Red 2015? No - Red 2000!

My festive period love affair with red just continues into the new year, it's the colour that keeps giving. Last week I mentioned a perfect gorgeous and ravishing red for your nails - Boudoir from Ciaté and today I just had to show its lipstick mate. I've mentioned before that I'm not usually one for doing matching nails and lips and personally I find it more interesting to contrast but some pairs are just made for each other. There are so many gorgeous red shades from the big cosmetic brands but I've always found it difficult to find a shade that works with my colouring and doesn't make me feel like the lipstick is wearing me rather than the other way around. Something tells me I'm not the only one doubting which shade suits me since L'Oréal very helpfully has released their Perfect match red range to help us find the right red.

As a blonde with a hint of a tan left from the holidays, and with a warm undertone to my skin anyway deep reds with blue undertones do nothing good for me and I do shy away from them. Instinctively I've always been drawn to the more orange reds anyway, however there's again a fine balance between reds with a warm undertone and intense scarlets that are just a tad too sharp for me. Having tested my way through reds for years I did eventually find a shade that's just right (yes there is one for everyone!) and it's Avon's Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick in Red 2000 (£3.85).

The formula is nice and creamy without being waxy, and it leaves a nice hydrating sensation on your lips. The pigmentation is very strong so I would recommend being careful when you apply it since it does leave a stain and if you get the lip contours wrong you have to remove it and apply it again from scratch. I find that it works best if you use a brush to apply the lipstick and then of course you get a fabulous and precise lip contour as well, if you've got plenty of time that is, otherwise just dabbing it on works really well too. Because of the strong pigmentation the colour is fairly long lasting, and after 4-5 hrs eventually only a stain remains, but that also mean that it does transfer onto coffee mugs etc for quite a while. From a formula and wear point of view it's a pretty good lipstick, but what nudges it into being a great one is definitely the colour; it's a gorgeous sultry golden tomato red that brings out my natural colouring and brightens everything, even the rainiest of days (have a look at my Instagram to see a color swatch). It's a confident and elegant shade and the only thing that bugs me about this gem of a lipstick is that it's no longer part of Avon's range, but you can find it on Amazon and on eBay.

Disappointed in...

We're coming up to the end of the month, and at this point I usually do a post about the products I have loved and used the most - the monthly favorites, and I will do a favorites post this month too, but first I thought I would do something I have never done before, a post about products that have been a disappointment to me. If I were to put together all the new products that I've bought and tested over a year, I know that there would be a small mountain of them; some are fantastic, others are good, others are bland and forgettable, and I probably wouldn't buy them again simply because I can't remember them and then we have the last group of products - that ones I would downright avoid. The products today are examples from this last group but but before we start I want to emphasize that this is based on my personal experience of these specific products and although they may have been a disappointment to me for reasons that I'll explain, they might work very well for others. I also want to say that I have tried several other products from all of these brands which I have truly loved, so this is not a critique against the brands mentioned, only of these specific items.

At the beginning of the year I decided that it was time that I swap my trusted eye brow pencil for something else since there are so many other interesting eye brow products on the high street, and so I've started to experiment with a few other types - unfortunately with very little success so far. That's why I've got two eye brow products in this line up starting with a product that I got very recently - the Avon Anew Transforming Brow Filler (£6). For some reason this product isn't listed on line which is why I haven't got a link to it, although you can find it in the latest Avon Book. It's a twist up eye brow filler pen with a comb tip, which is intended to help define and set the shape of the brows, as well as add a hint of color and I tried it in Light Brown. Maybe there was something wrong with the product I got, but it took A LOT of twisting to get any product to come out of the tip, and when it finally did it had a gloopy gel like consistency and the little color it had was very blotchy and unevenly distributed throughout the formula - frankly it looks awful when you test it on your hand, you can photos here on my Instagram. If you're brave enough to apply the gooey looking gel, it feels quite wet on the brows and although the comb tip does do a little shaping, I didn't get any color from it at all. Perhaps the color was too light for me, but this brow filler did absolutely nothing except make my eye brows wet and that together with the strange, unappealing consistency makes it a product that I won't buy Anew.

The second brow product is Maybelline's Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara (£4.99), which I have done a separate review of previously which you can find here. It comes in a mascara format, so you apply it to your brows using a wand which has a ball shaped brush with long stiff combs at the tip of it, see photo here on my Instagram. My biggest challenge with this product is the dry formula, which makes it difficult to get an even amount of product on the brush, which then of course means that you also get an uneven application with the color clumping in some places. I've found that I always need to use either an additional brow brush or q-tip to even out the color, which is tricky without messing up the brows, and I usually end up with a very bushy and exaggerated brow look - not at all something I'm going for. Since the formula is already dry but it also sets very quickly on the brows, you need to work fast when you even out the color because once it's set, it's there for the duration of the day, which I guess is a plus when it comes to long wear. The fact that I need to use additional tools to get this brow mascara to work at all, but still without achieving the look I actually want, means that it's too much effort especially when I can get a nice arched brow using a pencil in a fragment of the time it takes me to fiddle with Brow Drama - Sorry Maybelline, but for me this product is too much drama and not enough brow sculpting!

