Jill Stuart Blush Blossom 01 and 03

Hi everyone! I tried my very best to resist the new Jill Stuart Blush Blossoms, but completely caved in and bought two. They just look so pretty and sweet, I couldn't resist!

I bought this blush in the shades 01 Romantic Sweet Pea and 03 Lady Amaryllis from cosmede.com

They were packaged in the usual sweet pale peachy pink Jill Stuart boxes, with instructions on the back on how to use the product.

The blush comes in a beautiful case with a little white goat hair brush that is great for travelling.

According to Jill Stuart:

'Loose cheek powder to layer two colors for customised shimmer and hue. For cheeks that look like they are naturally blushing. Its light and breezy texture blends effortlessly into your skin for a flawless look. Provides long lasting, beautiful finish with clear colors accompanied by a feeling of rich moisture. Contains pure crystal powder and crystal floral bouquet fragrance.'

I've got to say that Jill Stuart is great for very sweet, romantic looking colours.

The case opens to reveal a good sized mirror, and a plastic cover to protect the powder from splling.

The other side of the plastic cover is padded to aid in tapping off excess powder from the blush. The blush itself is housed under elastic netting. Each compact contains two colours; a full colour blush and a lighter shade for highlighting. The powder has a gorgeous scent - a soft floral fragrance.

L-R: 01 Romantic Sweet Pea, 03 Lady Amaryllis

01 Romantic Sweet Pea swatch

..a sweet combination of icy pale pink shimmer highlighter with sheer baby pink blush

03 Lady Amaryllis swatch

...a combination of pale pink highlighter with bright coral-rose

Here is a sneak peek of an FOTD using the Blossom Blush in 03 Lady Amaryllis.

The blush was a little difficult to apply at first (I made a bit of a mess), as the brush picked up lots of powder and extremely light application was required.

RMK Face Powder EX Review

Hi everyone, I briefly mentioned in a previous post the new RMK Face Powder EX. Here is my quick review on it:

According to RMK:

"Contains a highly transparent 'Snow Leaf Powder' to blend into the skin leaving a natural veil over open pores and dull tones. 'Micro Bead Powder' infused, it can also absorb excess oil for the perfect finish to last all day. The powder blend is then processes under the [wet grinding] method that brings a rich cream texture for the 'second skin' fit. #N00 for porcelain glow, #P00 for a lucent shimmering glow. #01 and #02 for a half-matte lifting complexion."



I bought the powder in #02, and here are my thoughts on the product:

-#N00 and #P00 were a little too shimmery for my taste. #01 was a very light shade (almost white), and the shade of #02 fits me perfectly

-It contains SPF 10 and comes with a small powder puff that felt soft and luxurious

-To obtain the powder, you have to press the puff into the rubber net and turn anti-clockwise. This grinding method means that you cannot use a brush to apply the powder, just the powder puff that comes with it

-The powder itself is very fine and silky. It provides low coverage

-I found it to have really good oil control, whilst still giving my skin a nice subtle translucent glow

-The ingredients list containes the controversial parabens. Parabens are controversial as they are found in extremely low concentrations in breast cancer tumours. They can also cause skin irritation. Due to this, I am unlikely to use this product often as I normally avoid parabens like the plague.


Here are some pics of the powder on my skin:




As you can see, my skin tone looks a little uneven, so the powder on its own gives only a little coverage.

Pros:
-Contains SPF10
-Great oil control
-Silky soft, fine powder
-Easy to apply
-Gave skin a nice 'soft focus' effect

Cons:
-Contains parabens
-Packaged in quite a bulky case
-Due to grating system, limited to applying this with only a powder puff

Book of the Month: November (The Ice Cream Girls)

Hi everyone! I LOVE reading books, and go through so many books a year. So many that my husband forced me to join a library as I buy too many books! I decided to do a feature each month on my favourite book of the moment. This month, it's the Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson.

This book has been categorised as a psychological thriller (one of my favourite genres).

The Blurb:

'As teenagers, Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe were the only witnesses to a tragic event. Amid heated public debate, the two seemingly glamorous teens were dubbed 'The Ice Cream Girls' by the press and were dealt with by the courts. Years later, having led very different lives, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past. But some secrets will not stay buried - and if theirs is revealed, everything will become a living hell all over again...'

The story deals with an abusive relationship the girls have with their school teacher, and the consequences when the teacher ends up dead. I found this book completely thought provoking, and couldn't put it down. The story kept me guessing until the very end. I found the book pretty detailed and very well written. The story-line was quite dark and gripping. I liked that the book made me think and look at things from very different perspectives. All in all, a very good read!

Nars Sex Appeal Blush From the Holiday 2010 Collection

I've been looking forward to the release of this blush after reading about it from various blogs. Now that I have it, I'm in love with it..

The Nars Sex Appeal blush is described on their website as a soft peach.

The colour is very light compared to most blushes, so may need quite heavy handed application.

