A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

As previously reported on BritishBeautyBlogger, the Alice in Wonderland Palette will now be released online at Debenhams.com on the 22nd February and will be available instore from the 28th February.

Get hunting for those free delivery codes!

Whilst in London last week, I had the opportunity to check out the NARS Spring 2010 Collection and hear a little more about it’s inception and application on the runways at New York Fashion Week last year.

It’s the first time I’ve ever analysed a collection like this… and honestly, I feel a little “hell, what do I know about ‘collections’ and ‘runways’ and excuse me while I kick off my Mum’s stilletos and get back in my sandbox”.

If I shrug off those insecurities, I’m left realising that I was handing over my debit card at the NARS counter in Liberty less than 20 minutes after being given this bag of samples… and really, what other qualifications does one need?

Let’s start with the actual collection.  Swatches, thoughts and all.

I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of the Catherine Deneuve-inspired promo shot for the collection…

…it just doesn’t ‘speak’ to me.  Infact, before being invited to sample the collection, I’d dismissed it based on this promo.  With that in mind, things didn’t get off to a good start.

First up are two new lipglosses. Ophelia (£17) (Strawberry Nectar) and Easy Lover (£17) (Sheer Hot Pink).

In the tube, Easy Lover is WOW!  It’s a true hot pink that makes you want to grab at it and play (and I did!).  On the lips, I’m disappointed.  It is so sheer, and whilst sheer lipglosses have many uses, I just feel cheated after seeing how it looks in the tube.  Worn alone, it adds no pigment at all to my lips.

Ophelia is more pleasing, I’m loving this over the top of a nude lipstick.  Again, it’s fairly sheer… but as it promises less in the tube, it doesn’t disappoint me in the same way Easy Lover does.

Swatches of both…

Next up is the single lipstick in the collection: Cruising (£17)

When I first saw Cruising in the tube, I can’t say I was too excited by it.  Infact, I don’t think it particularly registered until I got home and attempted a FOTD with the collection.  You know, I own over 48 lipsticks… and this has jumped straight into my top five.

Nude lipsticks are difficult to get right.  Choosing the correct one for your skintone is an unenviable task, so I’m not gonna start shouting that everyone needs to own this lipstick.  I really want to tell you to go and TRY it though.  It is *so* completely unassuming in the tube, I would have passed this by time and time again.

On my dry lips, It’s truly moisturising, glideing on with ease but crucially it stays on.  It gives my lips enough colour so as not to look dead but keeps the focus on the rest of my face whilst giving an overall polished finish to my makeup.  And that to me is what a true nude lipstick should do.  I love this, perhaps too much.

Bains Douches Glitter Pencil (£18.50), the eyeliner in the collection named after the legendary Parisien nightclub is a vivid matte blue infused with silver glitter.  Thankfully, the glitter particles are not particularly chunky and don’t irritate my eyes.  I’m not sensitive to eye irritation though, so you may want to give this a miss if you think it could cause problems for you.  Not only that, but I do have to point out… My God it’s expensive!

I adore the colour, but my first thoughts were that it sits oddly with the rest of the collection.  Until I tried it on the lower lashline with the Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo on my lids.  POP!  I’m very pleased to add this to my collection… it will see me right through ’till Winter and the sparkle is subtle enough to wear during the day.  I’ve surprised myself liking this so much and I’ll attempt an EOTD with this soon.  It applies beautifully, without need for ‘warming up’ and the glitter gives a lovely wide-awake look when applied along my lower lashline.

Camargue (£23) is a cream eyeshadow duo described as a Golden Moss/Sienna pairing.  It’s a slightly muddy looking combination, but I think it would be amazing on warm medium skintones.

As with all NARS Cream Shadows that I’ve tried, this really needs setting with powder if your lids are at all oily or you’ll be picking it out of your crease in a matter of minutes.  The NARS MUA I was talking to in Liberty recommended the golden half of the Alhambra Duo (which I bought) over the top of the Sienna half of Camargue.  He was right – it’s a beautiful pairing.

Camargue swatches, they look particularly warm against my cool skin tone:

Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo (£23) is one of the more talked about pieces in the collection:

It’s a beautifully pigmented combination of Rose Gold / Boysenberry.  Yeah, I’m not really sure what a Boysenberry is either… Google Images was my friend.

