FOTD - Recreating my wedding makeup look

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun? Today we're celebrating our wedding anniversary and although it feels like we got married only yesterday, it's been 5 years already. Traditionally 5 years is considered the Wooden anniversary - maybe that means that Him Indoors will give me a couple of acres of Amazon forest...  Since it's our anniversary I thought it would be fun to recreate the makeup look I was wearing on my wedding day and even though I won't be using exactly the same products, the colors will be very similar.

At the moment I have much more of a tan than I did at my wedding and for an every day look at this time of year I normally wouldn't even bother with foundation, but since I'm making a bit more of an effort with this look I applied the No 7 Instant Radiance Foundation (£12.50) in Wheat. In my opnion the No 7 foundations don't get nearly enough credit and mention in Blogiverse. Not only are they great value for money, but the matching service means that you will definitely get a shade that is as close to your skin tone as possible for a perfect seamless match. The radiance foundation is a lovely and light medium coverage foundation that adds a nice warm and natural glow to your skin but without that heavy, caked feeling on your skin. It's fairly long lasting so it should stand a fair chance during these hot sweltering days we've been having lately. Now, I know that a lot of wedding looks are quite soft, natural and paired down, but I like a defined eye - always have and always will and it's a look I wear most days of the year. So for my wedding makeup I didn't want the complete opposite or something totally out of character since after all, this is the day of all days to feel comfortable and great about yourself, so my makeup artist and I decided to do a lighter version of a defined eye that was still in keeping with what I would usually emphasize, using slightly softer colors

For the eyes I used Avon's True Colour Eyeshasdow Quad Nudes (£9) in Barely There. All of the shades have surprisingly strong pigmentation and the formula is soft and creamy that allows for gradual building up of the colours, which will last the majority of day before you start seeing them fade. As a base for the entire lid I used shade no 2, which is a beautiful muted, dusky rose colour which blends so well with shade no 4 - an intense sepia brown, and on the middle of the lid I added a light sweep of shade no 3, a chamoisee with a beautiful subtle shimmer. I also used shade no 1 as a highlighter and in the inner corner of my eye, and the pale but warm cream colour is a nice contrast to the other colours. I really like these Barely There shades and even though they definitely are on the nude side they don't disappear into the background and are anything but bland. To add some depth and eye definition I applied Rimmel's Soft Khol Kajal Eye Pencil (£2.99) in Sable Brown on the lower waterline. It has a wonderful soft and water resistant formula that stays in place even on the teariest of days, so if you've got a special occasion coming up - give this one a go!

The only mascara for me at the moment, which you'll probably remember from my July favourites,  is Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara (£9.99). Already from the start it has just the right texture, as if it's been used for a while and the wide, firm brush makes it very easy to apply layers upon layers to quickly volumise and shape the lashes as much as you want in a few seconds and the effect is amazing. It's very long lasting but also easy to remove in the evening. I'm very lucky with my eye lashes and even the bottom ones are fairly long, but these days many mascaras with their wacky and strangely shaped wands make it tricky to get a nice and smudge free application. The solution to that issuette is the famous Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara (£13) which has the tiniest brush I've ever seen, making messy lines under your bottom lashes a thing of the past. I prefer to use the shade brown since I personally am not a fan of the lower lashes being too distinct and spider leggy and I think it works well, even with black mascara on the upper lashes.

For my cheeks I used my beloved Sleek MakeUp Blush (£4.49) in the most stunning shade ever - Rose Gold. I love this romantic coral shade with its golden shimmer, that makes your cheeks look so dewy and glowy making it perfect for a romantic occasion. The consistency is silky smooth and blendable and the blusher is so richly pigmented that you only need to dab your brush in it to get enough product for both cheeks - in the photo I've literally just lightly swept the brush over the apples of my cheeks, and as you can see that's more than enough for a radiant finish. When I tried to recreate my wedding day look I wasn't surprised at all to see that I had almost identical shades for all the products but one - the one item that I had to rummage around for was a lip colour and the closest I could find in my stash was the L'Oréal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick (£8.99) in Rose Symphony. This is supposedly a dupe for the fantastic YSL Glossy Stains, and there are definitely a lot of similarities. Let's look at the formula; it's soft, moisturising, silky, non sticky, intensely pigmented and with a brilliant glossy shine and it comes with a great flexible doe foot applicator. It's long lasting and when the shine has faded you're left with a noticeable stain that lasts literally ALL day. It's an excellent product and definitely a more affordable option to YSL. Rose Symphony is a warm vermillion pink shade, and although the colour I wore on my wedding day had more coral in it and the finish was not quite as glossy, the overall look is very similar. I had so much fun recreating the look again and now I'm off to pack a bag since apparently I'm going away somewhere, and I mustn't forget to take all these items with me so I can create the same look for this evening.

July favourites

Since I had to cut down on my blogging in June and earlier this month I haven't actually done a monthly favourites for a little while although except for the EdT I have a feeling that they would have been pretty much the same in June too. My routines have changed quite a lot over the past few months, partly because of the weather and partly because I'm on the road a lot more than I used to. Because of the sunny weather and since I love to be outdoors as much as possible to catch some rays, my main concern has been to make sure that I've been wearing some great sun lotion, and the product I've used the most is the lovely Hawaiian Tropic Sensitive Face Sun Lotion SPF30 (£12.60). It has just the right consistency for the face; light, silky and sheer without clogging up the pores and since it's for sensitive skin it's also free of oils and fragrance that could potentially cause irritation in the sun. The lotion absorbs quickly into the skin making it feel not only protected from those pesky UVA and UVB, but also moisturised and smooth. The only thing is that I don't think it's water resistant, at least it doesn't feel that way so I would definitely recommend that you re-apply several times a day, especially if you've gone for a cooling dip in the pool.

After a post sun shower to freshen up I've loved to use the Avon Shea Butter and Chocolate Truffle Body Soufflé, First of all it smells absolutely divine of chocolate mousse and even if like me you're not a chocolate lover you might find that you have to really stop yourself from testing it to check if it's as yummy as it smells.... hrmm - did I reveal too much there...? Anyway, this body product has a wonderful whipped, light and creamy texture that feels amazing on the skin, and it absorbs quickly without leaving any sensation of tackiness. What I like most about the soufflé, except for the chocolate scent is that it makes the skin ever so slightly radiant with a rose gold shine, which makes it perfect for summer use to emphasise tanned skin. As far as I know it's not available in the current Avon campaigns, but you can easily find it on eBay (£6.75), and I'll definitely stock up on it when I've finished up this one.