I'm a bit sad to have to include a MUA Lipstick (£1) in this gang of disappointing five partly because MUA is one of my favorite basic budget brands and they have a lot of great products, but also because this particular shade - 16 Nectar is absolutely gorgeous, just the perfect peachy summery shade, which you can see here on my Instagram. So why have I included it then you ask?, well it's because it's one of these formulas that has a split personality. When you apply it from the bullet the lipstick shows its positive side; it's very soft and creamy and the pigmentation seems good, although the formula is a bit "thin", so you have to apply the lippy fairly thickly for an even coverage on your lips. After that it starts to set really quickly, and that's when the Mr Hyde side of this lipstick shows its face by drying along the lip contours and where your lips meet. That horrible dried contour then stays put even after eating and drinking, while the rest of the lip color disappears - it's not a good look and one of my pet peeves when it comes to makeup. So despite being a stunning golden peach color, for this particular lipstick MUA stands for Must Unfortunately be Avoided. 

One of the most hyped products to reach the UK last year was Maybelline's Baby Lips Balm (£2.99) a must try product for any lip balm addict, and I since I'm a fan of everything cherry I was very excited to get my paws on a Cherry Me. The claim was that this cute and colorful lip balm would give 8 hrs of hydration and nourishment, quite something for a lip balm priced lower than most drinks in Starbucks. The lip balm does give a faint cherry red color with a little bit of shine which isn't long lasting but nice enough, although at the time I was distinctly underwhelmed by the lacking sense of hydration (you can see my original review here), and didn't feel like it did anything at all to nourish my lips. Since then I did continue to use it for a while over winter to finish it up more than anything, but as the weather got colder not only did the lip balm not add any hydration or nourishment - it was as if it actually dried out my lips even more and made them hyper sensitive, so eventually I had to stop using it and instead move on to old Burt's Bees to restore my lips. I've never reacted like that with any other type of lip product, but it's safe to say that I definitely don't cherish Cherry Me, and next time I'll opt for a Starbucks instead. 

To balance things out and to show that it's not just a selection of budget friendly products that have proven to be a let down I'll finish with a premium brand product, Dior's Blush Trianon Edition (£30.50 reviewed here) in the color 916 Pink Réverie. It all started so well with its gorgeous packaging and cute embossed bow pattern, and even though the muted pink shade with strong blue undertones was definitely outside my comfort zone, and not at all the kind of color I would normally go for it did look promising in the pan. The texture of the blush is lovely and light, but it's let down by the complete lack of pigmentation and it doesn't matter how much I apply of it, on me the color simply will simply not build up at all. At first I gave it the benefit of the doubt and thought that perhaps it was simply that the color wasn't suitable for my skin tone, but after having gone from office pale to a slightly more healthy looking golden color, there should at least in theory be a bigger and more noticeable contrast, so the blush should appear more but unfortunately Pink Réverie still doesn't show up my skin, as you can see here on my Instagram. Out of all the products today, this was probably the biggest disappointment for several reasons - first of all it's not exactly a budget product and secondly it's Dior, an iconic brand which I don't think it's unreasonable that you have high expectations from. I guess it just goes to show that quality has nothing to do with hype, clever marketing, glossy packaging and you can get great products as well as duds in any price range. With this little collection of unfavorites out of the way, don't forget to check in tomorrow to see the actual monthly favorites for May. 

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?

All good things come to those who duty free

As you may know I have been away from the UK for a while to visit my family, and when I came back not only was Him Indoors away on his travels and  I got back to an empty house - but my cat completely ignored me for about 24 hrs.... I was not feeling the love.. Well good thing I had a gianormous duty free haul to be happy about instead. It's absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for me to have this heaven called duty free and not buy a single thing, but even I will admit that I went completely over board this time around. I tell myself that I do these things to relax before flying or so that you won't have to splurge... and if I chant those excuses aloud enough times, it makes it real. Anyway, let's just look at what I got over the last few days and I'll split the products into three groups; perfumes, skincare and makeup, but please note that this is just a teaser and that I will post detailed reviews of the products as I work my way through them.

Let's start with the perfumes, and the first one is so brand new that it's not even available in the shops quite yet, although it's supposed to be as of March - and it's the stunning Exotica from Roberto Cavalli. It's a lovely tropical and fruity scent and slightly floral scent and I have a feeling this will be one of my favorites this season. Next perfume is fairly new, it's the Elie Saab L'Eau Couture EdT (£31) which is a light and fresh, sophisticated spring like scent - and what a beautiful classic bottle! Last in the perfume bunch is Fan di Fendi Eau Fraiche (£33) which is a beautiful green, spicy and fresh scent - very comforting and harmonious.

