A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

A dead camera has meant that I haven’t been able to get a review up on the Illamasqua goodies I was sent from the Art of Darkness Collection until now… apologies that I’m so late with this.

I was sent the Powdered Metal in Ether from the recent Art of Darkness collection and am sharing some pics and quick thoughts on it with you today.

(I was also sent the new nail polish in Scarab).

The product comes in a large mineral powder-esque tub and includes an application sponge for decolletage (booby) application.

I do like Illamasqua’s simple, sleek and stylish packaging.  I can always find their products quickly in my collection thanks to the unique bevelled edges and glossy blacks.  Lovely.

The sifter dispenses quite a substantial amount thanks to the large holes.  The powder is extremely soft and finely milled… a product you most definitely wouldn’t want to sneeze in the general direction of!  You’d be seeing sparkles for months!

Ether is a pale yellow/gold shimmering highlighter.  It’s packed with sparkle that’s refined and non-chunky.

The yellow tone doesn’t show up on my skin or alter the colour of my base at all once blended.  It’s incredibly subtle and just gives a warmer rather than cooler highlight.  I tried my hardest to capture an image of the actual sparkle once blended and failed pretty miserably.

The above image was taken as the sun was setting… hence the super warm tone to my skin.  Can you make out the sparkles?

So what do I think of Illamasqua’s Powdered Metal in Ether?  **rambly stream of consciousness alert**

I think it’s an extremely versatile product but I’m just not sure how often I would reach for it.  Out of sheer laziness, if something’s gonna sparkle… I prefer it to be in a more controllable pressed form.  I’m not giving Ether enough credit by admitting this though because in truth, I think it might be more beautiful than my NARS Albatross (of which I’m a huge fan).  So that’s saying something.

And then I start thinking about the benefits to providing the powdered metal in this form…

I could add a small amount directly into my foundation to create a softly luminous base.  Heck, I could even mix some into my body lotion…

I could mix a little directly into my sealing gel for an allover wash of eye colour, I could even dip a lip brush into it to glam up my lipstick.  The possibilities are generally far greater with a loose powdered product.

At £22 for 15g of product compared to £19.50 for 4.8g of NARS Albatross… Ether is ticking all the right boxes in all the right places.

I’m thinking that perhaps I should lose the lazy approach.

I’m gonna try some of the options I listed above and will attempt a FOTD with the foundation option.  It probably won’t show up… but I’ll give it a go!

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether is priced at £22 and available on counter or online

I received these two boxes of E.L.F’s new Mineral Booster through the post the other day courtesy of PR and my interest was piqued.  I do love my mineral makeup.

I will however, always hate the mess from playing with… what are essentially, little pots of dust.

I already own the original version of the Mineral Booster which I bought about a year ago to use as an alternative to Bare Escentual’s Mineral Veil (it got superceded by my love for E.L.F’s HD Powder though).  These new incarnations are pretty much the same thing as the original… but on steroids!

Since I’ve become spoiled by Bare Escentuals new Click Lock Go packaging, I’m taking a point away from the E.L.F Mineral Booster ‘cos frankly, it’s a nightmare to transport.

E.L.F Mineral Booster in Shimmer is an ivory toned powder with a healthy does of sparkle.  Sneeze over this baby and you’ll be seeing stars for the foreseeable future!  I was surprised at how creamy the powder felt to the touch.  Obviously very finely milled… E.L.F never fail to impress me with the texture of their mineral products.

E.L.F Mineral Booster in Tinted is a warmer chocolate latté kinda colour… not quite dark enough to terrify me, but certainly deep enough to give me pause about applying it to my pale skin tone.  Again, texture is great with no lumps or areas of heavier pigmentation.

When I swatched both products, I felt a little disappointed.  Not hugely inspiring are they?  The Shimmer is pretty subtle on the back of my hand and the Tinted is just kinda Ovaltine-y.  I wasn’t actually sure what I was gonna be able to do with them by way of demonstration to show you how they work.

Faced with this… a lack of any technical skills whatsoever and my 10hr old makeup, I decided to just go for it.  I grabbed a big powder brush and went for the Tinted version first.  I chose a powder brush over my kabuki as I wanted something that wouldn’t deposit too much product.  I needn’t have worried, Tinted is quite sheer when applied with a brush, it definitely gives you the opportunity to build without flooding your face with pigment.  I applied a light layer allover, then built up the shading along my invisible cheekbones.  I wasn’t too bothered about whether I was ‘contouring’ or ‘blushing’ – I was just slapping it on.