So the skin's looking radiant and bronzed, and since I've been on the go so much these past few months I haven't bothered with foundation or tinted moisturiser - all I've done is sweep my very used MUA Bronzer (£1) in shade 1 over my face for a natural, healthy looking glow. I know I've raved about this ridiculously affordable bronzer before - I need to start testing another brands... but for me it's just brilliant. The product is light and finely milled so it's easy to work with and to build up a stronger bronzed tone if you wish, the shade is sunny and natural without too much orange and it lasts fairly well throughout the day. I would say that you probably do need to buff up the colour after about 5 hrs, but then again considering the price, it's not the end of the world. If you haven't tried any MUA products before, this is the one to get and don't be surprised if you find yourself repurchasing it over and over again - I have, about 4 times...

Sticking with the quick and easy makeup theme, let's have a look at the the products that I have worn every single day without fail in July. I've been on a bad mascara streak, having tested several budget friendly products and not  been impressed with a single one of them, but finally there was a glimmer in the mascara dark with the  Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara (£9.99). It has just the right texture that I like and that usually doesn't come until the mascara is near it's end, i.e. it's liquid enough but a tiny bit sticky, which makes it easy to build up volume and length if you apply several coats. As with every other mascara these days it comes with a special "unique brush with spherical (and straight) bristles to wrap every lash in a 360° motion", I guess that means that the brush is supposed to make sure that you get colour on all sides of your lashes. Even though I'm not too sure about that statement, I do know that the brush is quite wide, firm and great to work with to shape the lashes for a wonderful volumised effect with luscious separated lashes. This was a complete impulse purchase, but I'm so glad that I decided to take a chance on it since it's the best mascara I've tried since I fell in love with L'Oréal's False Lash Flutter Mascara (the butterfly one). Thank you Bourjois for restoring my faith in affordable mascaras!

 

My preferred daily lippy has been Revlon's ColorBurst Matte Balm (£7.99) in Unapologetic which I recently did a review on that you can read here, so I won't go into more details about it except to say that the colour is the most perfect vibrant coral pink, perfect for a one-product look lounging by the pool. As you probably know I tend to wear different perfumes every single day to suit my mood, outfit etc so although I haven't exactly worn this gem every day, it's still a definite favourite this month. Ever since I first stumbled across Thierry Mugler's Alien EdT, I have looked forward to every new edition, and I have never been disappointed, they have all been outstanding! This season's newcomer - Alien Eau Extraordinaire EdT (£68) is no exception. As usual the bottle is very interesting with its beautifully cut angles and pale gold details for a glamorous outer space look and feel. It's a fresh, sparkling, sunny and harmonious fragrance mixing sweet Tunisian neroli, citrusy bergamot, elegant white tiare flower and warm amber. It's a very confident, poised and delightful scent and I always feel happy and pampered wearing it, and for warm sunny days - what could be more fitting than a warm sunny scent? That's the end to almost two month's of favourites... as much as I love them now I have a feeling that they won't be the same in August, but as I always say - it's a girl's prerogative to change her mind!

Face Five Challenge

Last year I did a post that counted how many products I used every day (you can read it here), and at the time 11 out of the products I'd used that day were related to makeup. So when the lovely Lauren at Will Sing for Makeup tagged me to do this challenge which is about creating a full face look using only 5 items (how CRUEL is that) I had to think long and hard about what I was going to use, which wasn't easy since I had to follow these rules:

1. Use only 5 products to create a complete makeup look

2. Each different product counts as 1 product. Multipurpose products count as 1 product, such as Benetint, Bombshell the One Stick, Nars Multipurpose Stick. 
3. No palettes are allowed. No trios, quads or multi-shade palettes.
4. Tag Five others to complete the Face Five Challenge

The key to get through this TAG for me clearly was to find great multi purpose products, so let's have a look at what I came up with. First of all I quickly eliminated primers and makeup setting sprays and for a while I even toyed with the idea of not using a foundation since my skin has been behaving pretty well lately, however since I was asked to create a complete makeup look I guess foundation should be included. To make sure that I didn't need to use a concealer I needed a foundation with medium to full coverage and you probably won't be surprised to hear that I decided to go with my beloved YSL Forever Youth Liberator Foundation (£37). I love so many things about this foundation; that it gives super coverage and still feels so lovely and light on the skin, that it includes skin care elements that drip feed the skin throughout the day, the long wear and the subtle glow that it gives. Deciding on foundation was an easy choice, but after that it got a bit more tricky and I thought of all kinds of product combinations that would do what I needed - could I use mascara on my brows? would it work with using a lip chubby on my eyes?

In the end I thought I would play it more safe and to go for a natural look using browns and corals. On my eyes I went for a Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow (£6.99) in shade 16 Orange Epicew, which is a lovely golden cinnamon color, and I love how it brings out blue eyes. The Little Round Pots are wonderful eye shadows bases - they are soft and easy to work with and you can be creative with the intensity of color using them wet or dry. I used the Rimmel Soft Khol Kajal Eye Pencil (£2.99) to line both the upper lid and the waterline. I really like using a brighter color on the waterline for a lovely contrast, but if I were to stick with the multi purpose product approach I don't think that my eye brows would look good in green or purple so in stead I went for the shade 011 Sable. It's a lovely soft and blendable texture and it's long lasting, which is always a plus when you wear it on the waterline. Since it's so soft it worked surprisingly well on my eye brows, although the color is a bit darker than I would usually go for. Mascara is a must wear for me if I'm going for a complete makeup look and since this 5 product look would be fairly natural and subtle I applied the YSL Babydoll Mascara (£24.50) in Brown for wonderful long, volumized lashed. I really love this mascara and the brush is great for reaching every single little lash which creates a very full and wide eyed look. 

Now I only had 1 more product left to use, but this was another easy decision for me since the last product I had in mind is a true 2-in-1 product - Benefit's Cha Cha Tint Lip and Cheek Stain (£24.50). When I first got this little product I thought the color was stunning but I was a bit worried about applying it. It's a creamy liquid tint that you blend into your cheeks but if you just take your take time and use tiny amounts to build the color up until it's right for you, it's very easy to use. The shade is a beautiful coral shade that sets into a lovely matte finish and it's very long lasting. I would usually only wear this on my cheeks since I prefer to use a very moisturising lip product, and although the color is very pretty, and if feel light when you apply it the formula isn't hydrating enough for me to wear as a lippy on regular basis. 