First in the skincare group is a great little kit that would make a fab present for someone, myself e.g... the Ole Henriksen The Whole Truth Kit (£45) contains three full sized anti ageing products - serum, moisturiser and an eye cream, to revitalise and brighten the skin, and I'm very excited to testing this out. I also got a new night cream that I had had my eye on for a long time, Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins (£34) which is supposed to add radiance to the skin and make it look wonderful and refreshed in the morning. I have high hopes for this and fingers crossed it lives up to my expectations.

On to the really fun bits - makeup! My favorite designers are Dolce & Gabbana - I love the passion, opulence, sensual playfulness and very distinct point of view of their designs and I have finally taken the plunge into their makeup range, which proved to be a slippery slope for me into complete decadence starting with the Dolce & Gabbana Smooth Eye Colour Quad (£39.50) in Stromboli which has a beautiful bronzed, warm and earthy range of shades - stunning! That lead to a Dolce & Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick (£24) in Cosmopolitan, which is a gorgeous creamy coral shade, a bit similar to MAC Vegas Volt which is another favorite of mine and I think it'll go beautifully with the warm quad. As a bonus I threw in Dolce & Gabbana's The Intense Nail Lacquer (£18.50) in Ibisco, which is a fresh and lovely warm pink and I'm really curious to see what the formula is like. i haven't even tried a single product yet and already I suspect that this is just the beginning of a new brand addiction. Last of the makeup is YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Luxurious Mascara (£23) in Brown for beautiful long lashes. Even though I adore the Baby Doll formula I wanted to try something different and having heard wonderful things about Volume Effet, I decided to take a bit of a risk and buy it, and if it's even half as good as the Baby Doll mascara, I'm on to a winner.

Let me know in the comments section which product you would like me to review first, and your wish is my command! Before you feel too sorry for me coming back to an empty house I guess I also have to mention that Him Indoors did eventually show up with a lovely bouquet of flowers, and the cat did come around and showered me with love - so I guess all good things to those who wait... or duty free...

What's in my travel handbag

After spending a few days of quality time with my family it's time again to pack my bags and travel back to the UK, and I return with a suitcase stuffed with beauty goodies that I simply had to pick up as part of my pre-flight relaxation exercises to calm my nerves. Even though it's a fairly short flight of just a few hrs I need to keep my mind busy when I fly, which means that I always carry a lot of stuff around me when I travel, so I need to dig out the most spacious bag I can find hidden deep in the tardis that is my wardrobe, and at the moment that's my 3.1 Phillip Lim handbag for Target. It's a battleship grey leather imitation version of the pashli bag with gold hardware and it has 4 pockets which is really useful to keep all your travel stuff safe and I have a lot of it... First we have the essentials like passport, keys and purse but then there's also my kindle in case the entertainment system doesn't work, my diary and a pen since I'm a scribbler making notes and lists all the time of things I need to do, plans for the blog etc and of course my phone.

On top of that I also have a mini beauty kit that I carry on board so that I can freshen up during the flight and when we land without having to rummage through my suitcase to get what I need. My in-flight "survival kit" pretty much looks the same wherever I go - starting with the lovely travel sized Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream in Pink Grapefruit (£5.70) which I've mentioned previously in my post about hand creams (see here). Having clean and fresh hands always makes me feel refreshed and energised and this cream is so light, fresh and pampering to use and it has a wonderful and delicate scent of mint and citrus fruits. I also always travel with at least one Bath & Body Works Anti Bacterial Gel Pocket (£2.10) and applying a little bit of the gels really enhance that fresh and protected feeling. Another must have handbag item, but which is extra great for traveling is the fabulous Caudalie Beauty Elixir (£10.95). It's an excellent quick fix to add some moisture to your skin during a flight even if it's not long haul, and to add some radiance when you land so you don't look shattered. The distinct herbal and aromatic scent of rosemary, and mint works so well to boost your mood and it may be a completely indulgent princess product, but it does actually work. I also make sure that I have a lip balm with me, and at the moment I'm trying to finish the Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm (£3.70). It's rich in softening and nourishing ingredients like lanolin, beeswax and natural oils and when my lips need something a little bit more rich to prevent dehydration, then this is a great natural product and a good primer for lipsticks.

