Sleek's Gloss Me Lip glosses

As a beauty junkie I want it all, and I want LOTS of it. You can never have too much of a good thing which is why I'm completely indulging in lip glosses at the moment; gone are the days of old fashioned horrible sticky and plasticky formulas and we're now spoiled for choice with gorgeous shades from a variety of brands in all price ranges from premium beauty to more budget friendly options. The latest lip glosses to hit my radar is from one of my favourite brands: Sleek. Sleek has an amazing range of products in every colour of the rainbow, and they are all of excellent quality at very affordable prices - a beauty addicts dream! If like me you love to experiment with colour I can't recommend the amazing eye shadow palettes enough and have reviewed the lovely Garden of Eden previously (you can read that post here). But let's focus on these irresistible lip beauties - the Sleek Gloss Me Lip Glosses* (£4.99) come in simple and polished packaging that really show off the different shades, which by the way are completely true to colour from the tube so you don't have to worry about colour changes when you swatch them.

The formula is lovely and light without being runny (and it goes without saying that it's completely non sticky!), and it comes with an applicator that is quite long and thin, which makes it very easy to trace the contours of your lips for an even perfect application. I have to say that the applicator is a little bit on the stiff side for my liking, however it's not unpleasant to use in any way, and again for precision work that stiffness might be extra useful. When you apply the gloss it sets immediately on the lips with a silky smooth feeling and full coverage, so you can quickly build up the color and shine to the intensity that you prefer. You'll get hrs of wear from this lip gloss since it's so long lasting, on me it stays brilliantly glossy and next to flawless for about 5 hrs, and the pigmentation is wonderful and so intense that even after the gloss has faded, you can still see the colour as a stain on your lips. That does mean that you have be careful when you apply the more intense shades to avoid messy contours. The Gloss Me shades come in 12 gorgeous shades with 6 new shades added to the range recently from pale nudes to vibrant berry tones, and regardless of which colour you go for, the gloss is packed with shimmer that really makes your lips pop in the sun.

Left to right:

Hawaii Honey // Maria, Maria

Thai Orchid // Angel Falls

I've tried four of the most recent colour additions; Hawaii Honey - a golden coral pink, Maria Maria - a warm rusty amaranth red, Thai Orchid - a glorious intense blue toned Persian pink and Angel Falls - a pale silky beige nude. They are all so distinct pretty in their own right and work so well for different looks but the one shade I love the most is definitely Hawaii Honey, coral doesn't get any better than this and I already know that this is one shade I'll bring with me on holiday later on this month! I absolutely adore the Gloss Me texture and finish and for me, these are exceptional quality for the price you pay. You can pick up products from Sleek's fab range either directly from Sleek, or in Boots and Superdrug, so go on and Gloss Yourself Sleek!  

My 300th post - FOTD

A while back I asked you my wonderful readers what type of posts you would like to see more of and one of the lovely suggestions that I got back was to do more Face Of The Day (FOTD) posts or makeup looks in general. As this is my 300th post today I took a little trip down memory lane looking at all the posts I've done previously, as a reminder of where I started and what I've done since then, and I was genuinely surprised that I haven't done more FOTD posts - after all I wear makeup almost every single day, I change the products that I use constantly so it's unlikely that two looks will ever be exactly the same, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to do more of these types of posts.

The look I'm showing you today has been a bit of a go to look ever since I did my Clinique haul, that I talked about in Clicking with Clinique since I used this to try out a few of the products I had bought. I've also worn it quite a lot since I haven't really been in the mood for wearing complicated, heavy or dramatic statement makeup and this look gives a natural glow and emphasizes my features without being too imposing which you can create in less than 5 minutes. For my foundation I've used the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream Colour Corrector (£28) in the shade Medium, which is perfect for a light to medium coverage, for an even skin tone adding a hint of colour and a lovely subtle radiance. For me it's important to get the foundation right, especially when you're aiming for a light and natural look, so I applied the CC Cream using my MOXI O1 Foundation Brush (£13.50) which is brilliant for creating a streak-free, flawless finish.

Since the CC Cream is very long lasting and wears well throughout the day it's been great for these amazing warm days we've had, and I've been 100% confident that my foundation has stayed in place. Because of the colour correcting properties I haven't had to bother with concealer, which has been a very welcome time saver so I've just moved quickly on to do my eyes using another one of the products I bought, Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes (£17). When I first tried chubby sticks for eyes last year I never in a million years thought I would come to like them as much as I have - they are so practical, quick and easy to use and the soft texture is pleasant to wear as well as long lasting. The latest shade I picked up is Whopping Willow, a delicate, golden sage green and which might look a bit unusual but on the eyelid it settles beautifully creating a very natural look with a tiny bit of depth.

To frame my eyes, I've used my trusted Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil (£2.99) in Hazel for a bit of definition and color since otherwise I'll look as mysterious as the Mona Lisa, although on her no eyebrows is a stroke of genius and on me it's just plain wrong. This fuss free eye brow pencil has a soft and formula with just the right amount wax which makes it easy to apply exactly the amount of color you want with a minimum of effort without compromising the long wear. For my lashes I opted for Maybelline Colossal Volume Express (£7.99) in Black, since I never want to compromise on lash length or volume, regardless of which makeup look I'm going for. This was the first time that I tried this mascara, so I'll save my comments on it for a separate review that I'll be doing in a few weeks time so if you're curious about it, don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for that review.