Reaching for Shimmer, I focused on the high points on my face.  Those imaginary cheekbones got a dusting, as did my nose and chin.  Watching the sparkles float on the air I was expecting to see a beacon of glitter reveal itself to me when I looked in the mirror, but the effect was pretty subtle.  Infact… I couldn’t really see any difference at all.

I took an ‘after’ photo anyway and figured that I’d leave the review at swatches and the fact that I thought it was too subtle.

The photos disagree with me though:

Is it just ‘cos it’s mattified me or does the ‘after’ look smoother?  More polished?  I think it’s given me a hint of coverage (check the red nose)… but as a Mineral Booster, that’s not really it’s job description.

Wait… what IS it’s job description?

Achieve the ultimate, translucent “photo finishing touch” to your makeup, our Mineral Booster melts into your skin, infusing it with key vitamins A, B and E to promote healthier skin that’s noticeably silkier and smoother. Completely sheer and ideal for all skin tones, Mineral Booster gently absorbs oil and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pores for a beautiful even finish. Wear alone or buff over our Mineral Concealer and Foundation to lend extra staying power and to achieve a professional and stunning porcelain matte look that will last all day.

Oh right!  Well, I guess it’s up for promotion then ‘cos that’s what I’m seeing…. though they aren’t gonna last you all day unless your middle name is Dust Bowl.

Can you notice a difference?  I can’t put my finger on what else it’s done.  Considering the colour of ‘tinted’, it’s pretty subtle innit?

All I know is, I prefer the ‘after’.

At £3.50 a pot, these new E.L.F Mineral Boosters are getting the thumbs up from me.

Love, love, love.

“Repurchase” isn’t a word you’ll find used too often on this blog.  I try to save it for products that really make it into daily use.  When you own and enjoy using makeup as much as I do, there’s tons of products that you love with all your heart.  But a repurchase?  When there’s so many gorgeous new things to try?  Gotta be reserved for something genuinely useful.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (£18) is one of my most used products.

I usually use light medium, but was colour-matched to medium last time I was instore at MAC.  On the way home I was all “Oh noes, why did I let him persuade me to get medium… gonna look muddy and orange”.

Yanowot?  It works really well.  I couldn’t go darker than this, but when I apply Light Medium now (I still have a scrap left in the bottom of an old pan) it simply isn’t as flattering as Medium which warms me up a teeny bit without a hint of orange.

Love. It.

Also, now it’s Summer… I’m making more use of my MSF Natural than ever before.  It offers more coverage than many pressed powders and when worn over a sheer tinted moisturiser gives me the coverage I’m looking for but with a light texture.

Did I mention I love it?

MAC MSF Natural is available instore at MAC or online.  My tip for this product?  Next time you’re instore, ask the MUA to apply a shade darker than you would normally go for…

I picked this up a few weeks ago whilst browsing in L’Occitane, somewhere I frequent more for their Almond Apple Cleansing Oil than their makeup usually.

I’m endlessly intrigued by colour-correcting all-in-one products like this and it reminds me a little of Guerlain’s infamous Meteorites… obviously not in appearance, but in ambition.

L’Occitane say…

Inspired by a pink white peony with an extraordinary brightness, this illuminating face powder leaves skin soft and velvety, like a petal, and gives a stunning glow to the complexion.

Made with natural softening peony extract from Drôme (France) and mica powder coated with Provençal mimosa flower wax, the powder’s texture glides on smoothly and feels comfortable on the skin leaving an iridescent effect and a delicate perfumed.

Encompassing four sheer shades: pastel green to correct redness, light mauve to correct dullness and the blend of fresh pink and white to light up and refreshes the complexion.

It was tricky to get a swatch, as promised… this powder is soft and sheer, but you should be able to just about make out this swipe on the back of my hand

It’s a very slightly pearlescent pale pink when all four shades are swirled together.  I dust the product all over my face after applying foundation and I do believe that it gives a luminosity to my skin.  It’s very subtle, perhaps too subtle to warrant the £19.50 I paid for it, but I guess the proof is in the fact that I keep reaching for it day after day to set my foundation.

