Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara Review

So I've been holding off reviewing this for a while as I wanted to give it a chance to work as I think there are a lot of so called eyelash growth enhancers on the market and very few of them have any effect, and the ones that really do can change your eye colour so this has always put me off.  I've used it for a good month now on my top lashes (I find it smudges slightly on my lower lashes) and I've been pleased with the progress so far. I can't say I've experienced much in terms of extra length but I have found there are less lashes falling out overall so they are looking a bit fuller. I do have long lashes naturally so I might not be the ideal audience for this product but it is still an improvement on what I have.

Mascara wise I find this pretty nice- volumising but not OTT although it does layer nicely and has a good depth of black pigment. At first I found it a bit too wet and it made my curl fall out (this happens to me a lot so I tend to let mascaras dry out slightly before I use it). It has a biggish wand- a bit like Diorshow so builds up quickly but you also need to be careful in the corners. Overall I went from not really liking this to really enjoying it so definitely will be repurchasing it.

I bought mine from boots.com

Chanel Island Le Vernis 597 Swatch and Review

As I mentioned yesterday I've been using a combination of Dior Saint Tropez on my toes and Chanel's Island on my fingers. I wasn't expecting to buy Island as I thought it looked the most plain of the 3, still I did my usual getting caught up in Chanel regret and quickly went out to purchase it before it sold out ( I think this one sold out first). Anyway, it's a gorgeous milky cream shade with pink opalescence. In bright light the shimmer really stands out, I can't think of anything this is quite like it!

It is designed to be sheerish, I used 2 coats to get it how I like it, you could use 3 if you really wanted. I got about 5 days wear from this before I saw any tipwear- which is fantastic for me as I usually get about 3 days. If you can still get hold of this one it's definitely worth a look!

Swatches...

Dior Vernis 401 Saint Tropez Review and Swatch

So I finally caved and climbed aboard the Dior Saint Tropez bandwagon. It's a pretty, slightly dusty, turquoise creme. I think it was originally launched last year when they opened a new store in Saint Tropez and was an instant sell out. This time it has come out with the Summer collection- but I think it is still limited edition. Saint Tropez runs more blue than say China Glaze Aquadelic, Chanel Nouvelle Vague, Pop Mint Magic and Essie Mint Candy Apple, although it's not a ground breaking or unique shade by any means.

It comes with the Dior wide brush so application is super quick, the formula is quite thick but easy to work with and is opaque in 2 coats. I didn't get any weird bubbling and it didn't take long to dry. It's quite shiny so you could skip topcoat if you really wanted. I found this lasted on me for about 4 days before I noticed any tip wear. This makes a beautiful pedi shade, I've been wearing it combined with Chanel's Island on my hands. If you can find this in stores it is a lovely one to have but it's not hugely unique so I wouldn't start paying inflated eBay prices for it.

Real Techniques Setting Brush Review

So I came across this brush the other day from the lovely Sam from Pixiwoo. It's new to the collection and is a small setting brush which can be used for powder or highlighter. It has synthetic bristles so is also cruelty free. I've always been impressed by the Real Techniques brushes, the bristles are soft and much higher quality than a lot of other brands, not to mention the price point is excellent. It has a tapered tip to make for precise application and effortless blending. It's very similar to a jumbo Mac 224 or the old 225 that I'm not sure they make anymore.

I like this more for highlighter or for setting powder under the eyes as it gives you a lot more control where you place the product. These brushes also wash up really nicely, I haven't had much dye leakage or shedding to date. The short handles make them great for traveling too as I find the Mac, Suqqu, Shu etc... brushes never fit into my personal make up bag. One thing to note is that the writing tends to rub off with heavy usage- although this happens with the premium brushes too!

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Review and Swatches in BA40 Beige Ambre Desert and 20 Beige

So while I wait for the trickle of Fall collections to hit Europe (which is notoriously slow over here) I thought I'd do a quick review of my current favourite foundation, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. As I'm in between shades ( and I can't find another B40 anywhere to purchase) I'm mixing a combo of 20 Beige and BA40 Beige Ambre Desert. I should note that BA40 is much darker than the standard B40 so don't mistake one for the other as I did! Formula wise it's a gorgeous product- light but enough coverage to perfectly blend away any blemishes. You have to give this one a good old shake before you use else you'll end up using all the watery bit and get left with a thick gloop afterwards. It has a SPF of 15 built in which is always a bonus.

