A Perfect Day

I just thought I'd show you this little nude number from the most recent MAC collection, Naturally. 

 It's been a long time since I owned a really 'nude' nude lipstick, the kind which almost cancels your mouth out completely in order to play up a smoky eye.

I love the name of this lipstick... A Perfect Day.... so sweet. Somehow it kind of implies that it would be easy to wear, but you'd be mistaken.

On my naturally dark lips this lipstick has a dramatic effect, cancelling out all my natural colouring and leaving me with the blanked-out lips I thought I wanted. It's an amplified creme formula which means that it has a high pigment concentration, great for someone with very pigmented lips, like me, who likes to see the colour from the bullet directly on the mouth. 

This photo somehow captures the 'true' colour of the lipstick as a more pale, beige-peach

When I tried this on it took some convincing from the whole of the MAC Brussels sales' team that it suited me. At the time I had very little make-up on, and with these blanked out lips I looked a bit on the dead side.... to put it mildly. But then visualising it with dark, smoky, sultry eyes, I was won over. In fact, once I got home I quickly slapped on some more eyeliner and smudged it liberally around my eyes and the nude lips suddenly worked their magic. 

The photo below was taken on my iPod camera and here the colour comes out more of a peachy brown  but in reality it's a lot paler. I'm also wearing a bit of Boldly Bare lipliner with it which deepens the colour somewhat.

MAC - A Perfect Day

 All in all, it's not the easiest of colours to pull off as it requires the commitment of strong or dramatic eye make-up which I don't always feel like wearing, but I do love it when the whole look comes together. I had absolutely nothing like this so I'm very happy it's in my stash now.

How nude do you go on the lips?

Behold the prettiness...

...that is this gorgeous mineralize eyeshadow from MAC.

An early Christmas present from my darling friend Ms R, this little beauty has stolen my heart. In the pan it appears a silvery pinky-lilac shot through with gunmetal veining.

It reminds me of the marbling we used to do in art class at primary school... you know,  where you mix oil paints on top of water and then lay a sheet of paper on top.

 Perhaps controversially I also love the white casing, a change from the usual black pots. This is part of the limited edition Glitter and Ice collection and the colour itself is called Strike a Pose. I was kind of overwhelmed by the size of the MAC collections this winter so I never really took the time to browse them properly. Plus I was trying to stay away from the little MAC store in Place Stephanie so that I would not be led into temptation.

MAC Strike a Pose mineralize eyeshadow swatched (not very well, I hasten to add!)

On the eyes this is the perfect winter shimmer! Not too frosty, not too coloured, it's a cool toned wash of lilac-grey shimmer. It's incredibly flattering and eye-brightening, I'm astonished at how 'fresh' I look with this on. It's the type of shadow I've been searching for subconsciously over the past few months but have not been able to find. I can't think of an occasion when this wouldn't be appropriate. 

If you'd want high density pigment in this then you'd be disappointed, but to me pigment isn't everything and I really believe that shadows like this can be easier to negotiate on hurried days. A quick swipe, minimal blending and you're done. I can't think of a skin tone this wouldn't work on.

Love it! 

Angel Face

MAC MSF in Soft & Gentle, MAC Creamy Bisque and Boots No7 blush in Honey

 I like to call this my 'daily Angel' makeover. What it is essentially is a beautifully fresh 'nude' look which focuses on radiant skin and sparkling eyes (note, I say eyes and not eyeshadow.... ). This is not about colour or drama, it's about letting your natural ethereal quality shine through even when you're feeling less than heavenly :)

What you'll need for your Angel face!

The key to this look is fresh looking skin. I like to mix a little Armani Fluid Sheer No2 (a light highlighting liquid) into my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (review coming soon!) or use my Erborian BB cream with some Fluid Sheer applied on cheekbones. Don't pick anything too heavy on coverage or on shimmer. You want a light veil of cover just to even out the skintone. If you have a foundation which has a 'glowy' effect,  you may want to skip mixing in a liquid highlighter, adding only afterwards if needed.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and Armani Fluid Sheer No 2

Add your powder/liquid highlighter on cheekbones, browbone, down the centre of the nose, just above the cupid's bow, and a little on the forehead (skip this if you are oily skinned).

Add a neutral, pale terracotta blush. Something not too pink. I use Boots No7 powder blush in Honey. Build up gradually, you don't want much colour but just enough to give warmth.