I’m not sold on the colour-correcting aspect of L’Occitane’s Illuminating powder… the shades are simply too sheer to do anything to counteract redness.  I’d have to pile it on an inch thick before noticing any colour correction, but overall… it’s a very pleasant product to use.  Delicately scented and velvet-textured, I’m glad I picked this up.

L’Occitane Etoile des Neiges Illuminating Powder is a limited edition product and available instore at L’Occitane.

It’s subtle… can you see it?

It’s one of my favourites! I think I’d probably prefer to call this a luminizer than a highlighter, because with a fairly light hand this is perfect for wearing allover the face.  Yes, really.

Quite an unappetising shade in the pot, Cashmere Stockings is a mineral powder that I like to use as a finisher on days when I’m not wearing much colour on my face.  It lifts my complexion without making it sparkly or even shimmery.  To be fair to the product, it deserves a post of it’s own… not just lumped in under the ‘highlight’ category… it’s a little marvel.

Having said that, let’s not get carried away… Cashmere Stockings won’t do anything to cover blemishes, or even out your skintone (unless you’re blessed with already incredible skin) but for me… it softens my pores and adds a satin sheen.  I guess that’s it… maybe it’s no miracle afterall.  Just a good dose of silica and mica in a perfectly mixed ratio.  But it works beautifully for me over a good foundation base.

The physically small container it comes in is a pain in the arse… no chance of fitting a decent sized powder brush or kabuki in there, so I have to tap the product into another lid before picking it up on my brush.  A minor irritation, but an annoyance nonetheless.

I own a 10g pot and when/if I ever get to the bottom of it, will happily repurchase a 20g version ($18).  Anyone up to and including a NW/NC 25 would fare quite happily with level one as a shade choice as it’s fairly (but not completely) translucent.

Cashmere Stockings is available to buy online from Heatheresque (formally The She Space).

…for pale, pasty types.

So, another thing I often reach for in the summer is a bit of powder foundation.  I don’t use it all over, just on the t-zone as an alternative to pressed powder.  It gives me that extra bit of coverage for areas where I suffer from a bit of redness.

I thought this quick photo comparison between a couple of the Illamasqua Powder Foundations that I own might be useful to some.

PF120 and PF145 are both fair shades.  Of the two, PF120 is paler and pinker.  PF145 is a fair, slightly more neutral shade.  I can wear both quite easily without fear of going too dark or too orange.

I love the packaging, although some may find it a touch cumbersome.  Whilst I am enjoying using these, I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing… there’s nothing about them that particularly stands out to me over other great coverage powders.  Infact, I prefer my MAC MSF Natural to both of these.

Illamasqua Powder Foundation is a sheer/medium coverage powder.  If pressed (no pun intended) my favourite thing about this product would be it’s ‘softness’.  It feels forgiving to any drier patches I have on my skin and never seems to go cakey, no matter how heavy-handed I get.  But for me, the coverage and longevity doesn’t live up to my MSF Natural.

Anyway, that was short but (hopefully) sweet.  Illamasqua Powder Foundation is priced at £21 each and available from counters nationwide or online at ASOS and Debenhams.

What are your favourite Powder foundations?

So the new MUA £1 range has been out in stores for almost a week and I’ve been playing with a couple of items that I was sent.  It’s quite hard to review such bargainous products… it’s difficult to decide whether I cut them a break on the quality front because afterall.. they’re a £1 each… or do I just review them based on whether or not I’d use them again?  I vote in favour of the second option… hard luck MUA.

I’ll start with some of the face products…

The MUA bronzer (I have shade 1) is a sparkle fest, and as a result… quite gritty in texture.  It’s definitely more bronze toned than golden and if shade 1 is the lightest I can’t see it suiting pale tones too well.  I have tried it lightly brushed across my cheeks, but the glitter fall out has left me cold and I won’t be reaching for this again.

A staple for any cosmetic line up is a pressed powder.  I have shade 4, which on my skintone… actually makes a fairly decent matte contour shade.  It’s quite silky to the touch in an old-fashioned Cornsilk kinda way.  It’s also highly scented… powdery, like an old pharmacy.  When I brush over the surface…. a lot of the product is kicked up and sits ontop of the pan which means you need to give your brush a bit of a shake before lifting it to your face to avoid fall out.  It blends quite smoothly though, I’ll certainly be putting this aside for another play next time I can be bothered to contour.