For a look with subtle glow and color, you can't skip the bronzer and although there are loads of brilliant bronzers on the high street, I keep coming back to the amazing MUA Bronzer (£1) in shade 1, which I have mentioned a few times previously. The powder is light and fine with good pigmentation and you only need a quick dab with your bronzer brush in the pan - I use the Real Techniques Retractable Bronzer Brush (£13.99), to pick up enough product to cover all the area that the sun would naturally reach - temples, forehead, chin and tip of the nose. I also use the MUA Bronzer for some sculpting and during the summer, I'll often choose to skip the blusher and just use this shade on the apples of my cheek too. I really like shade 1 - it's a golden light bronze that adds lots of warmth to the face without that orange tone that you often see.

Last but not least and perhaps the most difficult decision - what to wear on the lips? Since I wanted something soft and girly, but with enough color to bring it all together and keep it from being too pale I decided on my Tanya Burr Lipgloss (£6.99) in Afternoon Tea. This is a lovely non sticky (yes they do exist) moisturising candy smelling formula, packed with pigmentation that creates a glossy slick finish that lasts for hrs and hrs. Out of all of the lovely 12 colors in the Tanya Burr Lipgloss range, the creamy coral pink Afternoon Tea is definitely my favorite, and if you haven't already tried these lipglosses, you're missing out on a amazing product so why not treat yourself this weekend to one of the fabulous shades. So that's it - all done, a nice and casual summery look, and if you check out my Instagram, you'll also see the outfit I was wearing this particular day. Even though this is the face of the day, I have a feeling this quick and easy natural glowing look might also be the face of this summer for me. What makeup do you use for your favorite natural look at the moment?

May favorites

Yesterday I did a post about Unfavorites, which if you consider the amount of products that I try every year since I'm a beauty junkie were surprisingly few, but today as it's the end of the month we move to the other end of the scale - it's time for favorites, what I have loved the most in May so it's kind of ironic that my first product this month is something I bought specifically for Christmas.

You may remember that I went a little bit OTT with the amazing Christmas collection from Lush so it probably isn't a surprise that I'm still working my way through what I got in that massive Lush haul. The Ponche Shower Gel (£8.95) was part of the limited Christmas edition range, but personally I thought it worked better in Spring time since it's a fresh zesty and invigorating blend of juicy citrus fruits, tropical sweetness, warm spicy cinnamon and tequila - what an amazing cocktail. Even though I LOVE the Lush shower gels I often find that they are a bit harsh on the skin, e.g. Snow Fairy that makes my skin feel a bit stripped of moisture, but Ponche is lovely and creamy and gives a wonderful deep cleanse without leaving the skin dehydrated. As the sun has had its hat on, I've spent a lot more time outdoors and have managed to get some color, most of it quite unintentionally and some days my skin has even felt just a tiny bit tight. That's when it's nice have a cooling shower and then to apply some Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun (£13). The consistency is lovely, light and silky with a texture somewhere in between a lotion and a gel, which absorbs instantly into the skin, feeling incredibly soothing and restoring. It has a delicious sweet fruit salad scent of coconut and papaya and its yummy enough to eat. It's not exactly the most affordable after sun you can get since you only get 180 ml and during the summer I go through buckets of this, but the silky cooling sensation and the fabulous tropical scent are worth every penny!

A lot of people talk about several products as their skin saviours, but if I really had to, I think I could even narrow mine down to just one item: Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£22). I've mentioned this amazing mask previously - it's an all year round multi purpose product that I wouldn't dream of ever being without and as my skin is getting more exposure to the sun, this little beauty will be invaluable. It's famous for its lovely whipped creamy consistency and fresh orange peel scent and it does wonders for skin that needs a little bit of TLC. One application of this in the evening, and you'll wake up in the morning to soft, supple and hydrated skin. I use this mask a few times a week over night, but when my skin feels as if it needs something a little extra I'll even use it as an intense pre-makeup treatment for wonderful smooth skin for a deeply moisturising sensation that lasts all day.

Earlier this month I did a post on my latest scent obsession, Aerin's Lilac Path EdP (£85) - you can read the review here, and I'm not even sure that obsession comes close to describing how much I love this EdP. It's a graceful, delicate and airy soft floral scent mixing lilac, orange flower, jasmine and tiny bit of amber. It may sound like a heavy flowery granny scent, but there is nothing old fashioned or sickly sweet about this refined, harmonious, chic fragrance - it's a perfect Spring scent that captures sunny blue skies, delicate flowers in bloom, and playing garden games in balmy summer evenings. I'm so besotted and impressed with this exquisite scent that I've already added it to my birthday wishlist... for October... well, Him Indoors might need plenty of notice and this way I can gently remind him a good few times before then.

As I've mentioned before I've tried a lot of lip glosses this year, but the one I keep wearing and putting in my handbag is the gorgeous YSL Gloss Volupte (£21) and specifically the shade 04 Golden, a true rose pink with a subtle blue undertone and incredible high gloss finish. This is one of those gloss turn stain products that has amazing pigmentation and long wear. It has a smooth and light non sticky formula that adds a lot of hydration, giving a lovely plumping effect and after the initial glossiness has settled into a stain, the finish will easily last for at least 5 hrs even after eating and drinking. I'm so impressed with this pleasant formula that feels so comfortable to wear and compared to some of the other lip gloss launches this year from e.g. Dior, this is still the one to beat for me.