When it comes to makeup I usually travel wearing as little as possible on my skin, and to freshen up as you land I tend to only use the bare essentials like a good concealer, and among the more affordable options one of the best products is the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (£5.49). It's a lightweight formula with just enough coverage to hide any dark circles or irritated skin after the flight, without making the skin feel heavy and tired. To blot any shininess I also have some transparent matte powder to hand, and the gorgeous luxurious Estée Lauder Scorpio Zodiac Powder Compact (£38.50) is the just perfect size to carry with you and it also comes with a tiny sponge applicator so no need to bring any big powder brushes since it does the job for a quick touch up on the go. I also have with me a mascara so that I don't scare people with my very blonde lashes and the YSL Babydoll Mascara (£24.50) gives a volumised effect as well as long luscious lashes with just a thin coat of mascara, perfect for a wide eyed and refreshed natural look when you step of the plane. I also always have some form of lip product with me and since I'm going pretty much au naturel, the L'Oréal Color Riche Collection Privée lipsticks (£8.19) in Julianne Moore gives just the right amount of peachy pink hint of color without looking overdone. To finish off I'll spritz some perfume on, and since I'm a nervous traveler I like to surround myself with harmonious scents that are calming and soothing, so I tend to use old, tested and loved favorites and this time I brought with me the Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey Cologne (£39)which is an amazing light and fruity feel good scent without being sickly sweet.

Despite carrying almost everything but the kitchen sink with me, the best thing is that there's still space left in the bag for any unexpected duty free items that might come my way. What do you have in your travel handbag?

Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm

When it comes to lip products we are certainly spoiled for choice. Not only can we have almost any format we want - lipstick, gloss, balm or stain but now we can also choose between different effects. My favorite format is the humble lip crayon, and it has been ever since my passion was ignited by the Bourjois Lip Crayons and since then I have tested my way through most of the high street options and colors, and most of them are of really good quality. The most recent and talked about addition to the chubby family is the balms from Revlon - available both in a high shine Lacquer effect and a Matte finish, and today we'll look at two gorgeous pink shades of the Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm (£7.99); Elusive and Sultry.

The are so many reasons why I love lip chubbies so much, and I was very curious to see if these Matte Balms would be different from the others that I have tried. First of all the format of the Revlon Balms is identical to most lip crayons, i.e.it's a straight forward, handy twist up chubby and I really like how the different colors of the matte packaging reflects each shade perfectly. The ColourBurst Matte Balm contains Shea, Mango and Coconut Butter that keeps your lips smooth and nourished throughout the day and it also makes the texture of the crayon gorgeously soft, creamy and easy to apply with minimum pressure needed. For some reason I hadn't expected the Matte Balms to have the same lovely moisturising feel as high shine chubbies, but the formula feels so lovely and light to wear.

From top to bottom:

205 Elusive

225 Sultry 

The pigmentation is great, and a quick coat of the balm gives a beautiful, even and non-sticky matte finish. Even though the balm wears quite well and you should be able to have a Starbucks or two without getting strange patches on your lips where the color's worn off, it's not very long lasting and I found that I had to re-apply the color after about 2 hrs and I usually get much longer wear out of other lip crayons. The Matte Balms come in 10 different shades, and since I'm going all out with pastel shades this season, I wanted to try some pink shades. The first one I got is Elusive, a very pretty light rose pink, perfect for a girly soft look or to contrast a heavy smokey eye. The other one is Sultry, a more sophisticated and elegant dusky tea rose pink shade, a classic "grown up" pink.

I've really enjoyed wearing these Matte Balms; I absolutely love the creamy delicate moisturising texture, and although it's not as long lasting as other lip chubbies, the amazing elegant matte finish makes up for that little shortcoming in spades. I know that glossy lips are on trend this season, but I'm so glad that Revlon brought out these Matte Balms and I've already decided which shades to get next - Mischievous and Audacious. This could be the start of a beautiful matte friendship! 

Makeup look of the month

After having indulged in quite heavy and elaborate makeup over the winter months, the month of February has been like a cosmetic detox for me and I've worn a minimum of products. Most days I've gone for the no makeup look using exactly the same products that I talked about in the Natural Edition, and when I've needed something a little bit more on the eyes and lips, I've worn the look that I'm showing you today - a time-saving minimal effort look that is still put together enough for work, or an evening out.

Starting with the eyes, I've kept it simple by applying the MUA Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tint (£3) straight from the stick all over the lid, blending it up towards the brow bone with my fingers. The color - Bring it back, is a beautiful golden dark bronze and it's perfect for a light wash across the lid as a base or to use on its own as I have. To add some more depth, I've used the Rimmel Scandaleyes Micro Liner (£5.49) in Black as close as possible to the upper eye lashes. I wanted a very subtle and precise look so I kept the line very thin, starting immediately in the inner corner of the eye and then making it slightly thicker towards the outer corner to define the eyeshape. If like me you're still improving when it comes to eyeliner, this product is great to use since it has a very thin felt tip and I feel that you have a good control over it when you apply, so you get just the right amount you need. After that I've applied lashings of the Seventeen Falsifeye Mascara (£6.49) in Black to get really long, whispy and flared lashes which this mascara is great at creating, even though it's not strong on volumising the lashes. Finishing the eye area, I've at least temporarily gone back to using a trusted eyebrow pencil after a less than successful detour into eyebrow mascara country - best to be forgotten... At the moment I'm still using the Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil (£2.99) in Hazel 2, and for this look which is groomed and well shaped, but not too dark - this pencil works well since it's easy to use to get the right definition.