Ahhhh blusher… such a great product for a quick skin pick-me-up.  The best way to describe this is… draw a line between the bronzer and the pressed powder… the blusher lies halfway.  It has the sparkle and the silkiness.  Unfortunately this stuff really flakes when you brush at the surface… I had more product sitting ontop of the pan than ever I did on the brush.  It also suffers a bit when blending, it has a tendency to blend away to nothing if you’re not careful.  The 4 available shades are really rather pretty though.

It’s worth noting that none of the face products contain mirrors in the packaging, I’m sure for obvious cost cutting reasons.  No applicators are included either, which I totally welcome with the eye shadows, but you’d be hard pressd (no pun intended) to achieve much with a pressed powder on the go without a little puff or mirror.

Talking of eyeshadows…

I was sent two of the pearl eyeshadow shades.  One a duochrome purple/blue and the other a pink/lavender shade.  You get a generous 2g of product for your money and these two shades look particularly stunning in the pan.

They’re soft, smooth and well pigmented.  The packaging is cute (prefer these to the face products packaging) and in my opinion a must have if you’re thinking of checking out the range.  I’ve already used the darker shade a few times this week and it’s lovely blended along the lower lashline for a pop of colour.  Thankfully, these don’t appear to be fragranced either.

See that duochrome effect in Shade 9?  Lovely!  I will say that I find these shadows don’t pick up too well with a natural haired brush… so I’ve been using my Aurifere or E.L.F synthetic concealer brushes to apply!

The lipstick packaging remind me a little of the NYX Round Lipsticks with it’s transparent bases… unfortunately, that’s kinda where the similarities end.  These feel greasier and just not as comfortable on the lips.  Shade 1 is a stonking confident creme shade but it wears very unevenly so a lip liner as a base is a must.  Shade 5 is promising in the tube, but delivers very little on the lips.  It’s frosty, but also contains glitter particles… I guess it might work quite nicely as a layering product to take a nude lip from daytime to night time.  Other than that, these are a pass for me.

Ok, what next…

Eyeliner… a beautiful, vibrant blue, almost metallic in appearance.  The applicator is too stiff and scratchy with very little flexibility.  This means that as you’re drawing the line, the product is only really applying at the edges of the applicator… multiple passes are necessary to achieve full opacity.

Once dry, a gentle swipe of my finger lifts great flakes of product from my skin and if that weren’t bad enough… underneath the line?  I’m left with stained skin.  This is a poor product and such a shame because that colour is so pretty and summery.  Let me know if you make this work for you but I’m sure there are much better alternatives on the high street for not much more money.

After those damning comments, I’ll finish with my favourite…

The Eye Dust.  I have Shade 5, which I’ve artfully typo-ed.  First things first, these aren’t going to last longer than 46 seconds on your eyelids without a base of some sort, and you better make it a good one.

But look, how beautiful is this shade?

Combine this with a slick of UDPP or a coloured cream shadow base and you’re gonna get great payoff and a beautifully shimmering neutral shade.  Packaging is irritating, but I’m not gonna let that overshadow what is a lovely eye dust for the money.

Overall, the new MUA range is a bit of a mixed bag… pretty much what I expected it to be.  My tip though?  Go and check out the eyeshadows and eye dusts, I’m delighted with them!

I picked this up on a recent expedition to one of my local Boots stores.

Prestige are originally a US brand, now sold in over 45 countries globally.  Over here, they’re available in larger Boots stores.

When I saw the Skin Loving Minerals Brozing Powders, I was surprised to see one of them so pale in tone… infact, sad old git that I am… I got quite excited and practically skipped to the checkouts.  Although, not before adding half the Bourjois stand to my basket.

Anyway, shopaholic tendencies aside, how does this stack up?

It’s a baked, marbelized pressed powder with a lot of shimmer, but no glitter.  Texture is smooth enough, but not as smooth as some…. I’m thinking of the LE No7 Highlighting Powder which glides like velvet onto the skin (I don’t own it – I think 4 pale gold powder highlighters are quite enough for one makeup addict’s collection – at least that’s the mantra).

