NOTD - Maybelline Red Seduction

It's been a long time since I painted my nails red but for some reason I haven't felt in the mood for a while. I was about to paint my nails in Mushroom (Barry M) when this old red Maybelline bottle caught my eye and without a second thought I used that instead.

Maybelline Express Finish - Red Seduction

Sometimes its about more than colour, and this bottle I've had since early 2007. I remember when I bought it, in Superdrug in Greenwich, and on the same day I bought some fishnet tights and a gorgeous grey tweed pencil skirt which hugged in all the right places. That night I painted my nails with the deep red polish and the next day I strutted my stuff in the fishnets and the pencil skirt, decked out like a 40's bombshell.

I remember so vividly how wonderful it felt to embrace such glamour and the red nails were the icing on the cake. Aptly named Red Seduction, it proved to deliver it's promise....

 This old bottle is probably my most used polish, although the last time I picked it up was about 4 years ago. It's thickened somewhat but is still usable. The formula was one of those quick-dry ones and it never failed me when I was in a hurry.

Seeing this on my nails again reminds me exactly why I always loved it, but more importantly, it takes me back to the time when I felt at my most glamourous and makes me want to reinstate that feeling once more.

Somehow my blue cupboard seems to show off my manicure better than a standard white background!

Maybelline Express Finish in Red Seduction is still available online at prices ranging from £1.49. I'm not entirely certain if it's been discontinued in the UK but I'm assuming that it has been, hence the number of discount cosmetics websites selling it off cheaply. However Red Seduction is still available here in Belgium, I saw it in Di the other day :)

Springtime Spree (including L'Oreal Rouge Caresse)

I didn't mean to, honestly, but the colours were so purrrrrrrrty......

I was lured into temptation by the new L'Oreal window display in Di and I ventured inside to have a nosey about. Now, I'm sure I've said this before, but I really don't like L'Oreal that much. The adverts annoy me, and I find the products expensive for what they are and somehow a bit cheap looking. There are one or two goodies, that's for sure, but in general the brand is so EVERYWHERE that it has no lustre for me whatsoever.

L'Oreal Color Riche nail polishes in 208 So Chic Pink and 601 French Riviera

But it looks like they've given some of their products a mini make-over and I like it! The nail polishes are particularly dinky, housed in 5ml bottles and every single colour cried out to me like a lamb bleating for it's mother...

I picked up a coral (surprise surprise) and a baby blue with a touch of shimmer. I haven't swatched them yet, but I tried the blue on my pinky nail and the first thing that struck me was the unusual brush. It's fan-shaped, wide and flat. I would say I have medium sized nail beds and one stroke with this brush would definitely cover my whole nail. If you have tiny nails this might not be the best brush for you.

Color Riche polish brush

(Incidently when I got home I compared my new coral to all my other corals only to find that I'd bought yet another identical coral.....  What is wrong with me????)


 I also saw the brand new Rouge Caresse lipsticks, which I'm pretty sure are L'Oreal's answer to Revlon's mega popular lip butters, as yet unavailable in Europe. They are basically a hybrid between a lip balm and a lipstick, giving a sheer wash of colour and a shiny finish.

All the colours looked gorgeous, I mean, really really gorgeous. I plumped for 06 Aphrodite Scarlet (amazing name!) which incidently is what the model is wearing in the Rouge Caresse campaign:

Rouge Caresse - Aphrodite Scarlet (L'Oreal advert)

Here is Aphrodite Scarlet on me.

Bare Lips

With Aphrodite Scarlet

It pulls more cherry-red on my very pigmented red, but I like that. It also feels very light and comfortable on the lips and has a good 'slip'. I had a sniff in the shop and I thought that these were mildly fruit scented, but my one at least doesn't have a scent. I kind of wish it was lightly fragranced with a touch of grapefruit or something, because all I can sense is a slightly waxy taste. This won't stop me from using it though as the colour is really gorgeous and it really gives me a 'lift'.

Rouge Caresse Aphrodite Scarlet, swatch

On my way out I also grabbed a Bourjois shadow I've been hankering after for a whole year but which is always sold out. It's so pretty, and I LOVE it. A matt peach pink with silver glitter particles. I'm wearing it today and I feel like a ballerina (or as Mr P would say, a hippo in a tutu a la Fantasia....).