This was fun but surprisingly hard to do and I really had to plan which products I would use. The learning point I guess is that you can actually get by with fewer products - but why would you to yourself when there are so many goodies waiting to be tried out! As usual everyone is welcome to join in and I'd also love to see what the following lovelies can come up with using only 5 products:

Anoushka from Anoushka Loves

Catherine from Catherine Loves

Laura from Petit Moi Big World

Sarah from MyBeautySleuth

Shubha from Blue Velvet Addict

Have a wonderful day everyone! Xx

Eyeliner romance with Bourjois Liner Feutre

I have a thing about eyeliners or maybe it's more of a love/hate relationship. Out of all the amazing makeup looks you can create I absolutely adore a chic feline flick and wearing eyeliner is an easy way to subtly introduce some color without making too bold a statement. As much as I love eyeliners I am unfortunately not very good at applying them and even though I take my time and carefully plan the look, I rarely seem to get that perfect flick that others seem to master perfectly - and when I do manage to get it looking decent it's more out of luck than anything else. For that reason I prefer to use felt tip liners with as fine a tip as possible, so that I have as much control as possible of the amount of product that goes on, and also so that I can at least try and be precise with the shaping of the line. Another stumbling block in my relationship with eyeliners is that quite often I'll apply the eyeliner in the morning, think it's dried and set well and I'll get on with my day only to discover horrific black grey smudges in the crease of the eyelid throughout the day... does this sound familiar? By now I've tried quite a lot of eyeliners in the pursuit of feline flick happiness, and although my relationship with many of them has started out rosy and full of promise, they all usually turn sour at some point. That is at least up until now...

A few weeks ago I quite unexpectedly came across a new eyeliner - I wasn't really looking for something new since I was still recovering from my latest disappointment, but when I saw the Bourjois Liner Feutre (£6.99) it was lust at first sight. It's a felt tip liner in a very slim, sleek and handy format that will easily fit into even the smallest of clutch bags and it comes in 4 different colors; Black, Ultra Black, Noir Violine and Noir Moka. After some swatching I just couldn't say no to the beautiful and silky aubergine color of 12 Noir Violine and the velvety tawny copper shade of 14 Noir Moka.

The felt tip is very fine and so soft that you hardly need to apply any pressure at all to get a lovely even line in a single stroke, and for me to accomplish that is saying something. The eyeliner dries very quickly into a glossy and polished look with phenomenal pigmentation, but even better is the wear. It stays solidly as a rock in place exactly where you've applied it (so you had better get it right...) all day long without any smudging or creasing, and although it doesn't claim to be water resistant (it's probably too shy to brag about all its excellent qualities) you could probably even go swimming with it without it showing, and you'll need a gentle but effective eye makeup remover to take it off. Bourjois Liner Feutre and I just click, but then again what's not to like - the shades all have a gorgeous silky glossiness, it's so easy to apply with beautiful definition and it's lovely to wear. I know it's still early days for this budding romance, but I think I might finally have found true eyeliner love!

Natural edition

As you know I love to experiment with different colors for makeup and nails, but sometimes it's also really nice to strip everything away and go back to basics for a very natural look. But what does natural actually look like? I associate natural with colors that are similar to my skin tone like buff, beige, tan and wheat, but at the same time no one wants to look washed out or anonymous. Isn't it ironic how the "no makeup" makeup look really is quite difficult to do, and how we take great care to apply products and shades, sometimes lots of them that make us look as if we have absolutely nothing on? Regardless, here are some of my favorite products to achieve that deceptively effortless natural look.

A great foundation is the base for all makeup, and it's even more important when you're going for a nude, bare-faced look and for me the YSL Serum Foundation (£37) is perfect for achieving a flawless radiant look. Since I have reviewed this foundation before (see here) I won't go into too much detail, but it's a wonderful product that combines anti-aging and rejuvenating skincare with a medium-full color correcting foundation coverage. The formula has just the right light weight consistency and it's easy to blend into your skin using either fingers or a brush for a subtle and natural radiance. This is a very long lasting product and on me the coverage lasts about 9-10 hrs without any need to correct and it also moisturises the skin throughout the day. There's no denying that this is a luxurious product, but when you barely wear anything on your skin it's even more important to be 100% confident in the product that you do wear, and YSL makes your skin look and feel amazing.

The high street is filled with lots of wonderful eyeshadows, but finding one in a light natural shade with decent pigmentation can be difficult, but one of my favorites is the Bourjois Little Round Pot (£6.99) in 08 Beige Rose. For me this is such a classic and reliable makeup product and I have tried lots of different shades and effects and I've always been happy with the results. The powder is very soft and fine, but it doesn't crumble and it's easy to apply and blend. This shade is a great warm sheer vanilla color with a slight pink undertone and shimmer that looks very light luminous and natural on - perfect for an au naturel look.

Having found a great natural looking eyeshadow, you want to make it stay on as long as possible, and to help with that I use the amazing Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (£15) that helps your makeup last all day. The consistency is wonderfully smooth, creamy and quick drying and with this product a little goes a long way, so you could say that it's long lasting in more than one way e.g. I've had mine for almost a year... It comes in four different versions; the transparent original and three others that all have a very subtle color. I absolutely love the shade Eden, which is a nude matte color that looks so natural that sometimes I have even worn it just on its own on the lid without any eye shadow.

One of the easiest and best tricks to achieve a wide-eyed fresh and natural look is to apply an eye pencil on the lower waterline in a light shade. You can go for white if you wish, but personally I think that a nude shade works even better. Lately I've been using the Isadora Inliner Kajal in Blonde which is a soft and creamy kajal, and although it's not specifically smudge- or waterproof it's very resistant to daily wear and it stays put for hrs before you need to touch it up so it's perfect to use on the upper or lower waterline to add that little extra brightness to the eyes.

From left to right:

L'Oréal Color Riche Collection Privée Lipstick - Julianne Moore

Isadora Inliner Kajal - Blonde

Bourjois Eyeshadow - Rose Beige

For me the tricksiest product to find for a perfect no make up look, is a nude lipstick. I see so many brown and pale shades that look amazing on others, but they rarely work on me and most of the time I look completely washed out. So when the L'Oréal Color Riche Collection Privée (£8.19) was released I thought: finally, I'll be able to find a shade that's wearable. There are six different nude shades intended for different skintones, all embodied by a different celebrity spokesperson and since my colorings are fairly similar to Doutzen Kroes' that was the shade I immediately honed in on. As lovely as it was, it didn't however tick all the boxes for me and in the end I ended up with the Julianne Moore shade which is a very grown up and sophisticated gorgeous delicate peachy pink with a brown undertone. The formula is creamy and moisturising, and it wears really well throughout the day even after eating and drinking. The only thing I don't like about this product is the typical L'Oréal lipstick taste that I find quite plastic, strong and old fashioned, but the shade is absolutely stunning and for me it's also the first nude shade ever that I'm actually comfortable and confident wearing. I like it so much that I've already bought a few spare ones, just in case this limited edition disappears from the shelves any time soon - which would be a real shame.