In the pan, I thought it would be a touch too warm for me, but it works.

The only thing I’d be wary of is that the right hand side of the duo contains enough red to give you that “I’ve been crying for 7hrs” look.  If you usually struggle with these shades, I’d steer clear.  Thankfully, I look neither suicidal nor ill wearing this duo and the right hand side is amazing applied wet as a liner.

Finally…

Purple Rain (£13).  I’ve been hugely excited about this polish ever since I saw nail swatches on Scrangie’s blog.  I tried, but failed miserably at capturing how it truly looks in the bottle… the polish is practically dancing in there.  I can’t wait to do a NOTD with it.

The final item in the collection is D. Gorgeous (£16), a dusty lilac single eyeshadow.  Here’s a stock image:

D. Gorgeous (love the name!) is a matte shadow which got a lot of love at New York Fashion Week, especially applied under the lower lashline.  Uneducated pleb that I am, I keep looking at the images thinking… “Tsk, that makes her look like SO tired”.  I didn’t have this in my goody bag so can’t offer an alternative (more educated) view!

So, that’s my run-down of what NARS has to offer us this Spring.

The single thing that strikes me is that I’m favouring the pieces that on first look, didn’t draw me in.  The slightly brown-looking lipstick, a bright blue eyeliner and an “I’ve been sobbing” eyeshadow duo… whoulda thunk it.  Not me.

If you’re not sure the NARS Spring 2010 collection is for you, go have a play.  It’s left me pleasantly surprised.

I’ll leave you with a FOTD:

Eyes:

~ NARS Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo on the lidand blended underneath the lashline.
~ NARS Camargue Cream Duo blended up above the crease (washed out in this image sadly)

Cheeks:

~ NARS Crazed Blush
~ NARS Orgasm Illuminator (applied over blush, bridge of nose, cupids bow) – review coming later today!

Lips:

~ NARS Cruising Lipstick
~ NARS Ophelia Lip Gloss

All items from this collection are available at NARS counters nationwide and online.

What say you? Is anything from the NARS Spring 2010 Collection capturing your attention?

I bought some Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear Cream Shadows a couple of months ago and thought I’d share my thoughts on them…

The packaging is lovely, nice heavyweight glass jars…. they feel substantial and chunky!

Brown Metal

Starry Purple

Starry Night

Goldstone

Antique Gold

The swatches…

Disappointed is my feeling on these.  They look beautiful in the jar, truly.  But they’re *so* sheer… the swatches show a good number of swipes to get them pigmented enough to photograph.

I love the idea behind them, and I do wear them… I wear them underneath simillar toned powder shades and the only purpose they really serve is to add a bit of sparkle.  You also have to be really careful not to end up with glitter all over your face when applying these.  My  favourite is Goldstone, which unfortunately, is the biggest glitter dropper of all of them.

I’m simply left with the feeling that they could have been so much more.

Do you own any of these?  How do you wear them? Any tips to make me love them?

Earlier in the week, I posted a Day Look with the new Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette.

Here’s my “Evening Look” to complete the set.

Apologies for the graininess in the shadows of the image, it looks like I have the beginning of a green-tinged beard.  My flash kept crapping out on me ‘cos I was too lazy to find a new set of rechargeables, so it was pretty underexposed and then lightened when I edited it.  And that’s never a good combo.

Anyway – crap photography excused…

All shades blended like a dream.

Can you see spot any great evening combos in the palette?

I’ve never claimed to be particularly artful in my makeup application… my ‘skillz’ leave a lot to be desired, but I won’t feel like I’ve “done Alice to death” until I’ve posted a day and an evening look using the palette.

It’s also a little more intimidating now I appear to have picked up a fresh swathe of followers along the way – Hello! *waves*…  I promise it looked slightly more blended in real life than it does in the picture.

This was…

It’s a bit Autumnal but I liked it!

Have you spotted any great daytime combinations you’re itching to try out?

This is Part 3 of a triple post on the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette.  Check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Whew!  I’ve been on a marathon swatching session for you to feast your eyes upon!  I hope the photos are clear enough.  I’ve worked hard to keep the swatches as close to real life as possible and I’m confident I’ve achieved it.