No7 Blush (Honey)

 Conceal under the eyes and do the rest of your blemish concealing (if necessary).

For Angel eyes

For the eyes, apply your primer. I've been using Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin which is a champagne shimmer, but any primer will do. Then take a champagne/flesh-toned powder highlighter and sweep this over the eyelid. Add a pale cream/white shimmer eyeshadow (I'm using MAC Creamy Bisque) to the inner corners to brighten even more.
Add a bronze/gold brown shimmer pencil to the waterline (I use MAC Teddy but MAC Powersurge would be even better), top and bottom and very softly smudge a little into the bottom lashline.

Keep brows natural, brush them through or fill them in a little if want.

Curl lashes and apply a lengthening mascara for clean, long fluttery lashes. I've been using Hypnose Doll Eyes.

For the lips just massage in a little lip balm and then, using your finger again, massage in a little rose shimmer lip colour so that it becomes the most natural of angelic lip stains. A more nude colour also works beautifully, like Collection 2000 Cream Puff lip cream in Angel Delight (very appropriate). I've also been using Laura Mercier 'Courtesane'.

Courtesane (top) & Angel Delight swatches

 So, so easy. So, so pretty. So, so flattering and youthful. This will make your eyes sparkle and will knock years off.

As a bonus it looks great in the harsh autumn/winter daylight because there is no colour as such yet the eyes are defined enough for daytime.

My favourite 'je ne sais quoi' look for cold, gloomy days.

What's your favourite winter face?

Shadow Wardrobe - Nudes and Neutrals

Seasons come, seasons go, but some colours stay all year round. Like most people my go-to day looks are based on more neutral tones on the eyes, that is, on the days I wear shadow. Most days it's just liner and mascara. The thing is, daylight is harsh and unforgiving, even more so in autumn/winter, so I've been reaching for my old fail-safes more than I have been in the last few months.

My number one eye colour, Benefit Creaseless Cream shadow in Birthday Suit (a lovely pewter -champagne hybrid) has unfortunately gone missing otherwise it would be here and I would probably have hit the bottom of the pot by now. The fact that I mourn it's loss every time I need to swipe something quick and pretty on my lids is testament to its performance and versatility. Nothing has quite replaced it and I will be buying this again as soon as I can find it

From top, clockwise: Sleek Storm palette, Chanel Nymphea quad, Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe (Brown), MAC Creamy Bisque, Body Shop 09 (now discontinued)

Anyhow, here are my other neutral beauties which by some miracle I haven't managed to lose.... yet.

Sleek Storm Palette

This is my desert island palette. Every colour is uber pigmented, smooth and just beautiful. The quality far outshines it's modest price tag (I think these palettes are about £5.99 / €8.50) and every woman should have one. My most used shades are the matte browns (3rd top row, 5th bottom row) and the golds. The black is also matte and can be used as a liner too.
The dark blue (4th bottom row) has suffered as a result of me dropping this on the floor on numerous occasions. Oops.

Nymphea (love that name) is my first and only Chanel quad. It's probably pushing about 8 years old now and it's still going strong. The beige shade is almost at the pan. These are very easy to use as they are not that pigmented. Anyone, no matter how cackhanded can put a wash of these colours on the lid and look more than fine. These are very flattering shades and the green and peach just give the other colours a bit of 'lift', plus they are so sheer that they can be considered almost nude. Pigment isn't everything though, and I do believe there is a place for sheerer eyeshadows as not everyone can cope with pigment-rich products. These are the European baked version whilst the Chanel quads in the US are pressed shadows and I've heard these are smoother with more pigment. If I go to the US again then I'll pick up another quad there for comparison. Sacrifices, huh?

This unassuming little quad is Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe in Brown. It was sent to me when I was a tester for the Beauty Bible a few years ago and I fell in love with it. It would be the perfect bridal make-up palette. The colours are satin and matte and there is a unique 'dirty' gold shade which gives this palette a lovely twist on the usual brown-nude combo. These shadows can be a little dusty in texture, especially the white one, but as you can see that hasn't stopped me from using it. I've always had compliments when I wear this. I really like the colour combinations of the other quads so they are definitely worth checking out. Available at lookfantastic.com . £24

Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe in Brown

MAC Creamy Bisque

This was a recent purchase on a quick visit to MAC a few weeks back and it's my favourite MAC shadow so far. This is so versatile and can be used all over the lid or as an inner-corner highlight. It makes my eyes look so fresh. Just this and a slick of brown liner has been my most worn look this month and definitely Mr P's favourite. It's basically a warm, pale cream-beige with a touch of shimmer. During the day it brightens the eye, and at night the shimmer comes to life and sparkles very subtly. Beautiful....