It dries down pretty fast so you need to move quickly and it has a semi matte finish, even on my oily skin I never get particularly shiny with this on even if I don't use any powder. I get a whole days wear from this one even in the heat (it has been 35-40 degrees here recently) so I highly recommend it. I've been using this sparingly with my ThisWorks Perfect Skin Miracle which I reviewed earlier to get the perfect amount of coverage for the summer. I should also note that I started using Vitalumiere Aqua since it was launched and have never experience any reactions to it with my uber sensitive skin. It has a light scent but soon disappears once applied.

Swatches...

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, left to right: 20 and BA40 (daylight)

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, left to right: 20 and BA40 (flash)

This Works Perfect Look Skin Miracle Review

So this is a new product from This Works. It's a tinted moisturiser with lots and lots of skincare goodies in it. It has no coverage whatsoever but does brighten the face and give it a slight glow. The tinted part does help to even out tone and I find that after a minute or so a lot of the redness in my skin has calmed down so I can get away with just using concealer on the essential areas. It blends incredibly easily and smells lovely, very fresh and not synthetic at all. I think if you have oily skin you could skip moisturiser (this isn't mattifying but also isn't shine-inducing) but if you have normal or dry you might need to pop some on beforehand.

Overall this is a lovely product, whether you need extra coverage or not as you can use this as a base for your foundation regardless of your skintone. I do especially like the way they incorporate skin care ingredients as I feel my skin has been looking slightly better since I have been wearing this. It has no sulphates, synthetic colours, synthetic fragrance, mineral oils or parabens and lots of other nasties which you regularly find in make up.

I purchased mine from lookfantastic.com

Autumnal Nails

As much as I love bright colors, sometimes it's nice to indulge in more autumnal shades like taupes, deep reds and metallic greens. So I've picked out my recent favourites...

 Chanel Quartz (metallic taupe), Particuliere (the infamous mushroom creme) and Graphite (blackened silver-gold)

 Monsoon Ruby Siren (deep metallic cherry red), W7 Metallic Saturn (golden olive green metallic) and Rococo Deadly Nightshade (blackened indigo navy with pearl)

Rococo Deadly Nightshade

W7 Metallic Saturn

Monsoon Ruby Siren

Chanel Sable Beige 907 Soleil De Tan Review and Swatches (Summertime De Chanel)

Whoops- I meant to write about this when I first purchased it. In my excitement it went straight into my make up bag which is where it has been ever since. It's a lovely soft and smooth peachy-beige bronzer with just the right amount of sheen (no glittery bits here) and is made up of 7 stripes of gold, peaches and medium taupey browns. As it is on the paler side of bronze it is best suited to light-medium skintones, what is particularly lovely is that if you own a smallish brush you can pick out the beige/gold shades to double as your highlighter.

 I would say this was a bit softer (but not powdery) than last year's Chanel summer bronzers (although I still adore those too) so I think I can justify owning both. The wear time was great- a full day in warm weather and no sign of fading.

 I bought mine from harrods.com

Swatch...

Alpha-H Purifying Clay Mask Review

I've been looking for a replacement for my beloved Mac Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask and this one had been recommended to me. Alpha-H is an Australian skincare brand that focuses on actual ingredients that work rather than flashy packaging and expensive ad campaigns. It's relatively hard to find- just a couple of online retailers and spas stock them.

So, back to the mask, it contains vitamin A and clay to draw out any impurities in the skin. I found it did a good job when I felt a few blemishes coming up and it didn't aggravate my sensitive skin. It smells quite strongly of lavender but I didn't notice it after a while. It's quite a thick whitish paste which you leave on for about 10 minutes before rinsing off. As I said before, the packaging is very simple but you get a decent amount of product (100ml) for your money so should last a long time. Overall it's a good product and has kept my oily skin and any blemishes at bay since I've been using it 1-2 times per week.

 I purchased mine from lookfantastic.com

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre 89 Vision Swatch & Review

Sorry about my lack of posts recently, I've been fostering a little puppy so everything is rather hectic in my household! Anyway, I came across this Illusion D'Ombre the other day in 89 Vision which is a bright yellow gold with lots of sparkles- very festive in my opinion. I haven't seen it advertised so I'm not sure if it is a Europe exclusive. It is a bit harder to work (expect a bit of fallout) with than last years release but is super pretty and has the same bouncy gel texture.  I find fingertips or a synthetic brush works best with this, it doesn't have the same opaque quality as previous shades but has a lot of glittery bits.

I got about 8 hours wear from this (with no base) before it started to look a bit patchy, although it did endure 8 hours of 35 degree heat so thumbs up for that. It's also worth noting that you must avoid touching your eyes while wearing this as it wipes off very easily.

Swatches...

Chanel Vision (daylight)

Chanel Vision (sunlight)

Chanel Vision (blurry to show the sparkle better!)