Naturally Nude FOTD

Hi everyone! I haven't done a FOTD for awhile, so today I decided to do a natural/nude makeup look.

I love rose coloured blushes and lipsticks, but today I thought I'd do something a little different. I tried to create a really natural look using rosy beige nude tones. I normally stay away from nude lipsticks as they tend to wash out my complexion, but I've found a lovely shade that doesn't make me look too sickly.

As I wanted this look to be natural, I tried to use as little products as I can.

The five products I used were:

RMK Pressed Powder N 01

Giorgio Armani Fluid sheer 11 (as blush)

Nars Duo Eyeshadow in All About Eve

Kiss Me Heroine Liquid Eyeliner

myface Gigabite Lipstick in Vintage Pink

I really love Nars' All About Eve. The colours are really natural, yet super pretty with a satin finish.

Oh no! I just realised I look like I'm actually in the nude in these pics. I assure you I AM wearing clothes!

I'm using RMK's new Pressed Powder N as a base. I'm really impressed with it and will post a review on it next week.

My lashes look non-existent as I decided not to use mascara for this FOTD.

This is the myface Vintage Pink lipstick that I used. It's the only nude lipstick I own, and I wear it whenever I want that 'polished' look or if I'm going for a natural makeup look.

It's such a gorgeous nude:

I especially love the texture of this lipstick. It's very creamy! Below is a lip swatch of Vintage Pink:

As Requested: My Makeup Tools

Hi everyone! Awhile ago, some of you suggested I do a post on my makeup tools. These tools are hardly mentioned in my posts, so here's a post just on them as I find them invaluable!

My makeup tools consist of an; eyelash curler, powder brush, blush brush, two eyeshadow brushes, and an eyeliner brush. I house them in a simple glass tumbler:

For curling my lashes, I use Shu Uemura's Eyelash Curler.

As you would all probably already know, this curler is extremely popular. I like it because it does a great job of providing my lashes with a long-lasting curl. It's also quite sturdy. I've had this curler for over a year and haven't had to replace the silicone pad yet (though perhaps maybe I should!)

In the summertime, my skin tends to get a little oily so I sometime use loose powder over my skin. The brush I use for applying the powder is Lancome's Loose Powder Brush.

It's one of the softest makeup brushes I've come across. I also love how densely packed the bristles are.

For applying blusher or highlighter, I use Illamasqua's Blusher Brush 1.

I really love Illamasqua brushes. They are superbly soft, and easy to use and clean. This particular brush is suitable for use with both powder and cream blush formulas - the main reason for me loving this brush.

For applying eyeshadow, I use RMK's Eyeshadow Brush & Tip, and Urban Decay 24/7 Blending Brush.

The Urban Decay brush is perfect for blending, and can be used to blend pencil shadows as well as cream shadows.

I favour gel liners, and use Bobbi Brown's Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush.

I've been using this brush for about 8 years. Not the very same brush, (I think I've lost a couple along the way) but the Bobbi Brown eyeliner brush. It's the best eyeliner brush I've tried. It's very fine, so allows you to make precise lines. It's also a great quality brush which was made last a very long time.

For travelling, I find Shu Uemura's Abracadabra Fantasy Peace and Harmony Brush Set extremely useful.

I won this from Worship of the house of Blues' giveway, and did a post about it here.

The set came with a lip brush, two eyeshadow brushes and a powder/blush brush. Not only is it in a portable case, but the brushes and case are so cute that they're a joy to use!

Giveaway Winner

I would like to thank all of you who entered my first Giveaway. Especially those who posted about it on their blogs, thanks so much for you lovely support! I used Random.org to generate the winner and that's ...

Rhaindropz

from the Phillipines

I'm so sorry to those who did not win, especially since you all put so much thought into your comments and answers.

* BUT, I will host another giveaway soon! With Dior and Shu Uemura products. Please feel free to suggest prizes. I'm thinking of including another Sleek palette. Which one would you like to see in my prize? *

Thanks for sharing your fave products with me. Products from Dior and MAC were clear favourites. Many of you also love mascaras such as Max Factor False Lash Effect (my fave too!) An interesting favourite product was yoghurt as one reader likes using it as a mask - great tip!

