)

Texture - A true balm, creamy and moisturising

PROS

Makes matte lipsticks look fresh not dry

Moisturises lips wonderfully (lips look so moisturised after)

Plumps lips too (due to moisturise, not pain!)

Can be used over lip colour for soft sheen

Feels expensive (so it lives up to the price!)

Gorgeous packaging

Soft scent

CONS

The price!! it makes it feel like you can't take it out in case you lose it...

Why buy it - compared to drugstore/cheaper lipbalms?

Cheap lipbalms can be nice but they rarely truly give you that fully moisturised feeling for long,

the product/container also don't usually last as long either. 

Baume de Rose is the queen of lipbalms and makes you feel like you have the queen of lips.

This is a luxury brand and therefore the price is high, it is however worth it (perhaps as a birthday present)

It is beautiful and lives up to all its claims

(disclaimer - I was not sent this product to endorse, these are my honest opinions)

- x -



LA / THE HILLS inspired look



Lauren Conrad - The Hills



The LA/The Hills look is always golden, glowy and polished (but not overworked!)

FACE product of the look - Chanel Bronze Universal

EYE product of the look - Mac fluidline 'blacktrack' (Lauren Conrad classic flick)

LIP product of the look - Nars lip laquer 'chelsea girls'



THE HILLS inspired makeup









MEGAN FOX inspired

MEGAN FOX

Obviously my friend does not have raven black hair (and has not been rumoured to have had a nose job)

but the makeup was inspired by Megan Fox's alluring smokey cat eye.

Hope you liked

- x -



my friend/model wearing the stunning Megan Fox inspired look



COMPARISON OF creme highlights

Mac creme color base ' pearl', No7 illuminator 'peach' (depotted), Mac lustre drops 'sun rush'

l-r Mac 'pearl' (very faint/subtle) No7 illuminator, Mac 'sun rush'

DESCRIPTIONS

M.A.C creme color base ' pearl '

CONSISTENCY- Comes in a pan (like a creme blush) cream - definately not liquid at all

COLOUR - pearly cream (more on the cool side rather than golden)

APPLICATION - patted on highlight areas with fingers or small dense brush

EFFECT- subtle sheen on top of cheekbone, browbone base, highlighting centre of lips (make look bigger)

No7 illuminator 'peach'

CONSISTENCY - thick creamy liquid (originally in squeezable tube)

COLOUR - light golden cream

APPLICATION - mixed with foundation for subtle glow, patted on cheeks and down nose for highlight

EFFECT - very glowy, ethereal golden look

M.A.C lustre drops 'sun rush'

(unfortunately limited edition but may re-promote)

CONSISTENCY - Comes in a mini squeeze circular bottle (like a small n/v size) quite liquidy, don't need much

COLOUR - golden-bronze

APPLICATION - best applied with dense cheek brush and buffed into cheeks for glowy golden cheek

EFFECT - golden, gilded

All of these are beautiful products but need to be worked into the skin well to make them perform to their best effect.

- x -

OLD HOLLYWOOD



Smoldering screen icon look - the infamous red lip



This look was inspired by the 40s/50s classic hollywood look

- the glowy porcelain skin, black liner flick and the curved red pout. 

 It looks wonderful on my model for this look with her curled golden, strong brows,  piercing eyes and of course, those cupid red lips. 

I added a bright white shimmer highlight to the tearduct and brow bone, black liquid liner across the top lashline, fake lashes and a pop of gold under the eye for the stand-out look.

The face was kept glowy and fair with slight contouring in a neutral shade to define the angles of the face.

The lips were filled in precisely with a sharp red lipliner (accentuating the top of the cupids bow) with a blue toned-red lipstick applied over the top.

- x -

CHANEL Bronze Universal

the photos - the gorgeously chic product x

FULL PRODUCT NAME

Soleil tan de Chanel



WHAT IS IT?

A massive cream bronzer, in a smooth chic Chanel container.

THEY SAY..

'The velvety finish of this light cream-gel bronzer leaves your skin with a beautiful sun-bathed look. Wear it on its own, or for a hint of outdoors radiance.'

SIZE

30g

(a bit smaller than a disc)

PRICE

£28

SCENT

Faint apricot - light and pleasant

USE

Can be used all over face as bronzing base, can be used as a bronzer on cheeks, used to contour, add warmth to face...

Best used with dense cheek brush (eg Bare Mineral Handybuki)

Apply after or before your creme/liquid foundation or concealer (but before powder)

GENERAL FINISH

Leaves a glowy bronzey finish and as you can probably tell I use it many times in my looks - suits most skin tones.

Does not look orange, muddy or powdery.
Lasts for ages - I used my first one everyday for 2 years!