Last in this row of natural looking products is a nail polish that I picked up fairly recently - it's the  Maybelline Color Show Nude Nail Polish (3.99) in the shade In Your Flesh. It's a wonderful, classic nude shade that creates the illusion of longer fingers and it's a very clean, understated and chic look that would go with most outfits. The formula is a little bit thicker than most nail polishes, but despite this it's actually very easy to apply evenly and even though nude colors are by nature quite sheer, the formula is pigmented enough that you'll get a nice opaque look after two coats. Since I'm going for a paired down finish, I'm not wearing a top coat in the photos and there's enough shine in the polish for a fresh natural sheen. The polish will last for about 3 days before you need to touch it up and it's nice and easy to remove.

It's taken me a while to find products in nude shades that I'm comfortable in wearing and that look just like my natural colors - only better. After many frustrating visits to MAC I have also accepted that more often than not, the most popular nude shades don't work as well on me as they might do on others and I've had to look for other color options. But a natural look doesn't have to be just beige colored and the key to carry it off and to avoid a bland, non descript appearance - is to find products that work with your own skin tone, that blend in seamlessly and that also enhance your colors in a subtle "je ne sais quoi" way. Have you found the colors that work for you? What are your favorite natural shades?

December favourites

It's almost the end of December and there's been so much to like about this month. From a beauty point of view I think I knew already at the beginning of the month at least 3 products that I would be wearing non stop and loving in December and they are all unfortunately limited editions, specially for Christmas. If you're read some of my earlier posts in December, some of the favourites this month won't come as a surprise to you - let's start with the make up products that have been used more often than not. 

I've added a few new products to my make up bag this season and one of the products I've loved the most in December is the amazing Gelée Powder EyeShadow from Estée Lauder (£19). Overall I really enjoy using these lightweight creamy eye shadows and this particular product takes the formula to the next level in terms of quality, intensity and longevity. The consistency is wonderfully smooth and creamy to apply and it quickly dries into a powder form that wears really well for at least the next 8 hrs. This lovely shade is Cyber Red, an intense and vibrant metallic cranberry shade that's been wonderful for a berry winter look.

Another new addition this season is a few new shades of the Color Boost Lip Crayon from Bourjois (£7.99). As you'll probably know by now I absolutely love this formula that not only gives a great satin like smooth coverage but also moisturises and keeps the lips nice and cared for. In December I've worn the shade Rouge a lot, it's a lovely scarlet red that's been perfect to wear with a winged eyeliner look.

So I've loved some of the new additions to my makeup bag this month, but I've also rediscovered an old favourite, which is almost as nice as picking up something new, in Rimmel's Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow (£4.49) in the shade Smokey Quartz. It's a nice and silky powder formula that's easy to apply on the lid and to build for intense color without any fall out and it lasts for at least 5-6 hrs without any creasing. The shade Smokey Quartz is a lovely slightly shimmery soft nougat, which is perfect to wear on its own all over the lid or as a base color. It's a great every day eye shadow and after having reminded myself of how much I actually like it, I will now definitely pick up some more shades of it.

 

From left to right (in natural light):

Rimmel Eye Shadow - Smokey Quartz

Estée Lauder Gel Eye Shadow - Cyber Red

Bourjois Lip Crayon - Rouge

At the beginning of December I mentioned that I had already found my favourite nail polish, which was quite a statement to make considering I also had the wonderful Ciaté advent calendar to look forward to - but as it turns out, I was right! I have worn the gorgeous Nails Inc Kensington Church Street Snowflake Effect nail polish (£10.80) almost every single day in December in one combination or another. It is a polish, however I think it's best used as a top coat since it's rich with glitter and sequins that look like snowflakes, and you could probably wear this over any color and the effect would be dazzling and beautiful. Personally I've preferred to wear it over icy cool pastels shades in light frosty blue or metallic foil like silver or gold shades for a festive look. This is a limited edition polish that has sold out in most places where they stock Nails Inc, but if you hurry up, you might be able to get hold of it in your local Nails Inc Bar, Boots or online - and believe me, it's definitely worth a little bit of effort to hunt it down!

I'm sure you won't be surprised to see that the Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel (£10.95) and EdT (£25 for 30 ml) have landed themselves a very safe spot amongst my December Favourites. As you probably know by now Snow Fairy is released every year by Lush as part of their Christmas collection and ever since I first tried it many, many moons ago it's been a firm Lush favourite of mine. Snow Fairy is a one of a kind scent that somehow manages to be both sweet and freshly crisp and fruity at the same time. It has a very distinct candy like bubblegum scent with a subtle warm undertone of white musk which makes is perfect to wear in the winter time. The shower gel has a rich and creamy texture with a lovely pink shimmery color and the beautiful scent lasts a few hrs on your skin after you've used it, perhaps even up to about 4 hrs when you layer it with the EdT.

I'm so glad I stocked up on Snow Fairy as soon as it was released since as with a lot of seasonal favourites, it sold out very quickly and unfortunately neither the shower gel nor the EdT are available from the Lush online store anymore, but you might get lucky and still find Snow Fairy in your local Lush or of course on eBay. What seasonal or limited editions do you have as part of your December favourites?

Autumn makeup bag

A couple of months ago I did a post on what was in my Summer's makeup bag and since I've really tried to be more seasonal this year - changing up shades and products much more than I usually do, I thought I would show you the products I've been using the most since the beginning of October and even though there are some new additions, you will probably also recognise a few products that have been reviewed separately.

Let's start with the products I've been using for my foundation and the first one is the YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation (£37) in shade B30 Beige. It's a medium to full coverage foundation that has built in anti-aging ingredients to help regeneration of the skin cells. I know I have raved about this in a few other posts and I'm sorry for repeating myself but since it is the foundation I use every day now, it had to be in here. It has a wonderful texture that's easy to blend into your skin, and despite giving fuller coverage it feels light and natural on the skin. The finish has a lovely radiant glow and it's very long lasting without any transfer or smudging. It's a luxury item, but as you know for me it's important to get the foundation right and it's definitely the best foundation I've ever used.