Very old Body Shop shadow ( 09)

Not very exciting, I know. But this old dull looking shadow has garnered more compliments than any other shadow I have! Everyone asks me what I have on my eyes when I wear this. It's a warm taupe with a subtle duochrome effect which leans lilac. Wierd I know, and I should probably have swatched it for you, but my camera is being pants and just to photograph this lot took me 15 minutes and wrangled my nerves completely so just believe me when I says it's really, really purrrrty. :)

What are your favourite neutrals? Has anyone got the Storm palette and the Urban Decay Naked palette..... how do they compare?

Cream Blushers - My stash

From left to right: Armani Blushing Fabric in Scarlatto, ELF Pink Lemonade, Maybelline Dream touch 07, MAC CCB in Virgin Isle

Technically cream blushers are nothing new to me but they are rediscovered classics with some newbies thrown in. 

With my skin playing up recently my make-up has had to change a bit. The irony is that the more blemishes, lumps and bumps I have, the LESS make-up I have to use, save for concealer. It's wierd, I know. It defies logic, but if I use a heavier foundation, plus powder bronzer, powder blusher and concealer then for some reason all my blemishes seem more obvious, or rather, obviously disguised.

The other weird thing is that although I've been breaking out more, my skin has been drier than normal, so everything has been looking a bit flaky on me and ever so slightly ageing.

In comes cream blusher.

After applying the lightest layer of base (BB cream, tinted moisturiser, or my Armani foundation samples (I will seriously cry when these run out)), I've been adding a touch of cream blush with my Real Techniques Contour brush to the tops of my cheekbones, blending outwards and slightly down onto the cheek. This has been giving me the most natural of flushes and a gentle glow which has been enlivening my poor dull skin.

Cream blusher wardrobe: MAC, Armani, Benefit, Maybelline, ELF & Prescriptives

Real Techniques Contour Brush - my tool of choice for seamlessly blending cream blushers

So in the spirit of usefulness I thought I'd share my collection of cream treats and do mini-reviews on each.

MAC Cream Colour Base in Virgin Isle

Virgin Isle, swatched heavily

This is not sold as a blush but in MAC stores it's quite often with the blushers. This can be used pretty much anywhere on the face or body, but its vibrant bright coral lends itself particularly well to the cheeks and lips and I use it for both. It's very very pigmented and bright, so a little really does go a along way. It's not as smooth and easy to blend as some of my other blushers in my stash, but it's by no means a pain either. This is strictly a summery colour though and looks fabulicious with a tan. Extra marks for versatility as it makes a stunning coral lip colour. Virgin Isle is available in MAC pro stores only (I think!) though.  £13.50 / €19.00

Maybelline Dream Touch blush 07

Maybelline DTBlush 07 swatched

Now this is a discovery. I LOVE this stuff. I believe every girl should have one of these in her make-up bag. The texture is like butter, smooth and firm and it goes onto the skin beautifully. I like to use a brush (for preference Real Techniques contour brush) to apply this but fingers would work well too of course. The only thing is that finger application can often remove foundation and concealer and can be a bit uneven so I generally prefer using a brush. The colour is pigmented enough to make a difference but not so much that you end up looking like Aunt Sally if you whack on too much. There is some shimmer but not enough for it too look shiny or tacky. 07 is a deep woody rose colour with warm undertones. Perfect for my pale olive skin. £6.49 / €8.95

Prescriptives creamy cheekcolour in Nubile (02)

Prescriptives Creamy cheekcolour in Nubile, swatched

This is a good few years old and I've seriously hit pan on it. It was once a most beloved item in my make-up drawer and I"m trying to use it up again as part of Project Pan. I should have brought it out a few months back in the summer as the colour is a very warm, orange based bronze. Gorgeous with a slight tan. At the moment I'm in need of a bit of rosiness so it's been neglected again. Unfortunately I think Prescriptives is not available in Europe anymore so big cry for that. Such a shame as they had a really great product range and this blush is of such a lovely quality.

Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabric in Scarlatto (07)

Armani Blushing Fabric in 07, swatched heavily below, lightly above

The cream blusher to end all cream blushers. I think this is as good as it gets with a price tag to match. But hey, class like this don't come cheap. This is for that expensive looking flush that is undetectable. Are your cheeks really blushing or is Giorgio making you blush? There is no shimmer or shine. This is skin-like matte which melts into your face like velvet (probably why they call it 'fabric'). When you touch it it feels like it's about to disintegrate into nothingness but blends out into the most incredible natural colour you've ever seen. Giorgio, you've stolen my heart. Holy Grail blusher status achieved. £28 (sorry)/ €40 (even sorrier). 

Benefit Cheekies cream blush in Gotta Crush on You

Benefit Gotta Crush on You swatched

Another oldie, as you can see from the photo it's very battered and well-loved. I dug this out recently but like Virgin Isle it's very much a summery colour so will hibernate until then. Very creamy, perhaps the 'creamiest' of all the cream blushers I have, and very pigmented. Also very discontinued. Sorry. The photo doesn't really show the colour that clearly but it's a very bright pale tangerine coral. 

ELF All Over Colour stick in Pink Lemonade

ELF Pink Lemonade swatched

I've not really used this that much on account of the colour being a little too cool for me. It's a bluer toned pink shimmer that doesn't look as natural as the Maybelline for example. I also detest the smell, it's like it's gone off already and has a bitter, greasy stench of old stage make-up! So this might end up in the bin. I bought it in the US for $1 so no tragedy there really. It's not a bad product but it doesn't match up to the quality of the others by any means. The smell for me is the real killer though. Eugh! 

I'm sure I'll get back into powder blush again soon (not that I'm fickle or anything ;)) but at the moment the Maybelline and Armani are making me swoon every time I sweep them on so they're getting some serious love.

What are you all wearing on your cheeks this autumn?

Thinking outside of the box - The giant highlighter!

Or compact. Or tube. Or pot. Or whatever.

I've been getting creative trying to come up with ways to use products to their max, stretching them beyond their original job titles of eyeshadow, blusher, lipstick etc

I'm particularly obsessed with products which are generously sized or little used. Finding new uses for products gives me a little thrill akin to buying something new.

Except obviously it's not new and I'm obviously getting a bit desperate under the shadow of Project Pan.

But bear with me, because I'm actually quite chuffed with my 'new' discovery. I have a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish powder in the colour Soft and Gentle. A huge compact of champagne-beige shimmering powder, it was a gift from one of my brothers (Brother P the Elder) a couple of years ago. Still haven't figured out how on earth that happened.... how he ended up in MAC and how he ended up picking out a highlighter, lipgloss and eyeshadow..... it will probably remain one of life's great unsolved mysteries.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

Still, if you know the MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes you'll know how big they are. They are meant to be highlighters. Even if you use highlighter every single day, you only need a teensy amount each time. I don't think that I will ever get through this powder to be honest. There's just so much of it. I'll be 70 years old and I still won't have hit pan on this bugger.

100 years of highlighting!

It's pretty and I like the effect it has on cheekbones and browbones, especially after a few hours. It gives a subtle candlelit glow when applied sparingly. But it sits in my vanity case feeling useless most of the time because I only use highlighter when I can remember and sometimes in the evenings if I go out.

The other day I was in a hurry and I wanted  a neutral, shimmery eyeshadow to just whack on with a bit of liner and mascara. You think I'd be able to find something with all my stuff, no? NO. I saw the Mineralize powder poking out of the case and I just grabbed it along with a big fluffy eye brush and put it on my lids. And the rest as they say is history..... I've been wearing it as an eyeshadow ever since, all over my lids and underneath the bottom lashline. It's not obviously coloured, but it's just enough to provide a subtle shimmer to the eyes which looks oh-so pretty and very groomed. In the evening it's even better.

Swatched heavily, below, and blended out, above

The other place I've been dusting it is just above the upper lip. It gives a slight volumising effect to the lips by highlighting the cupid's bow.

I haven't used it on the body yet but now I'm 'thinking outside of the compact' I'll keep it to hand for the shins and collarbone. I'm pretty sure that's what it's meant for too, but I was so fixated on it being a 'face' product I just never considered this before.

Greeks bearing gifts!