It's just magnificent x

(disclaimer - i was not sent this product to endorse, i bought it with my own money)
 to give an honest review

JUST SOME MORE GOLDEN LOOKS

my luvly sister - working the golden glow
LOOK BASED ON PEARLS/BRONZE/ETHEREAL GLOW

LIP SWATCHES

Are you always looking for that perfect nude lipstick?

I have trouble with knowing what lipsticks will look like
even if you try them in store they can often look different when you get them home.

Anyway, I have done lip swatches of my nude lipsticks so hopefully this can help you.

My lips are medium pink and quite pigmented so nude lipsticks can sometimes be quite hard to find!

(Try dabbing 1 shade darker than your skintone concealer over lipbalm to blot out strong lipcolor)

Mac shy girl, Creme d'nude, Freckletone, Peachstock, ELF natural nymph, runway pink



MAC CREME D'NUDE





MAC FRECKLETONE

MAC PEACHSTOCK



ELF NATURAL NYMPH



ELF RUNWAY PINK

MAC SHY GIRL

 

DESCRIPTIONS

Mac Shy girl - Coral peach, slight texture to it, good with a golden makeup look, more peach than true nude but subtle enough

Mac Creme d'nude - definately better for fairer skinned pink toned people, true nude if it suits you, very creamy

(pale pink beige)

Mac Freckletone - brown-based peach, darker nude, better for olive/darker skins, good nude

(not pale though)

Mac Peachstock - my favourite! Opaque true pale peach (shame its limited edition) Best for medium skintones.

ELF natural nymph - surprisingly good for a £3 lipstick, really smooth, blanks out lip colour nicely,

like creme d'nude but more satin/matte (less creamy)

ELF runway pink - perfect pale pink, not too strong, good for most skintones

- x -











Celebrity inspired look - Cheryl Cole

You either love her or hate her (like marmite)

there is no denying she is stunning and always has flawless makeup.

Her look is usually a smokey plum-chocolate eye, glowy bronze cheek and a berry lip.

My friend/model - who has wonderfully proportioned dainty features - like Miss.Cole herself

kindly let me apply this Cheryl inspired makeup look on her. 



the after shot - beautiful brown eyes and a glossy berry pout x





For the eyes - 

plums and chocolates smudged out the outer eye,

bronze/hot orange in the crease,

 cream shimmer on the inner eye and browbone

and a black gel liner acress the top lashline and waterline -

topped off with multiple coats of mascara.

For the lips -

 a softening lipbalm

 rose lipliner (filling in whole lip)

 berry lipgloss to finish.

Hope you liked

- x -

COMPARISON OF PEACH BLUSH

As I have mentioned before I love peach -

 particurlarly cheek products

(adding a bright pop to the face)



Collection 2000 blush, Illamasqua Lover,
Mac Nuance, Mac Gingerly



Swatched l-r : Collection 2000 shade 4, Mac Gingerly, Mac Nuance,Illamasqua Lover

                                                                       DESCRIPTIONS

Collection 2000 blush - quite shimmery (gold shimmer) peachy pink, lovely for adding bright glow

Price - £3.99

Mac Gingerly - looks like a nude in the pan but adds soft warmth to face, its a sheertone so it is buildable.

(it is also Kim Kardashians fave mac blush)

Price - £16.50

Mac Nuance - mac mineralized blush meaning it is quite shimmery, peach bronze with slight hint of pink

Price - was £17 (LE)

Illamasqua powder blush 'Lover' - matt stark pastel peach, highly pigmented, quite bright, but if dusted lightly can add such brightness to face

(works beautifully with a bronze eye)

Price - £16

Overall, my personal favourite is Mac Gingerly as I like a more subtle cheek, but the others are also pretty of I want a brighter, more springtime look.



PEACHY NATURAL LOOK

I LOVE peach - it is brightening, flattering and youthful. 

I based this look on as few products as possible - a simple bronze peach look

(on my lovely friend who kindly volunteered her face).

It looks especially stunning with her green eyes and chocolate-auburn hair.

my lovely friend after - simply glowing!



Products used -

Vichy corrective foundation (mixed with moisturiser)

Chanel Bronze Universal

Mac lustre drops - sun rush (for soft gold glow)

Clear brow gel

Creme silver e/s - lid

Creme bronze copper - crease and under eye (make green eyes pop)

Bronzed brown e/l  - around eyeline

Benefit eyebright - browbone, tearduct

Rimmel volume flash

Mac peachstock

Shimmery peach blush - centre of lips

- x -

INSPIRATION for makeup artistry

(disclaimer - these pictures are not my own)



NATURE
sometimes the most precious things just happen - like the pearly morning dew

CITYS
The style, the essence, the people



ICONS
charm, charisma, pose



STARS/AWARDS CEREMOMY MAKEUP
hollywood glow, dazzling dresses, sheer elegance





FASHION/RUNWAY
always feel the season
2010 - soft molten colours, smudge not harsh, taupes/autumnal freshness



 I will do looks based on each of my inspiriations and post them in future blog posts.