Mac Quite Cute Bubble Tea and Giggly Swatches

Hi everyone! When I first saw preview pics of Mac's quite Cute collection (ages ago on numerous beauty blogs), I had made up my mind to get one thing, the Mineralize Blush in Giggly. The preview pics of it the mineralize blushes with their little hearts just looked too adorable!

When the collection came out, I caved and also bought the Plushglass in Bubble Tea. I've been looking for a nude gloss for the past 6 months, and the name and shade of this gloss is so cute!

Here are some close up pics of the Mineralize Blush in Giggly:

It's a duo toned blusher (I love how the second shade is in the form of a heart!), in light pink and pearly plum. Blended together, you get a pinky-violet shade with subtle sheen. This blush is quite pigmented as the colours show up strongly. A slight downpoint to this blush was how powdery it was. When little bits of powder would get all over the packaging when swirling the blush with a brush. you can see an example of this in the pic above, powder is collecting at the edges of the blush.

Below are swatches of the blush:

L-R: Pink shade, Plum Shade (the heart), and mixed together

And the blush (both colours mixed together on my cheek):

I really like this shade as it brightens up my skin and gives me a fresher appearance.

Next up is the Plushglass in bubble Tea. This is my first Mac Plushglass.

The Plushglass glosses have plumping properties which are apparent with the tingling sensation my lips got when I applied the gloss. Bubble Tea is a creamy pale peachy nude with subtle micro-shimmer.

Here are swatches of this gloss on my hand and lips:

This gloss is really sheer and gives a nice 'nude' look to the lips.

New Lancome L'Absolu Nu Lipstick in Rose Ideal

After posting my lipstick filled March haul, I found that the new Lancome L'Absolu Nu lipsticks have just been released in selected stores around the UK. I bought mine from John Lewis for ~£19.

Provocatively radiant and irresistibly lightweight, this moisture-replenishing colour embraces your lips in soft shine lustre - sounds great doesn't it?


The packaging is really pretty. Black with light grey outlines of roses. On the top is the signature Lancome rose in silver. A great thing about this packaging is that it's super user friendly. It's easy to open, and shuts with a magnetic 'click'.

There were 12 shades to choose from, and I selected no. 302 Rose Ideal. The lipstick itself is imprinted with the Lancome rose. This shade is a super pretty rose pink.

Here are a couple of swatches of this shade. Without flash:

With flash:

The lipstick on my lips:

Like other Lancome lipsticks, this one has a strong rose scent. The scent is very apparent when applying, but i don't tend to notice it after that.

The texture of this lipstick is really light. They are less sheer and glossy than the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, but I'm in love with the texture and colour payoff. The lipstick is super smooth and glides on easily to the lips. It contains tiny particles of shimmer to reflect the light for a more radiant look.

Dior Capture Totale High Definition Radiance Loose Powder Review

I'm a huge fan of Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Fresh Powder Makeup, and wanted to find something similar but with less coverage and more glow. I try not to use too many products on my easily irritated skin, so I was looking for a light loose powder that I could dust over my skin whenever my skin looked a bit shiny or if my skin needed a little radiance boost.

I was given the Dior Capture Totale High Definition Radiance Loose Powder as a gift, and it ticked all the boxes; a loose powder which gives radiance to the skin.

According to Dior:

The 1st Dior 'radiance powder' created from a unique blend of HD Liquid Crystal Pigments and Aminolumine, the star ingredient of the CAPTURE TOTALE skincare line, to deeply reactivate the luminosity of the complextion. Applied with the powder puff of brush over foundation or directly after your Capture Totalte skincare, it embellishes makeup, optically smoothes the skin and reveals 'high-definition' radiance.

Its slightly rose universal shade adapts to every skin tone to provide a sheer touch of freshness.

The price is high-end at around £45, but you do get quite a lot of product and it does last a very long time. The outer packaging looks very luxurious shiny silver coloured box.