The foundation does give fuller coverage but I still like to use a light concealer as well, and my go-to product is Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer(£5.49). The concealer gives great seamless coverage that brightens and illuminates, and it's light enough to work really well under the eyes as well. Just like the foundation it's long lasting and when I use both setting spray and powder I find that I don't need to do any corrections at all until early evening - brilliant for such an affordable product.

Before setting with powder, I'll spray a couple of spritzes of a makeup setting spray and about a month ago I swapped my Urban Decay De-Slick spray for the All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (£9). The De-slick spray worked well for me, it's just that I don't really have a big issue with oil control and since I'm more into long lasting products, it made sense to try this one too - and I'm so pleased that I did. It's a lovely fine spray without any scent at all that lowers the temperature of the makeup so that it stays in place longer. The spray feels very cooling and refreshing on the skin and even though I still haven't found a setting spray that lasts more than 8 hrs, it does help to keep everything where it should be, minimising any smudging, especially if you also apply a little after you've completely finished your makeup.

I'm a bit late to the party when if comes to Soap & Glory products in general, and it's not until this year that I've tried quite a few from the body care range. Since I was so impressed with the products I've also picked up a few makeup items. The first one is the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot (£12) which I got after my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder broke when I was traveling. I was a huge fan of the Rimmel powder and never really thought I would change allegiance to another brand, but having tried One Heck of a Blot there's no going back! It's a lovely, super light translucent mattifying powder that controls any excess oil or shininess, and it leaves the skin looking and feeling ultra soft and matte without any build up. I'll dab a little of it over my nose and cheeks after I've used the Urban Day setting spray and I find that my look will last at least 5-6 hrs before first signs of shininess appear.

When it comes to my eye makeup I've still kept it quite straight forward as usual, but I've swapped my golden, peachy shades for a more muted look. A great example of that is the Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow in 54 Marron Glace(£6.99). It's a lovely chocolate brown with a tiny bit of shimmer that I've really enjoyed wearing during the day, just applying a light wash all across the lid and then eyeliner. I think it's difficult to find an eyeliner with just the right consistency, but I've been happy with the Rimmel Scandaleyes Thick & Thin Liner (£5.49) in black and since it has a slant to the tip it's easy to use to create either a heavy winged liner, or something a little bit more subtle. The eyeliner is waterproof and long lasting and applies easily without any tugging on the lid. Since I have used this for quite a while now, it is unfortunately beginning to get much drier though and it's more difficult to use for precision application, so I'll probably need to pick up a new one in a few weeks.

The other shade I have used non stop is the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate (£4.99). To be honest I picked this up already in August but it was just sitting in my make up bag staring it me saying: "When are you going to use me?", since I wasn't confident in the shade and what it would look like on. As soon as I saw that gorgeous rich, shimmery deep vibrant cranberry red shade I knew I just had to have it, but I was struggling a bit with figuring out what to do with it. The formula is creamy, easy to apply, has great staying power without creasing and the red shade is so much easier to wear than you might think. I use this dabbed very lightly all over the lid, or in combination with a taupe color to add shape and depth to the outer part of the lid. I was worried the shade might make my eyes look sore or smaller, but it's absolutely stunning and it brings out my eyes - a great choice for autumn.

On to my most worn mascara, and it's the lovely butterfly effect False Lash Flutter from L'Oréal (£10.99). The mascara lengthens the lashes, volumises and flares the lashes outward with the help of the double winged butterfly brush. It takes a few attempts to figure out how to best work with the brush, and for me I actually apply the mascara from the outer corner and inwards to get a nice coverage of the outer lashes. The effect is beautiful - you'll have looooong silky lashes with an intense color and a lovely angled effect that opens up the eye.   

Left to right (In natural light):

Bourjois Eyeshadow - 54 Marron Glace

Maybelline 24 Hrs Colour Tattoo - Metallic Pomegranate

Left and top to bottom (In artificial light):

HD Brow Blusher - Shade 2

Bourjois Eyeshadow - 54 Marron Glace

Maybelline 24 Hrs Colour Tattoo - Metallic Pomegranate

Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker Lip Gloss - Raplumzel

 

Left and top to bottom (In natural light):

HD Brow Blusher - Shade 2

Bourjois Eyeshadow - 54 Marron Glace

Maybelline 24 Hrs Colour Tattoo - Metallic Pomegranate

Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker Lip Gloss - Raplumzel

I've also swapped my Collection eye brow pencil to a Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil (£2.99) in Blonde. It does the trick, but I like my eye brow pencils to be soft and easy to work with, so that it doesn't feel as if you're drawing your eyebrows on, and unfortunately the pencil is quite hard and not waxy enough for me, which makes it more difficult to get two sisters. I won't be buying this pencil again and next time I think I might even brave the world of eye brow kits and use a shadow instead. 

For some color on my cheeks I've also swapped my usual coral shade for a softer, dusty pink (Shade 2) from HD Brow Blusher (£17.95) which I actually got in one of the better Glossyboxes. The blusher has a lovely fine texture and is highly pigmented - you only need to dab your brush in the blusher to get incredible pay off. I learned that the hard way, and clown cheeks are never a good look! The muted shade is perfect for the berry shade of colors I've been using lately together with a fairly pale skin, and it gives just the right amount of everyday glamour.

If you read my Chubbimania post, you'll know that I've been all about the chubby sticks this season and out of the new shades I've bought lately, my most loved one is the Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick (£8) in Raplumzel. It has a lovely subtle vanilla candy scent and it has that wonderful super moisturising formula with quite strong pigmentation that gives such a beautiful creamy finish that lasts a long time and wears well. The gloss stick is enriched with a plumping complex of collagen pre-peptides that gives an instant plumping effect, but without that tingling feeling (they call it the Buzz-free formula, how cute is that...). The shade Raplumzel is a soft wonderful dark raspberry shade, and it's been perfect for me to follow the berry trend but without it being too vampy.

This is the first time I've updated my make up with completely new shades to make it seasonal, and I've actually really enjoyed it. In December I'll make some more smaller changes e.g. I'll be wearing a lot more red lip products - predictable I know, but Christmas is coming after all and I'm already looking forward to introducing new shades again in the Spring time.

Chubbymania

Since Clinique launched the original chubby stick, we now have chubbys for eyes as well as cheeks and lips, and every self respecting brand has joined in and come up with their own version of it. Initially I wasn't actually that keen on the format, but that was before I had tried any of them, and now I'm completely bitten, smitten and can't get enough of them. When the time came for me to update my lip colors for this season there were so many new releases of the lip chubby that I ended of with quite a selection of shades from different brands.  