In this case I had nothing to fear. My dear friend came to stay with me last week and decided not to bring a giant wooden horse (they've stopped selling them at Athens Airport duty free don't you know) but to bring me some beautiful make-up goodies instead. Swoon.....

From MAC she had bought me the new-ish mascara,  Haute and Naughty Lash,  which I was raving about when I saw how great it made her lashes look. It has two wands in one, if that makes sense. I couldn't photograph them together as each wand forms a part of the other and if you try and pull both out at once you end up in a mess with a wand in one hand and a bare stick in the other. So here are the too brushes photographed separately.

MAC Haute and Naughty Lash - lengthening wand

MAC Haute and Naughty Lash - volumising wand

I've used this a few times now and I like the double wand concept, it's fun and makes the mascara chore less boring. I wouldn't use it when I'm in a hurry as it doesn't really give me 'fast' volume and length, it takes some building up to do that. The lengthening wand gives pretty fluttering eyelashes which are perfect for a natural daytime look, but I like full-on thick, long lashes all the time so for me it's not quite enough. I tried using the volumising wand separately too, but this was unsatisfactory for me. Not enough length and separation. The lengthening wand is also supposed to be the lash separating one so I can see how they work well together. Overall the effect of both used together is quite good, but on me it's not as great as on my friend, proving that mascara suitability is totally a personal thing. You'd think that lashes are just, well, lashes and that what works for one will work for all, but this really isn't the case. I do like it though and will use it up happily. It doesn't flake or smudge which is a huge bonus. Score: 7/10

Also from MAC she bought me the Summer Stash crushed pigments from the Surf Baby collection. Now these I initially wasn't that interested in but OH MY GOD, they are just divine!  I'll let the swatches speak for themselves.

MAC Summer Stash

All four shades of Summer Stash swatched

Close-up of the violet-plum and golden-champagne shades

Close-up of the bronze-brown and palest pink-champagne shades

The colours don't seem to have names which is such a shame as you'll have to make do with my naff 1980's paint-chart colour descriptions. (Misty buff, anyone?)
We had a great deal of fun using the pigments to create the most stunningly elegant and expensive looking smokey eye. I can finally see why people use loose pigments, the effect on the skin is just something else, another level of quality. The texture of these ones is different to the regular MAC pigment powders. As you can see from the photo above, they are like little pots of dust and rubble. I won't lie, they are difficult to apply without making a complete mess. I actually think that using them wet will minimise the fall-out and stop you looking like a human disco ball. I also think that applying them with fingers may also work, at least just to lay down the colour. I used a combination of blending brushes and flat eyeshadow brushes and although they blend like a dream I just could not minimise the amount of fall-out. So absolutely, definitely use them BEFORE you put on your foundation as you're going to have to clean your face of glitter once you've finished your eyes. This is not for when you're in a hurry. The colours are so versatile and work equally well applied on their own or blended together. It is worth checking them out next time you go to MAC. I'm in love with them and hope to be putting them to good use this summer. Score 9/10

Last but not least came the new Diorskin Nude Glow Healthy Glow Summer Powder in Aurora (phew.... ). I blogged about seeing this about two weeks ago and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I told my friend and the sweetheart bought it for me.

Dior Healthy Glow Summer Powder in Aurora

One of the prettiest compacts this summer, n'est-ce pas?

 

 

 This will probably be my most used product this summer. I'm not a fan of full-on bronzers but this is pale enough to be applied liberally and haphazardly to provide that gorgeous summer glow without looking like an extra from The Only Way is Essex. It is slightly shimmery, but it needs that touch of shimmer to give that 'glow'. I normally prefer bronzing powders to be matte, but this is somehow a hybrid between bronze, blush and radiance powder so it gets away with it. It is beautiful to look it, beautiful to hold, and luxurious to use. The brush it comes with is beautifully soft and a welcome change to the scratchy cheap brushes that usually come with compacts. It's a bit small to sweep all over the face, but for cheek top-ups on the go it's perfect. I've been sweeping it all over my face over my BB cream with my Ecotools blusher brush, concentrating it on my cheeks. The colour on me is a peachy pale bronze and I can skip blusher if I want to go for an au-naturel California beach babe type look. Very apt as I'll be in California in three weeks and this baby is definitely coming with me. Score 10/10

Thank you, my dearest darling friend for these wonderful presents! A gift of beauty is a joy forever :)