I really like the packaging, it’s not fancy… it’s not even particularly pretty, but it feels quite modern and I can’t think of too many producs that are housed in little clear perspex-esque boxes like this.  It’s functional and clean. Thumbs up.

You can see how shimmery it is (maybe the shade name “Pure Shimmer” should have given me… yano… a freaking clue!).  You need a  fairly light touch and I use it as a highlighter not a bronzer… I’m not a discoball.  I think it’s even too shimmery to use on the crests of your facial contours… I wouldn’t want a strip of this running down the bridge of my nose for example…

But, as a highlighter, I really like it.  It imparts a healthy glow and does all that lovely shimmery stuff when you turn your head slightly.  Compared to NARS Albatross, it’s not a bad dupe at all really colour/shimmer-wise.  Mr. L couldn’t tell the difference.  But before I start shouting DUPE Alert left, right and centre… I’ll have a proper look at both under some natural light, I think the Prestige may be a touch more golden…

Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Bronzers are available in 3 shades and are currently on offer in Boots stores nationwide, priced at £6.99 each (a saving of £2 on the RRP)

I’ve been playing with Sleek MakeUP’s new Luminous Pressed Powder which I was sent just over a week ago.

It’s designed to be swept all over your face for a glowing, illuminated effect.

The powder, which is available in 4 shades is packed full of tiny light-reflecting mica pigments.  These are visible in the pan, and whilst very fine – are indeed pretty sparkly!  Unfortunately, the pigments are too fine for my camera to pick up on.  I did try!

I received shade 02, which is far too dark for me to use as an all-over powder – not that that stopped me from trying of course.

Unfortunately, the shade just looked unnaturally dark on my skin.  I can however say that the mica pigments are just about subtle enough to be used all over without looking like a disco ball.

It’s ok!  You can put the dancing shoes away!

I found that it absorbed oil effectively and didn’t clump down the side of my nose as some heavier powders will.

As it’s a golden tone, I am currently using it as a light bronzer just to warm up my skin a little where the sun (if we had any) would touch.  I was a little nervous about putting an illuminating powder on my nose fearing that it may be seen from out of space, but so far visibility is staying below the stratosphere.

Packaging is nice for a budget item, other budget cosmetic companies could learn a thing or two from Sleek MakeUP’s consistently good quality casings.

You can dispense with the silly little powder puff and just use a large fluffy powder brush to pick up the product.

If shimmer ain’t your bag (baby), then I’d refrain from applying it all over and use it more as you would a MAC MSF.  Ooh, actually… bet it would look lovely swept over your decolletage too, it’s a bit more subtle than some products designed to draw a bit of attention to the old boobies.  Make you look less like a slapper and more like a subtley shimmery ladee.  Innit.

It’s a nice addition to the Sleek MakeUP line, it fits right in and is fairly priced at £5.99.

I had the opportunity to have a play with some of the new E.L.F Studio Products which should be available to buy on the website from next week – apparently the container arrives in Southampton at the end of this week.  Southampton you say?  Where’s my band of dandy highway makeup fanatics… huge makeup party at Dock Gate 4 then back to mine for a cup of tea?

No? Oh ok then.

After seeing some of the new products, I have to say… E.L.F are getting all innovative on us (but thankfully, not in a vibrating roll-on type way)

Amongst the new goodies, this one in particular stood out to me.

High Definition Powder… oooooooooooooooooh!  I’m going to look all pore-less and fuzzy round the edges.

Or am I?

Let’s have a look then…

So, we’re basically looking at a mix of dimethicones (silicones like you’d find in primers) and silica.  There’s been some controversy surrounding Silica and it’s use in cosmetics… but after a little google I found this article by The Beauty Brains (love them!).

So, it seems that cosmetic grade Silica is not something we should be too wary of using… although some people do have skin reactions to it, so as always… discontinue immediately if you get any kind of irritations.

I’ve been very impressed with the packaging in the Studio line, it’s solid… well made and does a good job at not showing you up in public.  This is no exception, the box is a chunky, solid screw top affair… nicely minimalistic – all in black with simple white text.