These are my true inspirations as well as

beautiful small things I spot everyday -

a rose creeper up an urban fence, or the heavy cloud against the bright light in the distance, as well as unique people bringing their own style to the world. 

- x -

MSF - MAC MINERALIZED SKINFINISH POWDERS

FROM TOP - Nuance, Refined, Shimpagne, So Ceylon, Medium

l-r : Nuance, Refined - both colours, peach tone and gold tone, Shimpagne, So Ceylon

They say

'A luxurious velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish. Smoothes on: adds buffed-up highlights to cheeks, brows, anywhere on the body: provides an ultra-deluxe polish to the skin.'

It is basically like a baked cheek powder - some are more bronzey, others more like a highlight/glow, some even have enough colour in to be used as a blush.

Some have veined shimmer running through - which is what makes them so beautiful.

Others are more textured with a slight swirl pattern. 

Many are limited edition, but there are a few permanant ones - soft and gentle, gold deposit

The rest come out with different collections.

They are collectors items (this is why they are very expensive on ebay - especially rare limited editions).

There have been so many, it is hard to say how many msfs there have been.

Some collections are full of msfs, others don't have any.

 (try looking at a local cosmetics company outlet for past collection ones)

THE FACTS

10 g / 0.35 US oz

£19.50

 

Circular black, chic compact

(like other mac blush packaging)

 

PROS -

Compact is very neat and looks professional.

Leaves a glowy finish to face, beautiful sheen and very easy to lightly dust over cheeks to complete a look.

Can be used as a highlight under the browbone, down nose and on lips.

Bronze toned ones can be used to warm up the cheeks and even brushed down limbs for a beach-bronze body.

More recent msfs have been less glittery

CONS -

Shouldn't be applied too heavily (particurlarly not all over the face, otherwise can look a bit shimmery/glittery)

Many are limited edition :( (and they sell out really fast when collections are released)

Cannot be put in palette (de-potted)
Can break/shatter if dropped.

OVERALL VIEW -

They are a beautiful looking product to have but they are not necassery all the time

there are many other products that function just as well.  But if you like ever-so-pretty looking products which you know you'll collect then these will become your love.

VICTORIA SECRET INSPIRED LOOK

For this look, I was inspired by the beautiful

Victoria Secret Models

- like Heidi Klum, Alessandra Ambrosio, Miranda Kerr, Marissa Miller etc

The VS look is usually

a soft, smoky bronze/brown eye, with glowy peach-pink cheeks and a soft pink glossy lip.

(like a smoldering angel)

I re-created my own version of this look on my ever so beautiful sister

(she doesn't always look like this btw but she is very naturally pretty)

I used

on the face a light foundation, creme bronzer, mac mineralized skinfinish powders,

mac cream colour base -pearl

(browbone, cheekbones, cupids bow, centre of lips)

The eyes were gold, bronze, chocolate and pinked chocolate tones, with champagne highlight.

I kept the brows very thick and natural

(you don't see over-plucked brows on the VS runway)

combed through with clear brow gel to shape.

On the lips I used a pale pink lipstick and an iridescent champagne lipgloss.

 

face products I LOVE to work with

Illamasqua primer, Vichy corrective foundation, Benefit boi-ing, Nars multiple, Chanel Bronze Universal,

Mac cream color base 'pearl', Max factor miracle blush, Benefit bluff dust, Mac MSF, Mac blush, Illamasqua blush

(disclaimer - all reviews are entirely my own thoughts, i was not sent any of these products for free or promoted by the company)

WHY?

ILLAMASQUA PRIMER (matt/satin) -

PRICE - £19 uk rp

SIZE - 30ml

PACKAGING - Chic black and white

WHAT IT SAYS  - 'helps create a flawless base.  For use under foundation or on its own, this professional cream formula offers spf 20 protection.'

WHY I LIKE - It dries transparent, easy to blend, not slippery (like a lot of primers), spf to protect your face, no scent, nice packaging, creates a nice surface for foundation.

DOWNSIDE - slightly pricey, spf can cause white face in photographs, doesn't stay solidly matt or glowy all day (but then what primer does).

(note - its really hard to find a good primer)

OVERALL 3.8/5

VICHY CORRECTIVE FOUNDATION -

PRICE - £14 uk rp

SIZE - 30 ml

WHAT IT SAYS - 'VICHY DERMABLEND Corrective Foundation with it's malleable coverage texture and no mask like effect gives 12 hours of coverage of uneven skin texture, dark circles and diffused redness.'