Moving on to the face, I've kept it very fresh and natural with a dabbing of the MUA Bronzer (£1) in Shade 1 in the hollow of my cheeks and on the sides of my nose for some basic sculpting, and then a light sweep of it on my forehead and chin, where the sun would naturally hit the face. This shade is just right for me - it's golden without any orange or dirty brown undertones and it blends beautifully into the skin. I know I've talked a lot about MUA lately, and for good reason. MUA has made such an effort to make great quality product at affordable prices available to us and they keep expanding their range - enabling us beauty junkies, but I'm only too happy to be enabled when nothing is more expensive than £9! I've applied a little bit of the Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher (£7.99) in shade 16 - Rose Coup de Foudre, which is a gorgeous muted coral with a slightly burned undertone and a hint of shimmer to it. I've placed it a bit higher up on the cheekbones rather than straight on the apples of my cheeks for some more definition and it's beautiful for a fresh rosy appearance. Last but not least I've lightly placed some of the gorgeous MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder (£3) that I talked about earlier this week just above the blusher on the cheekbones for a dewy, light shimmer.

To finish the look and to balance out the eye makeup I've used the No 7 Moisture Drench Lipstick (£9.75) in Mulberry. I'm very surprised that this lipstick isn't mentioned more often, although of course competition is stiff when it comes to lip products but it really does deserve to be mentioned since it's incredibly moisturising, long lasting and gives a lovely satin finish. There's also a lovely range of shades available and Mulberry is a beautiful dark rusty red shade with just the right depth when you want a red lip but nothing too vibrant or too vampy - it's simply very easy to wear. That's the most worn makeup look this month - it's straight forward, but chic and appropriate for most occasions. I hope you like this type of post since I'm planning on doing them more often in the future so I hope you'll let me know in the comments what you think and I'm really looking forward to reading them. Have a great day everyone!

February favorites

February has been a very mixed month for me when it comes to makeup products, and unfortunately I've felt quite underwhelmed by a lot of the new products I have tried. This has meant that I've turned to some old tried, tested and well loved favorites to restore the balance. One of the new products that I've recently tested and really taken to is the Orly Bonder Rubberized Basecoat (£8.70). Let's just  disregard the somewhat strange name right away and go straight to the excellent qualities of this basecoat. The formula contains ingredients that make the basecoat feel ever so slightly sticky, and rubbery which means that nail polishes will get a better grip and last longer on your nails. When I use this basecoat nail polishes will last approximately 2-3 days longer than they normally would so e.g. a Barry M nail polish, usually lasting 3 days now stretches to 5 before the chipping is substantial. It is more expensive than many decent basecoats on the high street, however the bottle is a generous size and considering you don't need to apply nail polish as often any more, it's well worth getting. I'm so excited about this basecoat - yes I know... it is only a basecoat, BUT I'm beginning to hope that this is the solution to my unsatisfactory relationship with Chanel polishes which on my nails always chip already after a few hrs. I'll take it for a Chanel specific test drive and let you know how it went.

The fragrance that I've been wearing the most this month, is the gorgeous DKNY Energizing Fall EdT (£42). I've been feeling a bit cold and miserable after all the rain and the time spent outdoors and this has been perfect to restore my mood. It's an unusual but well balanced EdT with it's warming spicy and fruity scent of mandarin, lemon, jasmine, magnolia, musk, vetiver and cardamom. The blend is so harmonious, calming and beautiful with lots of substance and I'm suprised that I haven't seen it on more perfume shelves of department stores. 

A completely new discovery for me this month, and already a firm favorite is Batiste's Dry Conditioner (£3.99). It's the same concept as with dry shampoo, you basically spray it onto dry hair and then brush and style as usual but instead of cleansing your hair, this conditioning spray adds nourishment which makes the hair smooth shiny and sleek. It's an amazing product that adds a lot of volume, freshness and control without the crispiness of a hair spray. I'm completely addicted to it and start using it already the day after a hair wash and I'm definitely trying the one for strength and shine next.

One of the must have products in any decent makeup collection is a perfect nude lipstick, something which I had been trying to find for aaaages. After much searching and swatching I eventually found one in L'Oréal's Color Riche Collection Privée (£8.19), more specifically in the shade Julianne Moore. It's a gorgeous peach color with just enough pink for a subtle and natural look, and since I've already reviewed it in more detail in my article about natural colors for makeup where you can also see a swatch, I'll only mention here that the formula is moisturising and pleasant to wear, and it fades well throughout the day. I've worn this shade so often since I bought it, not just on a "no makeup" day and although it took me a while to find a pale shade that I'm confident in wearing, I've finally got it now and it was well worth the wait.