See? Still looking rather sleek isn’t it?  Not bad considering it’s retailing at £6 on the website.  It comes with a powder puff type applicator.  I usually throw these away in favour of using my fluffy powder brush, but the HD powder is *very* finely milled and this applicator manages to contain the flying silica dust really well.  I recommend you give it a go before deciding whether or not you’d rather use a brush.

There’s a nice deep reservoir to contain the powder and the sifter sits securely in the pot.  Overall, I’m pleased with the packaging design… I’m not sure how it would stand up to being dropped, I *think* you might be hoovering for a week… but really, that’s your fault for dropping it in the first place isn’t it.

A quick flip upside downside dispenses a nice, even amount of powder onto the puff.  I’m really liking this puff.. it’s soft, fluffy and bouncy.  The little ribbon/tab thing that you hook your fingers under isn’t annoying tight either so it’s easy to grip onto.

The powder itself is white and very fine…. when rubbed between my fingers I can feel the slippery smoothness of the silica.  If you open the pot to have a look… do be careful not to pick that exact moment in which to sneeze.  Luckily I turned my head just in time and only created a minor dust storm.

On to application…

I applied this powder over the top of my finished makeup… that’s after concealer, foundation and blush.  To apply, I placed the puff in the reservoir and inverted the pot which dispensed a thin even coat of powder onto the puff.  Bringing the puff up to my face I patted the powder over my t-zone.  I pat all loose finishing powders on, never swiping, stroking or buffing.  This stuff is *so* fine that it’s not going to leave big floury patches all over your face that need buffing in.

I noticed that it immediately absorbed any shininess without looking cakey.

To be honest, that was all I noticed…

I was disappointed, I’m not sure what I was expecting… but I wanted to see a little more than just a really good shine absorber.  To be fair to the powder, it was invisible… no ashiness on my very fair skin-tone and a lovely even, matte finish which felt silky to the touch.

It was only when I took some pictures for the review and uploaded them that I became a little more excited.

Please excuse the blotchy nose, I think I’m developing a little rosacea there 🙁  Hopefully it’s just the change in the seasons rather than something more permanent.

Anyway, I digress… as you can see, it’s left the nice, even and matte finish I described.  Nice, but no great shakes… until I zoomed in…

Wait, wait, wait… where have my pores gone?

Let me compare this to the image you thought you’d never have to look at again… sorry… but I have to…

LINK

Can you see the difference?  It’s so hard as a reviewer to explain exactly what I’m seeing… I mean, after 28 years… I *know* my face… I know where I picked a spot age 17 and left a slightly bigger crater, I can pinpoint exactly where that pesky enlarged pore on my cheek is or how deep that fine line is just below my 45th eyelash from the left 😉

What I’m trying to say (in my usual bumbling way) is this HD powder genuinely seems to be achieving something that is pleasing to my eye.  It’s not erasing my pores by any stretch of the imagination but it’s ‘softening’ them.  I think that’s the best way I can describe it.

Maybe all you want to know is… will I be buying this when it runs out?  Yes, yes and yes again.  For me, it works not only as a great finishing powder… but I’m seeing a marked “soft focus” difference in my images.  Basically, it’s doing for me what it’s supposed to do.  It’s living up to the hype of MUFE’s HD Powder at a considerably lower cost to my purse.

Do I notice a huge difference when I look in the mirror?  I’m not sure I do.  But I’ve looked at a few of my older images zoomed in, and I can see it when I compare.  I don’t know what that means… is it only visible in photographs?  That’s just weird and not hugely useful… Maybe it’s a subtle overall soft focus effect and I’m analysing it too closely when I’m looking in the mirror searching out the flaws.  Perhaps I’m able to detach myself a little when I look at a photograph instead.  I don’t know… I’m getting all psychoanalytical now, so I’m just gonna shut up.

Will it work for you? Who knows.. I’ve tried a few soft focus mineral finishing powders (from MMU companies) that have been raved about and I’ve struggled to notice any discernible differences and I really wasn’t expecting to be so pleasantly surprised by this one.

Apologies for my hugely wordy rambling review, but I guess you can tell.  I’m excited by this one.  If you buy it, please let me know how you get on with it.  I hope it works for you.

E.L.F’s HD Powder is available now from the E.L.F website.  If you can wait a couple of weeks, they usually release promo codes on their twitter or facebook page so you can often take advantage of free shipping.