Something that I'm never without is lip balm, and if that should ever happen I'll go straight into the nearest Boots or pharmacy and get another one right away, but for some reason I have really struggled lately to find a great lip balm. Many of them give a little but of hydration and gloss, but it disappears quite quickly and often leave my lips feeling quite dry afterwards, but the last product among these May favorites is a lip balm that I actually quite like - the Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm (£5) in Juicy Peach. It's made from mango butter, apricot butter, lingonberry oil and pomegranate extract to add moisture, protection from the weather and to prevent loss of hydration. It comes in a little pot that reminds me of vaseline and the consistency isn't too dissimilar, although A Great Kisser isn't as waxy and oily as vaseline. It does contain mineral oil, so if you're concerned about using products that has this as an ingredient, you might want to avoid this one. The lip balm is scented with a peach scent, that is a tiny bit synthetic, but still pleasant and it gives a lovely shine at the same time as it looks after your lips. Soap & Glory also offers the Great Kisser in Chocolate Cherry and Vanilla Bean and they both sound so tempting, I might just get them as well.

Purple edition

Since it's Easter this weekend I thought it would be appropriate for the color edition this month to focus on purple. As a color it's a mix of mostly red with a portion of blue and it's one of the colors that was first used in art, but making purple pigments was a complicated and costly business which is probably why purple is traditionally often associated with luxury, royalty and dignity. Purple also symbolizes magic and spirituality and to me it's an elegant and harmonious statement color which I love to wear; from the darker more sophisticated shades in winter time to the lighter, more floral and romantic shades in the summer time. Interestingly enough all of my favorite flowers (except jasmine) are purple - lilac, sweet peas and hyacinth, and my birthstone is tourmaline so it seems as if I have a strong connection with this particular color and today I want to show you some of my favorite purple products.

Having fair complexion that still tans quite easily I guess you could say that I have a golden undertone to my skin, so I generally avoid purple or blue toned lip products since they tend to make my skin look very pale, and not pale and interesting but pale and sickly. But over winter I did experiment with deeper berry shades and I came across a product that positively surprised me in many ways - Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss (£6.29). First of all I had been very skeptical to lip glosses up until fairly recently since I used to think of them as sticky sparkly and cheap lip goo, however this formula of cotton and silk is lovely, moisturising and completely non sticky. Even though the lip gloss feels very light on the lips the pigmentation is intense and long lasting - the claim is that it should hold up to six hours and on me it lasts at least four hrs, which is still pretty good. It's available in eleven shades and Captivate Me may look very dark and purple in the tube, but it's more of a dark raspberry pink on the lips and it creates a lovely sheer glistening look. So not only did this product prove to be nothing like the image I had of lip glosses but it turns out that I can actually do blue-toned lippies too.

I've mentioned before that I love to use a colorful eye pencil on my lower water line, to add a little something to a neutral make up look, especially during the warmer months of the year and when I've got a little bit of color. Since I now have a little bit of a tan, albeit fake - courtesy of the amazing Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for face and decolleté (£19) that I reviewed yesterday, it's time to sharpen those eye pencils. One of my favorites eye pencil's is the L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol (£4.39) in 114 Breezy Lavander, a beautiful intense metallic light lavender. The formula is a combination of oil and wax, making it very soft and creamy to work with and the pencil applies very smoothly without any need for pressing or tugging. Although it's not specifically water resistant it does have a long lasting wear making it great to use on the upper or lower waterline. Sticking with pencils but in a much thicker version, I've really taken to chubby sticks both for lips and for eyes - they are just so handy and practical. One of the most interesting and affordable formulas on the high street is Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick (£4.49). The consistency is very soft and buildable and you barely need to touch your eyelid with the tip to get an intense color payoff with a very subtle lustrous finish. The shade 006 Paranoid Purple is a gorgeous high shine Byzantium purple and although one light sweep with the stick is enough to get a nice color, personally I think this shade looks its best when you've built it up and you have a dramatic and daring look. The pigmentation may be intense but unfortunately it's not very long lasting, and on me the color fades after only a few hrs despite using an eye shadow primer - but that is the only down side with this product, and as such I think it's a great budget friendly option to the original Clinique chubby.

From top to bottom:

Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in Captivate Me

L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol in 114 Breezy Lavander

Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in 006 Paranoid Purple

A nail polish brand that I have raved about a few times before is the amazing Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Formula (£6.99) that combines base coat, strengthener, growth treatment and top coat with each color. It's taken me a while to completely trust this product, but having tried so many different shades of it now I have managed to wean myself off wearing a separate base- and top coat and so far it's never caused any problems with discoloration to the nails or the finish. It has a wonderful wide brush for easy streak-free application and strong pigmentation that will last for about 5-6 days before you might want to touch it up, with an excellent high shine finish. There are over 60 colors to choose from and this shade - Good to Grape is a lovely creamy and rich Wisteria purple that looks so graceful and pretty. If you haven't already tried this gem from Sally Hansen I would highly recommend it, after all you get 5 products in 1 for a very reasonable price and with a quality that puts a lot of premium brands to shame.

A nail polish from a premium brand that never disappoints is Estée Lauder's Pure Color Nail Lacquer (£14). The formula is excellent with high pigmentation for a beautiful opaque look and exceptional high shine finish and this one also comes with a nice wide brush for even coverage. With a lot of the darker shades you could probably get away with only applying one coat, but the shade Bete Noire is a magnificent dark royal purple with a slight shimmer that definitely should be applied in at least two coats so that the effect comes into its own. Since I'm a polishaholic and change my nail color more times than I can count every week, it's not necessarily a deal breaker for me if the wear isn't brilliant, however it is VERY important to me when it comes to premium brands since they usually come at a premium price and they therefore also should have premium quality, but I've always been very happy with the longevity of Estée Lauder polishes and I would say it takes about five days before the finish needs to be retouched. You can see swatches of both nail polishes here on my Instagram.