Slightly less importantly, I’ve added a commentary of my thoughts on each of the shadows.  I think eye shadow preferences are a particularly personal affair, so please be aware that these are my personal likes and dislikes.

There still seems to be a lot of (mis)information flying around.  To clarify, the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows will be released exclusively at Debenhams.  It appears that *some* stores won’t be receiving stock, so do check with your local store in advance to save disappointment.  If your store won’t be selling it, you will be able to order it online from Debenhams.com (and there’s usually a free delivery code floating around on t’internet to save you a few pennies).

The palette will be priced at £28 (UK) / €37 (Ireland) and the rumours that there are only 2000 palettes allocated for our shores are untrue.  There will be many more than that, but it IS limited edition and it WILL sell out quickly as sales in the US have proven.

Ok, that aside… let’s get started shall we?

Key:

S = Shimmer
SG = Shimmer Glitter
UGBCGGIOM = Ugh! Great Bit Chunks o’Glitter, GET IT OFF ME!

UNDERLAND (flash) (S) – A true violet.  It’s buildable to a strong intensity with 3 strokes… definitely leaning towards the cool tones –

ALICE (painkiller) (S) – Beautiful aqua turquoise.  Highly pigmented, one firm stroke gives solid opacity on the lid.  Not a shade for shy, retiring types! –

CHESSUR (chopper) (SG) – A gold that leans towards brown.  This would be great for a pop of intensity to an otherwise neutral eye.  It’s gold, but not gaudy –

WHITE RABBIT (polyester bride) (UGBCGGIOM) – More commonly known as “Polyester Bride”.  It’s a white with silver reflects.  Gritty in the pan, the large chunks of glitter are more likely to end up on your cheeks than stay on your lids.  Be prepared to apply your eyeshadow with your head tilted toward the ceiling in an attempt to minimise fall out –

ORACULUM (baked) (S) – A true intense yellow gold.  Blends like buttah and I fear that I’m already making a very slight dip in the pan on this one –

QUEEN (last call) (S) – One of the nicest cranberry shades I’ve ever worn.  Most make me look like I’ve been rubbing my eyes, this one has enough purple in it to avoid that.  Texture is simillar to UNDERLAND –

WONDERLAND (maui wowie) (SG) – Quite hard to describe… a neutral gold?  60% Gold/40% Silver?  It’s paler than the others in the palette and slightly more metallic.  Glitter is present, but mostly disappears with a couple of taps of my brush.  Other than being a beautiful shade in it’s own right, I love this one for it’s flexibility.  It pairs beautifully with most of the shades in the palette –

CURIOUSER (grifter) (SG) – Looks pink in the pan, applies lilac-y on my pale skintone.  Slightly less pigmented than the majority of shades in the box, but like UNDERLAND… it’s buildable.  Unlike UNDERLAND, it contains glitter which will build alongside the colour intensity –

MUCHNESS (x) (S) – Pretty peach with a golden sheen.  A lovely duotone that would look great set against blue eyes, but not such a great shade for my pale pink skin.  Texture however, is smooth as a baby’s bum and strongly pigmented –

MUSHROOM (mushroom) (S) – In my world, all taupes would look like this.  The perfect blend of grey/brown, a gorgeous crease colour –

ABSOLEM (homegrown) (S) – I’m not a fan of greens (which is one reason why I prefer this palette to the BOSII), but I’ll try my hardest to be impartial!  This is slightly sheerer than the pan would suggest… It’s buildable and safe to do so without ending up looking like a disco ball thanks to a lack of glitter.  A shimmering grassy green that would look fab paired with WONDERLAND –

DRINK ME EAT ME (sin) (S) – A fabulous champagne shade that makes a wonderful base for a neutral eye.  No glitter, smooth-textured and highly pigmented.  This is a winner! –

MIDNIGHT TEA PARTY (mcra) (UGBCGGIOM) – You knew it was coming… Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (and again, and again).  Why do Urban Decay keep insisting on putting it in my palettes! 😉  In seriousness, I know that there are lots of people out there who LOVE this shade… but for the life of me, I can’t think why.  You guys must love it *for* the glitter, ‘cos once that’s dropped onto my lashes and cheekbones (20 seconds after applying) all that’s left is a very sheer version of DRINK ME. EAT ME –