Since I've spent so much time outdoors in February I haven't really felt like getting all glammed up in my best YSL Youth Liberator Serum foundation, so after a bit of digging around in my tash I've rediscovered the No 7 Instant Radiance Foundation (£12.50). It's perfect for those days when you're feeling a bit tired and your skin is stressed, and it'll give a light to medium coverage as well as a natural finish. The formula is lovely and silky with light reflecting particles that makes the skin look radiant but without any glitter or shimmer, and it feels great and soothing on tired or dry skin. The foundation is a little bit more expensive than many other great options from e.g. Bourjois or L'Oréal, but the No 7 Match Made Service makes it worth those extra few pounds since you're guaranteed to get as close a match with your natural skin tone as you can get.

I debated with myself if I should include this last beauty product that I've loved this month, but in the end I decided to put it out there. As you may remember I did a review of the Diorblush from the  Trianon collection earlier this month, which was a bit of a let down simply because of the weak pigmentation, which is why I decided to show this bargain blusher, MUA 1D Cheek Tint in Coral Cutie. Expensive doesn't always equal great quality! It's a lovely soft and creamy cheek tint in a stick form, which is easy to apply and blend in and it stays in place all day long. Dab a little of this beautiful sunny coral shade on your cheeks and blend for a fresh and healthy looking glowing skin. This was a limited edition MUA product which I bought in Superdrug last year for no more than a few pounds, but since it's now only available on ebay these days the price is hugely inflated, as so often happens although you should be able to get one for around £5-6, and it's definitely worth it. 

I don't usually include non beauty items among my monthly favourites, but since it was a bit thin on the beauty ground this month for me, I thought I would show you a scarf I've been wearing at least a few times a week since I got it for Christmas. It's a two toned reversible cashmere scarf from LK Bennett - one of the sides and the tassels are in a gorgeous warm cerulean blue, and when you turn it over the other side is in a cool steel blue. It's long enough to double fold it and it's lovely and wide to use as a cashmere throw or stola. I hope you've had more luck than I with new products this monthly, and I'd love to know if you've also got any non beauty products among your February favorites?

Fave 5 Estée Lauder products

The first premium brand that I ever tried was Estée Lauder, and ever since it's been one of my most loved and trusted brands that I keep going back to time and time again. The brand is almost 70 years old and for me Estée Lauder embodies high quality products, tasteful designs, and approachability. One of the things that I love is that it's a strong brand cross the board and you'll find excellent skin care as well as gorgeous perfumes and great makeup, and today we'll look at my favorite 5 products at the moment.

One of my most loved moisturisers ever is the Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Creme (£35). The technology behind it focuses entirely on optimising how moisture is absorbed by the skin for an instant moisture boost, how it strengthens the skin's moisture barrier and how it retains moisture throughout the day, which all helps to make your skin look plump and healthy. It's available in two different types - one for normal/combination skin and one for dry skin. I always get the one for dry skin which has a lovely velvety and almost gel like texture, despite being a cream that boosts the skin with moisture all day long. The cream is absorbed into the skin with the lightest touch and you'll instantly feel energised and refreshed and in the evening when it's time to remove the face of the day, the skin feels exactly as soft, supple and hydrated as if you'd just applied your moisturiser. The moisturising qualities are so impressive and the cream works just as well in winter as in summer time, and an added bonus to the enjoyable experience of using it is the beautiful soft scent - an absolute gem!

Another pick from the great Estée Lauder skin care range is the Resilience Lift Firming/Sculpting Eye Creme (£44). Since my skin tends to get dehydrated I always look for rich and intensely nourishing formulas for the delicate eye area, and this is wonderful to use. It contains ingredients that helps to boost production of natural collagen and elastin that are essential for making the skin look firm and plump and it also has luminizing optics that blur out the appearance of darkness and lines around the eyes. Even though it's a very creamy formula it easily sinks into the skin and it feels very light weight and refreshing, and the skin looks so smooth and radiant as if you've slept for 10 hrs. It is a fairly expensive cream, but the first one I tried lasted four months after using it twice a day, so you get an excellent amount of wear out of it. I've mentioned before that I love products that feel as if they are actually doing something and this eye cream doesn't only feel as if it's doing something it IS doing something and I will definitely keep repurchasing it.