Let's start with the product that really ignited this passion for the lip chubby for me, the Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon (£7.99). I've mentioned the Bourjois Lip Crayons and how much I love them soooo many times before so I'll try not to go on too much about these, but they have an amazingly moisturising formula that feels so light and lovely to wear. Regardless of which color you get (and I know since I have the entire range now), the finish is smooth, highly pigmented and glossy without being sticky and it's very long lasting and in the evening the lips feel nourished and soft. I bought both of the new shades for the season and the first one is Prune - a dark plummy purple red. This is much darker than I would usually wear, and I was a bit sceptical to start with, but it actually works really well with a fairly bare eye for a "Russian princess in the winter" kind of look and it's not too vampy or gothic either. The second Bourjois shade is in Rouge, which is a creamy, smooth rich venetian red that is very glamorous and I like to wear this with neutral brown eye makeup for a vibrant statement lip. A beautiful shade for the Christmas season!

 

From left to right (Indoors in artificial light):

Bourjois Colour Boost - Prune

17 Lip Crayon - Heartbreaker

Bourjois Colour Boost - Rouge

Rimmel Colour Rush Balm - Not an illusion

 Isadora Twist Up Lipstick - Sugar Crush

From left to right (Indoors in natural light):

Bourjois Colour Boost - Prune

17 Lip Crayon - Heartbreaker

Bourjois Colour Boost - Rouge

Rimmel Colour Rush Balm - Not an illusion

 Isadora Twist Up Lipstick - Sugar Crush

Next up is a 17 Lip Crayon (£4.99) in the shade Heartbreaker. I bought this because the description made it seem very similar to the Bourjois Lip crayon, and I was curious to compare the two. This is also very moisturising, it feels lovely on the lips and it gives a lovely natural shine. The main difference is that the 17 Lip Crayon isn't as pigmented as the Bourjois ones, so you need to apply quite a lot to get a good coverage. Another thing that set them apart is that the 17 product doesn't wear or fade very well, and while the Bourjois fades evenly this one leaves more of a patchy look after a few hrs of wear and tear. Saying that though, the shades in the range are lovely e.g. Heartbreaker is a beautiful muted burgundy red that looks gorgeous on, and since it's not strongly pigmented the finish is much more wearable and subtle than it looks in the crayon. I really like the shade and would definitely recommend the 17 Lip Crayon as a purse friendly option.

Another chubby newbie (at least for me) is the Rimmel Colour Rush Balm and I have the admit that the reason I got this was because of this gorgeous shade called Not an illusion. Rimmel have an amazing range of high quality lip products so I'm not at all surprised that they also have a wonderful lip chubby. It hydrates the lips, is barely noticeable on the lips, has long lasting wear and the pigmentation is great. This shade is a nice warm dusky rose shade that is so wearable and works with most looks and outfits.

The last chubby today in my growing collection is one I reviewed previously at the start of November - the Isadora Twist Up Gloss Stick. Similarly to the others the formula is very moisturising and plumping, however it doesn't have the same great coverage as some of the others, although it wears well and it gives a lovely natural and glossy finish. The shade Sugar Crush is completely different from the others in that it's a much more delicate, and I guess in a way, summery shade. It's a warm, sheer and slightly shimmery salmon pink with a slight blue undertone that looks lovely with a heavy, smokey eye. 

All of these products are wonderfully moisturising and long lasting, and most of them have great pigmentation to create a lovely satin look and as you can see you can see there's a wide range of shades available. Clinique may be the original chubby stick, but as there are so many great quality budget friendly options available, there's no need to splurge unless you really want to.

Bourjois Color Edition 24H Eyeshadow

I recently picked up some new make up in a giant Autumn haul from Boots, and one of the items I got was the Bourjois Color Edition 24H Eyeshadow (£6.99). As many of you will know by now, I have become a huge fan of Bourjois and think they have really outdone themselves this year in terms of new products and shades. I was very excited to see the release of cream eye shadows a few months back since I have thoroughly enjoyed the Maybelline version and of course I was curious to see Bourjois' take on this incredibly popular concept. 

The eye shadow comes in a plastic packaging that's nothing fancy, but still quite sleek and stylish in its simplicity. Since it's plastic instead of glass it's not very bulky or heavy, and you can easily carry it with you in a makeup bag or even a slim evening bag. The formula is one of those that go from cream to powder when it's dried so you need to work fairly quickly when you apply it. It's incredibly creamy to apply, completely effortless and with a very light sweep of your fingertip you'll get great coverage that feels velvety smooth on the eyelid. It's simply lovely to work with and because it's so light, it's also easy to build up the color intensity and still get a nice even finish, without any creasing.

After it's dried the eye shadow will pretty much stay put for most of the day. I know that it claims to stay on for 24 hrs, but on me I notice that it fades a little bit after 6-7 hrs and still I wear a primer, a light dust of powder and setting spray as well. To me this isn't an issue though since the eye shadow fades evenly and there's no horrible creasing or fall out and it only takes a few second to touch up if needed.

The eye shadow currently comes in six different shades, and most of them are neutral - taupe, bronze, grey and dusky pink and if you're looking for something a little bit different you also have the option of a blue and green. I got the shade Khaki Cheri, which is a beautiful golden moss green with a bronze metallic sheen which for me makes a nice change to the browns I've been wearing this autumn and I think it also works really well with a berry lip. I'm very impressed by the pigmentation of it - one quick dip of your fingertip creates a look of a subtle shimmery green and if you build it up, you'll get the intense color you see in the photos.

I absolutely love this eyeshadow because of it's ultra light and smooth consistency that's so pleasant and luxurious to apply and I'm so looking forward to trying some of the other shades, and I sincerely hope that Bourjois will add new shades to this range very soon. 

 Artificial light without flash

 Daylight without flash

It is impossible to talk about this product without also comparing it to the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR cream eye shadows, so I'll try and sum it up in a few key points:

- The Bourjois packaging is less bulky and lighter than the Maybelline glass jar
- Maybelline is £2 cheaper than Bourjois - might also be dependent on where you buy it
- Bourjois has a smoother consistency and is easier to apply to the eye without having to rub
- Bourjois has a drier cream texture that dries quicker and is less sticky than Maybelline
- For me personally neither Bourjois nor Maybelline lasts 24 hrs - it's more like 5-6 hrs wear, but I have the feeling that Bourjois lasts a little bit longer, perhaps because of the drier consistency. 
- Maybelline has a wider range of shades available

Ultimately Maybelline and Bourjois both have great cream eye shadows and for the moment I will continue to use both of them in parallel. I think it's nice to see other brands challenging Maybelline's complete domination of the purse friendly cream eye shadows, and if Bourjois extends their range of colors - make up addicts have a lot to look forward to. Let the battle of the shadows commence! 