Last in this purple line up is a fragrance, and it's a celebrity one which can be controversial. I know that a lot of people have very strong views about celebrity scents, however I am an equal perfume opportunist and only look at the actual scent qualities, which I think should be assessed on their own and not whether you're a fan of the celebrity or not. I'm curious to know what your thought are on this, so please let me know in the comments below. Regardless - this is Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy EdP (£24) which comes in a pretty deep purple bottle with little pale blue crystals. It's a delightful, fruity, young and uncomplicated scent that makes me think of a warm summer night garden after the rain. When you first spray it on you can easily detect the piquant and fresh fruitiness of raspberry and cherries, which eventually give way to a more sophisticated note of colorful delicious and sweet freesia and orchids. The scent is grounded in warm and sensual notes of musk, and vanilla which gives it substance and keeps it from being too light and candy like. Even though Midnight Fantasy is an EdP and therefore it should be fairly concentrated and linger quite a long time on the skin, I do find that it's less intense than most of my EdPs and I would say that it lasts about 2 hrs on me before I feel that I need to apply some more. It doesn't matter though, I still adore this fruity, sunny and joyful scent and every time I wear it I get loads of compliments for it, so would I buy it again? - definitely! Would I recommend that you try it regardless of what you think of celebrity fragrances? - definitely!

I hope you've enjoyed this selection of a few favorite purple products. I'll be taking a few days break over Easter since we'll be going away, but I'll be back again as usual on Tuesday. Have a great Easter everyone! Xx

Be voluptuous with YSL Gloss Volupte

All we beauty junkies are really very lucky that there are so many many amazing products available on every beauty counter in every shop to tempt us, and I love trying them all. Saying that, I'm going to stick my neck out a little bit and say that regardless of price point, some brands simply do certain products better than others. When it comes to lip products, for me YSL is an incredible brand and every time I try a new product from the range, something magical happens and I seem to have found the Next Big Product that I just can't be without. I've never really been a fan of lip gloss and had you even mentioned lip gloss to me a year or so ago I would get horrible flashbacks to the cheap, sticky and plasticky goo that my hair would get stuck in but if any brand could convert me to a lip gloss fan - of course it would be YSL, and my latest obsession is the fabulous YSL Gloss Volupte Lip Gloss (£21) in the shade Golden (no 4). These come in 24 different shades and Golden is a beautiful French Rose pink, with a faint blue undertone and I would imagine that it would suit most skin tones really well. In the tube it looks like the finish would be quite glittery, however there isn't a single speck of glitter on the lips.

I have confessed previously that I do love beautiful packaging, even there's isnugh of course it's not the only important aspect of a product, so it won't be a surprise to you that I'm completely taken with the elegant and chic look of the gold, silver and a clear base so you can easily see the color of each gloss. I think that even the most "pretty packaging resistant" among us has to admit that it's a pretty sleek looking product. The formula is very smooth, lightweight, hydrating and completely without stickiness and after application, your lips will look plump, hydrated and exceptionally glossy. The lip gloss has a fruity scent and a slightly synthetic peach taste, but it's very subtle and not unpleasant or intrusive in any way and it does also becomes next to unnoticeable after a little while. If you thought that the heart shaped applicator to the YSL Glossy Stain was unusual, just wait until you see this one - it's a patented applicator with a squiggly shape (see a photo of it on my Instagram) which is quite firm but flexible enough to follow the shape of your lips with just the right amount of product to get a very precise contouring and an even, flawless finish. The pigmentation is excellent, and right after application you get a gorgeous glossy look, that sets into a very long lasting natural looking stain. There is a slight transfer from your lips when you eat and drink, however the stain remains -  almost perfect. Applying quite a generous amount of lip gloss in the morning, the finish lasted a bit longer than 6 hrs on me with several coffees and a few nibbles, which for me is an amazing result especially since my lips never felt or looked dehydrated.

I was a big fan of the YSL Glossy Stain and while it's still a great product that I love to wear, I LOVE the YSL Gloss Volupte even more. The silky high gloss finish, the hydrating properties and the wonderful long lasting wear have completely won me over, even turning me into a lip gloss lover and I can't recommend it enough. If you are going to follow the lip gloss trend this season and you are willing to invest in a super product - THIS is the one to get.

March favorites

What's the definition of a favorite product? An item that you love more than others, or an item that you've used more often than others? This month all my favorites are a little bit of both actually, although who knows what it'll be next month since my little club of favorites tend to change quite frequently... Let's start with something easy on the locks - hair oils are so versatile and easy to use, and one of the best ones I've tried lately is the lovely Easilocks Rose Gold Oil Heat Protector Pro* (£24.99) that I reviewed earlier this month (see article here). I had never tried this brand before but I was so impressed by how soft, shiny and protected it made my hair look and feel that I've used it a couple of times a week both before styling and as an intense treatment. The texture is light, silky and indulgent with a delightful floral and slightly spicy scent that I just can't get enough of.

My current eye shadow primer, the MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal (£1.50) was a bit of an impulse buy and I didn't have very high expectations of it, however this plain looking product turned out to be anything but plain (reviewed here). It's a multi purpose product which can be used both as a primer and a color correcting concealer. The consistency is velvety smooth and light weight and it's great at reducing redness and dark circles under the eyes, and also helps to make your makeup last longer. I've also used it on its own instead of eyeshadow to even out the skintone on my eyelids for a more bright eyed and rested appearance and have found that it's a great dupe for Benefit's Lemon Aid (£16.50). 

We've had some amazingly warm and sunny days in the UK with temperatures close to 20 degrees Celsius, so I've temporarily swapped my leather leggings for summery skirts but to avoid blinding the rest of the world with my whiter than white legs I've accepted some help from the fantastic Caudalie Divine Perfect Legs (£13), which is self-tanning product so easy to use that even I can get an even golden color. The consistency is ever so slightly thicker than most self tanning lotions and since it's colored you can see exactly where you've applied which makes is so much easier to get an even, non zebra like color. It also has a lovely fresh scent, unlike a lot of other self tanning products. If I can't manage to go on a divine holiday, at least I can have divine looking legs with a little help from this heaven sent goodie!