Estée Lauder often releases the most incredible collectible little powder compacts in all kinds of designs and shapes, adorned with amazing jewels and one of the most recent editions was the Zodiac. The compacts are quite small and fairly heavy, in gold color with different crystal designs depending on the star sign. Even though I don't actually use much powder I instantly fell in love with the collection and just had to have the Scorpio Zodiac Powder Compact (£38.50). It comes with a tiny applicator and the Lucidity Translucent Pressed Powder that is included is refillable so when it runs out, you just need to get a pan for the compact (£15). It's a completely indulgent trinket that I definitely didn't need, however because it's so small and dainty it's perfect to carry with you in a small hand bag, and I do feel a bit like a glamorous film star taking out this beautiful compact, powdering my nose and fixing the lipstick.

Speaking of glamorous, that's exactly the word I would use to describe the Pure Color Vivid Shine Lipstick (£20) in Hot Lava. The Vivid Shine formula is creamy, hydrating on the lips, long lasting and has clusters of different shaped prism pearls in it to create a luminous effect that also heightens the color. It's also has pearls in silver and gold to neutralize your natural liptone, which means that all of the more than 20 different gorgeous colors should look lovely with any skin tone. This particular shade is Hot Lava, a beautiful warm, sophisticated deep red in stylish and sleek packaging for a very elegant and groomed look. I love this vintage shade because of the satin finish, its crystal effect and versatility. We should all have a classic go-to red in our lipstick wardrobe, and if you haven't found yours yet, you should definitely try this or one of the other red shades from this lovely lipstick range. 

When it comes to nail polish, for me personally there are very few premium brands that beat the great options from the high street, but Estée Lauder is one of them and the Pure Color Nail Lacquer (£14) formula is one of the best that you can get. First of all the nail polishes look luxurious and amazing in the heavy crystal bottles - it's a real treat to buy one, and secondly the formula is intensely pigmented with a super shiny finish. The brush is nice and wide which makes application very easy and together with the pigmentation you quickly get a wonderful opaque and even finish. The nail polish dries very quickly, so if like me you prefer to apply two coats, you can still get your mani done in under five mins since you really don't need a top coat. One of the things about Estée Lauder polishes that I value the most is that unlike a lot of other premium brands, the polishes long lasting (on me about five days) and they will not chip or smudge easily, and I've never been disappointed in the wear with any of the polishes I have.

There's a lovely range of colors and effects to choose from, and we have two different shades from my collection. The first one is Dilettante, which is a gorgeous ice cream colored, crisp light blue with a hint of mint to it, just perfect for the Spring & Summer pastel trend, and the other one - Blue Blood is an intense, shimmering deep royal blue with such high shine it's almost mirror like. I love these polishes and am excited to pick up some new shades from the S&S collection, and I've already got my eye on an intense orchid shade - Insolent Plum.

From left to right (two coats, but no top coat):

Dilettante

Blue Blood

I have quite a few other Estée Lauder products that I use regularly, and even though I haven't mentioned them here today I also highly recommend that you try one of the great repair serums, or one of the gorgeous gelée powder eye shadows, they're all a nice introduction to this classic brand that stays contemporary by constantly reinventing itself.

MACsimum Volt

Since it says in big letters on the front page of my blog that I'm a self confessed beauty junkie, no-one will raise an eyebrow when I say that I have a decent amount, although not an outrageous amount of products from different brands. You may however be surprised when I say that I don't actually have a lot of products from MAC, this colorful makeup heaven of all things wonderful. I do however have a list of things to try and possibly even get that keeps on growing and it seems that the most frequently added item to that list is... yep you've guessed it - the lipstick. Slowly but surely I have started to chip away at the Lippy List - last year I bought my first MAC lipstick ever, the amazing Please me, and I'm now the proud owner of my second MAC lipstick - Vegas Volt (£15).

I've mentioned before that for me shopping at MAC can be a bit overwhelming since there is simply sooooooo much to choose from and it's one of the few shops in the world that always give me shopping catatonia, and for a short - but painful period oftime I will be completely unable to make the simples of decisions like pink or coral... ok, maybe not that simple then... The whole experience is made even "worse" by the fact that there are more than 10 different types of lipstick formulas, all with different effects and finishes. Vegas Volt is from the amplified creme lipstick range, and it has a lovely creamy formula that feels lovely and moisturising on the lips and even if you don't wear a lip balm as a primer this formula is enough for a smooth full coverage without dehydrating the lips. The formula is completely scent free and very strongly pigmented with a gorgeous and rich glossy finish which makes the lips look plump and supple. The color itself lasts for about 2-3 hrs and it fades evenly without any horrible patches and lines along the lip contours, but you might find that the high glossiness goes a little bit matte after eating and drinking, although you can of course add some high shine gloss to amp it up a bit.  