The powder is housed in a very study, good quality clear tub with pearly silvery-lavender lid.

I was happy to see a mini flat brush included as well as small silky soft powder puff.

The sweet looking brush has a silver coloured semi-circular handle. The bristles of the brush a super dense, but does not feel very soft on the skin.

The powder only comes in one shade: Rose Lumiere/Bright Light 001

It's a really pretty light peachy/pink beige. The powder is very fine and soft.

List of ingredients

My thoughts:

Texture

I love the texture of this powder. It's so fine, and silky soft. It feels really weightless and fresh on the skin, and it feels like I'm not wearing any makeup.

Coverage

This powder has little to no coverage as it's a radiance boosting loose powder. It contains very tiny particles of shimmer which you have to look very closely in bright light to see. I love that the shimmer is so subtle as I don't look good with an overly shimmer face. It has good oil control and would be perfect for setting makeup.

Finish

Due to the subtle shimmer, the powder gives a nice radiant finish to the skin. Though the radiance is not hugely obvious, I did notice my skin to be brighter and my skintone to be slightly more even. On top of foundation, this powder gives a flawless, bright look to the skin.

Here is my naked skin without the powder:

It needs some oil control, and a bit of brightening. I really like the natural look, and use this powder on its own.

So here are some pics of the powder on top of moisturised skin:

The powder evens out my skintone, and makes it less grey looking. It also gives the skin a brighter look and a soft-focused glow.

Pros:

-comes with both powder puff and brush

-lightweight and silky soft on the skin

-good oil control

-gives skin a radiance and glow

-shimmer is very sutble, and not glittery

-comes in a big tub, and a little of the product goes a long way

Cons:

- expensive

-bristles of the brush is not silky soft

March Haul; New Chanel Rouge Coco Shine, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Shadow etc

My resolution to not spend too much on products has completely fallen flat again this month. The good news is that I have finally found a skincare routine that suits me perfectly, so I'm no longer shopping for skincare items (apart from the hunt for the perfect anti-ageing serum).

Which brings us onto my March Beauty Haul. First up are the new Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks. I bought two shades in; Boy and Rivage.

I've been searching for lightly pigmented, glossy, natural looking lipsticks and have found them in the Rouge Coco Shine range. These lipsticks are all of the above. They feel really moisturising on the lips, like lip balm.

Here are some swatches of the two shades. Boy (left) is a light pinkish rose, and Rivage is a fresh peach.

Boy on the lips. This is my favourite of the two:

Rivage:

I usually focus on blush, but this time month I've gone lip crazy and also bought a lipstick from YSL's Bohemian Chic Spring Collection; Rouge Pur Couture 23 Corail Poetique.

It's not a colour I would usually go for, and it's unlike and lipstick I've ever owned. I decided to try out a peached toned lipstick to see if it would suit me.

The shade is a light peachy-coral and the texture is nice and creamy. Below are swatches on my lips in 2 different lighting:

I really love this shade. It's so pretty, yet a subtle colour. I have been wearing it loads eversince I purchased it.

I'm a huge fan of the Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Fresh Powder Makeup, especially for the great dewy glow it gives my skin. I was on the hunt for something similar, but with little to no coverage - something to blot excess shine in the summer while making my skin look radiant.

I was therefore really tempted to try their Capture Totale High Definition Radiance Loose Powder, said to give an even higher amount of radiance to the skin.

This powder comes with both a powder puff and a flat brush, so you apply the powder in two different ways.

It only comes in one shade; Bright Light (a pale beige):

I also bought a couple of the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Shadow, and a smudge brush to help apply them.

These are waterproof shadow pencils, and I bought them in Wasteland and Rehab.

Wasteland is a cool dark brown shade, and Rehab is a beautiful taupe. These shadow pencils are super easy to apply (but difficult to blend as they become quite stubborn to shift 10 seconds after application).

The brush is excellent for smudging eye shadow, and especially great for these shadow pencils as well as cream shadows.

Well, that's my haul for March! Here's hoping that I show some sort of self control in April.

*Don't forget to enter my first Giveaway here!*