VORPAL (s&m) (S) – Stunning! Looks simillar to MUSHROOM in the pan.  Swatched, it’s a gorgeous platinum grey.  Smooth as buttah and blends beautifully.  I actually DARE you to dislike this shade –

MAD HATTER (twice baked) (S) – The least shimmery shadow in the palette.  MAD HATTER is a neutral dark brown which should get kudos for not leaning towards the red.  It’s slightly sheer on the first stroke, which I appreciate as it would be easy to go overboard otherwise.  I’m sure it’s an absolute staple neutral shade for many –

JABBERWOCKY (oil slick) (SG) – Underneath the glitter, this looks to be a matte black.  It’s highly pigmented… so use with a light touch!  I don’t really wear black shadows but I’ve discovered that I LOVE to use this wet as an eyeliner.  The glitter makes it a killer black liner for the evening!  Urban Decay even make a product that allows you to do this with ease (or, failing that, just wet your favourite eyeliner brush with a drop of good old H2O).  Don’t worry, Urban Decay eyeshadows can be used wet or dry! –

24/7 Pencil in ZERO – A basic strongly pigmented smooth matte black.  Glides on, doesn’t rub off easily.  A makeup staple! –

24/7 Pencil in FLIPSIDE – A super bright teal.  For me, FLIPSIDE is a wise inclusion.  The palette boasts a number of shadows that work well together to create a natural looking eye and FLIPSIDE is the perfect shade to lift that neutral looking eye out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary… straight into Alice’s world perhaps? –

That’s it!  That’s all I’ve got for you (barring a couple of dodgy looks I’ve done with the palette).  If you have any questions about the palette or swatches, I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

This is Part 2 of a 3 Part UD Alice Extravaganza! – Click here for Part 1 and Part 3!

Clockwise from Top Left: UNDERLAND, ALICE, CHESSUR, WHITE RABBIT

Clockwise from Top Left: ORACULUM, QUEEN, WONDERLAND, CURIOUSER

Clockwise from Top Left: MUCHNESS, MUSHROOM, ABSOLEM, DRINK ME. EAT ME.

Clockwise from Top Left: MIDNIGHT TEA PARTY, VORPAL, MAD HATTER, JABBERWOCKY

Left to Right: 24/7 Liner in Zero (black), 24/7 Liner in Flipside (blue), Urban Decay Primer Potion (mini)

On colour alone… I’m absolutely loving the look of:

~ Oraculum
~ Alice
~ Vorpal / Underland (I can’t choose between them – please don’t make me!)

Come on… which are your top 3?

Swatches and my thoughts on the individual shades tomorrow xxx

This is Part 1 of a 3 Part UD Alice Extravaganza!  Click here for Part 2 and Part 3!

After my not so subtle hint-dropping yesterday, I’m sure that most of you have figured out that I took delivery of Urban Decay’s heavily anticipated Alice in Wonderland Palette (yay!).

I’m feeling priviledged to have been chosen to ‘unveil’ this to you wonderful UK beauty addicts as only one sample box was released to the UK blogging community.  Forgive me just a teeny bit of smugness, but if it gets too much, feel free to slap me.  I’d do the same to you.

Anyway… I’m going to break the ‘unveiling’ into 3 posts… I’m not falsely modest and know that photos are what I do best.  So you can expect each post to be picture heavy (which I am hoping, is a good thing).  This first post will focus on that wonderful pop-up scene.  The artistry that’s gone into the palette is breathtaking and a large part of the overall appeal for many of us.

So, without further ado (or let’s be frank… rambling)… I bring you, Urban Decay’s Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows.

Open the palette to reveal a pop-up scene of Alice in the mushroom forest. Her “drink me” bottle discarded, she staggers past towering mushrooms, only to cross paths with a very peculiar, hookah-smoking caterpillar. A large mirror rests behind the scene – you feel as if you are transported into the film itself.

The Alice in Wonderland palette is due to be released in the UK on the 22nd February online with a store-wide release set for the 28th February.  It will be a Debenhams exclusive.

The gothic whimsy of the upcoming Alice in Wonderland movie is inspiring both audiences and brands alike.

It has now been confirmed that Urban Decay’s Alice in Wonderland palette will be released on the 22nd of February online in the UK at Debenhams.com, followed by an instore release on the 28th February.  It has also been confirmed that the UK price of the palette will be £28.