Autumn haul from Boots

You know how a picture says a thousand words? Guess what mine says - yep, HAUL!!! It's always nice to go browsing in the beauty stores, but as I am a very organised person I usually come with a shopping list that I at least pretend to try and stick to. I always have the most fun when I haven't planned on buying anything at all and I have a completely open mind to what might come my shopping basket way. As you can see my mind must have been wide open on this occasion, since I managed to pickup a LOT of stuff.

Let's start with the eye products! For me Bourjois has been on a real winning streak this year and produced some excellent products and as fan of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos I obviously wanted to try the Bourjois' version, Color Edition 24h Eyeshadow. Since I'm trying a few new things with my makeup this season I didn't want to be predictable and go for the usual taupes and bronzes and instead went for Khaki Cheri, which is a gorgeous warm golden bronzed green. I haven't even tried it yet, but I already love it and really hope that the wear is as great as what you get from Maybelline. I also picked up a few classical Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow to use for a quick and simple day wear, all across the lid with eyeliner. I chose the shades 16 Orange Epice, a warm golden cinnamon and 54 Marron Glace a genuine chocolate brown with some faint shimmer.

This year I'm really trying to be more seasonal with the colors I use in my makeup, introducing some berry shades and purples. The L'Oréal Colour Riche Quad is perfect for that with its four perfectly matched, tonal mauves which I think will work well with blue eyes. I have tried a few other palettes this year and while I've liked most of them, there's almost always been pigmentation issues with the lighter shades, so fingers crossed that all four will work for me.

Still on the purple theme - I also got the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick in Paranoid Purple. I've only tried this on very quickly and a more detailed review will follow later on, but it feels very soft and should glide on without too much tear, and the purple shade certainly is a bold statement - wow is all I say for now. 

 

This is the bit I'm slightly embarrassed about. As you may know I have recently suffered a loss of a much loved lipstick, and I can only blame grief for the ridiculous amount of lip products I managed to buy in one go. I'm clearly looking for a substitute... but in my defense I did get them in a variety of shades and types. 

The first one is one from the the collection Kate Moss created for Rimmel - Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipsticks which I have heard so many great things about. It's not a huge range of colors available, but they are all very wearable and I decided on shade 16, which is a light and creamy coral pink that's supposed to last up to 8 hrs.

A while back I did a review of the YSL Glossy Stain which is a firm favourite of mine now, and at the time I got a few recommendations to try the L'Oréal Glamshine Stain Splash which is a High Street dupe for it. Again there aren't very many shades to choose from in this range, so I went for shade 200 Princess, which is a lively glossy coral and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it measures up against YSL.

Having indulged in a few coral shades which I'm always most naturally drawn to, I thought I would also get some autumn colors. The first two are both Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayons. Ever since I first tried these earlier this year I've worn the Spring & Summer shades a lot and I really like the formula combining shine and moisture and find them great to wear. When I saw the new shades of the season of course I had to get them as well. Rouge is a lovely soft and creamy red with a blue undertone that I think I'll get a lot of wear out of. The other one is more of a gamble for me - Prune, is a gorgeous deep mauve berry shade, a little darker than I usually go for, but since I'm really trying to mix it up, I'm determined to give it a go.

I haven't tried any of the lip products from 17 for a very long time, but it's another brand that has really stepped up its game this year. Based on the description this seems to be very similar to the Bourjois Lip Crayons, so I couldn't resist getting the 17 Lip Crayon in Heartbreaker, a lovely burgundy shade to compare them.

Having got quite a wide range of shades, all I was missing really was a good nude which I never seem to get right. To make it easy for myself I turned to the L'Oréal Color Riche Collection Privée. and eventually settled on Barely Peach by Julianne Moore. It's not at all what I had expected - I had almost decided to go for the Doutzen Kroes shade since we have similar colouring, but there was something about it that didn't quite click for me. When I've tested it I'll let you know if I should have stuck to the expert matching, or if I was right to follow my makeup gut.

No shopping trip is complete without a few new inspirational nail polishes and I'm proud of myself that only got two this time around - I should have used the same principle with the lip products... They are both from everybody's favourite nail polish man - uncle Barry (M), and they are actually each other's complete opposites, proof that I have a multiple nail polish personality. First we have the amazing, glimmering jewel that is the Christmas Limited Edition Glitter Paint in Tinseltown. The glitter in happy sparkly red, clear royal blue, and radiant violet was just too much for me to resist, and I'm going to have so much fun experimenting with different base shades, using this as topcoat!

The other one is the paired down, Matte Nail Paint in Vanilla, which I think makes a very sleek, stylish and strict statement. So keep an eye out and I'm sure you'll see them appearing in Manic.Monday posts in the near future!

Well that was that! I'm very excited about my new products and all I need to do now is decide what I should try out first for the first review to go up soon - any suggestions?

Eulogy to a lipstick

There's nothing so disappointing as when a much loved product all of a sudden is end of line - it is no more, it has popped its cute packaging clogs, gone to the big beauty counter in the sky, it's pushing Marc Jacobs Daisies, it is an ex beauty product - put it however you want, but it is well and truly dead. Regrettably tragedy has struck and that is exactly what has happened to one of my most cherished lipsticks. Since this lipstick was one of those special occasion products that I mentioned the other day - the ones that make you feel like a princess, I want to dedicate a short farewell post to it. Before you think that I need to seek help for an unnatural attachment to a beauty product, I just want to make it clear that this is all done with a sense of humour and a healthy portion of self irony.

My lipstick - Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel in Rose Sensuel 03 was a truly wonderful product! It was much worn and loved by me and others also saw and appreciated its great qualities. Although it came in a very simple packaging it was stylish and luxuriously creamy proving that you should not judge a book by its cover. Intensity, elegance, radiance, care and long wear characterized this beautiful and luscious lippy. 

It was a rainy day at the end of April when Sweet Kiss Naturel unexpectedly came into my life at Superdrug, and the nourishing formula enriched with magnolia oil and shea butter made us great friends straight from the very start. Rose Sensuel as a shade is best described as a warm, perky, good old fashioned dusky rose that would add style to even the most casual of days.

  

Rose Sensuel 03

Different outfits and makeup looks meant that there were times when we didn't see each other as often as we would have liked, but like true friends we always found our way back together and then it was as if we'd never been apart. 