The blush gave a beautiful, innocent-looking, peachy-pink flush to the cheeks. I found it perfect for a natural looking everyday look. I also loved how it gave the cheeks a nice radiant glow.

Award and New RMK Face Powder EX

Hi everyone! I have received this beautiful looking award from gorgeous Kim at Dottie K.

The 12 lovely blogs I nominate for

this award are:

13 December

Amy Antoinette

Bang Bang She Shoots

Beauty By Anie

Charming Vanity

Girlish Mood

Miss Kei Kei

Ooh...Pretty!

Serenaeveryday

Sparkle Apple

Tummycake

Winniewingi

I have recently bought RMK's new Face Powder EX from Selfridges. This model has done a very convincing ad campaign! I know that photoshop may have something to do with this, but her complexion looks gorgeous!

The Face Powder EX comes in four shades:

#N00 No colour type for porcelain glow
#P00 Translucent type for shimmer glow
#01 Lightly tinted translucent type to deliver half-matte finishing
#02 Same as 01, but a darker shade

#N00 and #P00 both contained shimmering particles, though in #N00 the shimmer was more subtle. Shades#01 and #02 did not contain any shimmer, but still gave the skin a glow. Shade #01 was an extremely light shade (almost white), so I chose #02 which suits my skin colour perfectly.

I haven't used this product enough to give a review on it, so I decided to post up some pics of it instead, and do an FOTD with review at a later date.

The powder is packaged in the usual silver RMK box.

The powder case is fairly chunky, but the pale matt silver colour makes it look quite sleek.

The powder comes with a sweet, and very soft powder puff. A grinding method is used to get to the powder. The puff is pressed into the rubber net and turned anti-clockwise to collect the right amount of powder. The powder itself is extremely fine and lightweight.


Sadly because the powder is so fine, and due to the small amount of powder that comes out with each grinding method, I can't provide a swatch of this powder. It looks almost invisible on the skin, so I'll do a FOTD with the powder on so you can have a better idea on what it's like.

Cherry Red Lips Haul and FOTD

Hi everyone! As you would have already noticed, red lips are everywhere this season. I've been searching far and wide for a nice red lipstick, and finally found it in the form of YSL's new Rouge Pur Couture in 01. The colour has been described as a lovely cherry red. I also couldn't resist buying a lipgloss to go with it. I chose, YSL Golden Gloss in 17.

I did a FOTD with these bold red colours. I tried to keep the rest of my face in neutral, soft colours.

I used the products below for the FOTD. These include the new Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation which I have recently done a review on.

Face:
Guerlain Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Foundation, 02 Beige Clair
Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush, 10

Eyes:
Dior 5 Couleurs Iridescent Palette, 609 Earth Reflection
Bobbi Brown Gel Liner, Black
Mac Opulash Mascara, Bad Bad Black

Lips:
YSL Rouge Pur Couture, 01
YSL Golden Gloss, 17

I just love the Guerlain foundation! It gave me nice sheer coverage while giving the skin a great glow.

Illuminating Foundations: Guerlain Lingerie de Peau V. Lancome Teint Miracle

Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Invisible Skin Fusion Foundation

What Guerlain says:

'Silk and linen weave themselves into a second skin... Weaving an imperceptible veil of perfection on the surface of the skin, the softness of natural silk envelops the skin in a voluptuous sensation of comfort & drapes the complexion in a silky radiance that captures & reflects the light.'

-provides perfect, long-lasting coverage

-natural complexion with no mask effect

-complexion enhanced & dazzlingly natural

-light, fuses perfectly with skin so that you forget about it

Pros:

-good sheer to medium coverage

-contains SPF 20

-gave a gorgeous, smooth, radiant, peachy-skin finish

-quite a few choices of shades

-long-lasting

-did not irritate my skin

-had a really pleasant scent

Cons:

-expensive at £33 (Debenham's is doing a sale for £30)

-does not have great oil control

-coverage may be too sheer for those who prefer full coverage

Lancome Teint Miracle

10 years in the making, this is Lancome's first foundation that helps create the aura of perfect looking skin.

What Lancome says:

'Instantly complexion appears flawless and luminous, as if lit from within. Skin feels smoother and looks unified.'

-hydrated for up to 18 hours

-10x less opaque fillers

-40% less water

-pigments to add luminosity and radiance

Pros:

-gave a natural dewy radiant finish, with healthy glow

-good, medium coverage

-lasts all day

-does not irritate my skin

-reasonably priced at £25

-contains SPF15

-non greasy

Cons:

-can look slightly dry and cakey if too much is applied

Overall:

To be honest, I found both foundations to be really great. They both gave a beautiful luminous long-lasting finish. I would recommend the Guerlain foundation for those who prefer sheer coverage and a more natural look. The Guerlain foundation smells great too. For a bit more coverage, I would recommend the Lancome teint miracle, which still gives a lovely natural look.