I'm so annoyed at how the lovely packaging is ruined already! They have this stupid practice of wrapping cheap sellotape around the whole product to prevent skanks from swatching the non-testers and it's almost impossible to remove it without wrecking your nails and the packaging. I can't seem to remove the tape residue so it's all manky now :(

Bourjois Intense eyeshadow in 03

There also appears to be a new Maybelline range which I haven't seen in the UK but which has been in Brussels for a few weeks now. It's called Fit Me and it encompasses a range of new foundations, concealers and powders. I tried the Fit Me concealer and liked the smooth, light texture, so I thought I'd give that a go seeing as my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection is running low.
 

Swatch of Maybelline Fit Me concealer, shade 25, thick (L), blended out slightly (R)

This info will only be of interest to those residing in Belgium, but Di is also running a few offers at the moment, 25% off L'Oreal, Bourjois & Rimmel, plus there is the opportunity to claim your money back on a L'Oreal product, make sure you take a form before you leave the store.


Have you seen this stuff in drugstores where you live?

Nudes & Neutrals Nail Wheel - Picture Heavy :)

They're easy to wear, effortlessly chic and forgive even a shaky hand, don't we all love a good nude nail polish?

Once upon a time 'natural' coloured nails were all about the French manicure and those sheer baby pinks which contrasted strongly against those vixen, wantonly reds and their even brasher, brightly coloured sisters.

Nowadays, nudes come in all different tones and there is definitely more than one way to go naked on the nails. Baby pink doesn't even get a look in....

I invested (well... all of £1.50 or something like that) in some nail wheels from ebay just before Christmas and I've been organising them into colour families, both for fun and also for my own reference. My collection has quadrupled since last year and sometimes I look into my nail boxes and just can't choose. These nail wheels will definitely help the painstaking decision making process :)

So, here is the 'jeans and t-shirt' nail wheel. My current and somewhat modest (hmmm must remedy that...) collection of neutral shades:

Here you can see the beautiful shimmer in the two Essie shades in the middle, Au Naturel and Sand of a beach

Another gratuitous pic of the Essie polishes! Check that fine shimmer!

Unfortunately I smudged the OPI, it took at least 4 coats to get that depth of colour, it's a very sheer polish.

 The OPI Altar Ego polish was my wedding day choice. It looks a lot better on the nail than on the dead white plastic of the nail wheel but it is quite sheer. It adds a pretty irridescent pink shimmer and is suitably bridal. It would make a nice layering polish, in fact I might try it over one of the others....

Here you can see the very fine shimmer in the Model's Own Pro polish (centre)

Swatching them all the wheel was a revelation, they are all quite different (to me at least!). I realised how much I really love some of them, and I have to say that it's an extremely close call between the two Essie polishes and my Ciate one, but I think that Ciate my still win the crown for being my favourite.  I also had a hankering to wear the Barry M Mushroom shade again, it's just so effortlessly chic and makes me feel 'expensive'!

Which shades do you like best?

Nude polishes, the line up!

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?

NOTD - Maybelline Rosy Sand

Consider this the sugar rush of posts. Nothing to 'eat' for ages and your hungry and need something quick, so you can satisfy yourselves on yet another sugary NOTD until I get dinner ready (aka, longer more interesting posts!)

So this is Maybelline Forever Strong in Rosy Sand. It's part of their nude colour selection, obviously meant as a nude for darker skin tones but I'm drawn to taupey brown shades at the mo so I grabbed this.

I was actually after more of a cafe au lait shade, but this is a tad darker and has a slight pinky undertone.

Maybelline Forever Strong in Rosy Sand

This is two coats with Essie Good To Go top coat.

It's been on my nails now for 5 days and the chipping is minimal. I love it. I love the colour, the shine and the versatility. It goes with everything, like Barry M Mushroom which I forgot to photograph. Actually this is the colour you'd get if Mushroom had a baby with a french manicure....

I'm seriously into coffee/taupe-y nudes at the moment!

Hope the sugar fix sorted you out. Dinner will be ready soon.