I know it would want me to go on to find happiness with other lipsticks, but Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel will be remembered for the wonderful romantic rose tinted time we spent together, filled with a smooth satin finish and a lovely natural radiance.

It's a loss to lipstick lovers all over the world, and I will miss it dearly - R.I.P...

The blue edition

If I was to ask Him Indoors what his favourite color is - he would without a nanosecond of a doubt say blue, just like most men and even women. Blue is a color often associated with harmony confidence, trust and loyalty. It's also very often linked with natural elements like the sky, sea, and coldness - all of them with a slightly melancholy note, but to me that doesn't give blue as a color full justice since it can range from the light, soft and cuddly baby blue to dark, vampy golden, glorious blue. I know that for many, even the idea of using blue as part of your makeup screams 80's garishness, but the updated and modern version of blue is cool, sleek and unexpected and today I'll show you some of my favourite blue products.

The first product in this line up of blue items is the The Body Shop Shower Gel in Blueberry. For me most shower gels are pretty much the same. If it offers a gentle cleanse without stripping my skin and leaves a lovely scent that lingers for a long time afterwards, I'm happy - and that's exactly what this one does. This shower gel is soap free but still manages to work up a good lather for that ultimate shower experience and the delicious sweet and sour scent of blueberry, very slightly reminiscent of the old classic Dewberry but with less musk, is uplifting and it lingers on your skin for a decent amount of time.

As usual I have to have a matching set of scents - shower gel and body lotion/butter so of course I've also got the Body Butter in Blueberry. As with all the Body Shop Body butters, the texture is wonderfully thick, rich and luscious to use. I love to scoop out a dollop, heat it up between my hands and then to massage it in. I find that doing this will release the oils, enhance the scent and help to effortlessly blend the butter into the skin for hydration that lasts a good few hrs after you've massaged it in. The blueberry scent is fruity and piquant, but without any sweetness to it at all. Instead it's slightly sour, crisp and very refreshing.

Let's move on to makeup and one of my favourite high street brands this year - Bourjois. This is an example of a palette that does the whole "painting by numbers", i.e. giving you instructions on when and how to use which shade - it's the Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow in Bleu Rock. I love a smokey eye, and I don't know about you but I sometimes think that to always use dark natural shades gets a bit predictable, and to instead go for blue shades adds an extra little something. This trio contains shades of blue that includes pale alice blue with a subtle warm grey undertone, warm bondi blue with a golden undertone and matte UCLA blue with a slight teal-green shade. The eyeshadows are lovely and light, smooth, buildable and easy to work with. For me this is one of the best Bourjois trios and the combination of matte and slightly shimmery shades works really well for a twist on the classic smokey eye look.

My next item is another budget buy, it's an Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eyeliner in Twilight Sparkle. The glimmersticks are very popular products from the Avon range, and no wonder - it's a lovely creamy formula that is so smooth to apply, it's longlasting and waterproof. This particular shade is a dark steel blue with a metallic and sparkly element to it. This looks wonderful as an alternative to black eyeliner for a feline flick or even to fill in the lower waterline. Even though this is currently listed in the most recent Avon book, unfortunately I couldn't find a link to it for Avon online, so my recommendation is to either check with an Avon representative or go to eBay, where I know for sure that you can get it at a very low cost - so go on, treat yourself to an amazing sparkly eyeliner that will look stunning for the festive season!

From left to right:

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow 07 Bleu Rock - Illuminating shade

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow 07 Bleu Rock - Blend & Stretch shade

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Trio Eyeshadow 07 Bleu Rock - Sculpting shade

Avon Glimmerstick Diamonds Eyeliner - Twilight Sparkle

For me to pick just one single nail polish in blue is simply impossible. Partly because I am always on the hunt for that PERFECT blue shade which is why I have loads of them, and also because there are so many different shades of blue, all beautiful in their own right. As a compromise I have therefore chosen two different shades of blue from our old friend Barry M, which is probably one of the most budget friendly brands on the market that offers not only a polish range in all the colors of the rainbow, but also a great formula. The Barry M Nail paints as they are called, are easy to work with to get a streak free finish, they're fast drying and long lasting. Seriously, there are not many brands,  about which you can say all those things regardless of price point. Not only that, but Barry M really keeps up with the trends and you can find any type of effect you want - plain, shimmer, sugar-coated, crackling top coats, metallic, magnetic, foil, matte or concrete - you are spoilt for choice.

The first shade I have chosen is Navy which is an amazing, vibrant, true blue shade with a slight golden undertone to it. It's a stunning, timeless shade of blue with a lovely satin sheen that would work with any outfit or occasion and for me, this is a must have in a nail polish collection. So if we started at the classic end of the spectrum, now we'll move to the other end with more playful effects. The second shade I have chosen is Atlantic Road which is a light, soft and warm powder blue with a textured effect. With this type of polish you really need to apply at least two coats to create that interesting, raspy, grainy and raw concrete effect. I also find that even though it sets very quickly on your nail, it takes a few hrs for the effect to really come into its own. It's a fun way to add a lighthearted and spirited edge to a look or an outfit. 

I've mentioned some wonderful products already, but for me the real gem (if you'll excuse the pun) amongst these blue pickings is the fragrance from La Prairie - Life Threads Sapphire EdP. La Prairie is probably best known for their highly scientific and luxurious top of the range skincare, but they also do some amazing fragrances. First of all, let's take a few seconds and talk about the bottle. It's a gorgeous, strict geometrical shape with whimsical web like threads throughout it, and scattered gems in brilliant white and sapphire blue trapped in the web - it's like a tiny sculpture that deserves to be displayed on a dressing table.

The scent itself is a lovely warm, sensual and elegant floral with a very slight oriental twist to it. It's a rich mix of faint orange flowers, balmy rose, sweet and fresh lilac, seductive jasmine, soft animalistic, golden amber and dry, spicy wood. You might think that these are all too over powering, but the combination is so well balanced and subtle that none of the notes dominate or over power the others. For me this is a one of a kind scent that really stands out, and it's the height of sophistication. Since this is a high quality EdP, you only need very little to make it last all day and this captivating scent is perfect for this time of year, warming you up from the inside out.

This was a small selection of my most loved blue products, but of course there are so many shades that probably deserve an article of their own, e.g. teal, baby blue etc. Although plum and berry shades are all of the high street at the moment, I hope this has inspired you to perhaps introduce a few elements of blue into your A/W beauty and makeup routine, and that you're not left feeling blue.

Also, just a reminder of the international giveaway that is going on at the moment, which is open until Oct 25.