WHY I LIKE - amazinggg coverage, tiny spot does all the face, cover rosacea, blends like a little dream, lasts all day... the list is endless

DOWNSIDE - could be too much coverage for people with really good skin, if they discontinue it

my heart will be broken

OVERALL - 5/5

BENEFIT BOI-ING -

PRICE - £16.50 uk rp

SIZE - 3g

WHAT IT SAYS -'say good-bye to circles and shadows around your eyes with boi-ing. Our industrial-strength concealer camouflages those pesky "problems" without creasing, smudging, or wearing off.'

WHY I LIKE - creamy, good coverage, peach-pink tone covers dark circles and brighten undereyes, stays for along time, doesn't crease badly, pot lasts a long time.

DOWNSIDE - could be too pink-toned for yellow toned people to use on rest of face (rather than undereyes) quite expensive

OVERALL 4.5/5

NARS MULTIPLE -

PRICE - £27 UK RP

SIZE - 14g

WHAT IT SAYS - 'The original multi-purpose stick for eyes, cheeks, lips and body. Its unique, creamy formula blends effortlessly to provide sheer color for creating shimmering accents, contours or dynamic highlights on all skin tones'

WHY I LIKE - there a 3 types of nars multiple - original, bronzing, sheer tint.

Original - leaves sheen on skin, easy to apply, chic packaging, very handy

Bronzing - really luvly for contouring and shading face, very blendable and natural, matte

Sheer tint - bright pop of sheer colour of cheeks, glowy, stays longs, good under powder blush

DOWNSIDE - Original - quite shimmery, don't like to have any glitter on face, needs blending to prevent stripes occuring, quite expensive

Bronzing - some people like more of a glow?

Sheer tint - quite bright, could look to strong if over applied

OVERALL - these last forever, they are an investment though.

OVERALL 3/5

CHANEL BRONZE UNIVERSAL -

PRICE - £28 uk rp

SIZE - 30g (ie massive! size of open hand)

WHY I LIKE - it is the most gorgeous creamy bronzer, looks good on most skintones, leaves a natural blended glow like the sun, no harshness or powder lines, gorgeous peachy scent, insanely chic Chanel packaging...

DOWNSIDE - price, but not really it will last you ages..some brushes can shed in it

(recommend bare minerals handybuki)

OVERALL 5/5

MAC CREAM COLOR BASE -

PRICE - £13

SIZE - 3.2g

WHAT IT SAYS - 'Versatile and multi-purpose, Cream Colour Base can be applied directly to bare skin, or layered over foundation, moisturiser, or powder.

WHY I LIKE - adds a lovely glow/subtle sheen without any shimmer, can be used to highlight browbone, inner eye, cheekbone, cupids bow or under blush or eyeshadow, so creamy

DOWNSIDE - could look oily if applied incorrectly, doesn't last all day (unless under blush)

OVERALL 4/5

MAX FACTOR MIRACLE TOUCH BLUSH -

PRICE - £7.99 uk rp

SIZE - ? quite teeny (about the size of a giant choc button)

WHAT IT SAYS - 'Max Factor Creamy Blush is the secret weapon to a healthy glow.'

WHY I LIKE - only need a tiny bit for dab of colour on cheeks, natural flush of glowing colour, adds brightness to face, lasts ages (even though small, because it is pigmented)

DOWNSIDE - container is a bit tacky (plastic) quite small could get lost

OVERALL 4.5/5

BENEFIT BLUFF DUST -

PRICE - £17.50 uk rp

SIZE - 14g

WHAT IT SAYS - 'benefit bluff dust is a silky, loose, yellow dusting powder that neutralises unwanted signs of pink or redness & warms the complexion.'

WHY I LIKE - some powders can bring redness back out, this one diffuses redness (not covers though) light powder, non cakey, good size, mattifies well

(I use with fan brush)

DOWNSIDE - loose powder container - hard to carry round everywhere, may not work for all skintones

OVERALL 4/5

MAC MSF (seperate review to come)

MAC BLUSH -

PRICE - £16.50 uk rp

SIZE - 6g

WHAT IT SAYS - 'Colour for the cheeks and face. Various formulas. Different looks.'

WHY I LIKE - many different finishes and colours, good size, lasts long times because of pigmentation, chic compact - can be depotted into palette

DOWNSIDE - sometimes needs blending well, you might get addicted to collecting different shades!

OVERALL 4/5

ILLAMASQUA BLUSH -

PRICE - £16

SIZE - 4.5g

WHAT IT SAYS - 'Illuminate, radiate, make your face come alive with the colour and drama of Illamasqua Powder Blusher. Colour-intense and highly pigmented, use it to shade, brighten, enhance and define the shape of your face.'

WHY I LIKE - gorgeous chic distinctive packaging, smells like sweets, amazing pigmentation, lights up face, lasts long time

DOWNSIDE - could be too strong if heavy handed with blush brush, not available world wide, don't know whether it could be de-potted into a palette because of square shape of pan.

OVERALL 4.3/5