An oldie that I've rediscovered this month, which is almost as fun as trying something completely new, is Avon's Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in Instant Mocha. It's a lovely soft, creamy and moisturising formula with great pigmentation that delivers a beautiful opaque and slightly shiny finish, and since it's opaque you'll get hours of flawless wear without any drying sensation on the lips. The color is a delicious pink with a plum undertone and a lovely shine, and it's such a versatile glamorous shade. I feel a little bit bad for including it in this month's favorites since it's no longer in stock with Avon (why, why, WHY do you keep doing this to me Avon?!) and the few products I've found on eBay and Amazon are relatively expensive compared to the original price point. The closest I've come to finding a twin lipstick is MAC's Craving, which is equally rich, creamy and opaque - simply stunning...

When chubby sticks for eyes were first released I was a bit skeptical to the format, but many months and makeup looks down the line, I am a complete convert and can't praise the format enough. An excellent budget version is MUA's Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tint (£3) in the shade Bring it Back, a brilliant neutral bronzed and slightly shimmery brown. It has a lovely and creamy texture and it's so easy to apply without any tugging on the eyelid for a clean and understated sheer coverage, great for a quick and easy groomed every day look with a simple eyeliner and mascara. It wears really well throughout the day without creasing and at that price, you can't really go wrong.

A palette I have truly loved this month is the beautifully delicate and pretty Dior 5 Couleurs Trianon Edition Eyeshadow Palette (£41) in Pastel Fontanges 234 (you can read a full review here). The colors are all lovely shimmery pastels with great pigmentation and wear, perfect for fresh faced, minimal and romantic looks for spring and summer. My favorite combination so far is to use the ballerina pink with the gunmetal grey, which really brings out blue eyes. I can say hand on my heart that j'Adore Dior!

Swatches from top to bottom:

Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Instant Mocha

MUA Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tint - Bring It Back

Tanya Burr Lipgloss - Picnic in the Park

I've never really been a big wearer of lipgloss, mostly because I haven't found any with great pigmentation and wear - at least that is, until this year when there have been some real crackers on the high street. The latest one to impress me is the Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Picnic in the Park (£6.99) and its's nothing like the lipglosses I've tried before. The texture is light and very importantly non sticky with wonderful pigmentation, and when you first apply it has a gorgeous glossy look that after a few hrs wear looks like a stain. Out of the 12 colors in the range, Picnic in the park is my absolute favorite - it's a stunning brink pink shade with a slight blue undertone that is simply adorable on the lips, no wonder it's sold out in so many places!

Let me know in the comment section what it takes for a product to make your list of favorites, and what's new for March?

Dior's Trianon Makeup Look with Pastel Fontanges

As you may remember I've had a love affair with the Dior Trianon Spring Collection ever since I first saw the promo pictures at the end of last yea, and at the launch event at Debenhams I treated myself to some of the products in this stunning collection. I've done a separate review of the beautiful Trianon Eyeshadow Palette in Pastel Fontanges (you can read it here) which is pastel heaven in a lovely little Dior box with its sheer, soft shades and today I thought I would try to recreate the look from the promo photos.

Let's start with the complexion - usually I apply concealer over a foundation, but in order to make it look as light and even as possible I actually applied my Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (£5.49) under the foundation rather than on top. It's a great light and smooth concealer and I have somehow mysteriously managed to match it perfectly with my foundation. The delicate, petal look and feel of the Pastel Fontanges range of colors is matched with a flawless, youthful and dewy looking skin so to achieve something that's at least similar, I brought out my preferred heavy hitter when it comes to preparing your skin, the YSL Forever Youth Liberator Foundation (£37). This foundation gives excellent medium to full coverage for an even and flawless tone without feeling heavy on the skin and it also adds nourishment throughout the day to keep the skin supple and plump. The shade I'm wearing is not as pale and porcelaine as they've used in the promo photos, but it does have that subtle glow which I've then enhanced even further using the amazing budget beauty MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder (£3). I've completely fallen in love with this highlighter and wearing it on the top of your cheek bones, and maybe even a little above your cupid's bow gives a wonderful light and subtle smoothing shimmer effect. 

For my brows I used the Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil (£2.99) in Hazel 2, which works perfectly for this look since it's not too dark, but it still gives enough definition of the brow arch. For the eyelids I used all of the shades in the Dior 5 Couleurs Trianon Edition Eyeshadow Palette (£41) in Pastel Fontanges 234, starting with a wash of the shimmery ballerina pink all over the lid as a base. It's a gorgeous shade and for me this is the shade that's easiest to wear out of the five since it works so well in combination with both neutrals and purples too. Having done the pink base, we move on to the slightly more intimidating light periwinkle blue - which in itself is beautiful, but in the promo photo there's a lot of it, applied all over the brow bone and under the eye. As you blend it in with the light pink, it creates a lovely contrast although I must admit that wearing a blue shade this shade, definitely pushes me out of my comfort zone. After that I mixed the light silver grey with the lemon chiffon color and added to the inner corner of my eye and slightly below to brighten that area, and to reflect the other shades. Finally I lined the lash line with the darker soft gunmetal grey to add depth and the combination with the ballerina pink is so lovely and I might even try a smokey eye look at some point using these two shades.