Interesting news hot from The States is that after much speculation, Urban Decay have thankfully released a name check for the renamed Alice-inspired shades.  So keep reading to see how many colours may be duplicates in your collection.

The Shades…

Underland – Flash
Alice – Painkiller
Oraculum – Baked
Queen – Last Call
Chessur – Chopper
White Rabbit – Polyester Bride
Wonderland – Maui Wowie
Curiouser – Grifter
Muchness – X
Mushroom – Mushroom
Midnight Tea Party – Midnight Cowboy Rides Again (dear god..)
Vorpal – S&M
Absolem – Homegrown
Drink Me. Eat Me – Sin
Mad Hatter – Twice Baked
Jabberwocky – Oil Slick

Because I’m such a geek dedicated to the cause, I’ve been googling Urban Decay’s back catalogue and can tell you what you would duplicate if you already own…

Ammo – Oil Slick, Last Call, Chopper, Maui Wowie, Polyester Bride, Grifter, Sin (7 dupes)
Sustainable – Grifter, Twice Baked, MCRA, Flash, Oil Slick (5 dupes)
Book of Shadows Vol II – Mushroom, Twice Baked, MCRA, Homegrown (4 dupes)
Skull – MCRA, Grifter, Chopper, Twice Baked (4 dupes)
Book of Shadows Vol I – Last Call, Grifter, Baked (3 dupes)
Get Baked – Twice Baked, Baked (2 dupes)
Show Pony – Flash, Painkiller (2 dupes)
Wallpaper – Last Call, Chopper (2 dupes)
Arsenal – MCRA (1 dupe)
Face Case – Polyester Bride (1 dupe)
Foreshadow – Oil Slick (1 dupe)
Deluxe Shadow Box – No Dupes (0 dupes)

Have I missed any out? Probably…

Hopefully this is useful to you lovely lot, it means that this palette promises me 7 brand new shades to add to my collection.

I’m not too disappointed with that and that adorable packaging is cute enough that I would have probably talked myself into owning this purely as a “collector’s piece” anyway (or at least until Mr. L snatched the debit card out of my hand).

What say you?

How many of those shades do you already own?

Back in December, I went a little Dior crazy.  I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat… (stop laughing)

Anyway!  I was a woman possessed obsessed with the Dior Cristal Boreal Holiday Collection and when I picked up a few pieces, a couple more shadows from the new One Couleur Extreme range fell into my hot sweaty hands too.

Left to Right on the top row: Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Flash Black, Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Silver Gem (LE), Dior One Couleur Extreme Eye Shadow in Trendy Taupe.

Flash Black: A true black infused with silver sparkle… this is such a great base for a wonderful smoky eye.

Silver Gem (LE) – This is a limited edition silver from the Cristal Boreal Holiday 2009 Collection… this is the shadow that I first swatched on counter that made me loopy for the collection.  It’s a pretty darn opaque silver with a buttery finish.

Trendy Taupe – A teeny bit disappointing because it’s so dark on me, I wanted more of a midtone shade for the lid and this fairly pigmented shade doesn’t quite fit the bill.

The cast of characters… You can see the sparkle of Flash Black (left), the opaqueness of Silver Gem (middle) and the deep tones of Trendy Taupe (right).

I think that concludes my pre-Christmas Dior haul…. now to find a new obsession for Spring/Summer… What’s on your radar?

My latest NYX eye shadow acquisitions for your viewing pleasure!

Sparkle Cedar is a weird one, it really is as ‘gritty’ as it appears in the photo.  It’s the only disappointment in the bunch though.

These are such great value for money, but I’m a bit NYX’ed out now and can’t decide if I want any more…  Have you made any NYX purchases recently?  Re-inspire me to buy some more!

Obviously, this has been out aaaaaages… but ever since I saw the swatches on Jojoba’s blog last month, I’ve been lemming it like a woman possessed.

Since Sephora doesn’t ship to the UK, I have no US friends and I’m not keen on paying £40 on eBay, I’ll just have to suck it up and continue to cry myself to sleep thinking about it until like the beautiful LE item it is, it disappears from my sights forever…

A January essential? Most definitely *sigh*

If you have it, tell me how much you love it!