Vegas Volt is a beautiful golden, silky peachy coral shade that despite the strong pigmentation looks really natural - like your lips, but better. I love how versatile it is and how it seems to work both with a heavy smokey eye, natural neutral shades and color pops like purple or turquoise. I absolutely adore this lipstick and both the shade and the formula have completely bowled me over - however, there's some strong competition on the lipstick market at the moment, and as much as I truly love this product, I personally think it's priced quite high if you compare with other brands including premium brands like Clinique (£17 for 4g lipstick vs MAC's 3g lipstick at £15). That switches me off a little bit since for me MAC doesn't have the wow factor when it comes to packaging or scent or some other "je ne sais quoi" that makes you go gaga over a product. I will definitely continue to test my way through the MAC Lippy List but I will be very selective in terms of what I actually end up taking with me home. What do you think of MAC lipsticks - which is your favorite?

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.

January favorites

First bunch of favorites for 2014 and even though I'm slowly shedding my winter clothes and makeup for lighter and more colorful Spring looks I still feel a strong need to nourish and comfort my skin and body, to keep the cold and darkness away. It's been a bit of a wet and miserable start to the year so I've craved warm, soft perfumes to heat me up from the inside and luckily I've had two amazing scents to help me with that. To start off I've literally bathed in the lovely Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist ($14) in Warm Vanilla Sugar. If you like foodie, cookie type scents you'd probably love this. It's a very harmonious and well balanced mix of light and sparkling vanilla sugar, subtle coconut and tonka bean - gorgeous! A lot of body mists don't last very long after you've sprayed it, but the warmth of this makes it last surprisingly long and when you've sprayed it, the whole house smells as if you'd been making vanilla cookies, oh yummie! It's also worked really well in combination with the Jo Malone Rose Water & Vanilla Cologne (£100) from the sophisticated Cologne Intense range. This is another warm and vibrant scent that makes me think of expensive truffles or Turkish delight - the rose water adds delicacy and freshness while the vanilla makes the cologne creamy, refined and luxurious. I love this extravagant and lush scent that lingers on your clothes and hair long after you've sprayed it, and it seems I'm not the only one since I've received so many compliments for it.

My skin has behaved quite well this season, for which I'm very grateful but instead I have struggled a little bit with finding the right lip balm and some of the products that I've used previously, all of a sudden aren't doing it for me anymore so the past months I've to turned to my trusted Gatineau Defi Lift 3D Revolumising Lip Care (£28). This product is so much more than a lip balm - it does contain lovely smoothing and moisturising ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil like many other balms, but it also has a collagen stimulant to create a subtle plumping effect and which helps to redefine the natural lip contours so you'll find that in addition to a moisture boost your lips have a little bit more volume for a few hrs. It's an amazing silky and light product that you can use as a primer or a lip gloss on top of lipsticks, and I also use it as a mask on the lip contours, letting it sink in for about 15 mins or so. Since it's quite an expensive lip care product I usually use this in the morning as a lip primer to plump my lips and as an overnight treatment, however since I've really needed something deeply hydrating lately I've also used this generously throughout the day and I love its plumping effects.

Next product may not be very exciting but for me it's an absolutely essential part of my nail care routine - Sally Hansen's Miracle Nail Growth Treatment (£9.99) which is applied every other day to bare nails to help them grow longer and stronger in no time (apparently you should see a 30% increase in nail growth in 5 days). A lot of products promise the moon and more, and I'm always very skeptical towards marketing fads, but I have used this strengthener a couple of times every week for well over a year and it actually does work - and if you use it as a base coat you'll treat your nails with minimal effort every day under whatever lovely shade you're wearing.

 Violet Freeze

Passionate Pink

If you read my recent post on some of my latest purchases from Avon, you might be surprised to find that one of my favorites this month is the Avon Color Trend Color Me Pretty Wet-Look Shine Nail Enamel (£3) in Violet Freeze. You may remember that we got off to a very rocky start because of some very misleading color swatches, however I won't hold that against this innocent little polish and after we passed that initial hurdle I actually really LOVE this shade. It's a wonderful shimmery light lavender blue and for me it's got just the right depth of color that at the same time gently nods to the pastel trend that I'm completely embracing this Spring. This shade turned out to be an unexpected little ablessing in disguise!

The last product this month is a wonderful creamy lipstick that has really cheered me up these rainy days and it's the The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick  (£10). This range has an impressive 26 different shades to choose from, and Passionate Pink is a gorgeous shimmery juicy and highly pigmented rose color with a slight blue undertone that packs enough of a punch to brighten a look, but is still versatile and soft enough that you can easily wear it during the day. The lipstick is very moisturising and gives a velvet long lasting smooth satin finish and I'm looking forward to pick up another shade from this great range this Spring.

That's the end of the favorites for this month. When I first started doing these posts last year, I fully expected them to be quite repetitive and that I would stick with the same old products month after month, but every time I think back at what I've actually really used the most - I surprise myself by how much the favorites change from month to month and I'm already curious about what goodies I'll be drawn to in February.  

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?