Since this is a very bare faced look I didn't want to volumise my lashes, and instead I went for length with the Maybelline Illegal Length Fibre Extensions Mascara (£8.99) which is great for a natural, combed through lash look and I've got a more detailed review of this mascara coming up on Tuesday, so keep an eye out for that. I very lightly blotted the odd area with the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot (£12) and applied the finishing touch using the Tanya Burr Lipgloss (£6.99) in Afternoon Tea. Like so many others I've been completely bowled over by this gorgeous range of lip glosses. The formula is light, creamy, non sticky and moisturising with excellent pigmentation that seems to set on your lips almost like a glossy stain. You get hours of wear out these and re-applying it is a joy since it has a delicious candy like smell. This shade Afternoon Tea, is a subtle slightly muted rhubarb and cream pink, which is perfect for a "your lip color, but better" look.

 

I really enjoy wearing and experimenting with the gorgeous Pastel Fontanges palette and I had so much fun recreating the Trianon look. Despite being such a soft and delicate colors the look works surprisingly well for evening wear too, since the shimmering colors look gorgeous when the light catches them. It is a complete and probably slightly over the top indulgence in pastel colors and using lots of light blue on your eyelid might seem a bit scary - at least it did to me, but if you keep it well blended you won't be getting flashbacks to something out of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. If you're interested in seeing more Trianon looks, have a look at Dior backstage (the link takes a while to load to be patient with it), where you'll find tutorials for another two lovely looks and you can read more about the whole collection. 

A date with Dior

One the things I was looking forward to the most in January was the release of Dior's Trianon Spring 2014 Collection. As soon as I saw the first promo pics go out I started saving up for all the beautiful products that were tempting me and finally the day came when I had a date with Dior at Debenhams to talk about and to try the new releases, one more beautiful than the other. The Trianon Spring 2014 collection is a very youthful and playful take on the era of Louis XIV and the opulence of the Trianon palace, and it mixes pastels that are sheer and delicate like rose petals with more intense pinks and lilacs.

Even though I easily could have got every single piece of this collection, I thought I would get colors that I don't currently have and that would channel that fragile and exquisite floral look from the promo pictures so for my eye shadows I eventually settled on the 5 Couleurs Trianon Eyeshadow Palette (£41) in 234 Pastel Fontanges. It's a very sheer palette with shimmery sherbet colors in a pale light blue, pale ballerina pink, ash grey, a muted vanilla yellow and a cadet grey with a blue undertone. When I had my makeup done we used the pink, blue and darker grey as a highlight and it worked really well with my pale complexion and it also kept it from looking too colorful or baby dollish.

Since the eye make up is quite mild and subtle I wanted a blush shade with a little more punch, and that again was different from all other shades in my collection, and although I absolutely love the shade 763 Coraile Bagatelle I decided on the Diorblush Trianon Edition (£30.50) in 946 Pink Réverie. It's a gorgeous intense rose pink with a fuchsia undertone and since it's so intensely pigmented so I was a bit worried on how it would look on the cheek, but as long as you build it up slowly it creates the illusion of the perfect rosy cheek.

When it comes to lipstick it was a bit more difficult for me to decide - all the shades are gorgeous and could easily see myself wearing any of them, but instead of keeping with the blue undertone that I get from the blusher, I actually decided on Rouge Dior (£26) in 757 Souveraine, which is a creamy shimmery coral that looks surprisingly subtle on, and it looses some of the intense redness that you see in the bullet, but for me that's what makes it a great combination with the pale eye look - since they balance each other very well and the lipstick doesn't dominate. To make the shade even more opalescent and fair, I got the Dior Addict Gloss (£22) in 442 Pétillante to use on top. Not something I would usually do, but it has such a gorgeous shimmer and I thought I could use it to pair down some of the other very intense lip shades.

I have only tried these products during my make over session, so I will do separate and more detailed reviews with swatches very shortly of each of the products, but I was very happy with the graceful look we created and I can't wait to try the products a bit more. There's nothing that will cheer me up like a pampering session and this one definitely ticked all the boxes. Not only was I treated to some bubbly and chocolate with the make over, I also had a mini treatment to try out several products from the Dior skincare range, which I had never done before and I also got a goodie bag with a mix of skincare (Dream Skin, Capture Totale and One Essential), a full size nail polish (Nuit 1947) and a sample of Hypnotic Poison to take with me home, to make the Date with Dior last as long as possible.

Fave 5 MUA products

As if it wasn't bad enough to be a beauty junkie, I'm probably also a shopaholic (as you can tell I still haven't quite accepted or embraced my condition) which is a lethal combination for any bank balance and very difficult at this time of year when a lot of us are on a spending ban, to recover from the Christmas excesses. Fortunately there are makeup brands on the high street that seem to cater to people with my affliction and one of them is MUA (Makeup Academy). MUA's philosophy is that makeup shouldn't cost a fortune and that to get affordable products you shouldn't have to compromise on quality - no arguments here! I first discovered MUA a few years ago and I'm very pleased to see that since then the range of product has grown so much, and includes more or less everything that you could possibly want, all for under £5. I've certainly made the most of the purse friendly prices and tried quite a few things from the ever expanding range so today I'll show you my fave 5 MUA products starting with the famous Undressed palettes.

 

The MUA Undressed eyeshadow palette (£4) - the first MUA product I ever bought, is famous for being considered a dupe for Urban Decay's Naked palette. It combines twelve nude, neutral shimmering and matte eye shadows and it's a great starter kit for creating both everyday natural, and smokey smouldering eye looks which I'll try to describe since they don't have any color names:

Shade 1 - Matte vanilla, Shade 2 - Shimmering wheat, Shade 3 - Matte tan, Shade 4 - Shimmering dark ecru, Shade 5 - Matte camel, Shade 6 - Shimmering copper, Shade 7 - Shimmering russet, Shade 8 - Shimmering dark chocolate, Shade 9 - Shimmering mahogany, Shade 10 - Shimmering chestnut, Shade 11 - Shimmering charcoal, Shade 12 - Shimmering blue grey

All of the shimmering eye shadows have great, strong pigmentation and they are easy to work with to build up color with no fallout (I've only noticed that for Shade 11), and they wear well throughout the day - on me they last for about 5 hrs before they start to fade. In general I find it difficult to get affordable good matte eyeshadows on the high street, and while these are OK, the pigmentation isn't strong enough for me and they start to fade after only a few hrs. That doesn't mean that I like the palette any less, and because of the compact format it's easy to take it with you and retouch whenever needed. I love to combine shade 4 and 6, or 7 and 9 for variations on everyday looks, and in the evening 8, 10 and 12 make a dramatic smokey eye - all in all, it's a great buy!

From left to right:

Top row - Shade 1, Shade 2, Shade 3, Shade 4, Shade 5, Shade 6

Bottom row - Shade 7, Shade 8, Shade 9, Shade 10, Shade 11, Shade 12 

The other eye shadow palette is Undress Me Too (£4), again this is considered a dupe (for Urban Decay's Naked 2) and the eye shadows are lovely warm and golden in a mix of matte and shimmering textures, perfect for a paired down subtle eye with a statement lip: 

Naked - Matte blonde, Devotion - Shimmering bronze, Shy - Matte buff, Fiery - Shimmering golden brown, Lavish - Matte fallow, Dreamy - Shimmering sepia, Tranquil - Shimmering russet, Exposed - Shimmering taupe, Reveal - Shimmering ecru, Wink - Shimmering cinnamon, Obsessed - Shimmering coffee, Corrupt - Matte gunmetal

We have the same situation with pigmentation in this palette as with Undressed - all the stronger colors are excellent and gorgeous to work with, and I'd even say that the Undress Me Too shades last longer on me than the Undressed ones do, however the matte ones are weaker, but to have 10 excellent shades out of 12 certainly isn't bad. In all honesty it took me a little while to start appreciating this palette properly after I got it, but now I LOVE to use it and it's my go to box of tricks for a "no makeup" makeup look, and I much prefer the golden undertones of this palette to the colors in Undressed, it's a beautiful little bargain.

From left to right:

Top row - Naked, Devotion, Shy, Fiery, Lavish, Dreamy

Bottom row - Tranquil, Exposed, Reveal, Obsessed, Corrupt 

Moving on, we actually have some more eye shadows to look at since for me MUA is particularly strong in this area and I was so excited when I saw that MUA also jumped on the chubby stick wagon a while back with their version of the eye crayon, the Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tint (£3). The formula of the pencils is lovely and creamy, and you get a nice sheer coverage without having to be heavy handed or pull on the eyelids. The color is really long wearing and doesn't crease, which is super for any product, but especially one at this price point. There are six lovely shades in the range, but I'm showing you Diamonds, a subtle shimmering girly pink which is perfect as a base shade and Bring it back which is a golden rusty brown, also with a subtle shimmer and I love to wear this just on its own all over the lid, with some black eyeliner, lashings of black mascara and a red lip - classic and simple.

Out of all the products in this post, the next one is my absolute favorite - it's the Bronzer in Shade 1 (£1). The packaging is as basic as it can get, but if you can see past the uninspiring plastic packaging the pigmentation is amazing and it gives a gorgeous natural subtle apricot glow, without any hint of orange (never a good look, unless you're a clementine...). It's easy to apply, it feels lovely and light on the skin and wears well without getting cakey. This product is an absolute steal, and I've repurchased it three times already - says a lot about how well this product is working for me.

My favourite MUA lip product is the Intense Kisses Lipgloss in Kiss and Tell (£1). This formula is very similar to Rimmel's Apocalips and it offers excellent pigmentation, high gloss and long wear (up to about 4 hrs). It's perfect when you're looking for intense opaque coverage with a glossy, glamorous finish and you can't be bothered with adding a separate gloss to a lipstick (yep, that's me). Other selling points for me are that the gloss isn't sticky, it has a subtle candy like vanilla scent and the applicator seems to get just the right amount for nice and even coverage without any bleeding. I've really enjoyed wearing Kiss and Tell which is an intense, warm fuchsia pink and when it fades, it leaves a stain like look that you can easily re-apply the gloss over.

From top to bottom:

Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tints - Diamonds

Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tints -  Bring it back

Bronzer - Shade 1

Intense Kisses Lipgloss - Kiss and tell

As you know, I love my manicures and one of my most loved nail effects is the caviar look. Ever since I first saw Ciatés original caviar manicure, I've been collecting different colored bead mixes that I add every now and then to a standard mani for a more fun, frivolous and whimsical effect. As much as I love Ciaté (and I really REALLY do) and the caviar mani, even I have to say that the standard price (£20) for some micro beads is pretty hefty, and there are other more budget friendly options available. MUA was probably the first brand on the high street to come up with a more affordable alternative, the Nail Constellations (£3) and I have of course added some of them to my caviar collection:

Pisces - a fresh and sporty mix of silver and turquoise, great as an accent to a white nail

Scorpio - an interesting mix of warm gold, copper, forest green and lilac - lovely with a dark green or purple nail

Libra - a dark black and turquoise mix, and for me this works best with plain black

The MUA range continues to grow and fairly recently the MUA Luxe range was introduced with some lovely new products, that are still affordable with no item more expensive than £9. If you haven't already tried MUA you can get the products from your nearest Superdrug or directly from MUA online, so why not make your next makeup haul not only beauty friendly, but budget friendly too!

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.

Fave 5 YSL products

One of my favourite premium brands is Yves Saint Laurent (YSL). I love it for its sense of style, elegance and effortlessness. Not only is it an iconic brands but YSL has also produced some of the most iconic products since they first started with perfumes in 1964 and then later on skin care and makeup. Just think of Paris EdT - the perfect rose scent, Youth Liberator Serum which is market leading with its technology and Touche Eclat - apparently one is sold every 10 secs worldwide. So today I thought I would show some of my favourite products from this fantastic brand.

The first product of this glamorous fave five is one I did a review of not that long ago - it's the Lacquer Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain (£23.50) the latest of YSLs best selling products. Since I have already done a detailed review of this product I'll keep it short and sweet. This is a wonderful and light, creamy hydrating glossy stain that feels very glamorous to wear. It has a wide heart shaped applicator that easily traces the lip contours and that gives excellent smooth coverage with a stunning high gloss finish. After initial application it'll settle on your lips like a stain and last flawlessly for a good few hrs. The shade in the photo is 12 Corail Fauve which is a soft but energetic warm rose pink coral and I've used it so many times since I first got it - after all there's nothing that will glam up any outfit as sporting a perfect glossy lip.

Next product has also been reviewed in a separate post, and it's the ultimate de luxe of foundations - Youth Liberator Serum Foundation (£37). This foundation is enhanced with the cell renewing Forever Youth Liberator Serum so it reduces skin aging and thinning at the same time as it give your skin a beautiful medium to full coverage. Everything about this foundation feels luxurious, starting with the lovely, heavy glass bottle, to the amazing skin correcting radiance and plumpness it adds to the skin and just like I've come to expect from YSL it sits perfectly on your skin all day without any transfer or smudging. I love makeup products that include high technology skin care and it doesn't get any better than this.

Now on to the Baby Doll Mascara (£24.50) which out of the YSL make up range, is probably THE must try item. As with all YSL products the gold packaging is stylish and sleek and every time I see it in my makeup bag the glitzyness of it always cheers me up. I don't often say this, but the formula has exactly the right consistency for me. Often mascaras are too liquid when you first get them and then they dry into something you work better with or it's too dry and it just gets worse, but the YSL was perfect already from the start. The brush is long and thin and has thick bristles on one side and thinner ones on the other which means that you can use one side to give volume to the lashes and then twist and use the finer bristles to easily coat every single lash, including the smaller ones. The bristles also separate the lashes and create a very defined and extended look with a natural softness.

It comes in four shades - Fetish Black, Wheedler Brown, Audacious Blue and Indiscreet Purple. Since they say that black can look harsh on blondes, I actually got the brown shade to see if would make any difference at all to my look compared to black mascaras. The Wheedler Brown is a very dark, matte brown and it does create a softer look, so I love to wear it when I go for a more natural and neutral eye look. Even though it isn't a water proof formula, the mascara lasts really well, both on the upper and lower lashes and I haven't noticed any smudging or fall out. I hadn't tried the Baby Doll mascara up until a few months ago, and this has quickly gone from a must try to a must have and I will definitely add black to the collection as well.

I make no secret of the fact that when it comes to premium brand nail polishes, YSL is one my absolute favourites and I'm frankly surprised that they are not mentioned more often by bloggers. The YSL Nail Polishes (£18) have so much going for them. Let's start with a great range of shades - admittedly you won't find powder blue or neon yellow in the range, but there are so many other brands that do those. What you can expect from YSL is about 20 different shades that are all sophisticated, stylish and timeless and the 3 that I'm showing are examples of just that; 38 Gris Underground is a paired down, cool, silky, modern camouflage gray, 18 Bleu Majorelle is a stunning and sun kissed blue that just oozes vitality and strength, and the last one 21 Taupe Retro is a classy warm brown with a very faint pink undertone, suitable for any occasion.

Another great quality is the amazing wide brush that will cover almost all of the nail in one clean sweep for a gorgeous streak free finish.The formula is slightly thicker than most but creates the most wonderful opaque brilliant high shine. And last but not least, YSL polishes will last about 5 days before they're chipped which to me is good wear - and about 5 days longer than some other premium brand polishes, and I can't recommend them enough.

If YSL is one of the most iconic brands in fashion and beauty, Opium has got to be one of the most iconic fragrances. It was first launched in 1977 and the marketing ads caused a lot of controversy with claims that it was glorifying drugs use, and the scent is one of the top 10 most popular perfumes of all times. The original Opium is a very heavy oriental and heady scent, typical of the 70s and I've always avoided it since it's far too imposing for me. However all that changed when I came across the new version that was launched in 2012 - Opium Vapeur de Parfum EdT Légère (£37 for 30 ml).

The scent comes in a beautiful bottle of peach colored frosted glass with a slightly retro feel and that also of course nods to the bottle of the original Opium. The newer release of Opium is a compelling blend of Oriental and Mediterranean scents - you'll find sweet fresh orange flowers and mandarin, sensual jasmine, and warm, spicy nutmeg and pink pepper. It's a contradictory scent that's glamorous, alluring and cooly crisp at the same time. This version of Opium smells nothing like the original and for me that's also why it works for me. I love the mix of light spice, subtle florals and citrus that make it a warm and mesmerising but zesty and intriguing scent that really stands out, and it's by far my fragrance of choice for this A/W season.

 

YSL as a brand perfectly captures simplicity, uniqueness and timlessness and there's nothing like a spritz of your favourite YSL scent or a slick of your favourite YSL lippy to add instant luxury to your day. Have you used any of these products or do you have another favourite?